*WHY* do you post on DaniWeb?

I'll try to answer the points applicable to me:

What value do you get from helping people?

It sucks to be stuck on something when you are trying to learn stuff. This is when books don't help and the online resources are not enough. My aim here is to just help out people who deserve it so that they can learn stuff quickly and get into the thick of things rather than get frustrated and give up on something. Of course, doing this for each and everyone is not possible but I try. And anyways, who doesn't like to show off? ;)

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

Yes; when helping out folks you end up trying a bunch of stuff yourself. This helps me learn new things which in turn makes me a better person at my workplace (well, at least technically).

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

I would say yes. I'm not really a Twitter/Facebook type of person so I'm not in constant touch with others, but yes, I know a lot of good people here with whom I would definitely chat when I get time (new chat system, I'm looking at you!).

Hello, you could consider me as a 'toddler' when it comes to the wise 10,000+ posters of Daniweb, but I shall answer anyway.

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

Yes,
If you've been searching the internet and books and cannot find the answer or the help you need to push you in the right direction then Daniweb is the place I would turn because it is filled with IT professionals and enthusiasts who are willing to help.

You can simply ask questions you cannot find in a book!

What value do you get from helping people?

A warm fuzzy feeling inside :P

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

It has helped me considerably in researching and getting a taster into what I want to do in the future as a career (if that is relevant to this question).

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

I've noticed a couple of recurring posters who are always willing to help.

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Hope that helps, good luck with the changes and thank you for the service!

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

I guess we were all looking for an answer and landed here.

What value do you get from helping people?

Sometimes it's satisfaction for a good solution you've come up with, other times a sense of accomplishment or just for a thanks and a solved thread.

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

Nope, I used to be WMS programmer, but joined daniweb as I was changing career path. Now I don't write programs - apart from Excel macros to help with everyday business and the code required to help somebody in the forum.

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

I wouldn't say friends, but I've got lots of respect for several people in here. The sad part is that some of them have stopped posting after the "change"

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

No. I am not a professional programmer any more.

All your points apply to me :) except with the last one :)

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

Yes, most of the time I do post threads and other Daniweb members comes in and post their solutions and explanations on the issue I'm having or lecture me to learn a new correct way. It's hard to adapt a new way of learning but this might be the only way for me to learn.

What value do you get from helping people?

It's frustrating. People come on Daniweb to expect someone to write out the code. Some are people rude don't care much about anything but the correct code. But sometime there are some people who are nice and willing to learn and show some effort are worth helping.

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

Yes, I'm planning to switch careers.

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

Yes, I have met some interesting Daniweb members. I learn a lot from those members in PHP section. They came from different countries and speak a different languages at the same time they can really tell you from their own experience on this subject. They are very smart and very professional and very patience helping other members. I can tell you it's very fun in PHP section. It's very lay back.

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

No

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

Not really. I think I posted 3-4 threads asking a question. So, that's a negligible amount.

What value do you get from helping people?

Many things. A warm fuzzy feeling inside. Discovering different perspectives, different issues and interesting little programming challenges. Learning to be a better "teacher".

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

I improved my programming skills, and that counts for something.

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

To some extent, yes. There are certainly plenty of members who I respect a lot and enjoy having exchanges with. Then there are a few Daniweb members with which I have conversed in PMs to some extent. And finally, a couple of people have become online friends (or acquaintances, rather) outside of Daniweb (through emails, LinkedIn, etc.).

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

Sort of. I'm a PhD student, so I don't really do commercial business, but rather academic research. If that qualifies as my "business", then yes, and I have done business with people I met on Daniweb. In one case, I cooperated with another PhD student (met through Daniweb) to improve my own library, allowing him to use it in his research, and we've had a few good back-and-forths that helped both of us in our respective research / library. In another case, I did an informal code review for an astrodynamics library being developed by a group of graduate researchers (between a few Universities and the European Space Agency), which led me to co-author with them a scientific publication about the software architecture I helped re-fashion. I have also been sporadically getting emails from people (many of which I suspect come from Daniweb) giving me their CV and asking for an internship (which never materialized since I'm not really in a position to be contracting internships, but I guess that's a form of "business" interaction).

I come to Daniweb because it is a useful resource, although I might not post frequently.

