Rants VS help seeking posts

[iamalwaysright]

I wonder what percent of all the posts here are actually rants/vents and what percent are help seeking posts. I’m sure those won’t add up to 100% as I didn’t include troll posts like this one I’m writing.

[dnasilver]

Yea inhawaii's house is beautiful. He is living the life..............

[dnasilver]

It is off to the side of the house next to the runway where his Learjet sits. It pays to be a spy.

[iamalwaysright]

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@dnasilver wrote:

It pays to be a spy.

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[chapeau-noir]

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@dhbookds wrote:

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

Trolls are more often those in replies than thread starters in my experience, whos goal is to derail threads from productive discussion, to what seems like a rant, as the OP will then have to defend their own character and experience,

Trolls do not need to be responded to, or acknowledged in any way - doing so is what derails the threads and gives the trolls too much power - not the troll posting to begin with.

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Agree..........but I would add on the threads where more information is needed to make any sense of the question.......once someone has asked the poster for the information.....it really does no good for many of us to "guess" what the question is and try to answer it....  it's really kind of pitiful looking to see 2 pages of "guesses" and arguments with no response from the original poster........Personally, I think alot of those threads are "trolls" just trying to stir things up.......

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IMHO half of those thread starts are just seagulling - If the OP doesn't reply to being tagged and asked for clarification in one answer, there's really no reason to keep guessing and expending energy over it, because it does no good. After being tagged the OP comes back with more clarification, then it's a lot easier to help. Not sure why the expenditure of energy otherwise.

[inhawaii]

I would never live in such squalor.

This is my humble abode.

[chapeau-noir]

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@inhawaii wrote:

I would never live in such squalor.

This is my humble abode.

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That other building is the Hotel du inHawaii - luxury accommodation for 150 of your closest friends when they come to visit.

[trainup027]

I think by the time people are frustrated enough to come here for help sometimes the post turns into a rant post at the same time they are asking for help from other sellers.  Either because they already failed with customer service, or for some other reason.  It's a very lonely thing to be a seller and not able to find the answers or help you need, due to something technical or glitchy or otherwise, and it's very human to get super frustrated when you can't figure out a problem or easily get help.  (And, some problems have no real solutions - they're just predicaments people have to figure out how to navigate.)  Humans are tribal.  We need other people, and we go to them for help - or to rant and hopefully feel better.  But sometimes ranting makes a person feel worse.  Why is that? Is it because seeing only the problem makes it look bigger and bigger, like a mountain that keeps growing?  IDK.

[iamalwaysright]

Some of you touched on this related issue. I’ve seen numerous times where a member misunderstands the post (in both OP or post replies) and starts to create a debate or argument out of thin air due to their own misunderstanding. One example is what just happened to me here on Messages 11 and 12. https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Correct-response-to-seller-increasing-price-after-sale/m-p/3370...

I get that it happens and I’m sure everyone makes a mistake like that once or twice. But there are some who seem to be more prone to this. This type of thing adds more unnecessary noise to the thread making it more difficult to help the OP with their issue possibly derailing it.
Which begs the question of how quickly or carefully does each member read a post before replying to it? Do some get a thrill out of being the first person to jump in there with the answer, sometimes sacrificing accuracy in hopes of snagging that “best answer” trophy? Usually when I give a long reply, I re-read it to myself for accuracy before submitting. That’s the meticulous part of me.

[iamalwaysright]

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@trainup027 wrote:

But sometimes ranting makes a person feel worse.  Why is that? Is it because seeing only the problem makes it look bigger and bigger, like a mountain that keeps growing?  IDK.

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My guess is that misery loves company and in these cases the OP (misery) wasn’t able to find any company through their rant post?

[zamo-zuan]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

Trolls are more often those in replies than thread starters in my experience, whos goal is to derail threads from productive discussion, to what seems like a rant, as the OP will then have to defend their own character and experience,

Trolls do not need to be responded to, or acknowledged in any way - doing so is what derails the threads and gives the trolls too much power - not the troll posting to begin with.

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While I agree to a point, if looking at it as a reader who doesn't have experience with the issues and/or hasn't encountered it, raising doubt upon it or claiming definitively that it's false only serves to confuse them.

It's even worse when it's those with less experience/asking for help that get trolled and told it's their fault or have their credibility brought in to question. It's often times kicking someone when they're down. I've seen many leave the forums because of it. Which is why it's became one of my goals to try to let people know they aren't alone when facing issues.

[maxine*j]

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@inhawaii wrote:

I would never live in such squalor.

This is my humble abode.

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There you go being silly again.  You know very well that you do not live here, in my servants' quarters.  You must have snapped that photo on your last visit, as the 'copter flying in from the northwest always gets this view of the domestic office and staff accommodation. 

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[pickermall]

Going through the boards right now, I wonder how many of the posters that don't come back are real, or bots, or hijacked accounts? The wording is pretty similar on so many of the posts...

Like: "I can't understand why Ebay (insert issue or concern)"

Then: "I mean, Ebay just (blah blah blah)"

Concludes with something like "So long Ebay" or "What a ripoff" or "What a bunch of scammers" or "I'm done here". But they keep selling stuff.

[iamalwaysright]

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@stationmasterx wrote:

@iamalwaysright I wonder what percentage of sellers actually get help and support. I can assure you it has not been me. But thanks for minimizing the reason people are upset. Bye, troll. 

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Bye ✌️