Please and Thank You

[MickyB]

One thing that amazes me about this forum is the amount of posters who will ask questions or ask for advice without saying please or thank you. Some amazing advice is given on this site and yet it gets no acknowledgement from the person asking. A lot of the time there isn't even a 'Thanks in advance' in the OP. Surely posters can spend an extra five seconds typing PLEASE or THANK YOU. It's common courtesy. I know there are bigger things to worry about in this world but this is one thing that really bugs me about this forum. Rant over. Thanks for reading.

[cajun]

+1.

Just back from the USA where all the "servers" were extremely polite and the vast majority of the customers anything but. Then into Canada where a car will stop 50 metres down the street to let you cross!

As my dear old mum said, manners cost nuthin

[Strider]

If you are viewing this forum as a similar context as a written letter, I would agree with you. But this is the internet, and expectations of etiquette are, and rightly should be, quite different to the expectations surrounding more formal modes of communication.

I view this forum as being one continuous conversation, rather than thousands of individual exchanges. Manners are of course required where someone has gone out of their way, but I don't agree that members should be continuously praised for their participation. The appreciation by everyone here for everyone's elses contributions goes without say IMO.

Thanks for the conversation starter though

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[MickyB]

expectations of etiquette are, and rightly should be, quite different

Why??

I don't agree that members should be continuously praised for their participation.

There is a big difference praising someone for their participation and thanking someone for their help.

[Strider]

expectations of etiquette are, and rightly should be, quite different

Why??

Because it is a fluid environment of multiple conversations all occurring at once. Often a thread isn't started for the purposes of asking a question, but to initiate conversation surrounding a particular topic. Or perhaps we need to politely request to engage in conversation and then thank one another once that conversation has ended, too?

[Kainas]

expectations of etiquette are, and rightly should be, quite different

Why??

As to some possible answer to the 'why'. We speak in different 'registers' all the time. Depending on who we are talking to and the medium that we are using to talk (written, verbal, text, forums). Some registers demand formal words and formal levels of appreciation, others do not.

'Please' is a difficult word to use on the Internet where tone cannot be heard, as it can be both polite and rude. ie. "Could someone please tell me why ...". I personally like to give a follow up thank you, but that presents problems as well. If I say thank you, will other people think that my question has been answered, if I am hoping for more answers should I hold the 'thank you' post off for a while. etc etc

If that seems overly rude, it may be worth noting that not all cultures feel the need to use words like please and thank you in the same way that we do.

(Sorry, I enjoy linguistics, and I enjoy conversations like this).

[peregrinator]

. . . (Sorry, I enjoy linguistics, and I enjoy conversations like this).

Well, thank you. Anyone reading this who also enjoys those things probably believes the word "sorry" is not required.

[Kainas]

. . . (Sorry, I enjoy linguistics, and I enjoy conversations like this).

Well, thank you. Anyone reading this who also enjoys those things probably believes the word "sorry" is not required.

Ha, I always like finding like minded people.