[Edit - I wish this were a hackneyed topic, but evidently it isn't. The topic is kill first don't answer later.]
See my comment under the question, if you please: Are these dangling participial phrases?
Why did this get down voted? It is always so unhelpful when a newcomer posts their first post only to get down voted without a comment as to why. This seems like a legit question to me.
[Edit next day] OK, granted "kill" is a tad hyperbolic. And, yes, this has been discussed to various degrees before. The phenomenon of slap-em with cold water and run away, leaving them clueless and adrift to figure out why they are wet, is not unique to ELU. Yet, to me, what I consider rude dowsing seems to happen here more often than elsewhere.
Why do we do this to a brand-new user?
Perhaps because of their lack of formatting skill? Although not atrocious but certainly readable, the post in question was clearly this user's first here.
I did not up or down vote initially but let it stand. Now that Cerberus has edited its format and layout, I've given it an up tick as have others, and it is gradually rising above water. So one might counter that "the system works as intended."
However, consider that "clueless" user:
- He or she is interested enough in English to come here in the first place.
- They take the time to write up a post (*). In this instance, more than passing thought is clearly involved.
- They post with hopes of gaining more understanding ... then
- WHAM the post gets a down vote - sometimes within minutes.
- And (more often than not?) No helpful comment is left to guide the new user.
If if you are a thick-skinned new user, the net effect falls along the range of being left alone scratching your head, through discouragement, to just throwing your virtual hands up in the air and walking away from this place. Or, if you are not so thick-skinned, you might just jump out of the water for good because you worry we are shark riddled.
So PLEASE for all the newcomers' posts needing correction, guidance, {or even a reprimand (* for vagueness, etc. etc.)} when you down vote, say why, or better, suggest improvements.
Don't just leave them stranded not knowing what they did wrong. Well, you may say "it's too much effort to deal with all such posts by commenting too." Sure, it takes more time to comment. Consider, however, that you have taken the time in the first place to read the post - it only takes a second or two more to say what needs to be fixed. But most importantly doing so achieves two things:
- You educate and encourage a new user who might well stay and contribute
- You improve the overall usefulness and quality of the site.
And, again, to those who say "the down vote will send them the message," I say, well, sort of. You are sending them a message alright - but the message has no content.
(If you still feel that lousy posts by "clueless noobs" deserve an indoctrinate dose of cold water, then all I ask is: please never read any of my posts.)
