How do you handle new hubbers questions?

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   starme77posted 14 years ago

   I mean we all know all they have to do is look the answers up  up right , instead of asking over and over and over , The reason I'm asking is because I just read a hub calling new hubbers questions stupid, I personally don't think any question in this world is stupid , if one never asked questions they would never gain knowlege and we would have a ton of stupid people right I politly lead the newest hubbers where to go and also answer them if I can (since I'm still new also I don't always know ) I  understand that they didn't know the question had been asked before . so how do you handle it?

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      AEvansposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I don't believe anyone should have called any new hubber's questions stupid. All of us have been new at one time or the other and many of us who have been here quite a long time still learn something new everyday. Sometimes it is easier for adult learners to ask the question instead of searching for information. When someone asks a question and if I know the answer I always reply cordially or lead them to the location of the information.

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      prettydarkhorseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      always answer them politely, like what you said there is no stupid question
      
      good post starme

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      hublimposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
      
      Chinese Proverb
      
      We were all beginners at one time, you never know what you can learn from new hubbers.

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         starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Very nice

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   cosetteposted 14 years ago

   i would never call any hubber's question 'stupid'. this place can be huge and intimidating at first. not everyone knows where to go to find stuff, so i can understand why they ask: it's easier.
   
   if people get annoyed with it they should either politely direct them to a link or refrain from commenting.
   
   of course, if they are spammers, then they should be shown the door posthaste

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   Dale Mazurekposted 14 years ago

   Admittedly the newbie question can get frustrating because they tend to be the same ones over and over
   
   I guess the thing to remember is we were all newbies at one point so I try and be very polite and answer or lead them in the direction of an answer.

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      starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      your cool

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   ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years ago

   From a "newbie" - I just wanted to thank you all for your polite responses.  I do try to find a thread or a topic covering the information that I need, but as someone said, hubpages can be a bit intimidating at first.  The couple of answers I couldn't find on my own and posted about were always answered kindly and promptly.  Its made hubpages a wonderful experience so far.  So, thanks from all us "newbs!"

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   lyricsingrayposted 14 years ago

   answer them?

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   starme77posted 14 years ago

   Hey Thanks to all of you who share my views on this and I wish all the new hubbers good luck and happy writing

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      rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I do agree and I still consider myself somewhat new~~ and I have done a lot of reading here and elsewhere online. I remember those first few weeks here, much of it was new to me and even after reading some of the how-to's, I still needed help, and still do at times.
      
      a huge thank you to those who patiently help others.

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   tobey100posted 14 years ago

   I try to help 'em even though to me the answer might be obvious.  I figure everyone gotta start somewhere and not everyone can be expected to know this stuff.  Lot of folks are hubbing as their first internet experience.  If they ask the same question more than once, I say we sew a big ? on their shirt.

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   mistywildposted 14 years ago

   Being a relative newbie myself I have found no one treats me like I have ever asked a stupid question, even if they thought it was redundant or repetative. So thanks everyone for helping the newbies out!!

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   Jane@CMposted 14 years ago

   Agree, no question is stupid.  I find it irritating when older hubbers jump on the newbies for asking questions.  I'm still learning, every single day.  I also understand the older hubbers are tired of the same old, same old.  I guess sometimes we take for granted that if you are a writer, then you also understand how to research, researching on here is quite easy.
   
   With that said, I now email certain hubbers who I know are knowledgeable about certain areas, because I know I'll get a straight, honest answer from them & not a forum full of answers.

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    thisisoliposted 14 years ago

    I try to answer any question I am asked, or is asked in general, I like to help people!

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    sunforgedposted 14 years ago

    When one learns a completely new field there is usually a new vocabulary to learn and new perspectives to view the information from.
    
    Without knowing the vocabulary, someone who is new to online writing, research, searching etc. doesnt stand a chance of finding anything as they dont even know the terms to search for.
    
    No such thing as a stupid question and "search the forums" is never a satisfactory response (maybe if you point out the search box above ↑  and suggest some useful keywords)

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       ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for mentioning the vocab thing.  I can't believe I didn't think of it, as its been a huge roadblock for me.  I stumbled upon hubpages b/c I was just looking for a forum to get back into writing.  Once I decided I liked it so much, I wanted to learn all the ins and outs... so I started reading, and reading, and reading.  But, some of the posts/hubs/helps just read like Greek to me!  There were so many new terms, that by the time I got part way thru one article, I was sidetracked by 5 others trying to reference back to the first.  Very overwhelming.
       