It is a huge collection of information and many knowledgeable members so, when I need help coding or something, looking for it on Daniweb is a good place to start. If I cannot find it, then I post a question. However, I do wish the search functionality on Daniweb was much better. I am accustomed to forums that use vBulletin, and having the ability to search by user name, date, topic, etc. really helps to narrow down search results. On smaller forums, I might be able to remember who posted what when and track down a topic or code snippet. However, Daniweb outgrew being a small forum a long time ago. There is a lot of good information here; it just has to be managed better and made easier to find.

What makes me post?
A topic on which I can add something.
A topic that interests me (but is not just a spam post that stuffs the title with every possible buzzword the poster can think of).
Indication that the OP is a genuine human being, who doesn't just make short posts using Internet acronyms all over the place.

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

Yes, I am learning both C++ and Python together and have found Daniweb to be a good searchable reference. The administrators/moderators are brilliant in their area of expertise.

What value do you get from helping people?

It's rewarding to work with a person and together finding a solution to a problem they have. It satisfies two human needs, that sense of achievement, and that feel-good factor that only comes with giving of your time. In addition to this it hones your skills, making you think intuitively where necessary. Some think that intuition is just a 'gut feeling', but it's more than that. When a problem requires that we combine (or overlap) several different fields of experience or transferable skills, that's intuition. There are not many jobs that require intuition, but these forums are ideal for it if we are willing to share.

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

I've never heard of a free forum being interested in this. This kind of interest in members must be unique to Daniweb, if not extremely rare. It may help me, depending on what direction my next venture may take me.

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

I've not been here long enough to either make or be an online friend in the truest sense of the word. Not that you need to hear this from me, but you have a really nice team here. When you have a nice team this in turn engenders a niceness in forum members and visitors. There is a good variety of very friendly individuals. I like it here.

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

Well, if Michael and happygeek send me a cheque for £1,000,000 each, I'll buy an Apple. Does that sound like a good business deal? :)

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

I was when I first joined DaniWeb (back in the days of my knowing VB.Net), however nowadays I seem to answer more questions than I ask :)

What value do you get from helping people?

It is a satisfying feeling to help others and allow them to continue after overcoming their issue. It was even nicer to be recognised further becoming a featured poster.

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

I suppose the knowledge gained from helping others has definately improved my technical knowledge and so from that aspect my career has improved.

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

There are definately the regular posters who you get to know more than anyone else who doesn't post as much.

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

Can't say I have.

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

At first I was here to get answers to questions. As I got more comfortable with DaniWeb I started "putting back in" by answering questions. Now I'd guess I run about 99% answering and 1% asking. I'm not saying that all the questions and answers are gold but I do try to get more hits than misses ;-)

What value do you get from helping people?

One thing (among many) that really annoyed me at work was information hoarders. A number of people felt that by not sharing their knowledge it made them more valuable. I've always been the opposite. I've always been willing to share what I knew. I felt that being a resource for others made me more valuable. This turned out to be a good career move because for the first few years I was the only person in all the computer groups who was doing scripting (mostly vbScript but also some ReXX). It turns out that there are many situations where scripts are much preferred over compiled code.

I've always been interested in how things work. I find that I am answering the same simple questions again and again. This can get a little tedious, but I recall when I was at the same level as some of these posters and needed a little help. Every so often though, someone asks an interesting question that requires a little research and a little playing around. I like these questions because it gives me a reason to expand my knowledge.

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

I didn't find DaniWeb until the end of my (paid) career so the answer is no. But it has helped forward my post-retirement education.

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

I'm not sure what an "online friend" is so I would have to answer no. I don't get a feel for people by just interacting with them online (one of the drawbacks or benefits of growing up in the pre-internet age). I need actual "face" time in order to get to the friend level. However, even though I don't consider my DaniWeb contacts as friends in the true sense, I do appreciate the interaction and the communication. I find the experience very rewarding. So I guess I would have to answer "yes" to just the "quality" part of the question.

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

No.

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

Yes. I've only been a member for a month, but the answer I needed at the time was here.

What value do you get from helping people?

I still need help myself, just trying to balance the equation.

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

Not yet. :)

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

Not yet, I'm still "The FNG" and building rep, hopefully without stepping on any toes...

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

Not yet, I have picked up business from forum postings in the past however, so it does happen.

WHY do you post on DaniWeb

I've been here for six years and I'm a creature of habit.

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

Sometimes. I used to post more threads in the past, but now I tend to contribute more.

What value do you get from helping people?

That nice warm glow. As a teacher, that's my job - and I love my job.

