Return to sender

[UffishThought]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/70897/

This type of answer is starting to seem like a trend. And please understand, I'm not picking on Watts in particular--I've seen it from other writers as well, and I'm certain I wrote these, as well.

First, she starts with a plug for the Board. (And obviously, the reader knows the Board exists, but still wants actual professional help.) Then, instead of calling the number and finding out FOR the reader, so that her question can be answered, the writer just mentions then number, and hands the question back.

I know (believe me) that phone calls can be uncomfortable. And I know it's frustrating when readers ask the board to do things that the writers feel are easy to answer or like they've just enlisted the board to do their dirty work for them. But I'm still a little sad about dodging questions like that. It would only take 2 minutes, and would a much more satisfying answer, both for the asker and the readers.

[Giovanni Schwartz]

+1

[mic0]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/70897/

This type of answer is starting to seem like a trend. And please understand, I'm not picking on Watts in particular--I've seen it from other writers as well, and I'm certain I wrote these, as well.

In my own opinion, this isn't so much a trend or not trend as a personality thing. I almost always called and got the information about whatever was happening, and I'm pretty sure a few of the current writers do that, too, as well as former writers. But then there will always also be writers who don't do that. One thing I noticed was that while most of the time I could get the answer by calling someone, there were also times where the person asking the question would still need to call. In this instance it seems like even if Watts found out that a recording existed, the WRC probably would have said "we can lend it out for two hours, have the person visit us" or something like that. At least, when I worked at a BYU job that is how we dealt with giving things to people that weren't publicly available otherwise.

So, on the one hand I agree with you. The reason people ask the Board is so they don't have to do the legwork, and if the writers aren't going to do something then it seems like a wasted effort on everyone's part. On the other hand, a lot of times the things people are asking about still required the asker to do something in order to get the whole story/best advice/actual resource. So, I see where they are coming from.

(Sorry that was long. I'm waiting for something to download. This sure sped up the wait. )

[Zedability]

Sometimes I try to call, but because of my schedule, they're never open when I do call, and then the question is at like 500 hours and I know that they could just call them during regular business hours and get the answer, and it seems better than holding it when I don't know when I'm going to be able to call them.

[blpsara]

Apparently this was enough to bring me out of years of lurking mode.

As a LONG time reader of the board (I'm talking back to the days of the physical board, and throughout the move to online), I have to agree.

One of the reasons I read the board is to get answers to questions I never would have come up with on my own. So although I didn't ask the question, if there was an answer there, I might have listened to some of the recordings if the answer had linked to them. (Does that make sense? Your answers often pique my interest enough to look into things further.)

Do I care enough to call the number myself? No.

(However, I also understand a question going over hours or not being able to connect with the office that might have the answer, and thus giving the asker the ability to do so themselves.)

[OptimusPrime]

That kind of answer always bothers me, too, as an asker and a reader. Questions not actually being answered is actually the main reason I went from board friend to board writer. (Hopefully there aren't any examples of me doing it in the archives...) Maybe that's why I get along so well with The Cleaning Lady, perhaps the best in the business at making the call no one else wanted to make.

[Katya]

Maybe that's why I get along so well with The Cleaning Lady, perhaps the best in the business at making the call no one else wanted to make.

Amen.

[Zedability]

Maybe that's why I get along so well with The Cleaning Lady, perhaps the best in the business at making the call no one else wanted to make.

Amen.

I actually really like how "I write for a student university website..." lets me make all sorts of weird calls to random people who would otherwise be like "What the heck, who are you and why are you asking me this?" It's great.

[Katya]

I actually really like how "I write for a student university website..." lets me make all sorts of weird calls to random people who would otherwise be like "What the heck, who are you and why are you asking me this?" It's great.

That's a nice way of phrasing it. Ultimately, though, I just hate talking on the phone, so I always tried to answer a lot of questions that didn't involve doing that, in hopes that going the extra mile in other types of questions would earn me karmic balance.

[Yarjka]

I long for a day when phones are irrelevant.

[C is for]

Apparently this was enough to bring me out of years of lurking mode.

As a LONG time reader of the board (I'm talking back to the days of the physical board, and throughout the move to online), I have to agree.

One of the reasons I read the board is to get answers to questions I never would have come up with on my own. So although I didn't ask the question, if there was an answer there, I might have listened to some of the recordings if the answer had linked to them. (Does that make sense? Your answers often pique my interest enough to look into things further.)

Do I care enough to call the number myself? No.

(However, I also understand a question going over hours or not being able to connect with the office that might have the answer, and thus giving the asker the ability to do so themselves.)

PS: Welcome. Join any conversation you want. Also I once heard you speak in sacrament meeting I think.
/creeping and conviviality

[Talons]

I long for a day when phones are irrelevant.

Some people think it's only 30 years away.

[blpsara]

Um. How in the world would you know that you have heard me speak in Sacrament Meeting? Creepy indeed.

[C is for]

Ways. I have them.

[Giovanni Schwartz]

C4 is a creeper. And we love her for it.

[C is for]

Though let's be honest. I could say that to any newbie and it would ... not be true. But as long as they have given a sacrament meeting talk in their lives, they could think it was true, and that would be almost as good.

[blpsara]

I can play the stalker game too. Do you have family in Lindon? If the answer is yes, then I know who you are.

[C is for]

Creeping around is fun to do, fun to do, to do, to do

[OptimusPrime]

There was another example today of a similar kind of response.

Questioner:

[I'm getting weird text in my browser]... I've tried changing the character encoding, but this doesn't fix the problem.

Board Answer:

It sounds like you need to switch the character encoding settings on Firefox. Go to "View," then "Character Encoding." I don't know enough about this problem to say which setting you should change it to, but I'd suggest making a note of which one you had it on (so you can change it back if necessary), and then playing around with switching the type of character encoding until you find one that works for this page.

I guess they're swamped right now, but even punting on this question and saying "Huh, weird, I don't know" would have been better than making it appear as if they barely even read the question. If character encoding really is the most likely solution, at least say something like, "I know you've already tried changing the character encoding options, but that's really the only thing that could be doing this, so perhaps you missed something."

[Squirrel]

Yeah- they're swamped, but not any more than usual, according to my inside source. In my opinion, the Board could hire more writers- then they wouldn't have so much pressure put on them to get so many questions done in a short amount of time. I may have my own motives here, but... Yeah, okay. It's just my own motives.