Asking/Offering Help Via pm

[Rich]

It has come to the attention of the team that certain members are asking/receiving help and advice via PMs. This is not in the spirit of FOG.

We would discourage this as it is best to ask on the open forum as the problems you are having may be the same or similar to someone else, and the help and advice you receive may be of help to those people too.

[nigelbread]

I feel that initial contact should be through the forum and the final result should be posted to assist others.
But -
Not everybody has the ability to diagnose or interpret faults successfully, this leads to poor quality information and bad advice.
A quick phone call can often resolve a problem.
Going to a members house to assist with a problem can be viewed in the same vane as a phone call or PM.
I have assisted over the phone and clarified problems for other people.

I have helped others and always posted the outcome.

[Drift]

What we are saying, why not post what you send in a pm on the forum, phone calls are your own business
Going to help people is fantastic and very much encouraged, but posting results helps technical advice and improves the search ability of the forum.

If folks give wrong advice they can then learn themselves as well as the original poster, that is what FOG is all about learning and helping, otherwise we might as well just be a mechanics dating agency and put people in touch with others with nothing shared or learnt on the forum.

[jontera]

I'll admit that some of the advice given through the forum could be miss leading, but remember that we are not all time-served mechanics..sometimes the advice you might recieve in an open forum is from people who've had a similar problem and the it been solved the way they post, and that's been their fix..

I'm not great with words, but show me the motor in person so to speak, i can get my head thinking a little better/clearer. Sometimes an OP's post is a little vague, so I'll admit that a phone call/PM might clarify the fault. but saying that if the fix is found via Personal visit, phone call or PM, then the fix should be attached to the end of the original post. There are lots of posts that don't reveal a "fix".

I know it's annoying at times, you try something and it don't work (but that doesn't say it didn't work for someone else) try another and so on..but on occassion it does and save a fortune..

just would be nice to have an ending to some of the posts.

(i know I've been a little slow in finishing a thread in the past, but eventually I do)

[RatCav]

I hope people find my ramblings amusing if not helpful. Fogmans recent 4wd issue has us stumped for about 2-3 weeks off and on. Got there in the end, but the hints tips and advice was invauable. I prefer to have some opinions of what to do even if it isn't the cure to the problem. You never know they might be right, or even lead you to the real fault.

[James Bass]

I must apologise and hold my hands up as I am guilty of this recently. The only reason was that I needed a quick reply and the person I asked is usually always online. I will refrain from doing this in future. Once again my apologies if this was inappropriate.

[Roo]

Sorry Guilty of this

I have asked a couple of members for advice in PM's not that I was being secretive or trying to hide anything........ Well only my stupidity and thickness about things, as I didn't really want every one knowing how silly and stupid I am actually and didn't want to take up too much forum space asking them to explain things to me ...


Sorry wont do it again

Cheers
Silly Roo

[fogman]

ive also been guilty of this in the past though not because i didnt value certain members opinions on a subject it was more for a quick if not immediate response from an online member [not any single 1 in particular ] or to arrange meeting times etc when spanner parties had been planned with other members.
there are also many members who visit the forum regularly that choose not to post in the tech sections often or maybe dont even read or visit them, i must admit on the odd occasion i have approached such a member via pm when i thought they had information that might help me with a specific problem or part supply contact.

i didnt realise such actions would be frowned upon

[Drift]

We are not shouting at anyone

We would just like to point out the point of the forum was to openly share information that can be searchable and of benefit to everyone, even the many members that do not post.

That snippet of info via PM could have saved a member waiting a reply to a question as you normally would have had it posted on the forum and then the info is easily accessible via the search engine or a manual trawl through relevant area threads

Its just a way of us all helping each other

[fynn]

hi all. what is lol
ahat is a pm

[neal]

hi all. what is lol
ahat is a pm

lol laugh out loud mate

[Drift]

PM is Private Message