       I have a TON still to learn, and I try to make a point of reading as much as I write (which still isn't near as much as I'd like.)  But, a few specific questions by me, or other newbies really helped me get enough of the basics to get back to reading and learning on my own.
       
       I'm hoping that, as I learn, I'll be able to "pay it forward" to other new hubbers.  I already try to hit the "unanswered" tab on forums when I can.  If its something I know, I leave a response... those empty posts seem so lonely all by themselves.

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    tobey100posted 14 years ago

    Hey, I just learned you don't say fan, you say follower.  If you need me I'll be sewing a big ? on my shirt.

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    Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years ago

    I do find it irritating when pushing the help button in the upper right corner of the screen and reading what's there would have answered the question. (And most of the questions can be answered from those pages.)
    
    Or the person could have used the search function and found one of the numerous hubs on the subject.
    
    I have no sympathy for people who haven't done their homework - Newbie or otherwise.

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       2uesdayposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Maybe the 'help button' needs to be a different design or in a different location - until I read the above and took a look at it -I never realised it was similar to a FAQ button.
       
       Maybe it is stupid of me but I thought it was to send an email to the staff for help with site problems. I guess what I've learnt since I came here has been through reading hubs and forums. I think once you know something then it is obvious. I try not to bother people with questions as I do not want to waste their time.

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          starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Asking questions is not a waste of time , if one never asks questions, no matter how much they read ,they may never reach their true potential of knowledge

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    Ron Montgomeryposted 14 years ago

    Insult and belittle them?

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    Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years ago

    I usually just ignore. And I've been hitting the delete button alot in my email inbox.

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       Lily Roseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       So that's why I haven't heard from you!
       
       
       
       
       ..just kidding - couldn't resist!

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    frogdroppingposted 14 years ago

    Was it my hub? If so, say so, I really don't mind.
    
    Whether it was or it wasn't, my hub was aimed at lazy hubbers, not new hubbers that are honest-to-goodness stuck. The kind that ask the same q's over and again without ever having read the site info.
    
    Which is nothing I didn't do - I didn't join the site then dive into the forum asking for my hand holding. I got my head down and worked out what it was I needed to do.
    
    There really is all you need to know contained within the site and also by way of a whole heap of wondefully written 'how to' hubs, delivered by way of Darkside, relache, sunforged, Mark Knowles etc.
    
    A genuine 'Crikey this analytics stuff is complicated and I just can't understand the info' is all good in my book - and I'd answer everytime, if it wasn't answered already.
    
    But a 'someone help me out here, I can't be bothered to read the help section' ticks me off.

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       starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       No Frog Dropping it wasn't your hubb , good to see you again

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    Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years ago

    No, frogdropping I'm pretty sure it wasn't your hub.

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       frogdroppingposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Okey doke. No froggy controversy then. I really can't seem to drum any up Nelle

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    Rochelle Frankposted 14 years ago

    I think I read the hub you are referring to-- and it was not in the least insulting or condescending.
    
    In fact, if you read it, you might notice that it first references a phrase that newbies often use: something like-- 'Sorry, if this is a stupid question..."
    
    Actually it goes on to clearly explain how to find the answers, and it is quite helpful.

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       Sue Adamsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I agree, that hub is useful for beginners. The word "stupid" is clearly in quotes; don't be so touchy starme77. Just keep on asking questions, that's how we learn. However, take some pride in finding out for yourself first. Asking for help from co-hubbers is a last resort, after you failed to find what you are looking for in help and hubs. There is even a hubbers blog you can go to. And I also came across a terminology hub but I can't remember the tile or author (sorry). Seek and thou shall find, that's the fun part but you need a lot of patience. Happy hubbing.

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          starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Never said I did ask a bunch of questions - really, I don't cause I know alot about the internet and how to get around and stuff, I am a researcher also , but some arn't and don't deserve to be treated like that.

