Why are "meaningless" questions so much more popular than "real" questions?

1. 93

   Denmarkguyposted 12 years ago

   Why are "meaningless" questions so much more popular than "real" questions?
   
   It seems to me that HP questions that actually have some "meat on their bones," and are asked to seek genuinely useful or important information often end up with four reads and no answers... while relatively inane and basically meaningless questions like "Which color do you like best, red or blue?" end up with 8700 replies and half the HP community looking at them.
   
   It doesn't seem like a very good endorsement of HP's efforts to encourage "quality content" on the site. Is this the adult version of "you're UN-cool if your study and do your homework?" Are people just lazy? What do you think?

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2. 76

   Wesman Todd Shawposted 12 years ago

   It's merely a symptom of the decadent and decaying culture around us.  What do you expect from a world where mass media tells you "honey boo boo" is important, and that "lady ga ga" is "music?"

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   1. 93

      Denmarkguyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Sad... but true.

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3. 60

   xkamronxposted 12 years ago

   A lot of people are just answering questions to get answers racked up, not actually have a discussion or an intellectual moment. It's a lot easier to answer "what's your favorite color" than it is to answer a serious question, as they take thought and insight.

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4. 61

   katiebeth27posted 12 years ago

   Well, I can certainly relate to this.  It's happened to me a number of times (& has been mighty hurtful, might I add.)  I too, could never understand WHY MY meaningful, heartfelt questions or posts were completely ignored while somebody elses post about a blender lid popping off, was such a hit.
   
   What I'm not sure is WHICH site you are referring to in this case, though??
   
   It seems people often have their "mask/ armor/ wall" up, and protect themselves from such things.
   
   Or... some personalities love discussing (only) meaningful things, while others don't prefer it, and prefer other types of discussion.  For me, I ONLY like meaningful discussion, or I'm completely losing interest (& focus.)
   
   Also, sometimes it seems to boil down to "me-ism"/ selfishness..... they seem to want to discuss themselves.
   
   There's also the idea that what is meaningful to one person is not meaningful to another. 
   
   -I find that even in our HSP group, I'm learning about this:  For example,
   I can be attracted/  distracted to decor & design when I 1st enter a home, but they are not. I thought it would be a HSP thing; yet it is not.  What I learned is that It's meaningful to ME, because I happen to be interested in those things.
   
   I don't know... there could be so many reasons....  probably not just one reason,  that's for sure.
   
   BUT... I'm talking about HSP vs. non-HSP, and it SOUNDS like YOU are talking about HSP  vs.  HSP??  Is that right?
   
   Then again, you are saying "HP", not HSP, so what do you really mean?
   
   Also, curious to know your own thoughts on all this Peter. ;-)

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   1. 93

      Denmarkguyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Katie, thanks for your answer. In this case actually talking about questions on THIS site. I'd asked some technical questions about how Google searches are indexed and got zero replies. The answers would have helped 100s of people...

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5. 0

   Deepes Mindposted 12 years ago

   A lot of information seeking questions go unanswered because people simply do not have an answer. For instance, your question regarding Google indexes.Some people may know how to adjust their posts to increase traffic without actually having the full knowledge of how it works. They just follow instructions without asking questions and understanding the full process.

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