Owl's blog: "Life as a Freakonature"

I chalk a lot of the messages I get to having an orange name. That comes with the territory. The nature of the internet, and by virtue of which, the nature of being on a social networking site, assumes that most, if not all, of the users are literate in English -- that is, able to read and write in the English language. In addition to the stock messages you can set as your status ("Online," "Stuffing my face," etc.), members may set their own custom ones after attaining level 2. I use this feature a lot to let the membership know what I'm doing, if I'm available, and why I may not be responding immediately. Why, then, do I still get shoutbox messages demanding immediate response? Remember my blog from last August? "Passed Out" () is understood to mean "Asleep." Sometimes, instead of Passed Out, I use a custom message like "I'm asleep" or something that I understand to be a bit clearer. Unfortunately, this appears to some members as "I'm HERE! Send me all of your questions that you couldn't go to the Support Lounge or read the fubar Bible to get answered!" I say this because it seems like I get more shoutbox messages about the Fu when I'm not at my computer than when I am. On the help page, members are encouraged to shout at a bouncer if they need help, usually after attempting to find it in the support lounge. They are also advised, "Make sure the bouncer you are shouting is online." I'm convinced that, despite the fourth-grade reading level this language is written in, many people fail to read this bit of information (yet can skip to the point where they're shouting bouncers). I have attempted to call this fact to the attention of some members who have pelted me with bible/FAQ questions. I've tried to be diplomatic about it: "Sorry to take so long to respond, as I was at the doctor's office (see status message)..." And, thankfully, one or two have acknowledged it ("OH! I didn't read that properly... Sorry"). The sad fact is that the other 98% of the people I say this to would brush it off -- or get offended ("If you didn't want to be bothered, you should have just resigned"). One old-school internet meme was "RTFM," which is short for "Read the Fubar Manual" (well, the 'F' doesn't actually stand for "Fubar," but you get the point). I wish more people would. It means shorter wait times when trying to find the answer to a question. It means we don't have people going around saying we ignore members when the reality is that we're actually off doing something else with our lives at the present moment. I don't mind answering shouts... but please, make sure I'm here first.