This forum is not a helpdesk

Remove the heading “This forum is not a helpdesk” from the How to help us to help you post - all it does is legitimise rudeness.

Keep the cartoon, though. That makes the point clearly and amusingly.

There is no downvote button. :frowning:

This forum is NOT a HelpDesk just like the openHAB forum from where they copied the thread.

We are here to assist users in configuring and understanding their systems. Helpdesks provide solutions with no user understanding and are responsible for supporting the solution when the panicked user has breakage.

If it is not important enough for the user to understand & show some effort, they likely need to purchase a paid vendor supported smart home solution.

Incidentally, I was here when that thread was first posted, with a different forum account.

6 Likes

But the fact is it’s not a help desk and that’s why it’s stated on the very first first line to dispel any misconceptions.

This FAQ guideline summarizes it best:

Remember, there’s never a guarantee you’ll get an answer - nobody is required to provide one. What you can do though is provide a post with relevant supporting information, that shows you’re trying. That will encourage people to help you.

3 Likes

That is part f what was originally copied from here.

I don’t know how the statement This forum is not a helpdesk legitimizes rudeness. It is a fact. There will always be disagreements but we need to give people the benefit of the doubt that it is just a direct style of writing and they are not trying to be rude. Yes it can seem like it but for the most part it is not.

I have also seen the admins step in when posts are out of line.

Please don’t put emotions where, generally, there are not any implied. The biggest contributors are helping a lot of people at once and they do it for free. They are human too and sometimes get frustrated and snippy. I don’t believe they ever mean it personal. My thanks go out to all of the major contributors.

Best Regards

1 Like