Does it sometimes feel like we are all alone?

[Gdkitty]

Does it seem like sometimes, those of us trying to help and make the community better.. are fighting a loosing battle?

Espeicaly now.. with being a CL.. we have to watch what we say, etc, even more so that before.. and i often have to find myself holding my tounge.. fighting back all the negativity sometimes.

Are all of rogers products perfect? No.. but neither are the other guys.  I can understand voiceing concerns/complaints over a changed feature, etc.. but post and work towards letting them know whats wrong and what needs to be changed...
Most of the time, all you see is "This is the worst! rogers sucks! im leaving if they dont meet my demands" type of posts.

Its hard not to get upset at some things.  Just today, i post a reply, just on some possibilities, as to why the netboxes are rebooting.. and i almost get attacked about it (well maybe not quite, but it feels that way). 

It just seems like anyone who tries to have a positive attitude, is taken as a 'rogers can do no wrong suck up' and is attacked that way.

I know some product need work, or changed.. i dont deny that at all and regularily post saying so.  But im also not going to RAGE about it.

Im sorry for the RANT, i just needed to vent a little.   Gina, if this in inapropriate, please feel free to remove it from here. 

[RogersAndrewNP]

Hey Gdkitty,

We appreciate all of your efforts.  As you have mentioned nobody is perfect, however we do value receiving the feedback so we know what we need to work on 🙂

Please don't get discouraged as you do add some great value to the forums.

Thanks,

RogersAndrewNP

[Pauly]

Yeah it is tough, I admit i am not perfect, so i will always try my best on here.

[RogersRavi]

Hi All,

Not putting you down at all Gdkitty.

But when I first seen the subject title (This being private) and clicked on your post I was seriously thinking you guys were talking about X-files. LoL

But I totally understand what you mean!  Nevertheless, we do see a lot of positive comments from many users indicating how much help you all have provided.  It is very rewarding to see that! 🙂

It's been great to see all the help you have shared over the one year mark since I have been on the forums!

Great Job Everyone!

RogersRavi

[Chris]

You are not alone... We as CL's may be.... I have been attacked many times... Called all sorts of names.. It is tough... I am not an employee but people think I am.. I'm just some tech geek who is always answering these questions for friends and family so why not here... Well at least friends and family don't attack..

I haven't been posting as much recently so I haven't noticed but in the first year I was often attacked when just trying to help.. I agree it's tough sometime to not bad talk Rogers when we agree with the poster.. But in the end I just think "this is a tech support forum... Is what I want to say helping anyone?" If it is I post, if not I just move on... Do I often want to say "call retentions"? yes but sometimes people need to learn that trick on their own 😉

[RogersGina]

Our membership in the community is now over 100,000 and keeping everyone on topic and productive is like trying to steer an ocean liner. We now have this group plus the mods so 11 people all together! The more positive vibes we have going, the better our chances are of getting the ship going in the right direction. You're not alone - I promise. 

[skinorth]

Yes, it does sometimes feel lonely.  But to me it is obvious that I am not alone.  Are we not all in this together!

I feel that mostly it is a question of trying to understand what is being said by a given Forum poster who may be:

a) upset; or

b) confused; or

c) misguided if not going delusional because of the failed promises of technology; or

d) all of the above.

We have stepped forward to help.  But many times the Forum poster him/herself needs first to help us understand their heartfelt cry for help.  And often the question is how to provide them with the encouragement and incentive to give us the information we require to understand their situation, and perhaps how they got themselves into it in the first place.

That I see as the biggest challenge.  I remember a number of initiating postings which were quite impossible to decipher because of emotion, brevity, lack of specifics or just plain misinformation.  I see those posters as being the most challenging when attempting a response.  And coaxing them to provide us with the information we need is often the critical issue.

I think that each of us bring to this Forum a varied but high level of technical experience and capabilities.  I don't think any of us has ever met face to face, but I believe it safe to assume that we all would be capable of working together as a team to implement significant projects.

