Over the last two days, 72% of all "write help" requests on Grex went
unanswered either because there were no helpers at all logged on (64%),
or because all helpers were busy (8%).

This isn't very good.  We really do need more volunteer helpers.

Most reasonably experienced Grex users can answer most of the questions.
Some of the questions nobody can answer, so it helps to be able to refer
people to "mail help" or other specific users.

To become a Grex helper, just add the command "mesg -h y" into your .login
or .cshrc file.

The "helper" conference includes much good advice and discussion for
helpers.

Thanks

31 responses total.

The other day I had some problems to ask for help, I got no response.
And I noticed that helper was in "party", then I tel him, he said " I am 
not as a helper right now", and I said " If you are not a helper, why I 
use finger command to find that you are a helper, that's ridiculous".

I hope if you want to be a helper, please take your responsibility.

i think that parto f the reason that there is such a decline of helpers is
because of the number of helpers that have gotten flamed and shit upon
by the people that were writing them....

I usually have the helper flag up when I am in conf, and I get moderately
frequent requests for help, but I have *never* been "flamed and shit upon".
The most usual reaction is "Thanks!", even sometimes by e-mail later. 
Also (re #0) I do send maybe 15% of my clients to staff, because the
problem requires more knowledge than I have, or root (or concerns
party 8^]).

I have occasionally got complaints from people who thought I was being paid
to do this or something.  Patience is probably a virtue for a helper.

I occasionally do "!mesg -h n" during a session when I don't want to be
interupted.

I always do "amin -n telnet ..." when I telnet out from Grex to another
system, since I don't want help requests while I'm on another system.

   I've never had my helper flags on, and people write me about five
times a day, on average.  I shudder to think what would happen if I
actually turned them on.  Still don't know why people make a bee line
to the ID 'steve'; maybe it's seen as a "friendly" name?  Well, if
I get more time I'll put them on.  But I would hope that others
would do this too, so as to get a more broad mixture of people
helping!

I know exactly why they write you... because of your infamous system shutdown
messages. They think to theselves... "Hey! They let this guy turn Grex off
and on, he must know what he's talkin' 'bout!" And so you do. I knew when I've
had questions, I write to either steve or robh. <robert pats steve on the
back>

This item is now linked from Agora 115 to Helpers 35.

As a matter of fact, I had a help-seeker tell me (and I
quote) "you bullshit" when I told him/her I didn't know
the answer to their question.  The brave help-seeker
promptly signed off the system.  So yes, there are
hazwrds to it.  That is an isolated incident, though,
most help-seekers fall all over themselves to thank you
when you get things sorted out for them.

Re 1 - Helpers are not paid, and if someone who usually
helps people turns their flag off,  then they probably just
don't want to answer questions right that minute.

*BLINK* Was robh just in Agora? The conference he loathes? The conference he
refuses to read? Was that robh? <gasp>
 <chuckle>

(robh used observe mode, so he technically was never *in* Agora)

And Clinton never inhaled. ;-)

<rotfl>

   Gods--thats why.  Thanks Robert, I think for the answer to whats
been befuddling my little brain these last several months...

Heh..immediately following my #3, a got a write-help from a newbie
that wanted only to know my name, age, sex, location, etc.... I
said I'd be glad to answer any question about the system. The newbie
made a rude noise and left. 

  Something tells me, if they were the typical 14 year-old male who asks
those things, they wouldn't have even bothered to make a rude noise if
you'd told them your name, age, and gender.  :-)  (Btw, do people ask
you your "real name" on-line much?  It has a pseudonymous ring to it.)
 
  I turned on my helper flag after reading #0.  I didn't before because
most of the time, there are other more capable helpers on-line.  But if
it's me or nobody, I might be preferable.  It would be sort of neat if
there were also an "amateur helper" flag, so write would know to send
help-seekers to RobH before it sent them to me!

Good idea, but there should also be a "Good intentions, but don't know
much, and probably dangerous." designation to allow the widest possible range
of responses.

Re #7
I mean that "helper" when he was in "party", he didn't turn his helper flag
off. O. K. ? You "UNDERSTAND" ?

Re #14-15: If you do not know the answer to their questions, no big deal. Be
honest and tell them you don't know but show them where they can find the
answer. You can tell a help-seeker to send mail to help@cyberspace.org, type
"!help" at a prompt, or send them to the Info conference... I know popcorn
would love to have them!

A help-seeker wrote be the other day wanting to know what happens during the
rebooting process and I had no idea of the answer. I did, however, tell the
user what file the log from the last reboot was in and to go to the Info
conference if he still had questions because I thought I recalled seeing a
similar question there. The user was very grateful.

To be a helper, you don't *have* to know all the answers (but it couldn't
hurt)! >8)

I turn on my help flag every now and then...more oftern recently...I keep my
handy-dandy Unix quick reference guide sitting right next to me.

I get very few specific unix questions - when I do it is usually 
something about compiling etc, about which I know nothing. My most
complex *successful* task has been helping users change from bbs to
csh login shells, without messing them up. It would be easier if I
had root, but the users can do it themselves with clear instructions.

Before I had root, I'd help people who wanted to set TERM variables by
making a copy of their .login files, editing it, and telling them the
command to copy it back.  This works real well.  Usually any complex
series of actions is hopeless to explain.

I'll have to remember that one! Thanks, Jan!! :)

I wouldn't know exactly what (and what not) to edit in a .login file, but
have the user run change, after they copy .login and .cshrc (for the
change from bbs to csh or menu, etc). But, clearly every helper does what
they understand - and refers users to staff or others when they don't. 

True.  I keep meaning to figure out "change", but there seems to be no
documentation, and I can't read perl.

Change will change the users login shell from bbs to chs, but does *not*
add .login and .cshrc to the user's directory. I learned that when I
was a newbie, and made the change from bbs to tcsh....ARRGGHH! However,
I was able to mail srw, and he dug me out of my newbie hole.

This response has been erased.

I don't think I'd feel qualified to be a helper yet....while I'm fairly
familiar with Unix, at least enough to get around, I'm not real familiar
with the vaugaries of Grex (changing from BBS to another shell is a good
example.)
I keep a Unix reference on my desk, so that kind of stuff I can look up, but
Grex has lots of unusual, weird, and undocumented quirks I'm just not
familiar with.

You picked the ULTIMATE TEST for helpers - how to change from bbs to unix.
Even the unix gurus here (with root) say "Well...why don't I do that for
you?"  :)  [I have, though, talked a user through it ... though he knew
some unix to start with.]

re 27: Hu?  Doesn't the "change" program work pretty well?

No, because "bbs" uses a .profile while most of the other shells use a
".login", so you also have to help the user generate an appropriate start-up
file when you make that shell change.  I usually steal one from the last
person in the passwd file with the same shell, edit a copy myself to match
the settings to what the user has in his existing file, and give him the
command to copy it over to his account.  Or at least I used to do it that
way before I was root.

There are also "master copies" at /.cshrc and /.login (and both are
needed). "change" can then be used to change the shell.

Yeah, I've told people to run !change.

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