Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

No. You have no idea who the person is, or why they're going, so ... Just answer the question.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

As this will become a laundry list of pet peeves, here's a few complaints and laughs from the past ....

I Can't Stand It Any Longer....PET PEEVE!!

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-259872-1.html

Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

This is one of the problems with printed/Internet media. It's said that most of the ways people communicate is through nonverbal means: body language, facial expression, tone of voice, etc. Take that all away, and you're left with a very sparse plane on which to communicate. Thus, it's not only important to phrase your questions correctly and accurately, it's also important to understand that many may misunderstand the question.

In addition, on Internet forums, I've found that any pertinent data I may be seeking can be found within the first five pages of responses. From that point on, the discussion has diverged (ever play the "Round Robin" party game?) or devolved into personal attacks and flame wars.

It's all part of playing on the Internet...

BebuLamar

Jim Bob but do you prefer a thread with no responses?????? Because really there is no answer to the question Sigma or Tamron.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Once the Lone Ranger shot six bad guys with one bullet.

repleo Loc: Boston

Free advice is worth what you paid for it!!

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

I had to add mine to that old thread....

Crichmond Loc: Loveland, CO

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

I'm sure that you're not as stupid as your post makes you sound!

MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

There are 11 letters in the alphabet between I and U....... A lot of times folks are so focused on a response which always begins with " I " that they loose track of the original question... most are just trying to be helpful but sometimes there is a real tangent.... there is always someone in the group to get things back on track.

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

Howard, sometimes a curt answer is a disservice. I was travelling in Africa many years ago and, needing some cash, I asked some locals in the town where the bank was. They pointed me in the right direction alright, but when I got to the building the bank was closed. I came back to the folks and mentioned this, and their answer was that I had not asked if the bank was open. An answer that told me where the bank was, augmented by the fact that the bank was closed at that time, would have been much more helpful.

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

Well, Jim Bob, to your point... You asked two very specific questions in your post and you got a few out of many responses that actually addressed the questions. I will try to be direct.

Q: What is wrong with the comprehension of many posters on this site?
A: The membership includes a broad range of intelligence, which is sometimes befuddled by personality traits and misreading of the message behind the words. Some folks don't understand that there are different writing styles and they often miss the point of the post. To be fair, some folks don't phrase their questions very well, which is why some answers are suggestions of what question to ask.

Q: Why is it that they feel like telling a poster what question to ask?
A1: See the last sentence in my comment above.
A2: Further to A1, sometimes the question as posed shows that the poster has a misunderstanding of the issue.
A3: Perhaps they feel that the question has been posed too many times already and it might be more interesting or valuable to shift focus slightly to address a related issue.
A4: As some have said, this is the Internet, and it has many branches and nodes (or should I say brainiacs and nerds?).
A5: Sometimes questions are rhetorical and don't really require an answer. They are actually statements of opinion phrased as a question. Is that what this post really was?

And now diverting from the original question (yes, I am guilty), some responses generate side discussions that are often only remotely connected to the original question, but they can be helpful or interesting. Certainly, if ANY response provides incorrect information it needs to be corrected, and such responses may not be addressing the original question(s).

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

I agree.
Someone will ask about something specific, like a certain lens or editing program or something, and will get multiple replies about different lenses or different editing programs altogether. Or people will start arguing with each other over who know more or who's right or wrong or something else stupid.
I have occasionally made comments about this in threads where it is going on and am routinely ignored. I guess there are some who are more interested in displaying their "vast knowledge", or pushing what they use than they are with helping the OP find an answer to his/her question.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

I agree with that too. If a response is given, an acknowledgement should be made. And letting responders know the problem was solved is only polite.