I try to limit my posting from work. There isn’t really a policy that forbids it, but I don’t want to contribute to a situation requiring such a policy. Does that make sense?
The trouble is, my connection from home is a bit wonky, as is my home PC. I want to participate in a host of threads on this board, but sometimes I’m lucky if I can get a post through. In fact, the process of posting itself sometimes gives me “time-out” errors which lead to disconnects*.
I may be a bit paranoid, but I’m afraid I look like a classic “drive-by” poster, in that I’ll stick my two cents into a thread and never be heard from again. That’s not my intent.
I’m trying to contribute, but technical considerations prevent me from doing so to the extent that I’d like.
My question:
Should I continue to post, knowing that the act, in itself, may overtax my available resources?
-or-
Give up and go back to lurking?
I welcome honest feedback, but, as I say, I may have trouble responding.
*[sub]For once this isn’t a rant about the SDMB server(s), but rather my ISP and my own equipment.[/sub]
Whaddya, kidding? Probably half of the people here are posting from work. Don’t sweat it. If you feel you’re posting more than you’re working, that’s another story, and maybe you can cut back a little. But give it up and do it only from home? Nay, nay, I say!
Exgineer - I agree with you that one should be cautious about posting from work. Many companies are starting to watch more closely internet usage during office hours.
About your concern that you may not be able to contribute to a thread after posting something, I wouldn’t worry about it. If you are looking for other poster’s opinions besides the administration’s opinions, then I’ll just move this thread to IMHO for you.
Or close it, at your discretion. Closing takes less bandwidth, no?
I made a mistake posting this on a Friday afternoon. I’m not sure I’ll be able to get on at all over the weekend, and it will probably drop off the front page of IMHO by Monday anyway.
I guess the OP was poorly worded. What I meant to ask was, “If I’m not sure I will be able to post again in a reasonable period of time, should I even bother to post in the first place?”
FWIW - I lost my work connection for about an hour after I posted the OP (and messed up the punctuation in the title). I hope this one goes in.
Since I’m more or less lurking-by-default anyway, maybe I’ll just stick to that.
Personally, I would say that drive-bys aren’t that bad, so long as they’re not the OP or inflammatory. If you make one good post to a thread, well surely that’s no worse than making zero posts. And even if someone does ask for clarification or a cite or whatnot, it’s still possible for another poster to provide that.
Exgineer, I recently started a thread in GD that I’d been wanting to start for some time, then got hit by a nasty reaction to anti-depressants which left me unable to post (or do much of anything else) for 3 days. When I finally got back to being coherent enough for GD, the points and counterpoints which had been made in that thread were so good, I felt like I had nothing left to contribute. I’m still a bit embarrassed.
For what it’s worth, I recognize your name, and you don’t strike me as a drive by poster. If anything, I’ve got a rather positive opinion of you. If you’ve got something to say, even if you’re not sure you’ll be able to follow up, please say it. For me, most of the fun of this place is seeing what other people think.
Exgineer, the bottom line is - shit happens. If you begin a thread and something comes up, no big deal. You can always come back to the thread, explain your disappearance (if it was more than a day, say), and then move on from there. If you make one good post in a thread, then aren’t able to come back, it’s still a lot better than making a series of pithy comments (as Chronos said).
Even if you’re not sure when you’ll be able to post next, post away. I know you’re not the only one who posts mainly from work, and I bet there’s plenty of people doing that who aren’t sure if they will be able to follow up their post in a reasonable amount of time.
I can’t post from work. I mean, I COULD, but…I am pretty much swamped anyway, and any posting I did would be taking away from my employer’s time. I wouldn’t feel right about that. I know that most of you have jobs which allow you time to do this, but I don’t.
Anyway, I think you should post whatever and whenever you feel moved to do so. If you have something worth saying, it doesn’t matter if you are here to check on responses immediately.
In my opinion you don’t come across as a drive-by poster at all. My memory seems to suggest that you have made a considerable positive contribution to this board.
So, I’d say that by all means you should post, and perhaps if you are unsure whether you would be able to return to the thread within a reasonable amount of time, just say so at the end of your answer.
note: Due to restrictions at my workplace and poor equipment at my residence, I may be unable to substantiate my claims/theories/etc. and/or return to this thread to post follow ups. I’m trying to contribute, but technical considerations prevent me from doing so to the extent that I’d like. Thank you for understanding.