Do you check previous discussions before you start one of your own?
By DCLehnsherr
@DCLehnsherr (1037)
September 4, 2009 10:06am CST
Hi mylot,
I have been wondering about this 
:
When I first joined I read the Do's and Don't of mylot and it is mentioned on that page that you should check previous discussions before starting new one's in order to avoid repetition. I take things literally when I read them (though less so now than before I went to university) and so I started to do just that. Before each of my discussions I will type keywords into the search feature and see what happens. If nothing comes up that is what I was about to ask then I will create mine. (I would also create if things were a few years out of date...though I wonder about the validity of that idea now!) I tend to check the last few pages of the interest page where I am going to be adding my discussion as well to make sure there isn't an identical topic directly below mine (though after I start typing I don't check again so it is feasible that one day I will do this and someone will beat me to the punch and we have two identical topics by accident, I shall hope not though lol!)
So yep, my question to you is this: Do you check previous discussions before you add your own? And if you do how do you go about checking them? And if you don't, why don't you?
Many thanks for the responses and all the best 
Dranz 
:
When I first joined I read the Do's and Don't of mylot and it is mentioned on that page that you should check previous discussions before starting new one's in order to avoid repetition. I take things literally when I read them (though less so now than before I went to university) and so I started to do just that. Before each of my discussions I will type keywords into the search feature and see what happens. If nothing comes up that is what I was about to ask then I will create mine. (I would also create if things were a few years out of date...though I wonder about the validity of that idea now!) I tend to check the last few pages of the interest page where I am going to be adding my discussion as well to make sure there isn't an identical topic directly below mine (though after I start typing I don't check again so it is feasible that one day I will do this and someone will beat me to the punch and we have two identical topics by accident, I shall hope not though lol!)
So yep, my question to you is this: Do you check previous discussions before you add your own? And if you do how do you go about checking them? And if you don't, why don't you?
Many thanks for the responses and all the best
Dranz 3 people like this
12 responses
@justbeingtiffany (1156)
• United States
4 Sep 09
of course i check other discussions before i start my own because these days the only reason i start a discussion is because i really want to know the answer to something. and sometimes it would be easier just to type in the question i have up above to see if someone has already ask it. because it will save me time so i don't have to wait for someone to answer my questions and then it will save me time also so i don't have to write all the information out for people to help me better. wow i really don't use alot of periods. anyway i check previous discussions i rather long on and comment someone before i right my own.
@DCLehnsherr (1037)
•
17 Sep 09
Hi Tiffany,
Wow you have a really unique way of doing this. I did consider at one stage searching past discussions to get the answers from people, but I changed it because I wanted to see if things had changed...or probably (sadly) because I liked the idea of having it myself so I could keep track of it easier. I definitely don't start ones identical to another person if I come across that when I search, but now I will think about doing it your way too. Replying to similar ones if they appear instead of just starting a new one, unless I think it is relevant for the current times, like helping new members .
Many thanks for the response, sorry it took so long to comment 
Dranz
.
Many thanks for the response, sorry it took so long to comment
Dranz 
@neelianoscet (9615)
• Philippines
4 Sep 09
I frequently do and I also uses the Mylot search bar to check a certain topics if other lotters have already done before then makes the title different from previous discussion to prevent plagiarism. But, I observe a lot of user here almost copies other references with discussion in full content but just provide the link. I do not really know if they could be liable for plagiarism as other even copies the whole articles/news where they like their discussion to begin. I have read a lot with all links even in their responses and comments..
1 person likes this
@DCLehnsherr (1037)
•
17 Sep 09
Hi Neelianoscet,
I don't think I would ever want to copy an article and add it to mylot, I would be too worried about being told off my the admins lol. I don't even like using pictures I get from search engines 
. Too paranoid!
I have done the title changing thing, I like to make sure mine haven't copied directly from another person either, both because I don't to offend that member, and also because of the admins again lol!
Many thanks for your response, sorry it took so long to comment
Dranz
. Too paranoid!
I have done the title changing thing, I like to make sure mine haven't copied directly from another person either, both because I don't to offend that member, and also because of the admins again lol!
Many thanks for your response, sorry it took so long to comment
Dranz 
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Sep 09
Oh heck no. For one thing the search feature isn't the best here, no guarantee that you're going to find what you're looking for. Most of the time mine manage to be unique enough that I wouldn't have needed to anyway.
@kalrocking (413)
• India
4 Sep 09
No i dont it takes lots of time to go and check your discussions
i am here not to waste much time but only to make some money in my spare time
so that i will be able to earn few cents for my college stuff
and buying my webhosting services.
Mos of the time i remember the discussions i have previously started so no
point in scrolling through previous discussions
@DCLehnsherr (1037)
•
16 Sep 09
Hi Kalrocking,
Wow you sound to have a really good reason being here. I am probably going to use this money to the future since I really want to move out...though I doubt I will earn enough to buy a house lol!
