Why would someone find these links (see the screenshot) helpful when trying to contact SE? i.sstatic.net/lRqQcU9F.png

I'd assume people get confused, especially since facebook.stackoverflow.com was a thing, and ask random support questions to SO/SE support

@M-- Probably a case of any sort of «contact us» getting input from clueless people that don’t exactly understand how the Internet works.

@AndreascondemnsIsrael sounds patronizing

@M-- Maybe I'm no expert with words.

@M-- TBF, I've been on the internet a long time, and I sometimes don't get how it works

but I'd say/suspect those sorts of tickets was/is enough of a burden that adding those links adds value

@JourneymanGeek Spoiler: it doesn't work.

@AndreascondemnsIsrael ah, that's where I am going wrong

@JourneymanGeek Hey! You can't walk all over the Internet. No wonder you mess up if you try walking around on it.

Ah, but I can't drive!

Try a helicopter.

@M-- you have no idea.

you have no idea.

The sheer number of Facebook account lockout emails we get from people is staggering.

Usually from people who are seriously desperate to get back into their accounts (some hacked, some lost). And many of them volunteer information we neither want to handle nor have any reason to handle. It's definitely an "I'm stuck and I don't know where else to go. Can anyone help me?" thing too, for a lot of people.

I tried getting in contact with Instagram to help a family member getting harassed by another person, over multiple accounts. In the end, I gave up. Damn platform should be illegal simply on the basis of their customer support.

I mean that's a legitimate part of it, too. Often they're people who've tried going through official channels.

There are no official channels. That's the worst of it.

Yeah

Depends on the service but generally yeah, often no good way to get personalized support

OK, it seems I am the one patronizing hopeless people :)

@M-- warnings are usually written in blood or sweat :D (and that's practically a "no I can't fix your computer" warning)

@Slate I mean, we get them on meta, cause some idjit decided to go all in on the metaverse and renamed his company all over it :D

But there's a good business opportunity in all this.

Be cynical, and charge these lost souls money for the best help you can offer! :D Yay!

ooh, so basically run a pay by the hour side support business?

then feed that back into the appropriate QA site once done?

Certainly!

I mean, that feels like an almost sustainable business model

Certainly!

@BuckThorn why what's going on there

@M-- for people that call 911 and ask for the number for the police.

@JourneymanGeek go get some sleep young man, the internet will be back here when you wake up

@M.A.R. What's your username?

If it's a bad thing "Journeyman Geek"

In italic too. It's important. Don't forget about the italic.

Thanks, I'll remember to ping you about all the bad things, @Journeyman Geek.

Like if you check out the local newspaper and feel unsafe because crime rate is going up in the north pole and just wanna let off some steam, @JourneymanGeek is here for you.

Why are you pinging yourself; that's weird.

@AndreascondemnsIsrael Yes it is

@Sha said referring to yourself in third person is cool.

@JourneymanGeek who would ever do that I wonder!

@JourneymanGeek be buried, my uncool dissociated identity!

Ignore him, he's a bit of a geek.

Yawn

@AndreascondemnsIsrael this is gaslighting, plain and simple.

@JourneymanGeek is very cool when he refers to himself in the 3rd person!

@M.A.R. This is a message, plain and simple.

No it isn't. This is plain.

This last outdoor toilet trip really kept me awake for an extra two hours.

Good night again.

(out of flags)

hm fun

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@ShadowWizard yay!

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Whoa.

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@SmokeDetector f

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@AndreascondemnsIsrael was it that good?

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@SmokeDetector k

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@SmokeDetector k

@M.A.R. hmm? Where?

But I can, we are royal. We are Wizard!

@ShadowWizard "we"? :D

Oh, some English shenanigans.

I lost some context...

@PetəíŕdtheWizard ah, no this time I did refer to myself in third person on purpose. :D

hands context to @Sha

@PM2Ring actually that's exactly the bread I bought! ;)

I do like it, but it has tons of sugar so probably won't buy it often.

@ShadowWizard how much did it cost? ;)

@PetəíŕdtheWizard it says clearly on it: 500 gold.

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Well... I don't think Riga is in Russia. ;)

@M.A.R. Quite horrible.

@VLAZ LOL

@PetəíŕdtheWizard 13NIS which are 3.61 United States Dollar which are 376.93 Russian Ruble

This is rather typical price here for "special" breads, it can reach 20 NIS, and "plain" bread costs 10 NIS, and bit bigger. (750g)

@AndreascondemnsIsrael close enough... ;)

@ShadowWizard Ukrainians would like to have a word with you. ;)

@AndreascondemnsIsrael ah, but Latvia and Russia are friends, I did check that before calling the bread "Russian". ;)

Dunno "Latvian" just sounds less... familiar.

@AndreascondemnsIsrael Correct. There's a lot of Contact form messages that are just asking for help/support with whatever site/app/technology the person is having issues with.

@ShadowWizard I don't know, one is a NATO member, the other is a NATO hater, one supports Ukraine, the other one decimates Ukraine, one suffered the oppression of the other for the majority of the last century, the other wants to do it again.

@V2Blast Thus, we build a business! :D

I mean, not me, but that's another concern.

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