... is what I'd like. So often I ask a question and get a thread of really great advice. And sometimes I am able to synthesise something out of that advice that might be interesting to the monks who wrote, and would at least show that I read and valued their advice. But by then the thread has passed into history, only ever to be found by monks with lanterns and snoods poking around in the basement for something that might be there.

I could put a reply to each helpful node - but that would really bulk up the thread and be annoying to posterity. Or I could /msg each helpful monk; but then there's no way to record publicly my appreciation of their kindness, or the use I made of it.

What I'd like, if it were easy enough to arrange, would be that when the author of the top node in a SOPW thread replies to his/her own top node, everyone else in the thread gets an auto /msg that says "the person who asked the question ... that you replied to has posted a follow-up at ..."

I must say, as an answerer of questions I'd also like that, because it's interesting to see what use people make of my stuff. Posterity might find it useful, because it could embed the answers in the context of a problem and a solution. And it might also be a way to help us learn about who's asking frivolous questions - if somebody consistently never posted a follow up, one might be able to form the impression that that person didn't really want to know the answers.

Does any other monk think this would be a modestly useful feature-ette? I have no idea how or by whom it would be implemented (as I have no idea with all the other bright ideas that show up here). But I'd be glad to do the donkey-work myself, as I think it would be a useful addition to the armoury of civility around here.

§ George Sherston

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
The best way to say thanks...
by Rex(Wrecks) (Curate) on Jun 11, 2002 at 16:19 UTC
    ...IMHO is to "Pay Forward". Continue helping those around you with the wisdom passed to you by others. Everyone, (yes even gods) is bound to make mistakes or need a hand every now and then. Repaying in kind when the need arises is a great way to thank people.

    And in the cases when recognition is required for performing above and beyond, I really don't think anyone will condemn an extra node.

    The one other thing I can think of is giving everyone a "vote of the week", one extra vote to be used as a nomination for recognition of a monk...monks with 5 or more votes at the end of the week have their home nodes linked of The Monastery Gates for the following week as "Exemplary Examples of Piety".

    "Nothing is sure but death and taxes" I say combine the two and its death to all taxes!
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Re: Some way to say thankyou...
by mrbbking (Hermit) on Jun 11, 2002 at 16:21 UTC
    You might also consider posting a summary of how the various advice you received worked out for you, after conversation has died down. I try to wrap up each thread I start with a summary of the suggestions I got, and how they worked out. An example is How to Calculate Memory Needs?.

    Doing it all in one post near the end avoids clutter, and helps people get an idea of what to expect from the other nodes in the thread without having to read them all first.

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      I agree - I think considered responses from the person asking the q can really add value to a thread. I suppose I just wanted a labour-saving way to tell the other authors I'd done that... but I think particle's suggestion covers that, actually, without the need for any fancy stuff. /me goes off to send a thankyou /msg to particle

      § George Sherston
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Re: Some way to say thankyou...
by particle (Vicar) on Jun 11, 2002 at 15:59 UTC
    an example of my solution would be to write a node (like this one,) with thanks given. /msg those monks you are addressing, and point them here.

    like:

    thanks to [george sherston] for his great node which helped me get a h
+old on my life and prevented my untimely death.

    [download]
    then /msg george_sherston i just wanted to say thank you

    two birds, one stone.

    ~Particle *accelerates*

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Re: Some way to say thankyou...
by footpad (Abbot) on Jun 11, 2002 at 21:12 UTC

    Hm. It's an interesting idea, but with so many existing conventions for showing honest appreciation (and without a concrete suggestion for doing so), I'm not sure what--if anything--needs to be added or changed.

    After all, many of us keep track of good nodes in a variety of ways and then refer to them (or a good reply)when appropriate..

    As far as showing genuine appreciation goes:

    • You mentioned wanting to show what you'd done with the help you received. If your final code differs substantially from the original posting and you have observations to share, then I think that's an appropriate time to reply to the root node with the new code and any appreciations you want to provide at that time.

      Please avoid thank you-only replies that do not add to the actual content. Please /msg those to the monk in question instead.

    • As far as finding out out what people do with your replies, about the only thing you can do at this time is to see if they post a follow-up. If not, ask them via /msg. It could lead to an interesting discussion. If so, you might encourage them to post a follow-up or you could perhaps write up a Mediation about it.

    • If you really want to show your appreciation in a more general way, there's an appropriate place to do so. It helps keep the candles burning.

    • Many monks, as you know, showcase threads and nodes they find interesting in their home nodes.

    In my experience, one of the best forms of feedback regarding one's efforts to teach or to help is to watch the progress a student makes through your material and to see what they come up with in response. In other words, demonstrate the effectiveness of the instruction through improved coding, noding, and assistance to your fellow monks.

    --f

    P.S. I'm not sure I like the idea of a "/msg all those who replied" options. Seems like a lot of work with minimal return given the existing conventions. But, that's my mileage. Yours may vary.

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