[pchelpers] Re: Removing Norton Antivirus ASAP]

Hi Re-Na

> I want to enjoy this list without being hassled every time I post a
> message to use the list please.

I'm very sorry if what i said now or i or anyone else said earlier came 
across as hassling. The only thing i wrote that i can imagine you could 
construe as personal criticism is the explanation why i think that your 
nondescriptive subject created problems for helpers and therefore also 
for you, not to mention all the others reading the list. Don't you think 
that calling that explanation "hassling" is a bit exaggerated?

You also don't seem to realise that due to a non-descriptive subject 
very many people end up reading posts that they wouldn't want to read if 
they knew what it was about. In addition, especially if they read posts 
the right way (to prevent causing list confusion), starting with the 
newest, they are forced to unnecessarily read through a lot of text 
before they even know what the thread is about.

> I wrote need a reply asap because that was the subject I chose to put 
> and I needed a reply ASAP.

I in no way meant to criticise your use of the abbreviation ASAP. On the 
contrary, i suggested it would be good to include that in a possible FAQ 
as a subject suggestion. In addition, i commiserated with your 
father-in-law's extreme frustration. I specifically said that he must 
have been really annoyed so that you thought you had to get an answer 
ASAP even though this was *in principle* a minor nuisance, not a serious 
malware attack or a non-functioning computer.

In addition, it seems you don't appreciate how fast people almost always 
provide answers here at PChelpers, even when there is nothing like ASAP 
in the subject.

> I don't expect anyone to want to 'find' the reply to this weeks from now.  

Very often people look for old messages on a topic because they dimly 
remember a solution was provided for a problem they ran into now. 
Without a descriptive subject, this becomes much more difficult for 
many. Problems with Norton are very common, and you can be sure that at 
least some people will sometime in the future waste quite a bit of time 
trying to find a thread on Norton that they remember having seen if that 
word is not in the subject.

Many times helpers also try to find old messages to save time and not 
have to again do research on the problem and/or to rewrite the solution.

> I don't appreciate that you took my email and went down the list picking it 
> apart. 
> 
> I needed help, not a critique.
> 
> As I said, this is an OLDER man with limited knowledge of pc's.  He needed my 
> help.  He lives 950 miles from me.  He was waiting on me to call him back.  
> 
> Please lay off me.

I'm very said about these words. I spent a lot of time and effort going 
through your email to provide help and ideas on the different aspects 
and steps involved. I really don't see what you see as criticism in 
there except for the above mentioned explanation why non-descriptive 
subjects are a problem.

Did you get so angry that you didn't see the help? Maybe i should resend 
it without my thoughts on consumer rights and possibilities. I'm sorry 
that the answer became so long, but i had no time to edit it, and you 
have to realise that helpers often come up with ideas by freely 
associating ideas and chatting away.

For example, i came up with one of my best ideas, asking the store to 
remove Norton, due to allowing myself this rambling. I think that's a 
good idea for your father especially because he's an older man and 
because it's easy to take a desktop back to the store.

On the other hand, it might be good to teach him how to use the control 
panel's ad/remove applet because that will probably work and because it 
will prevent major problems in case he should ever get the idea to 
remove programs by using the delete button as many people do and some 
acquaintance might erroneously advise him to do.

Sorry again if my help was phrased badly, but helpers are human beings too.

Ekhart


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