Crap Advice

[thecannibal]

I often read threads on this forum and occasionally post. It's a great resource with a lot of cool old bike tat to look at and a nice community feel, but if one thing puts me off it's the phenomenally crap advice on technical issues that's doled out so liberally by so many. Obviously there are loads of knowledgeable people on here, but their number seems equally matched by those who want to 'help' when questions and queries arise, regardless of whether they know the answer.

I've seen countless threads where someone's offered technical 'help' that's been at best useless and often highly dangerous. I can only assume people pretend to know about stuff they don't in order to massage their egos, but they just end up looking like a chump, so the whole affair's a bit pointless. It's one thing taking a shot at identifying a frame and getting it wrong; it's quite another to claim experience and chat bollocks that might lose someone their front teeth if they listen to you.

If someone has an idea of how a mechanical/compatibility issue might be resolved, how about making it clear that you actually have little or no knowledge on the subject, rather than putting others' lives or (worse still) bikes at risk?

 

[We_are_Stevo]

I think that the avarage OP would be more than capable of sifting out the wheat from the chaff if there is one naff reply answered by several knowledgeable ones don't you...

 

[thecannibal]

I think that the avarage OP would be more than capable of sifting out the wheat from the chaff if there is one naff reply answered by several knowledgeable ones don't you...

Often correct answers aren't forthcoming and the damage could already be done. Also, the crap advice often comes from people who do their level best to sound authoritative while talking out of their arse. Stating that their occupation is 'engineer' is a classic technique of the clueless know-it-all.

 

[Russell]

Welcome to the internet.

People used to have to learn stuff by reading books, applying knowledge and remembering things. Now they do a quick google search or scan a wikipedia page and pass off dodgy info as their own.

As noted above, the blaggards are generally easily weeded from the garden.

I'm an Engineer BTW, so the above is all true... obviously.

 

[thecannibal]

I think maybe people on here are just too kind to those who pass off shoddy half-remembered half-truths as sage advice. If someone gives crap advice just to look the big man, when it could have real repercussions, then I think someone needs to have a quiet word. From what I've seen, it's all to often lost in the melee and the same offenders dole out their useless nonsense with relative impunity...perhaps just the odd :? of dissent. This place is largely better than the internet at large, but there's always room for improvement...

 

[highlandsflyer]

Back when I was young they had introduced those general knowledge quiz machines in the pubs.

The half dozen of us who used to drink together made a rule not to answer unless we knew rather than thought, unless no one knew.

Shame everyone pitches in rather than waiting for someone who knows what they are on about, but that is the bleedin' net for you!

 

[We_are_Stevo]

By and large I think the good far outweighs the bad; if I see a request for info/help that has sat there for hours without a reply I will always post a reply with the caveat 'I'm sure someone will be along shortly to correct me if I'm wrong...'

 

[Carge]

Welcome to Forums
It's the same all over the internet - get over it.

Have you noticed there's also a lot of people who get pretty wound up by what's said on these forums too.

Don't understand it myself - being an engineer like.

 

[stevetait]

Maybe we should recruit a BS Sifter Admin, any self appointed experts out there want it??

 

[MikeD]

This sounds like the result of something specific...?