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

Learning from experts and your mistakes can only improve your skillset. I have a small payed responsibility for the admin section for our staff. The site could not have been built without the input of many contributors on many forums.

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

I don't do 'social' as a rule, so probably not 'friends', but I enjoy the lively banter on the Community forums.

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

No (not yet). As I'm not a professional, just a hobbyist, I'm not really in a position to do so. I've been approached by a number of users via PM to undertake work, but having a full time non-iT job means I don't have the resources. Something to think about on rainy days, when I have about 100 books to mark though!

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

Not often. Everything you need is online somewhere and my current topic is not used on this forum.

What value do you get from helping people?

Trying to keep my PHP and Delphi skills alive. I know how hard it can be to start with something new.

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

No.

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

I don't have contact outside of DW with any.

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

No.

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

To date I've always been able to find my own answers in other ways. I'll usually start with reading the manual, then a web search, then asking coworkers, then calling support if that's relevant, and experimentation or reverse engineering as a last resort. I would lump the answers I might get by starting a thread here as being included in the web search since the chances of asking a truly unique question are vanishingly small. So asking questions on Daniweb doesn't strike me as likely to be more effective than my current algorithm for solving a problem.

What value do you get from helping people?

I've learned a lot by teaching. Probably one of the best ways to solidify one's own knowledge is teaching it to others because that makes your misunderstandings and gaps all the more apparent.

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

I've gotten jobs from employers who were impressed by my posts here, so that's a big yes.

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

I'd like to think that a few of you see me as a friend by now. ;)

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

Well, given that the business I've done has been with you, Dani, I can't exactly say no. ;)

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

Yes, most of the times I wonder if what I had in mind would be the best solution or answer for mine and other's problems

What value do you get from helping people?

I learn along the way as I help people

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

It helped me broaden my mind for my education

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

Daniweb has a lot of respectable members I look up to which I always enjoy reading their posts and learning from them

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

Not yet though I'm planning to if I ever get a lot of free time

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

I first came to DaniWeb trying to get answers. Then for a long time I almost exclusively contributed. I recently started doing Android development at the behest of my boss (damn his eyes!) so I'm once again looking for answers. Fortunately, almost all my questions have already been dealt with.

What value do you get from helping people?

As mentioned by other posters, it's the warm fuzzy feeling. Of course, I also get a kick out of trying to solve a problem I've never seen before. You've heard of adrenaline junkies? I guess I'm a "unsolvable problem" junkie.

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

Not yet, no.

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

Not really, not directly. I have great respect for many of the members, but haven't really established personal relationships with them.

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

No, but if someone wants to throw some money at me, I'll be happy to start. :-)

I feel daniweb is only IT forum getting new post every five minute (I assume). No other forum yet I have seen so active. People says man learn from experince, but here you can learn from others precious experience too without paying single penny.

1) I am here to update myself and to learn best practises.
2) I feel I save their precious time when deadlines are close.
3) Yes, I learned so much that I have never learned in a class.
4) Not much
5) Yes

I also get a kick out of trying to solve a problem

Before retiring, my favourite thing was when a user would come to me and say "IT said they couldn't do this but I really need...". And then I would proceed to find a way to do it. Sometimes it wasn't pretty but the users were always happy.

Are you trying to get answers to your own questions?

Not generally. I beleive that I've only started 5 articles this past year. I generally like to read technical books to at least get exposed to the concepts. in the case of forums, questions asked by others, interest me so I do learn from them.

What value do you get from helping people?

Everyone does things for a reason. One of the things I do is teach. I've been teaching part-time for over ten years now and I'd like to say that I enjoy helping others learn. However, when I think about it, my reason for helping others is simply to help myself. There are a lot of scenarios, issues, questions that you cant get from a book or in a limited classroom/lab environment. When you help students, members on a forum, you are exposing yourself to their experiences.

Has DaniWeb helped you forward your career?

Indirectly. The more I learn, the better chance of moving ahead.

Have DaniWeb community members evolved into quality online friends?

Not really. Although, I would go out of my way to help some of the regulars on this site that I have shared ideas with during this past year if they needed help and I had the ability to provide that help.

Have you ever done business with people you met on DaniWeb?

No. I use this forum as well as some others that I participate in as a tool to help others and myself.

Think outside the box... some of my best real life solutions have been pretty ugly, but still working 10 years later - although with one or two features that were not part of the initial design requirements! :)