What makes a TBN member's advice more credible to you?

[RoyJackson]

I agree, Roy.

Now, if I had a question about a vacuum cleaner, I'd ask the resident, kilt wearing wee laddie post *****...

 

[jmurray01]

Now, if I had a question about a vacuum cleaner, I'd ask the resident, kilt wearing wee laddie...

Why thank you :laughing:

 

[polo1665]

I try and give everyone a listen to. Except when they are obviously confused. Like the so called members who prefer gear tractors over HST......and then of course there are the real wierdos who prefer R-1's over R-4's. I won't even get into colors.........................

 

[Carl_NH]

Personally the one post wonders do come and go here and I do look at the count, but do not factor that into the reply - if its something I think I can help or offer assistance I reply. IF they elect not to return or check back that is frustrating to me.. but one cannot control these things.

From the past 10 years on TBN - there were maybe 50-100 new replies per day in 2002 now it's many times that, and it is "viral" to a degree so naturally we will see more new members posting once or twice and gone.

I dont really consider the number of posts a TBN member has to be necessarily indicative of "helping or assisting" as some of the high post count members have single line replies e.g. cyril/polo chronicles is sort of a long dialogue between certain members - which is fine - it is a forum we participate in willingly and can read and reply as we see fit "to each his own".

As said by others, those that have been on here a long time sorta know what to expect from the other members who share their knowledge and this is what makes this forum unique in my mind.

At the end of thje day, even if I can't offer a solution to a new poster (due to inadequate info or vague questions) I will attempt to steer them in a direction to a solution. IF they elect to reply that's totally up to them.

Carl

 

[MasseyWV]

this forum isn't all about GETTING information, but it is also about GIVING information

Personally, I try to always give as much as I get. More importantly, I also try to ensure that my threads/posts always have meaning, rather than simply being fluff to boost my post count.

That said, post count and length of membership are meaningless to me, and have no bearing on how I judge the advice given by someone. I look at what someone says, then weigh it against my own knowledge plus any advice given by others. Granted, people are sometimes known to simply mimic the advice given by others so a consensus of opinions or advice isn't always reliable, but sooner or later a pattern begins to emerge, if you know to look for it.

 

[hosspuller]

A reply that posts a link to further information or substantiates a theory is worth at least two general replies. A reply that posts a relevant link from the tractor manufacturer is worth at least ten fold. :thumbsup:

 

[polo1665]

All kidding aside, for me the credibility of the poster is established in the following order. (If I had to pick three)

1st - Post content
2nd - Length of membership
3rd and last - number of posts

For some reason the length of time someone has been a member means something to me. Maybe it has to do with their percieved commitment to the site.
Given the fact that the two members with the highest post counts on this site are definitely ones that I would take advice from, I cannot say that post count means nothing to me. In the end it is the content of their posts that makes the difference.

 

[chad22]

I try to help if I know the answer, or at least think of something that might work. If I don't know anything about the question then I won't post.

I'll also pass along info that I learned from others on here as well.

Chad

 

[JDgreen227]

To me, length of membership doesn't always mean that much, because I joined TBN in 2004, left in 2006, and there was about a four year period where I didn't contribute at all. It may appear I have been contributing since 2004, but actually I have only been here four years. One of the factors that makes me feel another member knows what he is doing is when he has a lot of property and/or a lot of equipment because IMO those members are the ones who have experience and know a lot about how things work. I am usually skeptical of information provided by those who don't appear to have much "hands on" experience.

 

[rekees4300]

A newbie here started a thread stating TBN was kind of lame because nobody seemed to be helpful answering his queries in his original post. Another member recently replied to him saying this forum isn't all about GETTING information, but it is also about GIVING information, and perhaps if the newbie was willing to help others here instead of griping about the lack of information given him, perhaps he would get more responses.

Okay now, if you post a thread here that asks for help or information, whose responses are you going to give more credibility to, a member that had belonged here for five years and made maybe 3,000 posts, or a member who just joined last month and has 100 posts? Or are you going to give both of those members an equal amount of credibility despite the disparity in their contributions here?

Calling TBN "lame" wasn't a prudent action even for a newbie. But one can understand why somebody would do that given that it's anarchy in most other internet forums. So a TBN newbie would logically expect a similar forum culture and lash out when no responses were posted.

Regarding the credibility of responses, the number of posts is a factor but the quality of the content is the primary factor. The tricky part is judging what is or isn't good quality content.