Bots are creeping into the Microsoft Answers forum – “directly.com”

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A real eye-opener from langware on the Microsoft Answers forum: I have read replies here in CPC (the Community Participation Center) about “directly.c
[See the full post at: Bots are creeping into the Microsoft Answers forum – “directly.com”]

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Canadian Tech

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Considering Microsoft’s success with bots…..

Remember their “chat bots”?

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Noel Carboni

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An interesting poster is HansV from Eileen’s Lounge! (September 24, 2017)

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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He’s very knowledgeable, and very forthright. Good guy.

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An interesting poster at the linked Microsoft blog is HansV from Eileen’s Lounge! (September 24, 2017)

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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Out of curiosity, MrJimPhelps, (noting your double post here)… Have you been seeing issues where you post then your message doesn’t appear? That’s happened to me a few times in the past couple of days. I’m trying out a new browser so I have been wondering whether it might be my fault.

-Noel

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I saw it happen with one post of @NetDef and I have also seen several duplicate Anon posts. The site is still not functioning normally.

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That happened to me last night on a different thread. I posted, then nothing seemed to happen so I rewrote the post and submitted it, and then there were two posts from me. I deleted one of them.

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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It’s been an on-again/off thing since the site became red-lined.  Also other things seem to queue up in the background then suddenly appear several minutes later.

~ Group "Weekend" ~

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I fully expect someone to contend that this reduces the cost for everyone so we ought to be grateful at what tech is doing for us.  And then to characterize anyone who disagrees as a Luddite.

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Cybertooth

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The nonsense bots post an answer on the answers forum – what could possibly be wrong with that?

It’s so “20th Century” to care about actual meaning and results, right?

Perhaps we are expected to believe that if we just go through the motions for long enough, the motions will take on a meaning of their own.

I’m reminded a bit of the way the zombies acted in the film “Warm Bodies”.

Me, I do my customer service for my customers the way I’d want it if I was the one asking for support. I’m floored by how many folks compliment me for just being responsive. Few others seem to think it’s important to remember that customers are humans, I guess.

-Noel

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wdburt1

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Having spent an hour or so in heavy city traffic this afternoon and watching the drivers around me texting, I’d say “zombies” fits.

 

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Although the site is horribly slow at the moment — we’re still trying to recover from something that may or may not be intentional — y’all should know that you’re most welcome to post, either as a registered user, or anonymously.

Our moderation tools are drifting in and out, so it may take a while to get your posts put on the site, but they’re most welcome.

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I have been an active contributor on the Answers Forum since 2009. If MS continues with this, I am out. I wrote on the page noted in this article that I would no longer participate.

I am not interested in being mixed up with bots.

CT

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Noel Carboni, satrow

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Just appeared on the forum:

“You are saying, then, that this thread:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_store/common-diagnostics-solutions-for-windows-users/5321a95d-cf31-43dd-8b1d-809f5a7e0088?tm=1501703632076/run/0d60fd02-a755-4753-b4ac-4d43c357130f

whose view count is increasing at the rate of more than 1000 per day and whose number of recommendations is increasing at more than 100 per day, and whose URL ends with a curious tm={filetime}/run/GUID query is actually being visited by ordinary users in those volumes?

This is obviously some sort of automatic manipulation of thread statistics, and if that isn’t a bot, then what is it?”

CT

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I was one of the people that received an invite to participate with directly dot com.  When I read over the terms, and the purpose, I decided to junk the email.  Creating boilerplate responses to “known  issues?”  Bleah.

Completely disagree with the entire premise, and hoping that MS reverses course on this for their answers forums.

~ Group "Weekend" ~

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Along about page 10 of this thread, clarity has been offered. You will also find my posting there:

Nicole, I am Canadian Tech. I have been a “regular” contributor to the forum since 2009

number of replies posted: 8799
Replies marked as answers: 1281
Replies marked as problems solved: 4879

I offer my advice to fellow Windows users out of kindness and interest in helping others. I have never asked for remuneration. I do not intend to. I typically spend a few hours a day on this site.

The directly.com program is unacceptable to me on this site.

If Microsoft wants an automated response system, so be it. It will not be with me contributing.

As a matter of fact, if Microsoft proceeds with this conversion, I want to formally request that all the work I have done in the past 8 years be stricken from the records and I do not give permission for my work to be used to automate responses.

As part of your pilot, please recognize that I will not be contributing to the forum until this matter is decided and will only return to this site if it continues to be a voluntary (unpaid) real people operation.

I hope you realize that I am one of quite a number of dedicated professionals who have actively worked to build the quality and reputation of the forum. I strongly suspect that most of them will find directly.com objectionable as I do.

CT

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HiFlyer, AlexEiffel, Elly, satrow, NetDef, Noel Carboni, wdburt1, PKCano

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Bravo, I support your point of view.

I doubt whether you can rescind permission for the use of the material you’ve posted for use in other ways. I think by posting it in the first place you’ve agreed to give it to them for whatever use they may find.

-Noel

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Noel, I have no doubt that you are right. They likely own the rights to my work. However, as a matter of principle, I object strenuously to the idea that they are going to start paying people to give them my advice in my words.

By the way, I read in that thread a criticism of the fact that some references to the askwoody web page have been deleted. I have made a number of such references. When it comes to the myriads of issues surrounding Windows update, askwoody is clearly the best source of info.

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HiFlyer

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I believe askwoody does a much better job. So we agree. However, understand that the Answers forum does have a number of really good people. Those who frequent the site know who they are.

I frequently will look at a question and see the useless answers that come from some MS incompetent, then offer some good advice which is usually found to be very helpful by most askers that I respond to.

The answers forum is really for non-computer people and for those lucky enough to get an answer from one of us, usually gets good results.

CT

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I used to enjoy helping people over there until they up and banned me. Microsoft’s moderator appointees do NOT seem to appreciate honesty and truth.

To be fair, it’s the right of any site to exclude people not believed to be acting in the best interest of the company. This whole thing is all about business, after all. That being said, there is a lot to be said for fostering good will online, and Microsoft ain’t makin’ the grade on that score.

-Noel

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Noel, that is interesting. I have never felt restrained. I wondered many times when some reaction would come, one never came. This might be the underlying point of this for them.

During the so-damaging Win7 for free fiasco, I had discussion going that was hyper critical of MS. It now has 135 pages in the thread. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-update/windows-7-update-solution/f39a65fa-9d10-42e7-9bc0-7f5096b36d0c

Then later, when the big fiasco changing WinUp started I started another that still is online today 24 pages
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-update/windows-update-how-will-it-change-your-system/6d2ee7f8-908f-4ddb-8fd9-1eab55773141?tm=1476461665170

CT

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See also this German article: http://www.borncity.com/blog/2017/09/25/bernehmen-bots-von-directly-com-die-microsoft-foren/

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The bots can’t be any worse at advice than the actual Microsoft Level-1 support people replying on their lunch breaks.

I’ve known a lot of oxymorons in life: cafeteria food, airline flight schedule, homeland security, Toyota Corolla “S”…but the biggest one for me is answers.microsoft.com .  I skip the responses because every time an MS employee responds, they act like they’ve completely ignored the question and cut-pasted the equivalent “have you tried…” answer when it’s clear the OP tried the simple, stupid stuff already –and sometimes these employees award themselves best answer and the points, even when their answer isn’t an answer and stinks.  I have lost brain cells and IQ points just using the site, so I only go to TechNet.  I can think of the famous line from Happy Gilmore…

Principal: Mr. Madison, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

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