What if you aren't getting responses to your posts?

[ForumAdminTeam]

Sometimes people will post on these forums with a MegaSquirt issue and get few, if any responses. The top reasons why they don't get responses are:

14) Putting the important information only in your title or signature, rather than the body of the message. If it's not in the body, many readers will miss that info. You don't want to make them look for info, they may simply pass on responding.

13) Private messaging and posting the same request. If you do both, most users will consider this cross-posting, and will ignore your subsequent posts.

12) Thread subject doesn't indicate the nature of the problem. Saying "HELP!!! Doesn''t work!!!" may not inspire people to even read the thread as they scan though a list of subjects. However if they know a lot about a topic, and it''s in the title, they may respond. So something succinct like "HEI 8-pin bypass, high or low for cranking?" might help someone to think ''I know that!'' and respond.

11) Not following advice. If you have started a thread, and other users have responded asking you to perform certain checks or supply specific information, it is likely you won't get any more responses from them until you do this. Of course, ask for clarification if you don't know how to do the tests, aren't sure about what is needed, or the test itself doesn't make sense to you. But if you simply ignore it, you'll likely find that user won't respond with any enthusiasm to your thread until you do what's required.

10) Referring the reader to another thread, an off-site image or text for background information on your vehicle, code, specific problem, etc.. Make it easy for other people to help by providing them all the info they need in one thread. Many people will not surf all over the internet to find out what you are talking about. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use links, only that you should provide enough background info right in the thread for the user to decide if they might have anything to add (from which they can decide if they want to explore your links). Links to solutions for users, either forum threads or manual sections, etc., are fine of course.

9) Post tone and history. If you have been rude or aggressive in the current or previous posts, some people are likely to remember this and ignore your present and future posts. If your username or signature rubs people the wrong way, they may decide to answer someone else's post as well. That's just a fact of life in a social environment like these forums. So post with this in mind.

8) Cross-posting. Posting the same, or nearly the same, message in different forums is not allowed. It fragments the discussion, and people don't want to respond on the chance that someone else may have responded already in the other thread. As a result, many people will ignore any post that has been cross-posted. If you are not sure what forum to post in, pick the one you think makes the most sense, based on the issue you are having. The moderators will generally move it if necessary.

7) Posting in the wrong forum. If you post a question about GM temperature sensors in the flyback board forum, it is less likely to get a response. Similarly for a question about ion-sensing ignitions in the fuel and injectors forums. Moderators will frequently move a thread to a more appropriate forum, but you shouldn't count on this happening (it may happen too late to keep your post from being buried down the listing in the new forum), and you should put some thought into where the thread should go.

6) Posting in another user's thread. This is fine if you want to discuss their problem with them, but if you want people to respond to your problem, start a new thread. This prevents your issue from being mixed up with their's, and makes it clearer when you are still seeking a solution.

5) Not providing enough information about your MegaSquirt set-up. Every new topic has a note at the top of the posting page saying, "If your question is about troubleshooting, configuration, or tuning, you MUST include your processor type (MS-I or MS-II) and code version in your post. If your question is about PCB assembly or modifications, you must also include the main board version number (1.01, 2.2 or 3.0) . If you have questions about MSnS-E code configuration or tuning, please post them at www.msextra.com". You may think this is irrelevant (and it may be), but if you don't understand your problem there's likely some connection you are are missing.

4) Not providing enough information about your vehicle. Saying, "my distributor has wires coming out of it, where do they go"; isn't likely to get many helpful responses. Tell us everything you know about those wires and what they connect to, and if you don't know any info about them, tell us the engine, vehicle and model year at least. And don't just tell us it's a "3GMTE"- tell us the make and model, the number of cylinders, etc. remember that most users, even knowledgeable ones, won't be experts in every make of vehicle.

3) Getting ''bumped'' by other posts. When the forums are busy, you post may get lost in the volume, and buried as new threads are started. The way people sometimes deal with this is to ''bump'' their own posts by replying to their own thread with a one word ''bump'' or "ttt" post to move it up the list. This may make you seem either too lazy to look for solutions on your own, or impatient. Such posts will also be removed, since they contain no information. Instead, if you wish to ''bump'' your own thread, post a note saying what solutions you have looked into, what searches you have done in the forums and manual, and what other info you might have found out that could possibly be relevant to your problem.

2) Looking for a solution or information that is already available in the manual or on the forums. People will often ignore your post if the solution is in the troubleshooting guide, and you haven't bothered to look there. Similarly for asking for answers to questions that are clearly answered in the FAQ or manual. The troubleshooting info is at:

V2.2 - http://www.megamanual.com/v22manual/mass.htm#trouble
V3.0 - http://www.megamanual.com/ms2/V3trouble.htm
Sensors and Wiring - http://www.megamanual.com/v22manual/mwire.htm#trouble
Serial Connection troubleshooting - http://www.megamanual.com/connect.htm

In addition, an entire section of the manual table of contents is devoted to troubleshooting info and schematics, BOMs, etc. Look here: http://www.megamanual.com/v22manual/mtabcon.htm

1) Your posts are difficult to read. If your posts are difficult to wade through, most people won't, and you will get fewer responses. For example, if the above sentence reads, "dÛdë Ûr p0sts r v hãrd ² rëãd ppl dont Û get < rësponzz" a lot of people will skip over it after the first 3 ''words''. This also applies to posts that are lacking in the punctuation and capitalization that would make it easier for others to understand. That certainly doesn't mean you can''t post how you like, only that others are more likely to pass it by if it is hard to read.

The bottom line is you want to be as clear as possible, and indicate what you are doing to solve your problem. This will get the most responses, and the quickest and best solution, in most cases.

Forum Admin Team

[ForumAdminTeam]

BTW, If your post seems to disappear, it may have been moved to a more appropriate forum by a moderator. If you can't find a post, search for your own username to locate all your posts.

[ForumAdminTeam]

All,

A number of users have been wondering why they do not get responses (or enough responses) to their posts. The answer may be in the guidelines above. Many experienced users will not participate in threads where these guide lines are ignored, often because the person is not giving enough information to answer properly.

Also, please note that above every post is the notice:

Forum rules
Read the manual to see if your question is answered there before posting. Many users will not reply if the answer is already available in the manual.

If your question is about troubleshooting, configuration, or tuning, you MUST include your processor type (MS-I or MS-II) and code version in your post. If your question is about PCB assembly or modifications, you must also include the main board version number (1.01, 2.2 or 3.0).

If you have questions about MS1/Extra or MS2/Extra code configuration or tuning, please post them at http://www.msextra.com Such questions posted here will be moved to: a temporary MSextra sub-forum, where they will be removed after 7 days

The full forum rules are here: Forum Rules, be sure to read them all regularly.

Ignoring these may mean your post will be ignored by others.

Forum Admin Team