Opinion or Expert Comment

pandas

pandas

Joined
Nov 17, 2012
Posts
2,063
Likes collected
2,768
Location
WEST SUSSEX
Funster No
23,714
MH
HYMER B SL 674
Exp
SINCE 2005
it is clear to me on a recent post regarding over weight motorhomes related to insurance claims there are some comments posted that might be read as a professional viewpoint when in fact they are an ‘opinion’ of an individual. Nothing wrong at all with opinions except if others are led astray with incorrect information.
Is there a way for Funsters to understand how credible from a professional viewpoint some posts are. Not sure how this could be achieved but just a thought. Any views?
 
Unfortunately, most forums have folk that confuse their opinions with fact and vice versa.

Not a lot you can do about it.
 
It’s an inherent problem with all fora.

Only if you know about a topic can you differentiate between fact and opinion.

The problem is that lots of people are very happy to proffer an opinion and those that lack knowledge can be swayed by the sheer number of respondents who offer their version of ‘the truth’ when, in fact, the truth is offered by perhaps only a couple of knowledgeable respondents.

So, in short, no I don’t believe that there is any way to identify those who are able to offer factual advice over the masses who are only able to offer their opinion (which they believe to be the truth).

Reverse polarity is a case in point - 100’s, nay 1000’s of folks pointlessly carry crossover leads.

Ian
 
bigtwin said:
Reverse polarity is a case in point - 100’s, nay 1000’s of folks pointlessly carry crossover leads.
Click to expand...
What's a crossover lead & why is it pointless?
















:reel:

:whistle2:

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
a crossover lead that is pointless is a lead that crosses over and is not sharp in my legal opinion
 
MisterB said:
a crossover lead that is pointless is a lead that crosses over and is not sharp in my legal opinion
Click to expand...
M'learned friend is talking through his wig. There are two types of crossover lead. Some have devices called 'points' that switch the track of the electric current from the live to neutral when controlled from a small inbuilt unit, usually known as a 'signal box'. Some have several sets of points, some have only one. The majority have none, and are therefore completely pointless.
 
autorouter said:
The majority have none, and are therefore completely pointless.
Click to expand...

And if the answer is completely pointless a person might win some money on a particular tv programme
 
We are surrounded by opinion presented as fact. So much so, that it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference. Some opinion is repeated so often that becomes 'fact'.
If something is important, verify it using another independent source.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Regarding varying opinions/facts about insurance and overloading I have recently spoken to 2 different insurance companies. 2 totally different answers and neither answered my question in such a way that I felt reassured or otherwise. My advice (not factual) listen to others, take on board what is said and then follow your instincts.
You like me will probably make the wrong choice but what the heck.
 
9DAA1971-0C8E-4C4D-A964-979721D2325C.jpeg
 
there are two types of idiots in this world, there are those that don't realise everyone thinks they are an idiot, those that think everyone else is an idiot and those that cant count

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
What I don't know I just make up, so I can have an opinion on everything.:D
 
But my real point is that it is great to have different viewpoints but sometimes you simply would like an authoritative viewpoint. Simply qualifying that your opinion is... or as an engineer in the sector.....
 
Opinion or expert comment?
Yes, now you taking being gassed for example........:eek::eek:
 
Anybody can claim to be be an expert or even have qualifications to suggest that they are BUT I would still rather take all opinions onboard and then make up my own mind rather than risk it all on one persons view as "experts" don't always get it right either.

Martin
 
If you're not sure about something, just check out that bastion of miss-information, YouTube. They'll not only feed you a crock of lies, they'll actually demonstrate the lie to you !
It takes some serious sifting through to find the truth.
As they say "a little knowledge is dangerous".

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
pandas said:
it is clear to me on a recent post regarding over weight motorhomes related to insurance claims there are some comments posted that might be read as a professional viewpoint when in fact they are an ‘opinion’ of an individual. Nothing wrong at all with opinions except if others are led astray with incorrect information.
Is there a way for Funsters to understand how credible from a professional viewpoint some posts are. Not sure how this could be achieved but just a thought. Any views?
Click to expand...

If I needed really accurate advice on something of importance I would consult a qualified person. It is interesting to see totally incorrrct advice/ opinions sometimes given on forums but foolhardy to believe or accept any of them. However, many contributors do have a wealth of information which is accurate and very useful. I suppose it’s like asking a question in the pub. You will get lots of answers, some good, some excruciatingly bad. The trick is to identify the persons who really know what they are talking about. If a forum is frequented regularly one does get to know the people to take notice of as well as those best ignored.
 
Last edited:
jonegood said:
Some of the 'professional ' viewpoints can be a bit dubious IMHO:D


Jon
Click to expand...

Is that because you don’t have the knowledge to understand them? :whistle:

Ian
 
funflair said:
Anybody can claim to be be an expert or even have qualifications to suggest that they are BUT I would still rather take all opinions onboard and then make up my own mind rather than risk it all on one persons view as "experts" don't always get it right either.

Martin
Click to expand...

What’s your success ratio?

Ian
 
There has also been a case on here of someone who was thought to an "expert" copying pages of info off the net and pretending they wrote it!!!

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
It can be a bit feel a bit like the ask the audience lifeline on Who wants to be a millionaire. '\ But actually forums are a great way of getting to the right answer. You can prove me wrong of course and point to any thread from the gazzillions here where bad advice is given and not corrected by consensus by the end of the thread. But you wont.
 
Many decisions are trade-offs between benefits and disadvantages. The same expert would give different decisions depending on the customer's priorities. People put forward a solution that works for them. As a suggestion, its OK, but as a dogmatic edict to be followed by everyone it's bound to cause argument.

On the internet we get the benefit of long experience so we don't keep repeating the old mistakes. Like gold mining, 99% of it is rubbish, but 1% is pure gold.
 
Jim said:
It can be a bit feel a bit like the ask the audience lifeline on Who wants to be a millionaire. :D But actually forums are a great way of getting to the right answer. You can prove me wrong of course and point to any thread from the gazzillions here where bad advice is given and not corrected by consensus by the end of the thread. But you wont.
Click to expand...

Still doesn’t stop people from going to the trouble of carrying a reverse polarity crossover lead though.

An oft repeated phrase is “Better to be safe than sorry though” :doh:

Ian
 
autorouter said:
. Like gold mining, 99% of it is rubbish, but 1% is pure gold.
Click to expand...
Try telling that to the Hoffmans .... 100 tonnes mined producing 99 tonnes of tailings and 1 tonne of gold ... they would cut your arm off for a new dozer ....

seriously and back to the OP - I think the response has shown it wouldn't be practical or possible and even expert opinions vary (look at court cases for instance) rather than expert opinion, I would much rather prefer 'been there, done that and it worked/didn't work' advice and I think that's what you need to wade through before deciding whether the same path is one that fits your circumstances
 
I would never describe myself as an 'expert', but if I am using my training, knowledge and experience on giving advice I state why.

Other times when I am just surmising I say so.

Geoff

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top