Do people REALLY rush their responses in order to be the first to answer, or even the first to give their version of the answer?

[joko]

I would have thought this is not only quite puerile, and the reason for many typos, but also responsible for many knee jerk misunderstandings due to people not explaining their point properly and also, in their haste, misreading the question.

The amount of times I have seen someone react with venom to what seems like an innocuous question only to apologise a few minutes later for misreading it

It is also clear sometimes when someone has simply scanned the text and jumped to conclusions instead of re-reading it a few times in order to consider their answer.

Perhaps someone has said "...and i have already tried that so don't..." only to be greeted with suggestions to try it! Or, they say "...this is not my opinion, i just read it..." only to get abuse.

i have also seen people write offensive, rude and downright stupid replies and then had to talk their way out of it because they say they didn't mean it to come out like that.

I always think a while before i answer - not hours, but at least a good few minutes and read the question a few times and try to read between the lines if the intention is not that clear.

obviously misunderstandings will always occur - that is natural - but when its because of some daft race to get there first its a bit ridiculous.

[gary baldy]

Any examples joko? Dont be too specific in case you upset someone.
Personally if its a News question or a bit contentious i try and see who replies and what sort of replies they are before sticking my tuppence in (unless the original question really winds me up).
If its a childisn slagging match i try to stay clear but if its a good mass debate i'll wade in.
I also think sarcasm and off the cuff remarks that you could get away with face to face get warped in cyberspace.
Have i just hung myself here by replying too quickly?

[lankeela]

No

[jno]

darn it gary, beat me again... joko I can't speak for other people but I find it quite hard to read things on screen. I grew up (long ago) reading words on paper; screens have only been in my life a decade or so, and I literally don't read them as well as books and magazines. For younger people it's quite possibly the other way around. Anyway, I do sometimes miss things or misread posts. If I make a mistake, I apologise. It happens. I'm not fussed if it happens when other people reply to my questions either. Nobody's perfect.

[Buenchico]

I hope that it's not one (or more) of my posts which has/have upset you, Joko. (We do seem to post answers to many of the same questions). If so, please feel free to quote it/them!

I admit that I'm a naturally competitive person and, yes, I suppose that I do like to get in first. On many occasions, however, I'll let other people post quick responses while I'm researching one of my 'long-winded' answers. (Yes, I know that I'm well-known for my multi-part posts. Precis was never my strong point!).

Sarcasm? I try to avoid it but, since I was a teacher for 15 years, it does tend to come naturally :-)

Errors? Well, I've posted over 1700 answers since I joined on 10th September 2005 so it's hardly surprising that I've made a few errors but I've apologised for most (if not all) of them.

I've seen a few silly/rude comments on AB but they seem, to me, to be very much in the minority. (I should say, however, that I avoid the 'News' section for the same reason that I avoid the Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2. i.e. because I can't be bothered with ill-informed rants). I'll occasionally post comments which are meant to be humorous but I try to flag this up by the use of smilies. I also try to accompany them by a genuinely useful response.

What annoys me on AB? Not a lot, but I do wish that some people would have the courtesy to acknowledge a response which has clearly taken some time to put together. (e.g. when, as has happened, I've driven to the other side of the county - a 100 mile round trip - to find out the answer). I'm not looking for praise (although 3 stars are always appreciated!). It would just be good to know that the answer has actually been read!

Chris

[joko]

no buenchico, nobody has upset me especially, i have just seen it happen quite a few times to other people when generally following a thread. (even if you had, i probably wouldn't remember it after a few days!)

I have been irked by some people sometimes when they seem to be just ranting, accusing or can't seem to understand what you are saying, but generally i forget about it fairly quickly. I can't think of examples as i don't hold grudges or remember details afterwards - it just seems to happen a fair bit.

I just think making a race out of it is stupid - given the trouble it can cause.

Funny thing is, the only person who even notices who was first is the person who was first!

i only mention it as someone mentioned that they do rush and i thought it was pathetic. i don't mind someone being quick, its just when they post a clearly ill thought out response, completely getting the wrong end of the stick, ranting about imagined insults - well, it just makes them look stupid.

some won't even apologise, they will continue in that vein convinced that their initial kneejerk response was the correct one, simply because they are too embarrassed to admit they jumped in too quick and got it wrong

some say "ooh you beat me to it" jokingly but i wonder if they mean it really...

[gary baldy]

"Funny thing is, the only person who even notices who was first is the person who was first!"

That would be me then!
Sorry joko if ive offended you - sensitivity isnt my strong point.

[WoWo]

I'm always posting twice because I miss something in the first post. If AB had some sort of edit feature this wouldn't be a problem.

I for example look at the site at work, during lunch or a tea break so I don't have the time to sit and thing for ages about what I'm doing.

[Octavius]

jno, you have obviously forgotten about me. I'm perfect.

[jno]

nearly Octavius but I'm still not persuaded that knights are peers.

[lady_p_gold]

I do not have any urge to be first, however sometimes if you are at the screen you sometimes feel 'eager' if you think that you have a good response, which is a little different I feel. Then sometimes you might have an afterthought as you reflect a little at leisure and feel like adding something or qualifying your remarks slightly. However there will always be people who launch into abuse or silliness .... just as there are in chatrooms. Hopefully the majority of the 'regulars' try to give well thought out and helpful advice.

[stanleyman]

Well I tend to be either first or last as they appear and I usually only answer interesting technical questions I know something about and have experience of or have a connection with. I don't find any need to answer first but if there is a question I can answer well then I'll get it out of the way and I often then find I'm the only one to answer. I don't waste time looking things up other than to refresh my flagging memory on occassion.

If I come across a question that has been answered well then I leave it also, but often the questions are just wrongly read as you say or are guesses or gross misinformation that needs putting right. If I don't understand a question I don't have the time to work it out so I don't answer just for the sake of it.

If only people would put full information in their questions and when answering only give knowledgable answers or state they are guesses or opinions or they've looked it up instead of pretending to be experts, you know who you are. I've seen many people sent down the wrong track through this. And yes a response of some sort is nice but rare.