Thread: How DO you do it?

Hi JP - The points you raise are not silly and I too share your sentiments regarding the members of this community.

How do people find the time - I think that most people log on at work to pass the time!

The motivation - I would bet that there are a plethora of reasons; this site is a social community as well as an excel forum - re the the gurus, they probably just like to share knowledge and keep thier brains ticking over! there may also be people who use this site for development purposes, using posts as tests/challenges to improve.

The rude - I think you'll find RoyUK sends them to the mines!

You too can help out by answering the easier posts which will free up time for the gurus to answer more complex stuff!

I've learned a large part of what I know from forums like this one. Answering other people's questions often takes me into parts of Excel that I don't normally deal with, and seeing how others solve problems can be most illuminating. So thank you and everyone else for the questions.

Of course, I'm also in it for the women and the glory.

Trying to help other really helps shape what I am becoming. Being corrected helps too. I find my time between projects at work and, to my wife's dismay, at home when I feel the urge to jump online. I also like the people that offer help here and don't mind jumping into the watercooler to have some play time. My asperations are to do the best I can with the resources I have at work and to one day be a respected guru. Where else could I go to do this?

Originally Posted by Whizbang

It combines the fun of a challenge with the pride you feel at creating a solution

I really couldn't agree more! I personally take great pride in my accomplishments as a coder. I can only assume that the others that continuosly contribute to this site, and other sites, must feel the same way or else they wouldn't do it.

You also have to forget about the frustrations of

• posters not checking forum rules
• posters who don't care to let you know if your suggestion was useful
• posters only reading the last post in a thread which might, or might not, be yours
• posters writing " I knew it was a simple answer, but didn't have a clue as to the solution

Once that is behind you , than you can marvel about the solutions found by some of the real great ones around here DO, NBVC, DDLL, etc..( sorry for forgetting a lot of you)

Originally Posted by arthurbr

You also have to forget about the frustrations of

• posters not checking forum rules
• posters who don't care to let you know if your suggestion was useful
• posters only reading the last post in a thread which might, or might not, be yours
• posters writing " I knew it was a simple answer, but didn't have a clue as to the solution

Once that is behind you , than you can marvel about the solutions found by some of the real great ones around here DO, NBVC, DDLL, etc..( sorry for forgetting a lot of you)

LoL, I still get a kick out of "I know the answer is simple but...." If things were simple, would there be a need for a site like this?

@day92 I have never been to Big Al's and in fact it may be closed. Haha, why on Earth would you come here in the winter time, especially seeing that you are living in LA? I take total advantage of the fact that the downtown buildings are connected,especially during the winter months.

I don't really like answering questions. I got trapped here one day in 2006 and I haven't been able to find the way out since......I just answer the odd query or two to pass the time......

Come on Roy, a joke's a joke, where's the key I need to get back to the rest of the internet?

I'm hooked on this site because I like to be appreciated. Every once in a while somebody says thanks. Tied to this thinking is that I have few other skills to be appreciated for. Also I feel like I'm "Paying it Forward" like that old movie. Another thing I've learned is that you don't get better at something without good competition or mentoring. I've learned tons by seeing how the real gurus do CSE formulas and other magic. Another very important part of the job is getting an answer that can be checked and tested. Instead of religion, politics or fantasy, an answer can be concocted that can be deemed correct or not. All these little problems that are solvable are much better than bigger ones that may not have a solution.

When I found this forum, I considered myself lucky if I was able to submit three meaningful comments per day. Most questions were beyond me. By sticking with it and looking at solutions provided by others, I've learned a great deal about Excel, and this learning has not stopped. It may seem that some of the gurus here were born with this immense knowledge they apply and they easily supply answers with a shake of the wrist.

But Excel has so many nooks and crannies to explore that every contributor on this site finds things they can learn more about. That's one reason for coming here again and again.

The other thing that draws me is the community. Over the years, you get to know the virtual personalities, especially through discussions in the Watercooler.

What I'd REALLY like to do is have an Exelforum conference and get the core contributers meet in the same room. I wonder how we would get along then....

Originally Posted by daddylonglegs

I don't really like answering questions. I got trapped here one day in 2006 and I haven't been able to find the way out since......I just answer the odd query or two to pass the time......

Come on Roy, a joke's a joke, where's the key I need to get back to the rest of the internet?

Lol - tron!