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Chief Engineer · 25-09-2011, 20:40

More than a few times I have had to combat the misinformation that some swingin sumpthin-sumpthin and buddies gave to a customer.

What they don't realize is that it just increases the owners' stress level.

I takes me a lot of time to try to counteract this. I don't mind doing it.

My favorite is the one where the owner of a boat got a bunch of
(B)advice on a fuel (Gas) problem......One said Gas-Drier, One said Paint Thinner, One said Acetone, One said Gumout, One said MMO.

What was in his tank did not smell like gasoline....smelled like a toxic waste dump.

Thankfully, when I pulled the tank, I found numerous pinholes in the top........New Tank, Rebuilt carb and Gas (Only) solved the problem.

delmarrey · 25-09-2011, 21:08

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. ~Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

John A · 25-09-2011, 21:38

The main problem when giving advice is that all of the facts are not given in the request for information. Then when you sort through everyone's personal experience based on their preception of what the problem is and combine that with the mis-information from those that haven't a clue, you're better off doing it your way. And let the thread drift off into mindless trivia.

**sarafina** · 25-09-2011, 21:49

Or the people giving the advice don't listen to all the information given and base their advice on an incomplete grasp of the challenge...

Of course there is always just the general hammer/nail issue...

My Dad always says if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail... Lots of times people are just swinging their hammers...

**James S** · 26-09-2011, 00:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarafina

Lots of times people are just swinging their hammers...

Its early morning where I'm at

....lets try and keep this clean huh!!

sailorboy1 · 26-09-2011, 03:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Engineer

always offer advice while having no knowledge?.

kind of like a lot of advise given on a forum

Missou · 26-09-2011, 04:14

What I don't appreciate is when you ask for specific information and the answer you get is off track. Let's say you want information on how a boat sails and you get answers about its configuration

pillum · 26-09-2011, 04:39

People (especially on a forum like this) just want to help, so they tell you what they think is the answer tou your query. It's up to you, the person asking the question, to filter the responses you think apply.

If people want definitive answers they should ask a professional, who'll probably charge them. It's a forum for goodness sake...

Rakuflames · 26-09-2011, 04:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Engineer

always offer advice while having no knowledge?

More than a few times I have had to combat the misinformation that some swingin sumpthin-sumpthin and buddies gave to a customer.

What they don't realize is that it just increases the owners' stress level.

I takes me a lot of time to try to counteract this. I don't mind doing it.

My favorite is the one where the owner of a boat got a bunch of
(B)advice on a fuel (Gas) problem......One said Gas-Drier, One said Paint Thinner, One said Acetone, One said Gumout, One said MMO.

What was in his tank did not smell like gasoline....smelled like a toxic waste dump.

Thankfully, when I pulled the tank, I found numerous pinholes in the top........New Tank, Rebuilt carb and Gas (Only) solved the problem.

Very simply, they're trying to help a friend.

cheoah · 26-09-2011, 04:53

Agreed. One bears the burden of insuring the advice they receive is good and using commonsense otherwise. On this forum, the answers can be seen my others and gets vetted. Pretty good system.

Chase

**GordMay** · 26-09-2011, 05:01

“It's not what you don't know that kills you; it's what you know for sure that just ain't true.”
- Mark Twain

In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice.
Then he made forum posters.
- With apologies for mangling Mark Twain

Like the character Elwood P. Dowd, in “Harvey”; we all get just a little off centre, sometimes:
"I started to walk down the street ,when I heard a voice saying: 'Good evening, Mr. Dowd.' I turned, and there was this big white rabbit leaning against a lamp-post. Well, I thought nothing of that, because when you've lived in a town as long as I've lived in this one, you get used to the fact that everybody knows your name."

four winds · 26-09-2011, 05:05

Just to point out, the context of the OPs post is the professional environment, not a forum.

Just trying to be helpful.

Loquat · 26-09-2011, 05:15

Its the Dunning-Kruger effect. Dimwits think they know everything. Since the smart ones are surrounded, they think they are stupid also.

Then there is the Peter principle- in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence

It's just human nature!