Open request to all responders-please include solution in posts

[Sajan]

Hi,

I love the clever and creative solutions proposed for various problems / questions. However, sometimes I miss the actual solution because it is described in file attachments / links in posts.


Would it be possible to include the solutions proposed in the post itself, even if it is described in any attachments? That would help those of us who do not have an easy way to download files from filesharing sites to also learn from the proposed solutions.


I hope this would not be too much of an inconvenience to those who respond to posts. I think this would help many to benefit from this awesome forum even more.


Thanks!

Sajan.

 

[shrivallabha]

I agree completely. Users shall describe what's happening and then to support their observations (if plain description does not serve) they should upload sample data. And the same would apply to solution.


Its because the art of finding solution depends heavily on the art of finding and describing the problem

 

[NARAYANK991]

Hi Sajan / Shrivallabha ,


I think this issue of members not being able to access shared files is being blown out of proportion ; I am sure all of us ( I repeat all of us ) can access all files from some location or the other ; some of us certainly may not be able to download or upload from office , but certainly we can do it from home or from anywhere else.


To work out a solution in a workbook , and then to explain it all in the forum , is I think asking for too much , especially since we are all doing it for free ; if I am a paid author , I will fill up this forum with explanations ! And so will a lot of others.


I can say that if anyone cares to send me an email , I will ensure that the file I uploaded to a file-sharing site is emailed to the sender. My email address is narayank1026@gmail.com


Narayan

 

[shrivallabha]

Hi Narayan,


It is NOT being blown out of proportion as it is just a polite request. The forums are places where people share their experiences and insight and that too for free. So nobody can force others to fall in line.


To be honest, I love reading posts of many of prolific posters here that includes you and Sajan. And I have seen that you guys have given meticulously built replies. And I'm sure no one paid you guys then


If you will read my post again then all I was trying to say:

The asking person shall "also" try to build his / her post besides "Answer-Provider". If it is too difficult to describe then use the file-sharing sites for posting a sample. The effort of describing one's own problem also shows the person's ability with the software and the kind of a solution which will suit him better. So let OP make an effort too and not just answering person. Do you think that is unfair and blown out of proportion?


The forums provide us a place to share experiences and a form for sharing / bequeathing the legacy for people who can come and improve their own lives by reading those posts.


Free File sharing sites while they are good they remove data periodically (e.g. 30 days of no activity, varies from site to site). So after few days if someone visits the forum here then he will get a "Dead Link". Will that be interesting?


In fact, I try to avoid posters who say "please look at my file to see my problem". It nearly completely defeats purpose of forums. It is as if they come in for searching a free consultant. And also those who don't have access to files for whatever reason won't be able to answer as they won't be able to see the question in the first place.


Of course, what makes a person answer a question varies from person to person:

http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/lounge-v-2-0/661419-what-makes-you-answer-questions-here-mrexcel-%5B-survey-knowledge-sharing%5D.html

 

[Hui]

Sajan


Chandoo is looking at options to include some level of FTP facility within Chandoo.org

This would allow Ninja's to Post Files directly to Chandoo.org and then link then into the posts

I don't believe it will allow public upload of files

I'm not sure what the timing is on this

 

[NARAYANK991]

Hi Shrivallabha ,


Probably I overreacted ; sorry.


All of us agree that the person who is posting his / her problem should be clear and comprehensive ; however , this has its limitations , since the site is used internationally , and sometimes those who pose questions may not be fluent in English ; in such cases , an upload serves its purpose best , since once the data is available , at least those who are interested in answering the question can pose their own questions , and by getting answers to their questions , resolve the problem.


My point is that a question is primarily of interest to the OP ; it will be of secondary interest to others who are interested to learn something new. To the person who is answering the question , the first objective is to cater to the OP ; catering to others who may be interested in the solution is secondary.


Secondly , if you see the kind of questions that are asked , I would say that 1 in 10 is a very interesting question ; most are run of the mill questions , which are asked because the OP's knowledge of Excel is not very high. I am sure other members may not be interested in the solution.


Lastly , I think my over-reaction was partly due to the topic being raised by Sajan , since I think his knowledge of Excel is well above par !


Narayan

 

[shrivallabha]

Hi Narayan,


We agree in principle.


Posting email ID on forums is like sending an invite for spammers. so putting it like text is much better e.g.

narayank1026(at)gmail(dot)com

which makes it difficult to pick for a program but always easy for human beings.

 

[Sajan]

Hi Narayan,

I certainly did not intend for my post to be controversial. I was merely hoping that having the solution / key formulas included in the post itself would allow folks to get an idea of the solution "at a glance", without having to look at any attachments / links, etc.


I agree that asking responders to include their solutions in the post itself might be asking a lot from an already very generous responder. Perhaps I assumed that the lack of ease of downloading attachments was more widespread than reality.


I appreciate your kind words regarding my Excel skills. In reality, probably like anyone else, I continue to learn from everyone else here. Part of my learning comes from observations about techniques or functions that I had not considered using before. When a problem looks interesting to me, I typically skim through a posted solution to see if it matches my formulation for the solution. However, when I come across a post that includes links / attachments to a workbook, that process is not as straightforward. I would not be surprised if others on this forum utilize a similar approach to review posts.


Also, as Shrivallabha points out, some storage sites have a limited time window for retaining a file.


On the other hand, there are many posts with misleading / non-descriptive titles that might cause them to go unnoticed. As you pointed out in a different post, perhaps a better approach is to somehow identify and retain solution "gems" through a more structured mechanism, such as a running, moderated blog of formulas comprised of key techniques / functions etc. found in the forum each day, week, etc. Of course, it would require some effort to compile such a blog, but hopefully the benefits outweigh the burden.


Regards,

Sajan.