Why are you here?

[mattc]

I've been lurking around since the very beginning and it's great to see the forum getting so active. I sometimes wonder why people come here and thought it would be interesting to talk about.

So why are you here?

To learn, for homework, research, coding, venting, showing off how smart you are... :)

Me? I like to read the discussions and learn, am totally addicted. :tup:

[mogetons]

Hi MattC,

Good question! I've just arrived at this forum while searching for answers to my many, many, many stats questions. It seems like a great forum, with lots of activity!

I'm here to learn. I'm starting to analyze the bird ecological data I've collected over 4 field seasons for my MSc. (I know, 4 seasons is a little unconventional :) I have a hard time 'getting' stats, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so it drives me crazy when I don't understand what I'm doing! So, here I am, reading what applies, asking a few questions, and hoping that between all my resources off-line and what I can find online, I can get to the bottom of my data, sanity intact :)

[CowboyBear]

*Puts psychologist hat on*: For intermittent reinforcement in the form of increased self-efficacy subsequent to the completion of challenging tasks (viz a viz, answering questions). :rolleyes:

But really, four things:

Procrastination
Learning by following interesting discussions by people far cleverer than I
Trying to help other social-sciencers with stats (we find it hard, you know)
Procrastination


Would be interesting to hear from some of the others :)

[Dason]

I love teaching. I don't really get enough of it in my current position...
I know quite a bit about a few topics so I have the ability to help others.
I don't really know anything at all about stats (the more you learn the more you realize that you know nothing...) so I like seeing what other people suggest and have to say on certain issues.
I'll agree with CowboyBear... procrastination.
Now that I'm a mod I try to keep it nice and clean around here so it's not riddled with spam and questions are in sensible locations.
I don't ask many questions but there are quite a few very knowledgeable people around here that have some good insights.

[bugman]

There are some pretty cluey people around here, so I use this to:

1) reinforce and improve on what I already know;
2) offer help, particularly with biological data;
3) improve my knowledge of R and its applications (you know who you are: The Ecologist: Dason: Vinux and Mike White);

and though I wouldn't have admitted it (but I'll follow CB's lead);

4) procrastination.

:yup:

[gianmarco]

1) learn from more experienced people/scholars
2) get fuel for further speculation
3) ask for stat advices
4) help other users (when and where I can)

:wave:

[Link]

hehehe...I've noticed that mostly regulars have answered this. I guess I'll add my bit though.

1) I first started looking around because I wanted to become more active and learn from people smarter than me.
2) Once I came to this forum, I really liked the idea and wanted to help to make it more active. hehe...I remember when I first became a member I was answering EVERYONES threads, even when I didn't know what they were talking about or the answer.
3) I'm very happy that it's so active now and full of knowledgeable members. I mainly just sit back and read through postings now. I still help where I can, but not as actively as initially.

[TheEcologist]

As my professional life gets busier and busier, my reason for coming change, however on average they are:

Helping others, and doing something back to the community that helped me (especially so with the R community).

Moderation. I do my part to keep the forum clean.

The best way to learn is to help others, I often find that explaining concepts to others is the best way to grasp a concept yourself. You might think you know all about something until you try teaching it to someone else. Dason is right: "the more you learn the more you realize that you know nothing" - isnt that great? I love learning new things. I love to better myself - this is something that motivates the best.

The open-source community, the free knowledge sharing, people helping with zero commercial interest really shows me the way forward for us as humans. I hope others will start realizing this. Here is a great example of what we are learning from such phenomenon as the above (the internet style) - as we start moving from the carrot and stick model:

(this will give the regulars insight on why they come here)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&feature=player_embedded

Why the open-source community works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1TZaElTAs&feature=player_embedded

These videos also illustrate why the internet is so uniquely potent in spreading knowledge, and why so many people develop software for free and help for free. It also show why net-neutrality is key.

Now, as I dont have the luxury of procrastinating that much anymore, I usually just moderate and tackle questions that for some reason tickle my fancy (R & Ecology questions will do that often ;-) ).