I am definitely envious of your ability to remember your discussions, I tend to have a list of ones I wanted to do, and the ones I have started have ticks through them so I can keep track lol!
Many thanks for sharing, sorry it took so long to reply .
Dranz
.
Dranz 
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
4 Sep 09
Hello, Dranz. I don't search, as I tend to put up either discussions with a personal angle, like the problems with my camper, or I comment on current things, like 'Wuthering Heights,' or I come up with something weird that even if someone else thought of it first, they probably wouldn't make a duplicate discussion unless they actually copied mine. Some of the things in the new interest I created fall into that category.
I think the point of searching is just to stop duplicate discussions, but, as has been pointed out, the search feature isn't that good anyway.
@DCLehnsherr (1037)
•
17 Sep 09
Hi Sandra,
Sorry it has taken so long to comment
I tend to imagine that even if I think of something unique, I am probably the second to do lol! So I search anyway, though after hearing about how naff the search function is I might not bother from now lol. They need to sort that out sometime!
I like the idea of weird topics though, I will have to have a look in your discussions and see if I can spot those. Weird is something I could probably do in the future lol!
Many thanks for the response,
Dranz
I tend to imagine that even if I think of something unique, I am probably the second to do lol! So I search anyway, though after hearing about how naff the search function is I might not bother from now lol. They need to sort that out sometime!
I like the idea of weird topics though, I will have to have a look in your discussions and see if I can spot those. Weird is something I could probably do in the future lol!
Many thanks for the response,
Dranz 
@akuler (3531)
• Malaysia
4 Sep 09
Hi DCLehnsherr,
Usually I did not do search when I post my discussion. Most of discussion that I start lately (I did not start many discussion though) are about event that just happen. And most of it about original football (not the one played by only one country). I post my Champion League groups stage draw just after the draw done. I am pretty sure no one has posted a discussion about it before.
At my early time here, I will look for the similar discussion using the search bar up there. And I only check a few pages before posting my discussion. We might talk about the same thing but in the different aspects or point of view.
@DCLehnsherr (1037)
•
16 Sep 09
Hi Akuler,
Ahhh, that would explain why I don't tend to see new discussions from you, I don't look in football sections lol!
Many thanks for sharing, sorry it took so long to comment
Dranz
Dranz
@deborahkat (519)
• Brazil
4 Sep 09
I didn´t start a big number of discussions here. Just when I really needed it to know other people´s opinions about some things to get a better idea. I normally also checked if that subject was discussed before. So yes, I do check previous discussions before start a new one, and this sometimes helps me a lot to get answers for what I need.
@pweety_princess (2012)
• Australia
5 Sep 09
I have to admit that I don't actually check if people have made the discussion before or not. It's been said from staff before that it's actually okay to repeat the discussion if it hasn't been on for a period of time. They didn't say how long though. If I see a discussion of course I won't go repeating it, but If I find an interesting discussion, I actually don't go and check it.
If I see a discussion of course I won't go repeating it, but If I find an interesting discussion, I actually don't go and check it. 
@crysontherocks77 (1273)
• United States
4 Sep 09
I generally find that most of the time my discussions aren't of repetiveness nature. I do find that some people on here tend to word things differently in order to make it there own discussion.
@LetranKnight25 (33121)
• Philippines
5 Sep 09
Yes, DCLehnsherr, i do check and research a topic before i can start one. how ever, after starting a discussion, I found in the relative discussion that a few made similar once after me.
. but it's okay, better to have made it first than just being the second...
@kitty42 (3923)
• United States
5 Sep 09
Hello my friend
I didn't know you can check before actually starting a discussions that really cool, I read something about this somewhere makes sense when you think of it, I guess this is something I will do when I start discussions, so many different discussions going on in here it really amazing I am sure their has been or even 3 post referring to the same topic so many people here how can this not happen, wonder what happens when people start the same discussion do you have any idea?
They may take one down,may not do anything who knows.
I didn't know you can check before actually starting a discussions that really cool, I read something about this somewhere makes sense when you think of it, I guess this is something I will do when I start discussions, so many different discussions going on in here it really amazing I am sure their has been or even 3 post referring to the same topic so many people here how can this not happen, wonder what happens when people start the same discussion do you have any idea?
They may take one down,may not do anything who knows.
@Baluyadav (3643)
• India
4 Sep 09
Hi friend,whatever the discussions i start are totally recorded in my mind.So i never go back to check my previous discussion.Of course now there may be few discussions but it is the same answer if i pose more discussions later also.
@DCLehnsherr (1037)
•
16 Sep 09
Hi Baluyadav,
Wow I need your memory, I keep looking back at my discussions and I swear I don't remember doing half of them lol. It tends to be the new ones that I keep in my head as I tend to end up trying to make them into a more mylot friendly form, so they get etched in my head till I add them!
Many thanks for sharing, sorry it took so long to reply .
Dranz
.
Dranz 