Are you sure they PM’d you via here DD?

It might be someone who swiped right on your Grindr Sandr profile, what with them having wood and approaching you about getting laid 🙂

^^ 😆

Didn’t think many people knew about Sandr.

You still never answered my email about those Western Union cheques 🙁

Off topic slightly but the picture of the cheeky girls above reminded me that my next door neighbour is the wedding photographer for one of the girls wedding, she is based in harrogate which i was surprised at.

OP – i wouldnt give advice to non stw members, very cheeky.

If I Google sandr someone might look at my phone history then I’d be single

If I Google sandr someone might look at my phone history then I’d be single

You need to be able to take the rough with the smooth

and the wet with the dry.

Its getting a bit dusty in here

(at least I think thats why my eyes are watering)

Ok, I once emailed the OP after reading a very knowledgeable post of his but the subject matter was a simple wax or oil on old pine doors. I don’t recall a response but wasn’t offended as we’re strangers and I lurk more here than post. It’s the only time I can recall doing so in a few years so he ought to have been honoured 😉 That said I’ve had c4 emails about my area of expertise (allegedly) and have always pointed the questioner in the direction of an answer.

So in response, it is a little cheeky but the banter and nature of STW can be read as suggesting it might be ok. No response gives no offence in my book. Although I haven’t forgotten….

I have had a number of emails direct from here re work and happy to help where I can and feel it is appropriate for me to answer.

deepreddave, if I didn’t respond, I wasn’t intentionally ignoring you. I may have picked it up, meant to respond when at home and forgotten. I do try to answer any questions from STWers. Sorry if I didn’t get back to you. If the question is still relevant, please email again. If not, and you need any help in the future, please ask again and make sure you remind me who it is. Can’t believe I forgot to get back to someone from here. 😐

I get this at least once a week from aspiring photographers. And once a year I get inundated with schoolkids wanting work experience.

I always used to reply to the schoolies but in recent years it’s become far too time intensive so they all get deleted these days.

That is pretty cheeky. I would kindly point out that you don’t work or give advice for free.

I don’t get anything through STW but get loads of requests through LinkedIn. They usually go something like this:

Them: Can I get some help designing XXXX type of antenna please.
Me: Sure, where are you getting stuck? Send me your workings and I will have a look when I get a chance.
Them: Oh! I haven’t done any I just want you to tell me how to do it all?
Me: Go away and make an effort on your own you workshy git and come back if you really get stuck.

Unsurprisingly they usually don’t get back with some working.

*marks thread for flooring advice in future*

I get emails occasionally asking about route advice, normally along the lines of ‘you said this in a thread 2 years ago, where did you mean etc etc’ which I love to be honest. I’m no mtbing expert but I like to help out if I can. AND I have sent several emails to people asking about route advice so it comes around.

deadlydarcy – Member
deepreddave, if I didn’t respond, I wasn’t intentionally ignoring you…. If the question is still relevant, please email again…

Cheers and appreciated. I have read advice from you and many others on here so loads of positive karma for all concerned. Like I said no offence taken and totally appreciate the point you’re making.

I get a lot of emails asking for advice on routes. I’m usually happy to help out but I’m not doing it as a professional so I reckon that’s a bit different.

I have, though, occasionally been asked to fix/service/look at a friends or a friend-of-a-friends bike. I try not to make a habit of this as there are two good LBSs nearby and I do sort of feel I’m doing them out of business.

Then again, the same could be said for any thread on here where advice is offered that someone else is making a living from.

The key to this is future reciprocation.

There is none so no. I’d say ‘not sure/you need to get a local professional in to see as it’s hard to diagnose a problem through the medium of the internet mate/pal/duck/luv.

Nobody asks me nothing.

I’ve had quite a few emails asking about bike stuff (given what I do for a living!). Some of them have taken quite a while to answer.

The old “we’re not staying with you, but can you tell us where all the trails are?” doesn’t tend to go down to well (although I do still give some friendly advice!) but I’ve given some pretty detailed info to people planning long-distance trips passing through our area. Always love to help plan an adventure! Went as far as sending some marked-up maps to someone last year, but I don’t actually remember getting a reply / thanks. Apologies to the perpetrator if I’m wrong on that!

The key to this is future reciprocation.

It’s not even that. It’s contributing to the community. People who can bring something to the table; strangers asking for help is a one-way street.

I’ve poured tech assistance (and, y’know, mod duties) into this forum with no expectation of a return, and I’ve received freely given advice and actual free shit in return, though that isn’t why I did it in the first place. But it all balances overall. An unsolicited email wanting something without contributing back is just, well, parasitic. It’s taking advantage of a mutual community and you can and should say jog on; if they want advice they should sign up and join in, it’s not like it’s hard to create an account.

Free advice should be restricted to Premier members.

Let the riff-raff pay!

I must fess up to asking DD for advice before. However if there is anything you ever want to know about Scottish Migration DD, you know where I can be contacted.

I have, though, occasionally been asked to fix/service/look at a friends or a friend-of-a-friends bike

All my wife’s friends seem to think I am available for free bike servicing / repair work!

I’ve asked a STW’er to quote for a flooring job before now (not DD) – got ignored. Thought it was a “good thing” to do – obviously wrong!

Asking that level of detail (OP) and expecting answers for nowt is stepping over the mark – if he’d joined STW and asked then fair enough!

E-mailing someone for advice would not have occurred to me. Surely the point of a forum is that questions and answers are public and other people can benefit from/criticise any advice given.

Expecting a direct e-mail reply if you are not even a forum member …… more than a bit cheeky.

Surely the point of a forum is that questions and answers are public and other people can benefit from/criticise any advice given.

I suspect where non-forum users contacting users is concerned I’d imagine that its people who are researching a topic and come across a conversation here. I’ve been in situations where I’ve been researching stuff online and the best lead thats come up has been an online conversation on a forum somewhere. However STWs forums are uncommonly busy with the bulk of the chat coming from a relatively small ‘family’ of frequent posters

When I’ve researched topics and found a conversation on, say, a pigeon-fanciers forum its a comparative ghost town. The post rate is low, the frequency that users revisit the forum is low, so if you create a login and join the conversation….. nothing happens.

So if someone stumbles onto a topic on STW they won’t necessarily realise that to speak to DD you’d just have to join in on the tread and your question would find him – especially if a thread is month or years old

The other side of the arguement …
I asked on the forum if anyone had to have a thumb joint fused and could they still ride / change gear with it.

I got an email from a hand doctor from london who reassured me and offered kind and friendly support.

Wasnt expecting that.