Off topic: altruism Thread poster: David Hollywood
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this is one of my main quandries ....I love the points when I get them (who doesn't) ... is it the prestige, is it the feeling of helping someone who needs the assistance or is it knowlwge-sharing ... or is it altruism (in my case it's a mixture) .... how do you feel on this? | | | Altruism and game | Dec 14, 2010 |
Kudoz is like a game of the stronger (answerers) and the weaker (askers). The latter assesses the former. A surprising world of linguistic learning. Many answers have been selected while the professionals of the subjects feel uneasy. Soonthon Lupkitaro | | | Mixture of everything | Dec 14, 2010 |
David Hollywood wrote: this is one of my main quandries ....I love the points when I get them (who doesn't) ... is it the prestige, is it the feeling of helping someone who needs the assistance or is it knowlwge-sharing ... or is it altruism (in my case it's a mixture) .... how do you feel on this? It's a mixture of everything you mentioned; who doesn't love the points when you get them, the feeling of helping someone who needs assistance but at the same time helping yourself, sharing knowledge with everybody else, plus altruism that you cannot turn a blind eye to a person who is at a loss, and being thanked for helping. | | | Alison Sabedoria (X) United Kingdom French to English + ... RLI: Randomised Learning Initiative | Dec 14, 2010 |
Yes, it's a mix of motivations and feelings that prompts me to get involved, but also curiosity and my sheer love of discovering new words or ways of using them. Where else would I have come across: - the Rabbit-eared Comb Jelly (that doesn't yet have a common name in French) - the heraldic use of "channe" (a Swiss jug with a lid) - a barrel pawl with progressive recoil (of course!) - an in-depth discussion about Maigret's collar and tie? Yester... See more Yes, it's a mix of motivations and feelings that prompts me to get involved, but also curiosity and my sheer love of discovering new words or ways of using them. Where else would I have come across: - the Rabbit-eared Comb Jelly (that doesn't yet have a common name in French) - the heraldic use of "channe" (a Swiss jug with a lid) - a barrel pawl with progressive recoil (of course!) - an in-depth discussion about Maigret's collar and tie? Yesterday it was bee pastures, today... ? ▲ Collapse | |
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Nesrin United Kingdom Local time: 14:30 English to Arabic + ... If you're not sure if it's altruism... | Dec 14, 2010 |
ask yourself if you would do it anonymously. I did for a while offer similar kind of assistance anonymously on Yahoo Answers, and it did give me a warm fuzzy feeling when someone expressed their gratitude (even though there are points involved, but I didn't really care about them). After a while however I ordered myself to stop spending time there. This was my practical side telling me I'm not really getting anything out of it and I'm spending far too much time helping anonymous peo... See more ask yourself if you would do it anonymously. I did for a while offer similar kind of assistance anonymously on Yahoo Answers, and it did give me a warm fuzzy feeling when someone expressed their gratitude (even though there are points involved, but I didn't really care about them). After a while however I ordered myself to stop spending time there. This was my practical side telling me I'm not really getting anything out of it and I'm spending far too much time helping anonymous people anonymously, and occasionally even encountering rudeness and ingratitude. But in general, I agree it's a mixture of feelings that has kept me around Kudoz. ▲ Collapse | | | It's give and take | Dec 14, 2010 |
I answer more questions than I ask, but I use the glossaries and have found answers to a lot of things I might have asked about, if someone else had not asked first. I have just sent an agree and THANKS to an answerer who was spot on with an answer, explanation and picture several years ago! It saved me setting up a question and waiting... Would I do it anonymously? Maybe. But I do like to know who has provided the answers. Some people are much more reliable than others... See more | | | Emma Goldsmith Spain Local time: 15:30 Member (2004) Spanish to English Belated thanks are the best | Dec 14, 2010 |
Christine Andersen wrote: I have just sent an agree and THANKS to an answerer who was spot on with an answer, explanation and picture several years ago! It saved me setting up a question and waiting... Yes, giving and receiving belated thanks several months or years later is always worth it. Very much appreciated on both sides. Another thing I enjoy doing is getting Kudoz questions closed that have been lying open for months. As everyone probably knows, if an answer gets 2 agrees it is closed by the robot. So if you find an answer you know is right and add the 2nd agree, you almost always get profuse thanks back from the surprised answerer. Well worth it! | | | disillusionment | Dec 15, 2010 |
David Hollywood wrote: this is one of my main quandries ....I love the points when I get them (who doesn't) ... is it the prestige, is it the feeling of helping someone who needs the assistance or is it knowlwge-sharing ... or is it altruism (in my case it's a mixture) .... how do you feel on this? The points are great (recognition, prestige), it's great to help people and share knowledge - but altrusim is a system that only works when there's little abuse. If an altruist perceives that what they give is not taken in the same spirit, then they tend to get disillusioned. I think this might explain why many great people of the early days of Proz are no longer KudoZ contributors. | |
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Sanych_Msk Russian Federation Local time: 17:30 English to Russian A feeling of being useful | Dec 15, 2010 |
David Hollywood wrote: this is one of my main quandries ....I love the points when I get them (who doesn't) ... is it the prestige, is it the feeling of helping someone who needs the assistance or is it knowlwge-sharing ... or is it altruism (in my case it's a mixture) .... how do you feel on this? This situation about KudoZ system remindes me an old joke ... A young artist was proud to organize the first ever personal exhibition of his paintings. After the event was over, some friends started to ask him about the exhibition: “Was it a success or not ?” The artist answered: “All in all, not bad, not bad ! Unfortunately I am still not able to find anyone to be interested to buy any of my pictures. But at least during the exhibition two of my pictures were stolen !” So far as I see it, participation in KudoZ does not always guarantee you tangible benefits (translating jobs, money, etc.). But - it is a good practice, it makes you keep yourself busy and ... it may give you a feeling that you are at least of interest or useful to anyone ! | | |
Kudoz participations give me a feeling that I leave good deeds behind me after I die. It is something which I believe I'll need afterlife. So, I'd like to thank askers who help me doing that. | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » altruism Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
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