Here we have small projects with no easily identified specification, no known budget, no firm timeline for completion and often significant practical roadblocks to success.  But it's safe to say, the challenge to meet the implementation criteria is no less tangible than in any real life techical project.  As well here, most of the time, the end user/customer does not let you know when you have met the criteria of success.  How many times do we get  "Thank You" from the technically floundering posters when we do in fact help to facilitate or mediate a plausible and usable solution?

But, not to worry!  The meeting of the challenge in this Labour of Love must be reward enough in and of itself.

Perhaps it is Karma.  You help me today, and tomorrow I will help you in return.  When that tomorrow may come, neither you nor I know.  Whether the help I give you will in fact be reciprocated by someone who at this time is a stranger to us both, we do not know.  But, I believe it will happen!

I first became a technology professional many years ago.  And the lure of technology and all it can do for us has never ceased to charm and amaze me.  That is what I wish to spread to as many people as I can reach.  And that is why I personally feel it is worthwhile to help others who encounter problems in their experiences with technology.

And I don't think I am alone in this.  But, if I am, then so be it!  This experience is worthy to me, in and of itself.

And why do you do this?  Let us know.

skinorth

[Chris]

I do this for the times like when I guessed that an issue people were having with their rocket hubs was DNS related and convinced a couple to change their DNS... Once they had they were having a great internet experience and thanks was posted. Even to this day I still get pm's expressing thanks for that fix. It's times like that, that I do this.

[Pauly]

Strangely A lot of people think I am an undercover employee or something. Guess its hard for them to believe someone like us who positively contribute to online discussions exist.

The reason I am here is because I SHARE an interest in Rogers products and technology. I admit I may not have the answer to everyones questions but I DO try to make suggestions, and these are reasonable suggestions that people typically forget to try so it does not hurt them at all, it could only help them out.

Anyone else get that feeling?

[Chris]

@Pauly your just too good people find it hard to believe I guess 😉

But yes I have also been accused of being a Rogers employee which pissed some people off when i won the answers contest last time..

[Gdkitty]

http://communityforums.rogers.com/t5/forums/forumtopicpage/board-id/PVR_settop_boxes_remotes/thread-...

YEeeeeeSH!

Thank you for comming to my defence pauly.... i had a reply, as big as the one that i DID write.. which basicaly was attacking him directly back.
I deleted it before i posted it... i wanted to be the better person.

I did reply there.. should i have? I dont know.. but i guess i thought that i needed to clear up, to any other 3rd party person out there, that could be reading.. as to what i am trying to do here.

I so wanted to say something about the pot calling the kettle black.

I attack people - um what is he doing to me right now?

I shouldnt post anything negative about the compititon - but its ok to post negative stuff about rogers?

Ugg...

I think, its part of todays society, which is the problem.  With fast food, fast everything.. people are so used to instant gratification.  If something doesnt work, OMG lets not work to fix it, lets just replace it.

------------------

As to your question above.

I am here for the same reason.    I have the time (well sometimes).  I have the knoledge.  It makes me feel good, that if i was able to pass that on, and help someone fix that problem..  especialy for non technical people it can be very frustrating.

[Chris]

Alright lets all just stop commenting on things that aren't technical support. Also lets get the mods to delete non support issues as this is a support sight not a complaints board.. Maybe there can be a section for complaints that we can easily ignore..

We are not going to get anywhere trying to talk uncommon sense to people, we can only provide tech support.

[Gdkitty]

Going by the little blurb in the top right corner of the screen.. it says its a place to discusss rogers proucts and services..

Guess it gets into that grey area where is a complaint discussing it..  guess it might depend on how its prsented.

RAGE complaint = bad, inquiery complaint = ok?

While i generaly agree.. the problem is, when you get a new poster ariving to the boards, and the look through posts.

If ALL they see is the one side of things.. they will assume thats the ONLY view on them, etc.  HOPEFULY by viewing some of the more other posters replies like ours... they will at least be able to see that there may be another side to it (weither that helped the original poster or not, is another story).

