Is it me or have the number of Hyderabad users become a lot more annoying

[altquark]

So - today I get a Personal Message from JDEList user - "Venkata Srinivas" - a new user from Hyderabad, India. I don't mind answering PM's from users - but if they're questions with regards to issues that they are having to face, I'd prefer to see a post in the relevant JDEList topic, and I'd quite happily answer the question.

This user, however, directly PM'd me with the subject "R47011 Create ST OT Orders Error--Clearing F4311 Cache".

My guess is that this user COPY/PASTED this question to EVERY user that he could find in the online member list - and PM'd everyone he could possibly find.

I don't know about you, but I find this kind of spam and abuse of the board distasteful. I will gladly help him on his issue, providing he signs a contract at $200 per hour. After all, he's supposedly representing himself as an "expert" to his poor customer.

I noticed that there is an increase in the number of "dumb questions" on the board (ie, "WHAT IS JDE" type questions) - I strongly recommend reading BrotherofKaramovs post from 2000 on this...

I wonder if BrotherofKara is still around and is getting this type of PM's and messages.....

 

[Zoltan_Gyimesi]

Hi Jon,

[ QUOTE ]
Is it me or...

[/ QUOTE ]
...and is it me too?

I also received that PM post, and as usual in this type of PM posts, the answer/solution is VERY URGENT.

I regularly receive this type of PM posts, approx. 2-5 posts a week.
Of course, most of the poster registered recently.

I had answered many times this posts, directing the poster onto the public board,
...but I am already on to give up to answer anything.

Regards,

Zoltán

 

[Null Value]

And what's more, I've seen two same posts with two different User Id's - Ramesh Kumar & Mark Boucher.

Post 1 Link

Post 2 Link

A pity, he replied "B9" to his Dr Jekyll Query by using his Mr Hyde Id.

And I agree about the dumb questions on the board. I'm still reeling from some of them.

 

[altquark]

unbelievable.

Eric - can you can/ban this freakin pest?

 

[ekempter]

I have sent this individual a warning. You may also choose to add this individual to your ignore list.

 

[ShaunMorgan]

Point them back to the board!!

No one posting here should be getting unsolicited emails for help!

On a personal note: I consider any issue posted here as "urgent" to the person asking. Specifying that in the subject is insulting to others problems, imo.

 

[ekempter]

I think you are confusing private messages with emails. The only email that goes to the forum user is a notification that they have received a private message.

 

[JMR]

[ QUOTE ]
... providing he signs a contract at $200 per hour.

[/ QUOTE ]

Jon, unfortunately this hourly rate contributes to the influx of offshore competition. While I have no problem with good ol' fashioned competition in the workplace, I have lost work recently to cheap labor that had little JDE experience. It is beginning to piss me off that there are so many posts here asking 'bad' questions. It is obvious that many of the heads at some of the largest offshore 'head shops', I mean consulting firms, are trying to use this site as a means of learning everything they need to know to go into an engagement and function as an 'expert' developer. I know it's been discussed many times before, but I sure am noticing more and more of these types of posts.

 

[altquark]

[ QUOTE ]

Jon, unfortunately this hourly rate contributes to the influx of offshore competition.


[/ QUOTE ]

As all my customers know -thats not my "regular" rate....its the "special" clean-up rate - and it multiplies for each bad consulting house that was brought in "cheaply" !

A while back I drew the line about "cheap rates" in the marketplace. It was when some very well known bad consulting organization called me one day and "offered" me a position out in New Jersey or somewhere at a wonderful $45 per hour - and I had to cover my expenses. Of course, the customer was more than likely paying the main consulting organization something close to $200 per hour, and it was being subcontracted through about 4 agencies until I got wind of it. I kindly explained how I could make more money cleaning cars.

Hmmm. I think my offer was a little TOO cheap. Tell ya what - lets make it a flat $250 per hour to all Hyderabad companies - and match JDE rates ! The next email/PM I get direct from these people, I'll take literally as a statement of work and will bill these people. They have been WARNED !

 

[Alex_Pastuhov]

Same here, supporting most of your comments.

The latest one I've got was from Siddu Bandi [[email protected]] - it's actually a US/Indian company.

I never heard back from them, after offering consulting services to fix their issues - this, of course, is the most (or the only) annoying part. I have no reason to complain about some PM's that did result in paid work ;-)

 

[tpayne]

I got an IM today from someone who had only just registered and never posted before. I was not even online so they must have picked my name from somewhere.

Maybe it's just too hard for them - we keep complaining that they post messages for non-World topics to the World forums - maybe this is their way of taking it one stage further.

The protocols that people in an online community like this have been used to are being ignored - do you block them and just let them reregister and do the same - not a very satisfactory solution...

