The Vox shutdown and migration this direction have reminded me of something about myself.
I’ve low tolerance for lazy learners, low as in pushing zero.
Scattered around WP is a slew of former Voxers presented with a new platform wholly dissimilar to that prior, one requiring some level of engagement and learning for even its most basic functions.
In a foreign environment, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed, disoriented, confused and a hefty Huh?!
I’ve observed some number posting to their readers: How do I do this? How do I do that? and making it evident they’ve taken scant if any time to look around and learn and find the answers that are available at their fingertips.
They want others to do the learning for them and hand over the knowledge.
That says as much about their own laziness as my character: I suffer neither fools nor bumps on a log gladly.
I’m all for assisting others. Participating in another’s learning is joyful for me.
It’s one thing to help those engaged in their own learning, who show up at the table displaying initiative and effort and altogether something different to help those who want another’s knowledge given over with no effort toward self-education.
It is one thing to help others use their brains and quite another to be the brain for those who won’t use their own.
I don’t handhold; neither do I pamper such passivity or pander to it, certainly not. Essentially it comes down to the adage: Fish for a man and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.
I’ll encourage you toward your own self-empowered learning. I’ll happily point you toward the book on fishing in the bookstore. But I will not be your motorized carrier carting you to it. You must walk yourself there.
That is my word to lazy learners.
Barefoot Blogger 
Sep 12, 2010 @ 13:49:50
Tell it on the mountain, sister. I feel fortunate that I work with the people I do; every one of the users I support are engaged and wanting to learn more. In talking with other support personnel, I gather that’s not always the case, so I’m grateful for that. Still, I’ve not always been in places so salubrious, so I know your pain.
Sep 12, 2010 @ 20:56:22
Fortunate you are! You best clutch onto that job and never let go! BTW, speaking of learning, salubrious was an unfamiliar word. So I looked it up. On my own. (The online M.-Webster is our friend – bonus points for its pronunciation feature.) Appreciate the vocab expansion.
Sep 12, 2010 @ 14:43:17
Personally, I think water always find its own level. Maybe because water has no form save that of its container.
Sep 12, 2010 @ 20:58:12
There’s truth to that.
Sep 12, 2010 @ 20:43:58
I’ve only given technical advice once, and that was to better my own situation rather than theirs. Selfish? Probably. Anyway, I agree with you. People should explore their new environs. Click everything that can be clicked. Fiddle everything that can be fiddled. Mess around until your blog both looks and acts the way you want it to. If you can’t make it do that, you’ve got three choices: WP hosts a number of how-to blogs, or make do, or move on.
(shrug) I’ve said enough.
Sep 12, 2010 @ 21:12:46
Cimmorene – (shrug) I’ve said enough – Enough? Hmmmm, perhaps not; you’ve said plenty however with which I agree. Further to your comment, somewhat astonishing is that WP’s on-site support is extensive, accessible and surpasses Vox’s and still the aversion to learning on one’s own persists. Thanks for visiting; stimulating commentary is always welcomed.
Sep 12, 2010 @ 22:31:19
I’m slowly navigating my way around here, when I need to know something I go and find out how to do it, best way to learn when starting somewhere new and of course when your the one that’s needing to know the best way is to explore.
Sep 13, 2010 @ 11:09:32
Perhaps you are geekier than I had imagined, but after being in an industry that provided a commonly used consumer good, ease of use is a BIG consideration. To put it another way, a vehicle could be started by the turn of the key (or nowadays, a push of a button that its linked to a key fob that transmits a signal that yes, the car can be started) or do it as it was done waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back inthe day, by flipping a contact switch to create an electrical connection, then go to the front of the vehicle, insert a crank into a crank hole (in all sorts of weather too) then pull the crank strongly to start the engine, minding a backlash, which could (and did) break an arm.
I think that is what the feeling is perhaps with this host many ex-vVoxers are feeling, that it could be a bit more user-friendly.
Sep 13, 2010 @ 11:50:37
Expat – WP is what it is. Former Voxers have three options: Learn the system (and along the way discover it superior to Vox’s, a perk), don’t learn it (and limp along) or move to another blog site. (P.S. and yes, as mentioned in a few posts back, I call myself a closeted geek. 🙂 )
Sep 13, 2010 @ 18:23:07
Learning something new is what keeps the brain firing…..
Sep 13, 2010 @ 18:29:40
You only say this because you are computer savvy. Those of us who are not, can read the “help” info that is available, but it doesn’t always mean anything to us. For example, the “thread” comment that Supersparky left me on my “Goodbye to Vox” post. I don’t even know what that means. I would have no idea what to look for in a help search.
It’s like people who are good at gardening. They always tell those of us with a brown thumb, “oh it’s easy…just be sure to water (except when you don’t), and cover this kind of plant if it’s going to be cold, but dig up this other kind of plant, and this other kind of plant will be fine in the cold…just look it up if you’re unsure.” But those of us who don’t know anything about plants wouldn’t even know to ask the question.
Techy people always say, “oh it’s easy…just be sure to set such-and-such setting to on (or off or nil), but don’t use such-n-such files and be sure your whatever isn’t corrupted and you can just type in the html or the url or the (whatever) code…and just look it up if you’re unsure.” Yeah. Uh-huh. Right.
Sep 13, 2010 @ 18:47:42
That’s the beauty of WP’s on-site support. Not only are there tutorials available on the home page but the Support Page Search Bar is highly functional and returns information that’s easy to understand, laid out well in numerical fashion and well organized. Truly the only obstacle to learning the ways of WP is one’s own self. Example: The term “threaded comments” is unfamiliar to you. Enter it in the Support Page Search Bar and it will not only walk you through the process but illustrate with clear graphics and screenshots. Vox was nowhere near that instructive. And if for some reason a term still isn’t clear, well, there’s also the plain ol’ Google search. Nothing is out of reach in learning, it’s merely a matter of choosing to learn. That’s the small wonder of WP and the larger of the Internet — information on anything we don’t understand is there, somewhere.
Sep 14, 2010 @ 20:03:15
Hello..I have bellowed at times..’I have no tolerance for stupidity’ then served verbal or physical dessert by doing or saying something enormously stupid..after everyone who wants to is set up..it will be good again..just as you want it..Peace Tony