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       starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       The hubb is from someone who has made it here on hubpages and otherwise to be able to stay home and write and I have a hunch that they were once new and asked questions also , then , once they started makin a bit o money and doing good they became a total s**t head. I mean totally rude. If you did read the correct hubb did you notice the title? It's just rude and crappy to me, yeah the hubbs informative sure , but the person who wrote it wrote it and titled it for money sake - using newbies as a backdrop and calling their questions stupid is not a nice way to make money in my opinion

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          Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Actually, Relache is one of the most helpful people on Hubpages. She constantly rewrites the rules of HubPages so that people who can't or won't read the actual rules get them in bitesize pieces. And she is very good at retaining the true meaning. And I hope she makes a ton of money from it.
          
          The ability and willingness to learn and sort things out yourself is necessary if you are going to make big money online. Because if you can't or don't you'll always be 10 steps behind those of us who can.

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             starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

             Well, ya got a point, but I still say there are no stupid questions, the hubb is well written , but to write it on the back of people who need help or ask a question is wrong. Why cant the wrier of the hubb just ignore the questions - or go to another forum if it bugs her so bad huh? Could it be that it makes her money to to down others so rudly so thats , o.k? The hubb is written nicely , just needs a new name is all

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                lakeerieartistsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                Sorry to say that I think you are overreacting, and misunderstanding the point of the hub.  I read Relache's hub, and frankly I think that it speaks for itself.

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                   starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                   Like I said earlier , the hubb is well written , better than alot of my hubbs , but the title is ridiculous , if newbies bother a person so badly then that person shouldn't be tryin to make money off of em , but rather stay away from them and write about something else.

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             lorlie6posted 14 years agoin reply to this

             Nelle, you are so right about Relache.  I am amazed at her patience and kindness.

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    sunforgedposted 14 years ago

    http://hubpages.com/hub/Most-Frequent-H … -Questions
    
    
    would be good to bookmark and reference, as was probably the intention..if so, well done, i will do just that
    
    she qualifies the whole "stupid question" thing
    
    i still stand by my earlier comment that without the vocab you dont even know where to begin to search
    
    maybe that help tab should be a different color,  I really never knew it existed

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       Rochelle Frankposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       That is a great suggestion, Sunforged. Maybe the help tab just needs to be a bit more obvious.
       
       And yes, the terminology can be daunting for a beginner-- I only know about half of it myself.
       
       I hope no one is reluctant to ask 'stupid' questions. Getting started in the process can be difficult. The best thing is, that there is almost always someone who is willing to help, or point the way to an answer.

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    Cagsilposted 14 years ago

    I learned that the ONLY "stupid" questions are the ones that are never asked.
    
    If I can offer assistance, I do.
    
    Btw- I'm still a newbie myself, at 2 months.

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    SweetiePieposted 14 years ago

    Also, keep in mind if you are a new hubber and some one comes down on you like a ton of bricks, it is their problem and not yours.  Anyone that uses a forum to belittle someone else probably is having a bad day, and you should probably feel a little sorry for them that they have to use the Internet to vent their frustrations.  I have been on Hubpages for over three years, and I do not hang out in the forum all the time because of how ridiculous it can get.  Do not be discouraged, but reading the FAQ can definitely answer a lot of questions.

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    yoshi97posted 14 years ago

    I liken a hubbers first day on hubpages to being handed the owner's manual for the space shuttle. Sure ... all of the answers are there, but it seems a bit ominous to ask someone to read the manual from cover to cover before diving in - and as mentioned earlier, there is the issue of learning all of the new jargon. After all, how many of us know would know what a PVS module was?
    
    I always enjoy answering questions so long as the person asking receives the answers in good spirit. If someone contests something I have learned the hard way, then yes, I might get a little upset with them - but know - I don't acknowledge that to the person asking.
    
    We were all newbs once, and I think we sometimes forget that - especially when the same question is asked thirty times in one month. The thing is ... that person asking was almost certainly not here when the question was asked before, so while we heard the answer thirty times, we only heard it once. That's why we need to be kind to new members, as they need to learn like we did.
    
    I don't know of a single hubber here today who can say with total honesty that they learned about hubpages ONLY from the help section. While some can say they never posted a question, they must also admit they learned a lot from reading the responses to the questions of others.
    
    Help a newb? Absolutely! And in doing so you often create a follower (we don't call them fans anymore) who will be forever thankful for our efforts.
    
    I even take things one step further by writing hubs regarding the important questions that don't get answered so often. Questions about adsense, capsules, hub design ... these things aren't seen as much in the forums, but they are questions worthy of answers. And do those answers pay adsense? Nope! But they do much to help newbs grow into vets, and I think that's a very worthy cause.

