I am sorry but it's annoying when a new member joins the forum and asks a question adn EVERYONE (moderators) included, jumps on them adn tells them the search. They usually type up a few lines explaining to them why they need to search when they could have answered their question in the same amount of time.

So to the people (moderators) included who want everyone to search since "the w203 is at the end of it's production line and all the questions have been answered again" than SHUT DOWN THE W203 section!!!

END RANT

 

Well, the w204 is aways away. Considering this forum gets 1 msg for every 20 in the bimmer forums, this isn't the most popular car, and its rather slow in here.

Any post would be good to get people to come in here and rant whatever w/o telling them to stff. Searching doesn't always yield the greatest results for what little amount of posts are in here for every little topic. And I know topics can be redundant, but so what.

The most friendly forums ever I've experienced are the toyota mr2 and saab forums. BMW and MB aren't the most friendly at times.

 

a search usually leads to some answers to a lot of questions about a particular subject. however, there are still a lot of answers i have found when searching that did not suit my "EXACT" needs. so, i agree. for example, there are tons of dual tip threads, but a lot of them say nothing of great substance.

 

Actually the search doesn't work that great here. It took me a while to find exactly what I was looking for about the spring pads.

 

I agree 110% with everything you just said

 

awww poor babies., some ppl jus get lazy, and after a couple of years of members being on a forum for a car thats been out for 5-6 years, c'mon basic questions have been answered, u jus gotta know how to search, ive gained a lotta info from searching, i didnt know crap about my benz, i used to be a honda fanatic, and it was like jumping into a unknown area. i think some ppl on here cant be bothered to search, havent learned about the search button, or are jus plain too lazy to try to search, and jus want the easy way out, granted we live in america, but damn we cant spoon feed you, ur whole life. gooday...i said GOODAY...

 

Werd, indeed! I am new here, and while searching does take time and effort, I find I can discover just about everything I want to know by using the search function.

There's more than a little bit of "It's all about me" attitude, here, IMO.

 

it seems as if there are still a lot of NooBs like me. you know why? because they're still friggin producing the car and there are a lot of first time benz owners like me!!! duh!!! and, the search only works "well" for some people. some (i said some) of the veterans here need to get off their soapbox and chill out.

peace

 

Does everyone know the difference between then and than?

 

only a few i guess?

 

I dont know.. Whats the different?

 

Well i'm not trying to be a smartass. I just noticed that on most forums, including this one, a lot of people misuse the words then and than. I'm sure most know when the right time to use it is. For example, in the first post in this thread than is used in "than shut down the W203 forum" instead of then.
People often say "oh, okay than" instead of "oh, okay then". Or "i like this better then that", instead of "i like this better than that". Not a big deal, happens all the time. It's just one of those pet peeves.

 

gotcha.. i are sorry for my brad english..

 

a reocurring post i've seen a lot would be the "hey i'm about to buy a c class" thread. why not create a sticky that would outline the differences in the c class as well as other infos (ie options, colors, average maintance costs etc)

 

Because most of those things change each year.

 

STFF. this was discussed before too. :-)

 

Didn't know MB World turned into an English lecture.

 

i concur!

 

As one of the original members of this forum, I've seen an "evolution" that has led to this. Supporting an obviously negative impact by one or more of the moderators, it has now festered into what's conveyed in rpayer's post.

So, let's address the two issues separately;

With respect to the original post, the "STFF" reply from one particular moderator has become a droll, tired and often imitated response by people that tend to be less helpful than others. Further exacerbated by the mis-directing, satiric links that are included in those replies, this aged response just fodders hostility and ill will (see sticky about CIVILITY - https://mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=45881). It should apply to moderators as well.

This almost automated reply to any question could be a reflection of the fact that the respondents are embarrassed that they really don't know the answers or are too lazy to source a legitimate link to provide information. After all is said and done, INFORMATION is what this forum is SUPPOSED to be about....so, in the future, please keep that in perspective.

Perhaps, that moderator doesn't understand that his feigned attempts at humor really do come across as rude, sarcastic and even sardonic. When a new person comes in looking for information, they should be welcomed and that information should be provided. Then they can be instructed on how to appropriately search the forum. Maybe that's lost in translation or cultural difference. In a "worst case" scenario...maybe the offending moderator doesn't care and that should be addressed privately by the other moderators, rather than the community at large.
---------------------------------------
Separately (and rationally), English is a very difficult language to master. However, ebonics, moronics and typo's abound in this electronic medium. Often, that mis-use of the language or terminology confuses and even side-steps the real or initial issues. Maybe it's this "new age culture" that moves too fast to care about semantics. But, in most situations, it obfuscates the intent and often the true meaning of the point as it was intended to be said or asked.

Should we ridicule, correct or simply ignore it and move on?

Chiding is non-productive, as it just fosters negative thoughts. Seemingly, likewise with correction. But ignoring it is even less acceptable because it exponentially propagates the problem at it's lowest level. Maybe the best resolution would be the offering of a spell/grammar checker as a tool for posting in these forums. Then, those who choose to use it could...and those who don't would end up looking less resourceful and easier to identify as such.

 

Then/than, your/you're, and weigh/weight are the most common annoyances. Come on people English isn't really that difficult.

 

The moderators on this forum are a crossection of humanity, just like the wide diversity we have in the membership. Afterall, the moderators are members, first. As a result, each has his own personality, and approach to answering a question.

Five years ago, I (and a baker's dozen of other members, like Rick ) took the time to search for members and post links in some effort to be helpful, and to subtly teach others how to use the search function. However, many members came to rely on this spoon feeding, rather than learn to search for themselves. So, the balance between helping... and encouraging lazy addiction is a narrow fence on which to sit.

Nowadays, I choose to ignore many of the "here-we-go-again" threads, while others write STFF in frustration. That's their choice. How you choose to react to it is your choice. The Ignore User button is also an option if you feel the curt responses offend. Just understand (whether you agree or not) that some feel equally offended at seeing XYZ question for the 459th time.

You will find a STICKY thread at the top of this forum on how to search. It was written three year ago... Please read it. This thread appears nowhere else on any of the other forums at MBWorld. Frankly, this is because members on the other forums don't ask the same questions over and over and over. I'll leave it to each of you to figure out why this is so common on the W203 forum.

Regarding English...

You are what you write. How you phrase your posts represents you. Take 10 seconds to scribble out a post, you'll get a 10-second, scribbled response... if you get one at all. Take the time to draft a well-thought out post (proper grammar, spelling, etc), and you'll find other members appreciating the effort and taking more time themselves to respond. Quite simple, really.

 

Well said Rick...If you were closer I'd buy you a beer...

 

As for shutting down the forum because the w203 is almost at the end of its production, is kind of crazy. I don't think there is any possible way for all of the problems to be brought up or solved. There will always be a new discovery or a new issue that arises. I'm a member of the Acura Vigor and Legend Club which has less members than this w203 forum. The cars are over a decade old and still new fixes and problems are being found. It gets as many posts as this does on a daily basis. It's mainly a vigor club and the car had really low production numbers. I'm a noob to this forum, and i can see why it's annoying for the same questions to be brought up over and over by noobs. Maybe in the Please Read sticky, we should put that most questions have been answered, and one must first STFF before making a new thread. I've been reading this forum even before i purchased my C320. It has a lot of info and will continue to aquire more each day. So lets not shut it down.

 

Oh yea, there is a sticky on how to search, but is there a way we can make it a requirement to read before one signs up?

 

Here, here Rick! That was very well thought out and well written. I concur with you completely. I'm going to try to FedEx you that Beer. I hope the foam doesn't splash out of the mug.