Is this Application Central?

[jim may]

I just read through a thread posyed today titled:

Select Range of entered data based on last entry in col A then search range and msgbox empty cell for user to complete

Here's another innocent person out there in the world who has Excel and has found this site ONLY to say...

Please find 13 shirts, 6 pairs of pants, 2 sweaters, 1 two-piece business suit, etc, outside my door. Could you please dry-clean and return to me (for no charge of course) all items;
I'd like the shirts on hangers, with light starch; the pants ironed -- be careful folding the sweaters, I like them done just so personally - etc, etc........

Here is ONCE AGAIN another clear example of MrExcel not clearly defining it's purpose, which is "ASSISTING" persons who are FIRST trying to help themselves by FIRST investing in doing something before just CRYING OUT -- from the nursery.

I program excel for a living -- and seeing the MASS GIVE AWAY that goes on daily here "ERKS" me. Can or should anything be done to CURB this on-going problem?

 

[Richard Schollar]

Hi Jim

I tend to think market forces provide a perfect solution here: you get what you pay for and if you aren't prepared to put any time in yourself then frequently you won't get anybody else offering up their time either. If a thread responder is prepared to give it a go, then presumably they have their own reasons (eg developing their own skills). I don't think we should limit that opportunity for these people.

 

[Von Pookie]

Some of us are actually here because answering the questions is FUN. If the "mass give away" bothers you so much, you know your options.

In the meantime, the ancient "spoonfeeding" thread may be of interest to you.
http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57043

 

[Joe4]

I program excel for a living -- and seeing the MASS GIVE AWAY that goes on daily here "ERKS" me. Can or should anything be done to CURB this on-going problem?

I believe in the past, that we have also provided a lot of assistance to people like yourself, who program Excel for a living (free of charge, of course!)

Heck, I do a lot of Excel programming and I have no problem helping out people here. Ironically, the ones that are spoon-fed answers are the ones who have no intention on learning the stuff, and will probably ending up becoming your biggest customers. Its the ones who want to learn and do it themselves that probably won't be looking to hire consulting services!

 

[jim may]

Oh well, I should have known better than to say what i think...

 

[xenou]

@Joe - great point!

@Jim - don't feel bad. It's something that comes up from time to time (i.e., the spoon-feeding thread). I've learned so much from these public forums - so there's a payback to me when I help others. You're not the only one who feels like its not worth it to hand out ready-made solutions when the OP seems to be taking advantage of free expertise. Lately I've been thinking a lot about how much there is here for someone with beginning level of skill who could jump in, help somebody else out, and learn a lot along the way - that's got to be a real plus for those budding experts - wish there was a way to cheer them on but hopefully the success they find is their own reward.

Alex

 

[jim may]

Thanks Alex

 

[VoG]

I love programming and Excel VBA in particular. That's why I visit this site so much, especially as work-wise I rarely get to practise this nowadays (I am not a professional programmer). I still learn stuff by reading the solutions to problems and, sometimes, by doing a bit of research to solve them myself. So it doesn't really bother me when somebody wants to be spoon-fed; I'm normally happy to oblige.

However, I agree that some posters present questions that are pretty large projects. Normally I read these, think 'damned cheek' and move on to another thread. Sometimes, however, I've been sufficiently intrigued to think 'sod my post count, I'm going to spend a few hours on this because I'm interested in finding a solution'. When it works (it usually does in the end) it is really satisfying. And I'm not doing this just to help somebody that I don't know from Adam - I do it because it is my entertainment. OK, I'm a sad old f*rt but I enjoy it. In time I may even develop some expertise with formulas (but don't hold your breath)

 

[NateO]

Hello,

I program excel for a living -- and seeing the MASS GIVE AWAY that goes on daily here "ERKS" me. Can or should anything be done to CURB this on-going problem?

Not sure why this is a problem, I would assume it doesn't directly impact you?

It depends, I try to help people help themselves. But there's certain instances where people really aren't going to get there before they invest 10 years (which is a little long to figure something out), e.g.,

http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1583022

And I wanted to write that particular algorithm, anyways, for their sake, the board's sake, and my sake. I actually will use that again, having considered the quandary at hand.

It's just how the board operates, you get a little "read the manual", you get a little "spoon-feeding", it will always work this way. I can't moderate someone giving out a high-quality solution to a problem and I can't moderate someone asking a question they don't grasp; we'd have to shut the board down completely to meet that requirement. Which isn't going to happen...

Have a nice remainder to the weekend.

 

[jim may]

VoG;
You and I have shared a menya' a thread here in the last several.. You did a much better job of expressing my sentiments than I did. I am 100% in agreement with you on how you look at this issue. I couldn't have said it better. Old f*rt here too.
Thanks, Jim