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    rmcrayneposted 14 years ago

    I agree with sunforged, Thoughtful Spot, yoshi and others.  Great points. 
    
    And starme I hear where you’re coming from.  I have found many of relache’s hubs helpful, as well as many of her forum posts.  Speaking only for myself though, I find many of her forum posts to be rude or sarcastic.  Some of her comments “jam my switchboard”, and it obscures the message for me.  I’ve never detected condescension from yoshi or sunforged, and therefore eagerly look for their responses, among others, to forum questions I am interested in. 
    
    I read extensively before I wrote any hubs or asked any questions.  When I did start asking questions, they were not “tell me everything”, but outlined what I thought might be a good strategy from what I’d learned.  Yet I still got totally unhelpful replies of “wow you have a lot of questions”. 
    
    I’m still quite new, but when I see I question I actually know the answer to, I try to answer it.  Sometimes I do take the easier route of saying there have been numerous forum threads on this topic, try searching the term under “forum”.  I keep a Word doc with forum references of interest to me, and post one or more thread links when possible. 
    
    I figure those of us relatively new can “pay our dues” by taking the easy questions, and the veteran hubbers, including relache, can save their time and energy for the tougher questions.  Sometimes I even suggest an OP consider posting in Need Help because vets like darkside, relache and others are active in that forum.

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       starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Well Spoken

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    Google Galposted 14 years ago

    Gee, why can't everyone just be nice to each other , I thought the hubb was good , but i agree with Starme , the title is a bit rude

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    starme77posted 14 years ago

    haha thats funny , thanks all , for the insite , think  this newbies gonna go write a hubb now

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    Highvoltagewriterposted 14 years ago

    From my own experience, I have seen that most writers here bend over backwards to help others, for it takes awhile to go though all the information when you need to find out something quick. Sometimes it takes rereading something for the info to sink in...at least with me. Now in saying all that I have seen some rudeness in the form from people that may disagree with your point of view..that is one of the reason I do not hang out the forms that much. The rudeness gets old in a hurry.

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       starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       yeah it does and now i'm gettin rude , some of the crapheads rudeness is  rubbing off on me, maybe I shouldn't stoop to their level , its just that when someone constantly talks and talks in the forums about the first years of hubpages, first years of hubpages, over and over and over and then wants to call one persons question stupid because it had been asked before by someone else it can get really sickening and hypocrits are irritating to me

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    relacheposted 14 years ago

    To Starme77 -
    
    The entire first year that HubPages existed, there were no forums.  There was no Community Manager.  The FAQ list was probably only about half as long as it is now.  The Starting Out Guide was closer to two years off from being written.  There was no place to ask anything to anyone, unless you emailed the Hub team directly.  And they were damn busy trying to figure the site out themselves.  So when I was a newbie, it really came down to "figure it out yourself" or nothing.
    
    Do you really think my title is worse that ones which do a play on the words "pussy" or "naked chest" as a way of getting traffic?  I don't. 
    
    BTW, thanks for complaining about my hub to the community.  I've never had one of my "helper" Hubs become so highly-ranked so quickly after being published and I'm pretty sure it's due to this thread.  So, thank you!  That was a nice virtual present.
    
    Since that Hub only contains links to within the HubPages community and fellow users aren't the sort who click on ads, that Hub actually has the ads reduced, as do all my "how to Hub" Hubs.  I never turn ads off completely as that way, I'm still giving something back to HubPages.  Since they pay my rent (or the bulk of it) each month, I feel it's good to keep sharing with them.

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       starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Well it may be your hub I'm talkin about and it may not be , I never said , others   guessed it was yours. And so I guess it may be.
       First sentence you wrote to me was what? "The entire first year hub pages existed"
       O.k how many freaking times are you going to say that? Think I'll write a hub about how annoying it is for one person to constantly reapeat themselves in the forums and how "Stupid" that  is - the thing is each newbie that asks the same question is generally a different person , but from you, the same person, we hear the  same  old thing over and over about how long you been here. We all get it now o.k. 
       Then you ask If I think your title is worse than a hubb titled "pussy" or naked chest well, yes I do - you see a pussy and a naked chest, many would agree, are nice things. Calling someone stupid is a mean thing. So, there ya go
       Your very welcome for the Hub traffic, now everyone can see how full of yourself you really are.
       I would suggest some other lines of traffic , relying only on Hubpages to pay your rent may just land you up homeless if the site were to go down.

