Helping Others 2

[jam7171]

Does anybody know if there is a newbie forum on here?
I would like to post replies that help people but I see alot of information on most of these threads seem pretty advanced. I dont want to be asking questions all the time,but would like to help also.
Thanks
John

 

[SantaMufasa]

John,

Kudos to you for your attitude! Even though this is not a technical forum, you deserve (and now receive) your second

. Considering that you have been a member for only about 24 working hours, and you've posted only 3 posts, I know of no one with a better (

) start in the history of Tek-Tips!

To respond directly to your issue:

I would like to post replies that help people but I see alot of information on most of these threads seem pretty advanced...

...I suggest you identify the forums that you have some technical experience, then look for an opening. (There are a whole lot of forums here on Tek-Tips, many that are frequented by newbies in need of less advanced help.)


With your obvious desire to help/contribute, you are going to make great things happen here on Tek-Tips, despite your humble self-assessment that you may not be as technically advanced as some of your co-Tek-Tipsters in the forums that you have frequented so far.

As you apparently are already aware, the ones that learn the most are the teachers. Even on the forums that have MVPs that seemingly insurmountable piles of

, when you contribute there, I assure you that everyone will appreciate your contributions, and you will probably learn from your articulation of your response.

Very best regards,

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”

 

[p5wizard]

Hear Hear!

p5

 

[tcsbiz]

It's good you want to help. I second the advice from Santa. Pick an area where you can help out and start replying.

Looking a user's information, you can see where they've helped out and where they've needed help. I don't have the time to help as much as I'd like but do what I can.

Please remember to leave a star if you've been helped by someone. Don't reply expecting a star but because you can share information.

I've been really humbled by the depth of experience and knowledge here as it pertains to my weak areas of SQL and .NET. I've needed to really learn a lot in the last year and this site has been great.

I spend most of my time in the search facility looking for answers that have been posted previously. I find a lot of information in prior posts and threads. I try to look into the forums where I can help such as the RPG, COBOL, IBM Servers, and the Access forums.

Have a good time and thanks for sharing what you can.

 

[mmerlinn]

If you see a question anywhere that you can answer, that you can further expound upon, or that you can clarify previous answers, post a reply. We ALL will appreciate it.

mmerlinn

http://mmerlinn.com

"We've found by experience that people who are careless and sloppy writers are usually also careless and sloppy at thinking and coding. Answering questions for careless and sloppy thinkers is not rewarding." - Eric Steven Raymond

 

[jam7171]

Thank You all for your support.Now I know why this website is so popular. It's because of all you who kindly give your time and advice!

 

[SantaMufasa]

John,

Your attitude reminds me of W. W. Woodbride's in "That Something".

Click the link (above), read it, and tell me if you agree.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”

 

[Thadeus]

The best reason I can offer for answering questions regardless of your own personal level of understanding is this:
You will learn exactly where your own understanding is in need of further study. Having spent time developing training courses for Seagate Info years ago, I was faced with writing a 2 day instructor-led course in the mechanics of Report Design... it was a wonderful learning experience. In just writing out basic instructions, you begin to realize how many assumptions you make when you are operationally making the thing work.

One knows some answers naturally and it is not until we try to relay the answer that we realize how much of it we breeze over as routine...

~Thadeus

 

[kskid]

Santa,

I read it and I agree. I have been on Tek-Tips for a while. I have learned a lot from these forums but have been able to pass some of that knowledge down to others.

-Larry

 

[SQLSister]

When I first got here I was an Access programmer working in SQL Server for the first time and I knew so little it was pathetic. Reading the questions and answers and then trying to answer questions really helped me build my skill level.

One thing I found most helpful at that point was to pick out a question I did not know the answer to and research it. If I found the answer in time to answer the question, that was nice but didn't often happen (People are fast around here in answering), but in the meantime, I learned the answer and the next time a similar question came up, I was ready with the answer.

Another thing that helps you get started is to think, is there something missing from the answer that was given? Often there is and it just may be the issue that will really fix the problem. Also look at problems not just from the perspective of what was actually said but from the perspective of what they really need. For instance, someone might come in with a cursor that doesn't work, but an experienced SQL server person will try to show them a better more efficient way to solve the probnlem through a set-based solution even if someone else has already told them how to fix the cursor. Look for thsoe types of issues as well since you may not be as fast at first in getting in the initial answer.

"NOTHING is more important in a database than integrity." ESquared

 

[SamBones]

I agree with the responses here. I first found Tek-Tips around the time I was studying for my Solaris 8 Administrator's certificate. I went to that forum and every day I would try to answer the questions people posed. If I didn't know how to solve the problem, I would go away and investigate it, learn what I could, try it on a test system, then post a solution. You learn a little bit by looking up a solution, but you learn a HUGE amount by trying to explain it in a single post to someone else. I passed my certification test the first try. I was worried when I did it because it seemed too easy. I attribute that to using Tek-Tips as my training tool.

Since then, I hang out here to solve problems for fun (I LOVE it when someone is looking for a "one liner" solution to something kind of complex). Most Tek-Tippers are problem solvers at heart. I just hope I'm helping people that are where I was years ago. Everyone was a n00b once.

 

[jam7171]

I work in a school district as a break/fix/load guy. The only thing I do not have control of is our network. I usually serve a high school with over 800 laptops, desktop and Mac's.Since I am the only guy to fix these issues in my school, it can get a bit overwhelming sometimes.I have been here for seven years and every year it gets harder and harder to keep up.A place like this (tek-tips) is the perfect solution when my boss is too busy to answer my question or if something comes up that I have never seen before.
I want to once again,thank all of you for enlightening and encouraging me.
John

 

[Welshbird]

I have found not only excellent help here, but also some really good friends.

S'fab innit!

Fee

"The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea." Isak Dinesen

 

[philhege]

Everyone was a n00b once.

This.

Everyone should keep this in mind. It keeps the discourse at a civil level. These Fora have been the best in that regard (if you think I'm kidding, try ACCESS-L or linux.advocacy for a change), and the people you see here go a long way toward keeping us at that high level.

My US$.02


Phil H.
Some Bank
-----------
Time's fun when you're having flies.

 

[KenCunningham]

Phil gets to the nub. These are probably the only fora not infested with predatory answer-sharks looking to make posters look stupid for even daring to pose such 'simple' questions. For that, thank you all.

I want to be good, is that not enough?

 

[kjv1611]

I DEFINITELY agree on how people are treated in the forums when asking questions. I know I personally was trying some various new Linux things on a couple occasions, and though the forums here weren't as specific, I did receive much more professional-level answers than at the specific Linux distro forums. I definitely experienced the whole forum-shark ordeal. I think I found one or perhaps 2 posters who didn't practically degrade me for asking the questions I asked.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me