I visit these boards a few times daily to learn about improving my car and when I can, to help others with theirs.

Lately, I've noticed many posts similar to the below examples:

Classified - "pickup only" with response posts "where are you located"?
Engine Swap - "what's the best cam choice"? Response; "what size engine"?
History - "is this radio the correct style"? Response; "what year"?

Granted, this is my rant, but surely someone else must agree (at least the members who find themselves constantly making the above response posts).

I'm suggesting that instead of leaving your profile almost completely anonymous, you take a minute to provide others with some info. While it's not necessary to give a bio, your interests, or your exact location, at the very least, you should display your car's year, model and engine size & type.

To do so, click on your user name and in the 'about me' section, click on the pencil icon and please fill in the information that will result in you getting better and quicker responses to your questions.

Thank you!

 

Thank you , it gets so bothersome I just back out of the thread , instead of trying to help

 

Ttt

 

i agree 100% . i have always said "the only stupid/dumb question , is the one that is not asked" . BUT , one does need to know "WHAT" you are asking about . if you are a young person , great . many of us really "old" pharts enjoy passing on tricks we have learned over the years . (damn i'm old , ck. my profile) not being a mechanic , but trying to learn is great . even at my age i try learn something new everyday . anyway if we know a little about the person & location you can get a better reply . just my thoughts , many non-english speaking people ask questions better than some here in the U.S. . (example , cn u hp me unerrstan huw 2 fx my tired car) oh well , i have also vented . ask a question & use language that all understand . good luck .

 

I agree, problem is it's usually new posters making those threads with vague info. I also think we need an offtopic/suggestion subforum

 

Don't you like a challenge?

With some guys it is like pulling teeth to get enough info to make a informed judgement of their problem.
My ESP works real well when they ask
" my car won't start: what could be the problem? "

 

I have never seen the the need for a OT part on any forum.
You come here to talk 3rd gens.
If you want to debate religion , drugs, post pics of your cat, girlfriend ,etc ,
go to the approximate forum , or these days just use Myface or Twitter ?

 

Well what you said is true, I rarely go in off topic, but I meant to say is a car off topic (for things that don't exactly fit in the other forums)

 

Ya mean like this??.



That pretty much sums it up.Errrr,well I couldn't resist. Just kidding.

 

ttt

 

This should be a sticky

 

Agree. How hard is it to complete the fields with year, vehicle, engine, and transmission.

 

I was just thinking the same thing the other day. It really helps on the classifieds to have a general idea where someone is. And if you want advice about fixing your car it helps to give the pertinent info to help us help you!

 

Filling in the profile is fine, but if someone is asking a question about a car, I still prefer that they describe it explicitly in the question. I don't like to assume that the car described in their profile is actually the vehicle they're asking about.
Also, their profile could change in the future, and that would make the thread harder to understand for people who are trying to get something out of it 3 years later.

 

Necessary bump

 

This is an interesting and funny thread , I would also like to add, that pictures help in some of these posts , Like when they say where does this go, or can this be saved, And they can't describe it very well. Pictures help more than words can in most cases.

 

In my backround at one time I was a Admin in a sizable forum.Worked my way up from a Mod.Also for a very long time a engine builder.Now either the OP's post or the OP himself doesn't know to include important info.He just doesn't know.Does a complete signature help??. Sure. But the fact is the tech on these engines has to take into account more than one part which is being asked about.Does additional info supplied beyond the original question,well is that off topic??.NO!!! It is the only way to actuality and completely answer the question. Also what we do is teach tech with a eye on a achieve for future members to use a search function and search engines of the net direct traffic to this forum.

 

I posted this thread five years ago. After returning from a year long hiatus, I see that lots of new members are here and asking lots of questions (welcome! and keep the questions coming!) however, many of the junior members - who write that they are third gen owners - have profiles with not much more than their user name showing.

I encourage newer members to read post #1, because, when asking questions, the info in your profile may help the responder in the event additional information is needed, or, you forgot to mention specifics in your message.