Whenever I post a question on the General Questions Message Board, I almost always receive an answer. Is it considered proper to then thank the poster? Or does this just clutter up the board with white noise?
I’ve seen people say that they like getting a “thank you” because then they know the OP came back, read the answer, and found it helpful. So, yea, I guess it doesn’t hurt.
That’s always been my take on it.
I always try - basically I treat the SDMB like an public situation where I am interacting with strangers or folks I don’t know well - I try to be polite in general and appreciative when someone helps me out…
I try to thank people if I ask for help, and I let them know I consider the question answered as far as I need it answered. I don’t want them to waste their time and effort on digging deeper if I don’t need more. They may continue, because they are now interested. Sometimes you have to ask if the question has been answered well enough, and they still don’t let you know that they got what they needed. That’s frustrating and makes you feel like you wasted your time, while they forgot about the thread.
Thank all of you for your responses. I will now post “thank yous” as a regular habit.
We had this etiquette debate years ago when some people giving involved, highly expert, time consuming answers never received any acknowledgement and were pissed. The bottom line was that there should be no expectation of getting a “thank you”. It’s nice if someone wants to do, it but it should never be expected as a quid pro quo in exchange for information on the SDMB.
I try to use the same manners here that I do in real life. Pleases and thank yous are mandatory.
I say thank you at the end of my OPs in GQ just in case I forget or the thread is on another topic by the time I get back.
I think this should be the practice everywhere, not just GQ.
I try to say “Thanks in advance” where a thanks might end up being useful, but I also try to say thank you at the time it’s answered also.
I would also do it, like I said, everywhere else where someone has taken the time to specifically answer something I’ve asked that, though not necessarily a hijack, may not have been made clear in the regular flow of the thread topic itself.
I like it if it’s reciprocated to me also where I provide textual answers or links to sites where the information can be found.
I also like acknowledgement if I supply such answers by PM/email, or if I PM someone and offer to go to a shop in New York and pick up something they couldn’t find where they are and I’ve researched and offer to arrange shipping to them.
Doesn’t always happen though.
My short answer is absolutely.
I have a different question regarding User Name etiquette.
When I first joined, I read in one of the posts that when replying to a particular post, 1f you mention a poster’s name, you should, out of courtesy, use his/her entire name, not a shortened one.
I have since done that almost religiously, but now wonder if this is all a little too formal.
I see regular references to Diogenes the Cynic as DtG, Bricker as **YouDirtyRat ** 
etc.,with or without bolding.
So what’s the proper form these days?
I always try to use the full name, at least the first time, and bold it. Full name is to allow vanity searches, bold is to make the name stand out on screen for quick visual scans.
I used to always include “Thanks in advance for your responses” but I’ve somehow gotten out of that habit. I have to admit that individual, personalized Thank Yous would be much better. I’ll work on it in the thread I’m about to open.
I agree that thanking posters is good etiquette but I thought that the board moderaters discouraged it as unnecessary post padding.
What he said.
Bolding is a holdover from when our names used to appear in bold instead of as hyperlinks. It’s purely a vanity thing now. I rebelled against it for awhile but I think I do it more often than not these days. If you can’t beat 'em, join 'em, and all that :).
I wish people would use this same rule when they get a good chuckle from a poster.
I know I’ve written some comical genius on this board yet lots of times nobody acknowledges it.
It always leaves me thinking: “Damn! My comical genius is WASTED on you guys!”
Does that make me vain?
That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day.
Feel better?
I’ve written what I’ve thought were some really deep, insightful things, some very helpful factual things, and a lot of things I’ve thought were drop-dead hilarious and 99+% of the time they go completely ignored. Tired old predictable in-jokes and one-liners typically get a nod, though. Nature of the boards.
I recently got a PM from a respected, prolific poster thanking me for making him laugh, though. That was really nice.
I don’t know if there’s a formal rule about this but I use full name, bolded the first time and then I might use a shortened form of the name (for instance, I don’t mind “5”).
Personally, I try never to shorten or change a username in order to denigrate or disparage someone here (I’ve done it once) but might do so with the name of someone offboard for whom I have littel respect, i.e., Shrillary. Even then, I try only to do it when I’m trying to be funny, but not when I’m seriously discussing that person.
What were talking about again?
Interesting choice of disparagement.