[SmoothJohn]

I have some mathematical competence, but very little experience with non-trivial statistics. My work has placed me in the position of evaluating some social science research. I find the questions and answers provided here do a lot to help me frame my work, and often to encourage me to continue what I am doing.

And I find the regular posters to be very helpful and very congenial. This is a pleasant forum.

John

[Junes]

1) learn from more experienced people/scholars
2) get fuel for further speculation
3) ask for stat advices
4) help other users (when and where I can)


I haven't been here for very long yet, but gianmarco summed it up perfectly. :)

[mads_st]

I haven't been here for long. I found the forum a week ago when i needed some help. Now i guess like other I'm here for procrastination.
Btw, I had to look up the word procrastination while reading this thread so it seems I'm also learning things :-)

[Alicia Wong]

I need help in learning stats (beyond the basics of linear regression, t-tests, chi-square taught in college classes) and will definitely need help when/if I get into grad school.

It's interesting how you guys use this for procrastination (my form would actually be ... mindless facebooking or twitter =X).

[noetsi]

I run into problems that I am not sure how to solve at work. Well that was my initial reason. Now I come because it's an interesting place.

This is my fourth graduate program (third master's and a doctorate). I still don't know stats as well as I should if that is any consolation Alicia Wong :)

[Dason]

Would be interesting to hear from some of the others :)
Me too.

\end{shameless bump}

[bryangoodrich]

I hate you.

[bugman]

I hate you gets a "thanks for this useful post"?

I must say this more often.

[trinker]

I'm here because...


I was driving my wife crazy always trying to talk about stats and R with her
I love community learning
I like giving back when I can
I shamelessly read threads and your answers and store it all away
I hate bots and need to keep an eye on Dason
Procrastination masked as altruism

[Dason]

I hate you gets a "thanks for this useful post"?

I must say this more often.

If you liked that "thank you" then you'll love Jake's "thank you" (http://www.talkstats.com/showthread.php/19433-file-wanted?p=58072&viewfull=1#post58072) to Hamid from way back...

[noetsi]

To confuse dason. Otherwise he might do something dangerous like create a raptor or a AI.

[_joey]

For home work. Thanks to Dason's tips I solved the question quickly.

[noetsi]

Another reason to dislike Dason. He is disrupting the grading curve. America may not survive.

[_joey]

Another reason to dislike Dason. He is disrupting the grading curve. America may not survive.

He didn't solve the problem for me. He gave a small tip, the right direction. Otherwise I would have been elsewhere.

[noetsi]

I am sure he did not solve the problem. Not his way of doing things - just point you in the right direction. But that still disrupts basic assumptions in educational testing models.

[Dason]

But that still disrupts basic assumptions in educational testing models.

What models are you talking about?

[victorxstc]

Lots of fun with many sharp and sharing people. Especially I am liking this historical battle between bots from the future and raptors from the past :D Maybe we should bet on them in another thread :p

But procrastination (as trinker stated) is one big motive as well :))) and addiction has been added too :)

[noetsi]

What models are you talking about?

The ones the department of education use to determine funding for states and what scores are required to enter universities.

[Dason]

That's interesting. I would think that any model that assumes that students aren't going to get any external help in their homework would be an incredibly flawed one...

[_joey]

I am sure he did not solve the problem. Not his way of doing things - just point you in the right direction. But that still disrupts basic assumptions in educational testing models.
In our university students book appointments with academic staff to ask various questions or ask the question at the end of the lecture The same model is accepted by many Universities and institutions. In fact, academic staff are encouraging students to discuss various questions. Students learn this way. Your objection is that a student asks the question on a discussion board and not face-to-face with academic staff or other students.

[Mr Nice Guy]

Learn more about stats and help if I can

[_joey]

Or, in some subjects there are discussion boards similar this one on which a popular format of the question is : "how do approach this problem?"

