# Should we say "thank you" to people answering our questions?



## Albert Schlef

I sometimes ask questions in the "English" forum. I get very good answers. I often want to reply with a little "Thank you" note, but I'm hesitating: there's large traffic in the "English" forum and my "Thank you" note may be regarded as adding noise to an already noisy forum. The answerers, who seem like busy people with all the questions there are, will have the thread re-appearing on their "Subscribed Threads" list and they too may not appreciate this.

 So, I'm wondering: what's the correct thing to do? What's the etiquette? Should we or shouldn't we post a "Thanks you"?


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## Egmont

Most posters in the English Only forum (I assume that's the one you mean, there are also several about English and another language) thank people who replied to their questions. 

If a poster asks a follow-up question, that post almost always includes thanks to those who answered the previous question (if they weren't thanked earlier).

Some posters thank each person who replied in a separate post. I think that's going too far. If several people reply to your question, and you want to thank them, thank them all in one post.


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## rusita preciosa

Egmont said:


> Some posters thank each person who replied in a separate post. I think that's going too far. If several people reply to your question, and you want to thank them, thank them all in one post.


Some people sincerely thank every single responder, but some use "thank you" to bump their threads, that is annoying.


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## Egmont

A thank-you note could be used that way, but most thank-you notes come soon after the replies. Their bumping effect is minimal.


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## Paulfromitaly

I find a missing "Please" in the OP's first post far more impolite than a missing "thank you" reply which is, anyway, always welcome.
A long sequence of "thank you" in response to each single answer the OP has received borders on overkindness/cloyingness.
When I notice that one of my questions is getting a lot of answers I usually post a "Thank you everyone" note at the end of the thread.


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## Loob

I think generalised thank-you posts are nice, for two reasons:
(1) it's polite to say thank you when people have helped
(2) it lets people who've responded know that the questioner has seen their comments. 

I always feel a bit 'flat' if I've given an answer and the original poster doesn't respond.  It's not, particularly, that I want a thank you - but it _is_ nice to know that the original poster has read the messages and (hopefully!) found them helpful.  

So ... yes, Albert: *do* go with your instincts and say "Thank you"!.


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## Myridon

I don't dislike "thank yous" but sometimes I wish I didn't have to open a thread all the way up and scroll down to the end to find that the only new message is "thank you" particularly if it's not to me.  (Even worse are posts that just say "Me, too." or "I agree.")  The original poster should be able to click a button that makes the post show up with a smiley face on the list page. 
Sorry if I sound curmudgeonly.


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## merquiades

I always say "thanks in advance" when I open a thread, that covers it.  But I still quite often, but not routinely, follow up with a thank you after the threads have been answered.  I find it annoying when someone asks a question, does not say thank you, before or after, and then you never hear from him again, so you really don't even know if (s)he has even seen the responses.


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## bearded

I, too, like merquiades, solve the problem by writing ''thanks in advance'' in the initial question. But when a reply is particularly exhausting or interesting, then I again thank the one(s) who has(have) answered.


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## service1077

Yes,of cource


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## Philippa

bearded man said:


> I, too, like merquiades, solve the problem by writing ''thanks in advance'' in the initial question. But when a reply is particularly exhausting or interesting, then I again thank the one(s) who has(have) answered.


Hi!
I agree with this apart from your exhausting, which has made me smile! I think you mean exhaust*ive*! 
Saludos
Philippa


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## bearded

Yes exhaustive, sorry for silly mistake.
Saludos
BM


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