Thats why i try, with at least some of mine.. if someone is talking about OMG THIS IS BROKEN.
But mine does not do that.. i try to post saying "From the posts, this does appear to be effecting some users, and should be looked into... but just want to make people aware, it does not effect ALL users).

Just trying to show, that not ALL experiences are bad... do i generaly have GOOD experiences with rogers? Yes, and others should be able to see this as much as they see the complaints 🙂

[Chris]

I guess I'm not sure that is our job.. Rogers pays people for PR.. I don't feel we have the power to solve those issues.. But yes I know what you mean because those outrageous reaction posts get the most replies and likes and such and those are the ones new forum users see.

[Gdkitty]

I will likely continue to post on them... but to a limited sense.

Post a reply.  Try and understand their fustration.. and post a reply, of what my knoledge is on the topic.. info as to why, even if it doesnt directly make the poster happy, at least inform them.  And say that.  I am just here to post this to inform, not to argue the fact.

And try and leave it at just that reply.  No back and forth type of arguing. 😛  thats where it goes from HELPING to something else.

[Gdkitty]

OK.. i  have held my tounge long enough on this... i need to vent on it.  If i am not suposed to about a certain user, but im sorry.

There are some users on here which may seem like all they do is complain (like IHR), but they are generaly still here to HELP, IHR and i have actualy been working together lately very well in helping users.

But i am currently having an issue with Meowmix.  I dont know how to approach it.. PMing him wont help.

Just about EVERY post i make, he attacks me directly, says im wrong, says im lieing.

Is what i am posting, possibly different view/experience than the rest of the users in that thread? Yes.. but doesnt make it any less right or wrong.

But its hard to work with users.. when you have someone like him litteraly come in and says "GDkittys views are different so they are wrong dont listen to him" in essence..

😞

[Gdkitty]

Well, it looks like its been partialy resolved..

Just seems like hes been going after anyone who doesnt have a NEGATIVE experience or a different view than the norm on an issue.

Hopefuly at least out of the 'working it out' part.. we have at least agreed that the prime reason we are here is to help.

[skinorth]

@Gdkitty:

you might remember the old saying about how you can please some of the people some of the time.  But you certainly can't please all of the people all of the time.  And then, there are those you can't please no matter what you say or do.

Difficult as it may be at times we need to learn to ignore those who make an ongoing practice of sniping at us.

Just don't take it personally, no matter how much it may seem to be directed at you personally: "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me."

That's what I learned many many years ago in the school yard.  My feelings can still be hurt.  But I get over it.  I hope.

skinorth

[Gdkitty]

Yeah, I have tried to do that over the last few days.
There are times where I was going to reply, but deleted it, as I know it would just cause an argument.
I will still ocassionly post in those threads, if there is any technical explanation for the problem/complaint, but trying to keep out of the Rogers Sucks part of the argument.

Thank you for your input and support skinorth

[skinorth]

@Gdkitty:

you're welcome.

There are times when you just need to think (not say, or maybe not in so many words......) "Hey bud, Get a Life."

I guess what keeps it going is treating as many situations as you can, with a bit of humour.

And what I hope we can do as well, is educate at least some of the participants in the most effective use of this resource, the Forum.  Case in point: the posting by bruser about his problems with "the same 4 updates".  This person did not do a very effective job of posting his/her problem.

I noticed you responded, and responded effectively, as well.  Then there was pac_west227 who really did no good by what he/she posted.  Unfortunate and not exactly prone to encouraging newbies to participate in posting about their problems.  What next?  An entrance exam and a certificate of technical competency required in order to post here?

Give me a break.

How are we going to encourage those without a technical background to ask questions if we enforce even implicitly a certain etiquette for posting.  Next you will have to hold up your pinky properly when you keyboard!

Rogers needs an Emily Post manual for this Forum?  I think not!

skinorth

[Gdkitty]

Sometimes.. it is all worth it 🙂

Just got a PM from a poster.. only has like 5 posts.  Is fairly technical themselves it seems.

They thanked me for all the help and good work i was doing and for being an asset here 🙂