[noetsi]

In our university students book appointments with academic staff to ask various questions or ask the question at the end of the lecture The same model is accepted by many Universities and institutions. In fact, academic staff are encouraging students to discuss various questions. Students learn this way. Your objection is that a student asks the question on a discussion board and not face-to-face with academic staff or other students.

You are assuming this thread is a serious one. Or at least that my posts are serious. Which they are not .... Dason rarely is involved in creating raptors or AI's (well hopefully anyhow).

Virtually nothing I said on this thread was meant to be taken literally.

[_joey]

I don't care if it is serious or not. I answered TS question why I am on this forum. Dason's points were helpful to the problem I posted on this forum. He asked to show what I've done so far etc. If I can help someone here I would. There is no other reason to be on the forum for me.

[Dason]

Dason rarely is involved in creating raptors or AI's (well hopefully anyhow).


I would NEVER create a raptor. My goal is to destroy raptors - not create those godless killing machines.

And I might create systems that require AI more often than you imply...

[noetsi]

I would NEVER create a raptor. My goal is to destroy raptors - not create those godless killing machines.

And I might create systems that require AI more often than you imply...

the government doesn't like your kind Dason. Well unless you work for them (which I guess you do sort of). Lots of raptors in its senior ranks.

[Dason]

Lots of raptors in its senior ranks.

0_0

You must tell me more.

[noetsi]

When the comet hit the earth a hundred million years ago raptors quickly realized they would run out of big dumb plant eaters. So they mutated into something which could cause equal damage to fragile systems with less effort (and no large omniovres). Government analyst were perfect.

The Iraq war was an excellent example as was most economic policy.

[GretaGarbo]

My goal is to destroy raptors...

There you se, Dason really want to kill eagles and hawks!

I am here to protect them.

[Englund]

But really, four things:

Procrastination
Learning by following interesting discussions by people far cleverer than I
Trying to help other social-sciencers with stats (we find it hard, you know)
Procrastination
I totally agree on especially the first one, as well as the last. On the second thing you mention: When using the psychologists hat, you should realize that they are not per se smarter (more intelligent, cleverer or whatever term you wish to use) than you just because they may have more knowledge in statistics ;)

[Englund]

I've got to admit that I am mainly here to procrastinate, I guess. Other useful things with a forum like this is that you get to learn a bunch of things, as well as teach/help others. One positive thing with helping others is that you're refreshing/updating your own skills.

Another great thing is that I get to practice my English. Students in Sweden usually read a lot of English literature. We watch English speaking TV series all the time. But we quite rarely speak or write in English.

[victorxstc]

I missed the first comments. I see everyone has this procrastination problem :) But the smart guys in this forum have saved my research life in several instances, while our department statisticians had no idea how to solve some problems. So although procrastination matters a lot, it really helped me in real life too :)

[bugman]

If you liked that "thank you" then you'll love Jake's "thank you" (http://www.talkstats.com/showthread.php/19433-file-wanted?p=58072&viewfull=1#post58072) to Hamid from way back...

I am literally laughing out loud. I remember reading that post. Nice one Jake!

[Jake]

It was my first thanks :D

[ladystatistician]

Learn more about statistics.
Gain friendly friends.
And to have fun! :)

[Clem]

I am here to learn about bots and raptors (and I clearly have much to learn).

[Dason]

I am here to learn about bots and raptors (and I clearly have much to learn).
Then you are in the right place my friend.

I'll teach you all there is to know: 1) Bots are very friendly and are here to help you solve your problems. 2) Raptors may say they are friendly but they are not. They do help you solve your problems, though, as long as you feel being destroyed in the most terrifying way possible is a solution to your problem.

[noetsi]

I am here to watch the comming battle between raptors and bots. I figure it will be glorious, but have no idea who will win.

[Clem]

Then you are in the right place my friend.

I'll teach you all there is to know: 1) Bots are very friendly and are here to help you solve your problems. 2) Raptors may say they are friendly but they are not. They do help you solve your problems, though, as long as you feel being destroyed in the most terrifying way possible is a solution to your problem.

It appears that all this is going to be more risky than I first suspected!