Quizmail (and other monthly quizzes)

[alunrw]

Hello

I was wondering if theres any way that people coule politely be requested to refrain from providing actual answers for these, all is fair in love and war, but theres a lot of people enjoy looking these up themselves and spend a great deal of time and effort is so doing - it's then slightly annoying when the outright answer is posted.
Clues/hints/pointers whatever you wish to call them are fine, but when someone posts just the answer its slightly frustrating to the others partaking.
Just a polite request?

Thank you

[silly moo]

agree wholeheartedly

[Boots217]

 

Well said Alun

[kazza12345]

i don't understand what the problem is  .... if you can't get an answer, and you are aking for it, why should you complain when someone gives it to you??

 

Is it morally superior to be given a whopping clue which makes you get the answer than to just get given the answer?  Surely in both circumstances you havent completed the quiz under your own steam?  If you dont want to get given the answers then dont ask for help!

[mldr79]

Of course there's a difference Kazza!
Wanting to work out an answer to a question with a provided clue is much different to being given the answer direct, as the former still involves the whole 'workng out' bit, in keeping with the nature of a quiz..
As you say, if you ask for an answer what's wrong with getting it - true. However if you ask for a clue, as many of us do, getting the answer is annoying. Big difference between asking for help and asking for answers.
Quite where morals come into it I don't know!

[shaneystar]

But.....a lot of Quizmailers post questions in various sections of AB and don't mention in their posts that "This is a Quizmail question"..or head their post " Quizmail.".So others give an answer, and ,as I have said before they then get told off for doing so.We are not mind readers. I have been ripped into for giving an answer to a quizmail question.All this invective about a quiz is frankly very boring and I wish ABED would give them their own section so they can squabble away to their hearts content .

[shaneystar]

This is just one example of heated it can get ...
i am going to head for the hills now if I see anything with the dreaded word.

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/Quest ion132047.html

[postalquiz]

I agree with the sentiments of Alunrw.

However I would go further - if you cannot do the postal quizzes on your own - then please do not spoil the enjoyment of others who want to attempt it on their own.

I do the quizzes as a personal challenge and to prove I can compete (on a level playing field) with the question master. If you can also do so then the world of Brain of Britain and Mastermind as respected competitions beckons (Of course in those you cannot post the question on AB!).

A plea - DO NOT give answers to postal quizzes, if you do so then the number of entrants will drop because they will not see the point in spending time researching. Then we will all suffer. If you cant find the answers then practice first on something a little less taxing.

[shaneystar]

Well then can I suggest that all quizmailers who wish to post and discuss and give clues etc...... type "QUIZMAIL" as the heading to their posts so those who don't partake and are not interested can avoid these posts. Then there will be less arguement.You have to admit that there are a lot of posters that don't mention AT ALL that that they are asking for help with a "quizmail "question.Perhaps one of you quizmailers could post something to that effect on the Q&P section.The point is one answers a question quite innocently and then someone posts "This is a quizmail question" as if you have committed a crime by answering.

[woofgang]

can I also suggest thst they put them in quizzes and puzzles rather than all over the place!!

[woofgang]

PS until reading this thread, I neither knew not cared what quizmail was...and I still don't care. If I know that someone is posting q's to get answers for a comp then I don't help on principle because I think that you should sweat to win....any one remember the marlboro days??

[mldr79]

Shaneystar

Most of us do put Quizmail in the question, and if a quizmail question had been posted with no reference to quizmail, then normally one of us posts that it is a quizmail question. I've not known an answerer to be 'ripped into' but certainly the asker has been, for being dishonest and not admitting its a quizmail question or asking too many - as in your own example.

This is the ANSWERbank and so answers should be given, but what I think Alun is asking for is some honesty from quizmailers to admit its a quiz question and ask for a clue not a direct anwser.

[mldr79]

Woofgang

I agree that quizmail questions should be posted in the quizzes and puzzles section, but if the question is on e.g. a sporting them (and has not been admitted as to being a quizmail question), that's when you'll find them in other sections, sport in that case.

[shaneystar]

i do see your point mldr79.There is a question on AB today that is quite obviously a Quizmail question but doesn't say as such.These are the type I object to.Therefore I have asked that poster to say it's Quizmail etc.
As you so rightly say this is AB and we all enjoy asking and answering questions.I for one am eternally grateful for help with crossword answers and like to help in return if and when i can.Hopefully people who do Quizmail will read this thread,post accordingly and then we can all live in harmony!

[littleoldme]

And there was I thinking that the idea of this site was that people asked questions and other people answered them. Perhaps those who don't like this concept should perhaps go to www.giveusavagueandconfusingclue.com instead. There is a fair chance that any replies to a question will include the answer, as that is what this site is for. If you don't want to know the answer, don't click on the link!

I have no idea what this Quizmail thing is and I couldn't recognise a Quizmail question if it bit me in the Arsenal. If someone asks a question and I know the answer, I'll answer it. Ta.

[shaneystar]

Well this is it littleoldme (you dear cuddly person).
You can't win! You try to help..you are told off....others just want a clue....when you read the posts they are complete gibberish or flapdoodle.Others are obvious.....do you dare to answer ?
I am beginning to think you have the right idea.
Answer and be damned!!

[jno]

goodness... a whole nother world in here... I mostly just respond to questions I know the answers to; why the person who posted the question wants the answer seems to me to be none of my business. AB is a Q&A site, not a hint site; people who don't want real answers should specify, and I'll stay away. (Okay, I'm not very much help anyway.)

[alunrw]

Thanks for the feedback on this, it was just a polite request for a bit of fair play - if people wish to put up their questions and people wish to answer , thats great, I do it myself when I know the answer to any queries/questions. In response to littleoldme, i appreciate exactly your point, all I'm asking is that people be up front about the question stating that it is a Quizmail question - a few have been slipped into other sections lately and for anyone not taking part in Quizmail, theres no way you would be able to know that it was indeed a Quizmail question and for those who do, then if its there you have to have a look !! :-)
For information for anyone that doesn't know,Quizmail is a monthly quiz we pay to do, its not a money-spinner as even IF you get the full marks, you barely get enough to cover next months entry - its not done for the money, just the pleasure of doing it.
Thanks for hearing me out.

[mldr79]

Littleoldme

As Alun said, it was a request - If you choose to ignore it and post a direct answer when asked for a hint then that is your choice. If a hint site existed that we could use then no doubt we would - but it doesn't so we do our best and ask that people respect our requests. As I said though it's your choice if you choose not to do so.

Also the hints posted may not be as vague and confusing as you think, if you did the quizmail and so have narrowed the answers down to a couple of choices, which the hints help with. This is often the case with QM, but as you say - you don't do it and I can see how some clues are vague when you have no idea where they come from.

[mldr79]

Do people that give answer really get abuse? I've known people that ask for help with seemingly 100s of questions to get some stick and equally those that post without being honest and saying its from quizmail also get stick. I've not known someone providing an answer to be had a go at.

If people have been 'attacked' for doing such and post the link to the page on which this happened, I'll happily stand (or sit as I'm at my computer) corrected. It just seems that people are scared of answering for no reason, accept the believe they'll be attacked when to my experience this is not true.

[d0gsb0dy]

First I knew of this situation. I was under the impression that Quizmailers (now that I know what they are) had moved to a separate location. I, personally, had no idea that they did not want the complete answer.