BOLers Not Participating

Just an observation here. I've presented questions here before and have seen where there have been over 90 views, and 0 replies.

Those of you who are just brushing passed a post and not engaging... Why? If you are on here, there's a moderate chance that you have some kind of banking knowledge. Right or wrong, engage the post. Don't just wait for some diamond poster or a Guru to reply. Engage.

I don't know about everyone else, but sometimes, I'm just looking to see if the question/situation is pertinent to me/my circumstance. If not immediately applicable, I "file it away" for future reference.

Sometimes, I don't know the answer and I'm looking for a response just as the original poster.

Sometimes, I view and plan to respond, but some other concern requires my attention before I can post a reply.

Sometimes, the subject is not clear so you don't know what the real issue is until you read the post only to find out it was not what you expected or you have no expertise in that area. Posting in the Lending forum with the subject 'what am I missing' or 'loan question' or something of the like doesn't give a clear picture of what the question is.

As a moderator and long-time BOLer, I'd like to politely suggest there are valid reasons people don't engage. I'd be happy to name just a few for you.

• it's frustrating to answer the same question over and over. Take the time to search to see if someone has already asked and answered. If you can't use BOL's search, just google the question followed by 'bankersonline'
• we're all busy working. I'm lucky to get a few minutes every couple of days to check in here. I may see your question but not have time to answer or I may know it's been asked and answered (see above)
• people may just not know the answer and, like you, are waiting for someone who does to reply.

Be gentle, anonymous. 99% of us are bankers just like you trying to do our best.

To further elaborate on TR's second bullet - almost all of the posters here have a full-time job and life. They post here as a service to community and when it's convenient for them.

If you have such a pressing need, perhaps you should consider engaging a consultant and/or attorney who specializes in the area you need assistance with?

I'll add this: i sometimes peruse the BSA/AML forums out of curiosity, and to expand my knowledge...even though i have NO BSA responsibiilities at my bank.....so i'm curious about it, but have no expertise to offer.

Another anon here: Interesting thread. Whenever I see a post with a lot of views and zero replies, I usually think, "Hmm, no one knows the answer."

Or for the page-long posts, it could be a case of TLDR.

And if the question is worded in a way that makes it very hard to understand what exactly is being asked, that's another good reason to skip to the next one.

Orig Anon: I appreciate all the responses (tongue-in-cheek). The question certainly wasn't presented as a blast to BOLers, just an observation really. For what it is worth, I am a diamond poster. I've taken a LOT from BOL but try my best to give back as well. I was just making the observation that, while we are all very busy bankers, we should strive to give back some of what we take.

I often give an answer to a question I may not be 100% on. Sometimes just getting the ball rolling gets the juices flowing for others to chime in. TR- I wonder what percentage of active users are power posters, 10k club, diamond posters, etc.

Certainly wasn't trying to blast you all. I get it. I don't need a consultant, that's why I'm here.

Agreed.

(PS - There's also the chance that no one wants to be slapped down by Randy, Dan, John, Andy, et al. )

Just an observation here. I've presented questions here before and have seen where there have been over 90 views, and 0 replies.

Those of you who are just brushing passed a post and not engaging... Why? If you are on here, there's a moderate chance that you have some kind of banking knowledge. Right or wrong, engage the post. Don't just wait for some diamond poster or a Guru to reply. Engage.

Generally speaking, by the time I catch a new thread, a "Diamond Poster" has already responded.....which seems to be the end all to the conversation. There are several that must get notifications when a new thread is created, because an answer will come shortly thereafter. And it seems that many times, any further dialog is poo-poo'ed by the gurus. So it's not as though we don't want to engage; it just seems pointless.

^^^ This 100%. I've had my share of corrections from the gurus, so I want to be confident in my answers, especially if someone else will be relying on them.

Perhaps if you are posting enough questions to recognize when they are passed over, you should register. more than once there are threads that have multiple "anonymous" posters. are they the same? different? serious? not? bankers? public? is the question one that perhaps needs to be moved to a private thread but can't be because of the anonymous? is the question unclear? is it s specific to one circumstance that without having full knowledge it can't really be answered?

i have seen times that anon posters get almost combative when someone answers, guru or not. Its a free site where knowledge is offered, people aren't going to put up with a lot of BS when responding, and so often they quit responding to anonymous posts.

and...i read almost every thread, specifically those i have zero knowledge about, so i can learn just a little more and broaden my horizons. Trust me, you don't want my answers on anythng lending related, it is not my world. that doesn't mean i don't want to learn more about it and use these threads to do so, but answering...not where i don;t have knowledge.

This is how I feel about BSA.

Ditto, member since May 2001 and also a mod. I agree with all of the above, especially the repeat questions, take her advice about the google search. I also agree with the majority of the other comments on this thread.

Orig Anon: This has been a fruitful discussion. For what it's worth, I am registered (diamond poster). I've interacted with almost all of you through my screen name. You would instantly recognize my screen-name. Was just making the observation, instructive really, that there is a good share of folks who take more than they give. That is fine, it was just a point to be shared.

We can go through all of the hoops of why this does or does not happen; they are all valid. Getting burned by Randy is a special moment for one's confidence as a professional.

Just hoping I've greased the wheels a bit.

While there are many reasons to not provide an answer, I hope everyone who has the answer to a banker's question will share it. That is how the BOL community grows and thrives. We tahnk all of you for your questions, AND you answers.

Although I've answered thousands of questions since signing up as BOL member #5, I guess I now fit into the "not engaged" category. I was forced into retirement 13 years ago, but still enjoy browsing threads where age-old topics are being discussed. (Old habits are hard to break.) Once in a while, I can add something useful and I post a comment...but I realize my limitations and DO NOT risk posting something that's incorrect or unhelpful.

Agree with Richard (and all prior posts). I've been dealing in fair lending exclusively (life after banking) for the past 12 years. I get the proverbial foot in mouth disease whenever talking about something other than fair lending, although I look at general, loans, anonymous besides fair lending (and the private boards). I found out not to trust memory of a reg from 12 years ago, as they sometimes change.
I'm one of the guilty ones who want to learn, but do not want to give out questionable information if another compliance officer is going to stake their reputation and job on it.

I consider it a privilege to be mentioned in the same sentence with Randy, Dan and Andy (and al ;D). Personally, I have usually tried to use a "velvet glove" when disagreeing with a post, but there may have been times when I might have used a bit gentler language.

When I see the same questions being asked hundreds (yes, hundreds) of times, I sometimes have to remind myself that there are always newbies in banking and in compliance who haven't been in these threads enough to realize they are repeating one of the "golden oldie" questions. Or have never had the time to read (or didn't realize there were) Federal Register documents that explain some of the reasoning behind the rules they have to comply with. Or never realized that TRID spelled backwards is DIRT.

But you can be assured that I will always ask bankers why they still offer NOW accounts. And I may "slap down" (with my velvet glove, of course) the next person who asks how to factor a "bonus" into the APY when it's only paid to a new account holder who uses their debit card 10 times in the first three months after the account's opened.