I'm very curious. Very often, someone will post an image of something and soon enough another member will post something as this: "I don't have a clue..." "I can't help..." "I know nothing about these..." I'm like so what, who cares, what is your inner need to post something, are you bored? I guess I just need to learn to "chill!"
Online hobby interest forums - middle school for middle aged (and later) men donchakno . . . . . . Then, there are those who START threads such as these . . . . . . . Head-scratchers all . . . . . Z
I think, if I'm not mistaken, and taking a close look at the original post, the question is: " . . . . are you bored?? Z
Honestly, I believe most people post because they want to participate with others in a hobby that all here enjoy for one reason or another. And perhaps most of all - because it's fun to do so Just reading and never personally participating - that's the boring part.
I used to do that so that I could get alerts on a subject that was of interest to me. Then I discovered the "watch thread" tool.
I like what you said at the end, i think you just need to chill. lol Everyone has a different style of engaging, so i would just say embrace those differences...otherwise you find yourself alone in judgmental "time out"
This reminds me of my pet peeve: those that read the first post of a thread then immediately post a response without reading the rest of the thread. Their response is either redundant, a duplicate, entirely off subject due to subsequent responses/information, etc. Just reminds me of taking my dog for a walk...it sees something interesting, takes a quick sniff and then pisses all over it, never to look back.
A lot of times I will do it as a place holder, because I know something but I don't want to give out complete wrongness, so I verify and double check, sometimes, it gets answered in that time and I don't have anything to add. I'm not a fan of people that post "general discussion" topics in "coin chat" when it's venting about commentators, not coins. but I don't get on "error coins" or "bullion investing" and start a thread about it! Hahahahahha! to sum up "I can't help...".....
I think there are a couple factors at play here. One, like @GDJMSP said are some people just want to be part of the discussion and participate for the simple love of the hobby. Others might want to follow the thread and posting in a thread will give you alerts to other postings in it (yes, there are other ways to watch a thread but this is the easiest). Perhaps some people just like the sound of their own voice (or fingers hitting the keyboard in this case) and want to bump their post count. But, I think the majority fall into the first two groups above.
@Insider, to address your question a bit more seriously than my previous post, the medium we use here is pretty much the worst possible for everyday human communication devoid as it is of all tone, body language, facial expressions, etc. that lend meaning and nuance. So, without those cues how do we know that anyone has read our posts even if they cannot respond in an illuminating manner. So, even a "I can't help" response is better than not knowing if anyone has heard or cares.
Personally, if I have a coin related topic I believe may be of interest to this group I post it. (& Yes, sarcasm is difficult to 'transmit' via this way of communication.) Take Care All, J.T.
This brings up a good point. I am trying to recall which I hate more, when I post a thread asking for help and nobody responds or when I post a thread and the only people who respond are those who can't help. Both are very frustrating.