Originally Posted By: VideoTrack
I'm not showing off either. I'm genuinely attempting to assist a new and enthusiastic user without making any unnecessary remarks on how others have responded.


My post about "showing off" was really not directed at anyone in particular, and wasn't even about this particular thread. I also said it was not a bad thing, and I meant that. I really wasn't accusing anyone of any kind of malfeasance. And I considered adding "I do it myself when I can", but decided that might be taken as self-aggrandizing.

Here are two Eternal Truths.

1) New users will ask basic questions they could answer themselves by studying documentation.

Is that bad? Sometimes it leads to further productive discussion, sometimes it elicits generally valuable information difficult to find otherwise, but sometimes it gets annoying and leads to "RTFM" or "Google it" responses. (BTW, it's only fair to mention that BIAB is a particularly difficult product to "self-serve", making the forums here essential in a way I don't think I've ever seen before. I do think that is bad, but never mind that now.)

2) Experienced users will "overanswer" when replying to basic questions.

Is that bad? Sometimes it leads to further productive discussion, sometimes it presents valuable information, but sometimes it overwhelms and obscures. A newbie trying to learn how to cut-n-paste doesn't need a lecture on granular synthesis and the history of non-linear editing. Of course, that all might make for a fantastic post! But not every occasion for such presentations is the best.

COROLLARY: Eternal Truths (1) and (2) will reinforce one another in a circular fashion.

Sometimes, this makes for great discussions. Other times, it can be a problem. Sometimes newbies need to throttle back and observe courtesies like not constantly starting new threads about subjects already under discussion, even though that's the quickest way of getting lots of attention. And sometimes oldbies need to restrain themselves in attempts to answer unclear questions – don't address every possible interpretation, which can send a thread spinning off into multiple directions before the OP even replies; request clarification and wait.

And there you have it, Eternity in a single BIAB forum post.