You're Wrong,...

[brino]

In conclusion, I don't think it's important to correct poorly worded posts from over a year ago that stand out to me because of the current focus on my project. As a rule for myself, I would disagree going forward with a comment I think is wrong.... but I see it as questionable to revive threads just to disagree with comments that are a year old...

....but there are also the people that haven't even started searching for that same info yet.

You don't need to post it as a disagreement with already expressed opinions.
Instead add to the end of the thread with what you learned, how you did it and share your success.
I believe most of us seek truth and would appreciate that..... especially if you include pictures.

Brian

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I do a lot of searches for information for my projects as well as ask a thousand questions. In my research so far I've found a few responses that have mistakes, or are just wrong but were not challenged by anyone. I don't want to be a douchebag by quoting mistaken posts and correcting them when I find them if it's offensive to others. I did it once when I was searching for information for a project and that mistaken post was not altered to correct the simple mistake. I felt like my comment about the mistake was taken as a personal attack rather than an attempt to correct the information.

Now, I've come across another mistake in a recent thread researching my thread dial gear project. There was a very good answer to the question in that thread which was correct and then another answer that was wrong.... which went unchallenged. I felt very much like quoting it and correcting it... but I didn't because I had already learned enough from my research to not be fooled by believing wrong information. My only possible action was to correct it and risk being a dick......, let it go completely, or post this thread asking, What is the protocol here...?

Just be yourself and let the chips fall where they may.

I recently had someone flip out over an innocuous 6 word sentence.

Ranted for two pages over how.....I don't even really remember, it was utterly meaningless, but more than a few posters stepped up gently telling the poster he was out of line.

Thread got locked, which in reality meant little to me as I was mostly along for the ride. We were discussing hand soap towards the end and that was getting interesting, may have to start a soap thread.

I do suspect the poster in question, had he handled it differently could have been better served, as if everyone would keep their head and leave the emotion off the table the board as a whole would be better off.

 

[Jake M]

There was a very good answer to the question in that thread which was correct and then another answer that was wrong.... which went unchallenged. I felt very much like quoting it and correcting it... but I didn't because I had already learned enough from my research to not be fooled by believing wrong information. My only possible action was to correct it and risk being a dick......, let it go completely, or post this thread asking, What is the protocol here...?

If you're party to a conversation, in (somewhat) real time, then it's fine to converse. If you're searching for stuff that isn't near or at the top of the activity list, let it go. It's the internet, and that's how it works. The only (ONLY) time you can find quality information on the internet is if you already know enough weed out what isn't right. Digging up bones won't solve anything.

Use the internet for what it is. Online acquaintances are real life strangers. When you search the internet, you are hearing the opinioins of ALL KINDS of strangers, except one kind. Qualified and skilled professionals (in almost every subject) are very, very rare. You're "conversing" with a chat room full of amatures, or people who are employed in a field but don't have their own answers... You've got to be "internet acquainted" with a person for a very long time to pick out the pros. I don't care what they say they do (or did) for a living, until you know, you don't know.

It's the internet. "Right" people think they're right. "Wrong" people think they're right. Chat bots, search engines, search AI, all the mechanisms that allow you to use the internet... They do NOT know what's right or wrong, and often "wrong" is the most popular opinion when it comes to technical items. Hence the internet will purposefully and strongly guide you to wrong answers. It's just how they do, and just how the internet is. What we want the internet to be, is a myth of our own making. Sometimes we all (myself included) have to step back and remind ourselves of that.

 

[CJ5Dave]

So if I read this thread correctly, you asked for help with your problem, somebody responded with a solution, and you told them they were wrong? That would imply you already had the answer.

 

[pontiac428]

It was probably me. Sometimes, the grease gets old and dried out, and a pawl gets stuck in the mechanics of my brain and skips a tooth. It happens, so it's not worth walking around with a stick up my butt about it. Corrections are part of the discussion.

 

[acruxksa]

Biggest mistake I made today was to actually click on this thread..............
I am who I am today because I've made a lot of them, learned from them and moved on.............so.........moving on from this thread. 73

 

[durableoreo]

CJ5Dave said:
Just because you think the post is wrong, does not mean your point of view is correct. We can all be wrong/uninformed.

Ah, the smell of epistemology.

If I was the OP, I wouldn't dissuade participation with any criticism.

If you're responding to a post, some back-and-forth might help everyone. As long as the argument is focused on the mechanical problem, it will probably work out. As soon as the argument turns to the history of the argument or reading the mind of your opponent, it's not productive.

 

[AllenV]

This is somewhat related to the topic

I was 3 decades as a researcher at a large laboratory, a place where enthusiastic discussion among individuals with egos and technical expertise is commonplace. Face-to-face conversation was often enthusiastic but somehow we didn’t take technical criticism personally.

However, e-mail conversations were a tricky thing. Much like these forums. I find it very challenging to strike the right tone in a conversation where text is the only medium. Statements come off as somehow harsh and rude where the same words spoken in someone’s office would be fine. This has to do with body language and the instant feedback available when speaking to someone in person.

My best solution for e-mail conversations is to keep it factual, bland, and polite. Above all else, avoid the use of humor. Humor relies so much on the social perspective and backgrounds of those involved that it is very difficult to strike the right tone where the audience is large and largely unknown to the writer.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Ah, the smell of epistemology.

If I was the OP, I wouldn't dissuade participation with any criticism.

If you're responding to a post, some back-and-forth might help everyone. As long as the argument is focused on the mechanical problem, it will probably work out. As soon as the argument turns to the history of the argument or reading the mind of your opponent, it's not productive.

Never been in the room when a child was born, so I dont know it.


That was a joke.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I think it's okay to "correct" others if you do it kindly.
However, there is one topic that you may never have your own opinion about and that is safety.
If the safety preachers say what you are doing is dangerous then it surely must be dangerous. It doesn't matter if you have done it this way before and are confident you can safely do it again. If they tell you it is dangerous and you voice your dissent it will cause hurt feelings and a big argument.