Maybe we need to only allow IM's from users registered for a given period of time and who have acquired a certain level - ie: have posted a certain number of messages to serious topics.

Or do we just vent to ourselves and hit the Delete key.......

 

[ekempter]

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe we need to only allow IM's from users registered for a given period of time and who have acquired a certain level - ie: have posted a certain number of messages to serious topics.

[/ QUOTE ]

Now that's an interesting idea. hmmmm, maybe I can make some money here by charging for PM access to you guys

 

[Colin_Hugill]

Venkata srinivas is one of many problematic, so called "posters" from the sub continent. Here are some more.

Seems we get this type of user in waves every 4-6 months. October looks like the peak month right now with new members like "Hmmmm" and "Syogi" and "asmarh" and "Ramakrishna" all fitting into the same basic profile. "Sprasad" looks like one of the same.

Member "hmmmm" thinks the list is a free consulting service for making
systems selection decisions, obviously this member knew nothing about World or OneWorld, JDE or Oracle. What he/she is doing considering systems selection beats me.

Member "Chybay" was active in June emulating a vacuum cleaner - he was trawling through various posts (old and new) and trying to get any freebie documentation etc that he could.

 

[altquark]

[ QUOTE ]

maybe I can make some money here by charging for PM access to you guys


[/ QUOTE ]
Actually Eric

My suggestion is for you to charge a nominal one-off subscription charge to all members - one that provides them more in-depth access to JDEList. I don't think anyone would have an issue ponying up $5 or so - with 25,000 members - thats $125,000 in your pocket - ample enough to keep the board up and running, even if only 10% end up being "active" users ! Then, when someone abuses functions like PM's - they'll be banned and have to pony up another $5 !

I'm already looking at changing my website to a subscription basis. I'm shocked at how many indians have trolled my whitepapers - and I've found a number of my whitepapers being distributed by less representable "consultants" as if it were their own work.

 

[ekempter]

Altquark,
That's an interesting thought and one that I have debated for years. My latest thought is to allow X posts and Y searches, no PMs and then charge a fee for anything above that. I would think that would help reduce some of the problems we are seeing on the forum.

 

[altquark]

I agree. Just keep the cost nominal - so that if someone attempts to create multiple ID's - it costs them each time. I'm also trying to implement a method on my own website where people that are active - ie those people that answer questions and create articles - get "points" so they don't have to pay ! I wonder if your system has something like that ?

 

[tpayne]

A profitable thought - good idea.

I have corresponded with a few folks on the board with PM's, but with a couple we went over to personal email addresses and now are good buddies.

It just seems to me that the bunch over in India (more than anyone else really - or is it just them) are lacking the protocols that the rest of us have built up. Are they just all internet newbies as well as being IT newbies? Seems they lack the basic skills that we grew up with, like asking someone else at work for advice and help, or is it part of the internet generation that you don't do that any more - I don't think so...

I just know that things are changing - and not in a good way. Still it makes more of us "older" folks stick together I guess.

 

[altquark]

oh - I'm not going to say we should do anything to get rid of PM's or anything like that - I've actually had some very nice profitable PM's through the board, companies PM'ing me and ending up in a nice statement of work - I'd definately not want to jeopardise that ! (and, of course, if any company is reading this right now, go ahead and PM your favourite consultant !!!!)

The reason I put this post together was because I was noticing the increased number of outsourcing companies re-emerging once more. Now that the US is finally starting to get its economical head above water, these parasites seem to scurry back once again. I really thought that we'd seen the last of them after they died off a few years back - but I guess theres some new ones appearing on the horizon....

Eric - I still think you should charge us something - tie it up to Paypal to make it nice and simple !

 

[JMR]

You're right, Jon, I think we are seeing more and more of them popping up again. I guess we just have to let it take its course and let the US companies that are trying to get by 'on the cheap' take their lumps in the long run. Sure they can get an offshore consultant at 3-4 times less than I would cost, but it most certainly will take 5-10 times longer in the long run to implement with the substandard resource.

I like to think I have been a very unselfish poster since I joined the List, but I am very, VERY apprehensive about sharing any more knowledge. Unfortunately, if everybody else felt that way, this site would no longer be the great resource it has become over the years. Quite the dilemma. Not sure if there are any good answers.

 

[Zoltan_Gyimesi]

Hi JDEListers,

I had seen more times "interesting" posts.
Right now registered "poster" first post with the "typical" subject, content and style was rated with 3 or more stars , while still there was no reply on it and the View counter was very low on it.

My question is to you, may I suppose, that the "poster" rated his/her post immediatelly?

If your answer is yes and the supposition is true, then the other interesting thing, that the very newbie "member" presently discovered the rating feature, while have not discovered the NETIQUETE sticky post (forever?).

Regards,

Zoltán