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    Request for those requesting help

    I typically read at least the title of every new post on this message board. I've been seeing the following behavior more recently in the past for whatever reason -- and also have seen some (more?) requests for help go unanswered, which could be for the same reason that I'm frustrated by certain posts.

    Namely, a request to help that does not include all the relevant information. If there's some type of error message pertaining to a device or node, detailed information regarding the device or node will most certainly be helpful in assisting others to diagnose your problem. If it's a Z-Wave device, the type of Z-Wave device at a minimum. If it's a Z-Wave-related issue, the version of the Z-Wave plug-in you're running, and the Z-Wave interface you have are almost always going to be information that people will ask in assessing your problem. It does not hurt to also include how you're running HomeSeer (Linux, Windows, etc.), and the version of HomeSeer you're running. As a general rule, the more information, the better.

    Further, it goes without saying that many issues people have are similar or even identical to those that people have had in the past -- and it's also apparent that some people are requesting support from the community without doing even a cursory search of existing posts to see if someone else has had the same problem before. That's not a recipe for getting answers, because this is a community-supported forum to great extent, and it's time out of our day to respond to questions for help: if it doesn't look like you're willing to put in some time diagnosing the issue up front, why should you expect us to spend our own time typing out a reply?

    For myself personally, I am much more likely to respond to a request for help if the request provides detailed information (and not just "I'm seeing the following behavior recently <screenshot> and don't know how to fix this" without anything further), and shows in some way that the person has tried searching the Board for similar problems in the past. And particularly with Z-Wave issues, knowing the version of the Z-Wave plug-in, the type of Z-Wave device (model # and so on), and the type of Z-Wave interface (SmartStick, Z-Stick, Z-NET, etc.) will more times than not be helpful in addressing the problem.

    Off my soapbox . . .

    #2
    I suggested to Tony of the Tasker plugin to do what they did for the Arduino plugin and he did move a few good startup posts on top (sticky) of his forum and it worked well. You hardly see any new posts of repeated quetions on there anymore.


    Eman.
    Last edited by Eman; October 27, 2016, 01:13 PM.
    TinkerLand : Life's Choices,"No One Size Fits All"

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      #3
      Originally posted by mikedr View Post
      I typically read at least the title of every new post on this message board. I've been seeing the following behavior more recently in the past for whatever reason -- and also have seen some (more?) requests for help go unanswered, which could be for the same reason that I'm frustrated by certain posts.

      Namely, a request to help that does not include all the relevant information. If there's some type of error message pertaining to a device or node, detailed information regarding the device or node will most certainly be helpful in assisting others to diagnose your problem. If it's a Z-Wave device, the type of Z-Wave device at a minimum. If it's a Z-Wave-related issue, the version of the Z-Wave plug-in you're running, and the Z-Wave interface you have are almost always going to be information that people will ask in assessing your problem. It does not hurt to also include how you're running HomeSeer (Linux, Windows, etc.), and the version of HomeSeer you're running. As a general rule, the more information, the better.

      Further, it goes without saying that many issues people have are similar or even identical to those that people have had in the past -- and it's also apparent that some people are requesting support from the community without doing even a cursory search of existing posts to see if someone else has had the same problem before. That's not a recipe for getting answers, because this is a community-supported forum to great extent, and it's time out of our day to respond to questions for help: if it doesn't look like you're willing to put in some time diagnosing the issue up front, why should you expect us to spend our own time typing out a reply?

      For myself personally, I am much more likely to respond to a request for help if the request provides detailed information (and not just "I'm seeing the following behavior recently <screenshot> and don't know how to fix this" without anything further), and shows in some way that the person has tried searching the Board for similar problems in the past. And particularly with Z-Wave issues, knowing the version of the Z-Wave plug-in, the type of Z-Wave device (model # and so on), and the type of Z-Wave interface (SmartStick, Z-Stick, Z-NET, etc.) will more times than not be helpful in addressing the problem.

      Off my soapbox . . .
      Preach on brother .... I just love the posts that are just Help.
      💁‍♂️ Support & Customer Service 🙋‍♂️ Sales Questions 🛒 Shop HomeSeer Products

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        #4
        +1 (posted to keep it a "most recent")

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          #5
          +1. (Seconded)


          Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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