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Posted By: freelance A "View profile" suggestion - 09/08/09 10:30 PM
No post counts is probably a good idea. The number of posts does not tell you if the poster has been active in troubleshooting or spends more time chatting in the lounge. However, as a new visitor it would be nice to know a bit about a poster's background.

Maybe, there could be a space in a member's profile where they could list their profession, technical background or whatever it is that makes them feel confident enough to offer solutions to problems.

For instance, Dave (in a thread I can no longer find) said that (and I paraphrase to the best of my recollection) his interest in computers was no more than he needed to keep his Mac running and that he had to solve his problems himself. (Sorry, Dave, if I do you an injustice here. It's just for example.)

(Edit to included Dave's comment, also below in his post: "To put things into context, although I've owned Apple computers exclusively since 1988, I'm not a power user at all. Everything I've learned about using my computer was not due to interest but out of necessity. To me, my computer is just a tool, and I've only learned what I've had to in order to do what I needed to do." I apologize for my faulty memory.

But my point is, it might be helpful to the reader to know that kind of information when getting different advice from multiple posters.

If each poster took it upon themselves to write a brief statement of "expertise" in a space provided for that purpose in their profile, a reader could make a quick check on their background by clicking "View profile"

As an example, I would write that "I am a semi-retired advertising art director and graphic designer. I have learned to maintain my own Mac by reading manuals and following online fora for the last 12 years (OS 8.5 – 10.5.8). I am proficient to a professional standard in the use of the Adobe CS3 and QuarkXPress 7. My hobbies are photography and motorcycling."

Actually, spaces for most of this are already provided if you want to keep it short and sweet. It just needs people to be willing to do it, I guess.

Cheers.

Posted By: roger Re: A "View profile" suggestion - 09/08/09 10:56 PM
I wonder if people wouldn't then say, "oh, that guy's (or girl's) not really an expert, I'll wait until so-and-so replies before I try anything."

just a thought.
Posted By: dkmarsh Re: A "View profile" suggestion - 09/08/09 11:55 PM

I hear you, but looking at it another way, wouldn't it be weird for a member to be reluctant to give a little background about her Mac experience out of fear that revealing it might undermine her credibility?

I think folks who feel comfortable discussing a particular subject project confidence, and others pick up on that. The potential trouble is that feeling comfortable discussing a subject doesn't necessarily correlate with truly understanding it.

I think Jerry's idea just fills in the picture a little bit, giving a reader some additional context for evaluating responses to a post.
Posted By: dkmarsh Re: A "View profile" suggestion - 09/09/09 12:01 AM

A different way of going about the same thing might be for us to have a sticky Introduce Yourself thread somewhere, which would serve the dual purpose of allowing new folks to say hi without needing to start a misplaced thread in New Users, and allowing current members to provide the sort of info you're talking about.
Posted By: Dave Re: A "View profile" suggestion - 09/09/09 12:24 AM
The comment I made that was mentioned in this thread's first post was in the "Snow Leopard experiences" thread, where in the first post I said, "To put things into context, although I've owned Apple computers exclusively since 1988, I'm not a power user at all. Everything I've learned about using my computer was not due to interest but out of necessity. To me, my computer is just a tool, and I've only learned what I've had to in order to do what I needed to do."

In an attempt to make myself seem more credible, I will soon be moving to southern California and undergoing extensive plastic surgery, and from now on I will type everything in UPPER CASE.
Posted By: donikatz Re: A "View profile" suggestion - 09/09/09 04:47 AM
DK, just noticed your sig -- nice! smile

I like the idea about an introduction thread. Typically the kind of thing you'd see in a new users forum.

I also don't see how it would hurt to give a little more space in user profile to add additional info, if desired. Power users opting in with experience details might be almost as good as peer-rankings (although even easier to fake). Of course some folks might shy away from giving up too much real info on a public forum. Then again, Google is the all seeing eye. (Well, almost: if Google bought Facebook THEN it'd be the all-seeing eye.)
Posted By: freelance Re: A "View profile" suggestion - 09/09/09 09:22 AM
Originally Posted By: roger
I wonder if people wouldn't then say, "oh, that guy's (or girl's) not really an expert, I'll wait until so-and-so replies before I try anything.


It might well do. It might make someone look in other places to verify the advice. Nothing wrong with being safe when mucking with your system.

You are already doing a variant of my suggestion. You profile links to your blog where I find out you are well into music. That would tend to make me seek out your advice if I had any questions about home recording or the like.
Posted By: freelance Re: A "View profile" suggestion - 09/09/09 09:28 AM
Originally Posted By: dkmarsh
A different way of going about the same thing might be for us to have a sticky Introduce Yourself thread somewhere, which would serve the dual purpose of allowing new folks to say hi without needing to start a misplaced thread in New Users, and allowing current members to provide the sort of info you're talking about.


I didn't think you would want to go to the trouble of a whole new category. But if you did, it would be useful if the thread alphabetized itself, so you wouldn't have to search through a chronological list of entries. Or, a user's profile could somehow be linked to their entry in the Introduce Yourself thread. Dunno.
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