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    sunforgedposted 14 years ago

    why 2 b's?

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       relacheposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       It's what you get from someone who writes Hubs about Oboma and sterotyping...

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          starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Here ya go  I fixed it fer ya - New Title is - "Say No To Oboma's - Obama's - Obamah's - Healthcare Reform Bill - " I bet I got one of em ritey on hoppeefully anny hows go check it out if ya dont believe me - thanks fer helpin meees to get a goood title goin

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    Google Galposted 14 years ago

    I agree, pussys and naked chests are nice things

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    starme77posted 14 years ago

    yep, thats what ya get from the newbies, typos , but at least we're not so arrogant that we cant leave em , cause guess what, were all human and we all squat to sh*t, and guess what yours stinks too!

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    sunforgedposted 14 years ago

    tell us how you really feel, wow!
    
    

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       rmcrayneposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Looks like my dachshund at the vet (except no one would have their hands that close to his teeth).

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    sunforgedposted 14 years ago

    cmon, that picture didnt make you smile! dont be mad its just an internet thread in a forum.
    
    

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    starme77posted 14 years ago

    I like the dog one , its cute

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    I always told my students that there is no such thing as a stupid question and that they should never be afraid to ask. I think it should be the same on HP. I help newbies often - not with tech stuff (I'm technologically challenged), but in other ways. It's tough being the new kid on the block. I've found that MOST of the experienced hubbers are friendly and helpful. There are a few, however, who have no patience with newbies. It doesn't take you long to figure out which is which.

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       rmcrayneposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Well said girlfriend.  I always said I'm way smarter than the average bear, so if I have a question, it must be a good one.  Still bites to get a snarky reply though.

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    Did they glue those vampire teeth in that pug's mouth??

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       starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Poor thing

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    Jess Killmenowposted 14 years ago

    I will only say, and I speak from experience, that when handling new hubbers it's best to wear latex gloves.

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    Shalini Kagalposted 14 years ago

    Jess - you're dangerous - you're going to kill someone with laughter one of these days

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    rebekahELLEposted 14 years ago

    ha, it made me smile, I need a smile today too, not feeling so great.
    

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    starme77posted 14 years ago

    me neither , got a real bad headache , fell on the ice the other day , I thought the headache was from my back hurting from the fall , but now I'm not sure , I may be getting sick , sure hope not this close to christmas, glad ya got a good laugh

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    starme77posted 14 years ago

    my hubscores as are geing downrated all of a sudden , go figure  , ha ha , its funny to me , and pretty obvious where thats comming from

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    habeeposted 14 years ago

    2uesday, don't feel that way! Most of us don't mind. As I said before, I can't help a lot with tech questions, but I'll be glad to help you if I can. Just shoot me an email. I'm used to questions - I'm a retired teacher! The mother of all question getters! lol!

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       2uesdayposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you so much habee that is very kind of you. Also thanks to everyone who has answered positively about helping answer questions.
       I could have saved myself a lot of time and trouble if I had found out what the help button was for at the start.
       
       It might be that the word help just did not connect to the word information - in my mind. Thanks again.

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    Richieb799posted 14 years ago

    Sometimes the new hubbers don't mean to ask obvious questions, they may have tried searching FAQ but are so eager to get started and want to spend their time writing, we all know how precious time is!

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       starme77posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       You said it exactly right I totally agree

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    Cagsilposted 14 years ago

    If a question remains unasked, how is any form of knowledge gained?
    
    The learning process requires one to ask questions, so as to get objective facts about particular things. If you find yourself in the position of asking a question, ask yourself this before asking the question, Did I look everywhere else?
    
    If you have exhausted your effort to find an answer to your question, then you are left with only one conclusion- You must ask someone else. This becomes obvious once you have exhausted your efforts. It is only ignorance that one would not ask a question.
    
    I'm always open to helping people out, regardless of what their problem is. My mother said it would be my downfall, but I see it as my integrity and dignity that gets a boost, every time I do. If I can help, I will.
    
    Thank you.

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    starme77posted 14 years ago

    got a better one for the stero typin one too I splt it rite this time

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    Google Galposted 14 years ago

    nice titles starme , thumbs up!

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