Discussion:Who on this forum ... blank profile

The better solution would be to not allow any post without a profile. Even our long-term quality anonymous posters could write "20 years experience" and be done. I think one profile does say "many years experience" now that I think of it. But then they are not asking questions, they are answering them.

I think the answers given by the poster tell me all I want to know about them. Some I have learned to just skip over. I do not care if they are EA, CPA, CMS, or CGOT.

As far posters asking questions, I can always choose not to read them.

There should be some "Verifyable" segment in profile page. Since Intuit has created this forum, they can link Custoemr Number (ProSeries and Lacerte) to verify poster is in fact a tax professional. Others who are not Intuit customers, can be linked to EFIN (I am not sure just suggesting) data base. Other pros can now make other suggestion on verification tool.

Ishaq

"Professionals" come in all shapes and sizes...from attorney's to EA's to CPA's to preparing tax returns for a fee to the person who uses other software.

Same old, same old....if you don't want to answer, then don't. If a poster gets NO responses by virtue of sounding like a DIY, he/she will go elsewhere. If you answer, then you run the risk that you are answering to a person who is a DIY.

If it comes to being a tax professional site, then it would need to be charging a fee just like other research sites. This site is voluntary and no fees are charged.

So....just ignore the question if it does not appeal to you...my 1 cent worth...hehe

It couldn't have been expressed better. Thanks Sandysea.

But there's such loose control over the usage of this board, that no matter how many times and ways it's expressed nothing is done about it.

This forum then increases advertising revenue, sales of intuit products, etc.

There is a non profit site that we can use for research....irs.gov. If that does not appeal to you, then pay for another site where only the "pros" will access.

I put my profile because I am a "people person"....I like the banter and the friendships I have made here, but should it be required? I think not.

Please for the love of everything....don't answer and just overlook any responses if they trouble you.......

I have an idea!!! Make us ALL pass tests on debits, credits, and any other tests to determine if you are a professional or not. Other than that....live and let live. Who would agree to take a test for a voluntary site? When you ask for proof of professionalism, then essentially you are asking for a "test"....

Man....I remember the day that this place did not have such an attitude against people with no profiles.....guess that went the way of the horse/buggy....hehehehe

Let's see Money comes in on the left and goes out on the right. Or is it the other way around? I do think it is nice to know something about the person who is responding to questions. Thanks to those who have answered mine in the past.

Remember, we had one DIY'er who didn't get an answer he liked and started answering questions as an authority. Several answers were incomplete and inaccurate. Several of us got suspicious and I hounded him, then I contacted Tim and he has since disappeared. We also get college kids with homework questions who don't fill out a thing. But we can smell those a mile away.

But, your privacy is your business. If you don't feel like putting anything down, you run the risk of getting ignored, I guess.

Uncle Sam, since you have a great rep, along with many others, you are entitled to a free pass from all of us.

Tom

You guys are some seriously smart people and offer a great deal of advice and I like discussing things with you and I do view the forum as sort of an online dysfunctional family, so as I would say to my own real life dysfunctional family, and remember, i say this with all the love available in my heart -

STOP BEING SO DANG ANAL

Get over it guys and gals, don't answer the questions. Sandy is 100% right. Don't like the station, change the channel. How much simpler can it be. Do we just like to whine?

JMHO

Fred

It is just as easy to ignore the DIYers as it is to chastise them.

I still have the opinion that once the DIYers are not around to bash, then the newbies are chastised into not asking questions, then it's the next level and eventually no one will have the proper credentials to ask a question and Kevin <you are da man Kev> will be here talking to himself and then the rubber interner chatroom people will be coming looking for him.

Then there are the other group: those trying to do it on the cheap, the people who form LLCs or S Corps and want us to practically do the return line by line....the people where the first reponse is 'see a professional.' I see no harm banning 95% of these people.

btw, my clients with a store across from a Liberty franchise say the women in the Statue costumes were being paid under the table by that branch this year.

Sorry about the missing apostrophe -- I am in a hotel in Budapest and there is no apostrophe on this Hungarian keyboard!

And all we need do is read, and then answer or ignore the poster. If it's a well worded question, answer it, if you don't like it ignore, ir if impulse hits, ridicule, although as JR said, and I do agree, it does tend to make us look like pompous jackasses.

On another topic, went to a wedding yesterday <not my own> and sampled many different beverages. I'm definitely in recuperate mode right now.

The difference between answering a question for a pro or a DIYer is that for the latter you cannot assume much in the way of background -- so I always feel that I need to spell out the details. A fellow pro may only need a suggestion.

But .... I really wouldn't mind if this forum didn't pop up in Google searches, and if instead you had to come to this website to access the forum.

I was taught to first ask the question rather than to spin wheels for 3 hours...remember, ours is a business of "billable" hours x bill rate. I think in the old days, it was a badge of honor worn based on the number of hours one spent at the office. Frankly, I enjoy spending time with my kids.

I would much rather someone ask me a question than spend 3 hours of their life needlessly researching, only to then ask the same question. If I am too busy (in the rare case that I know the answer) I won't be here to answer it. So, if you don't have the time to answer or interest in doing so, just press on.

Does the fact that someone spent 3 hours researching make their question any more legit? I would argue that if that person was working for you, especially if on an hourly basis, you'd want them to ask the stupid and simple questions. No? I expect early on in your career, you also had those you could turn to for quick answers. Correct?

Luckily for us, we have the blessing and gift of technology that allows us to gather groups of experts and ask questions of those experts that, just 20 years ago, didn't exist.

When I am presented with a question in my office that I am not totally clear on, one of the first places I turn is the Almanac and do a search. It is rare that won't find info that will help me at least direct me to my answer. If I find a thread that is not right on point but I feel is real close, I will tweek the scenario in a follow up post and will most often get confirmation of what I thought to be so.

I have always said that my goal is to one day deposit more here than I withdraw. My account to date is quite in the red...thanks to the many who have been and continue to be willing to answer a question, that to some, is a simple question needing not be asked.

Taxcurmudgeon, if I can help you or anyone else here to be more profitable by preventing you from spending (3 or more) hours of your life in your office, I would very much be glad to do that.

That was extremely well said. Not sure what else can be added. The Taxalmanacers that use this regularly have a wealth of knowledge bouncing around inside. Why shouldn't this be the first stop on the research journey? I'd love to be able to read every question and give each one the answer. I'm just not there yet.

Bottom line is to answer those that you wish and ignore the ones you want. If yor personal preference is for them to have profiles and they don't, then ignore them. If you want to answer, I know I totally appreciate it the same way Nole does.

It's a community. And it's an awesome one.