Last month I’ve been receiving two IM a day asking for help…
It’s annoying and I can’t help by IM. People should start a new thread here in forums.
I’ve blocked - at least temporary - any IM because if I don’t do that I need to apologize for I’m not giving help.
Alwil is who lose with this…
We have asked a lot of times that user with less than 10 posts - for instance - don’t be allowed to send IM.
So, sorry, no IM for me anymore (at least for a while).
I receive a similar requests though not the numbers Tech mentions, but enough to have typed a pre-prepared script (which I modify to suit) on the reasons why this isn’t good for either party.
I'm sorry I can only offer help through the avast! Forums not on an individual basis by PM. I have a limited amount of time I can devote to helping other avast! users and the most efficient way is through the forums: 1. There are others who can also help so you aren't waiting for one person to help. 2. The question (and answer) may well be one that others will benefit from and this won't happen using the PM function. 3. Problems and answers are often detailed or complex, by PM it is hard to keep track (especially if more than one persons problem/s are being dealt with with by PM), with the forums everything is kept together in the thread for easier reference and that is the reason for the forums. 4. You also try the forums search function as this may been covered before.I hope you understand why this has to be so, please start a new topic in the relevant forum, paste the contents of this PM into the new topic and give it a meaningful Title, e.g. what the problem is.
Despite this, very recently I received a very irate reply to this not helping by forum IM/PM, who will remain nameless, to my mind another very good reason to keep it public in the forums.
Many/most of the of those requesting help think that we are employees and not volunteers with limited time to devote. I would agree that there should be a limitation (10 or 20) and not just one that means the sender has to enter a text string to prove they aren’t a spam-bot trying to abuse the IM system.
This shouldn’t effect users as there on ‘the forums’ to request help and the more people that can see that request for help the quicker they are likely to get it, but by IM only one person see that request.
I do the same and use the same script you’ve sent me a long time ago.
I just tired, the frequency is abnormal high. The user does not know how forum works and it’s a pity that the board allows it (policy) with zero posts… I wish they change this.
It’s a pity. People reacting this way shows a lot of how they consider helping here…
Fully agree.
Hope Pavel does something regarding to this.
Last month I've been receiving two IM a day asking for help... It's annoying and I can't help by IM. People should start a new thread here in forums. I've blocked - at least temporary - any IM because if I don't do that I need to apologize for I'm not giving help. Alwil is who lose with this...
i understand your viewpoint tech and i was no help at all sending you some pm’s asking for your help on certain computer matters and such and i appreciate your help and time…later my friend 
I’m not talking about IM between us… I can help you and other avast users this way.
What I can’t do is ask a lot of ‘first’ questions here in forums from users that haven’t even used the forum, just the IM.
I also get these IMs from time to time :-[ Personally I rarely use the IM featue of the board or any Im client :o
Sometimes this happens to me on the Comodo forums, but usually only with users who have been around and posted a lot (a couple hundred posts…) so then I don’t mind of course 
I’ve removed IM posting right from newbies (under 20 posts).
tech my friend…are you blocking my pm’s for a reason or just cause of the im problem-just curious and wondering why : ???
Thanks Kubecj. Very appreciated.
I have to block ‘all’ IM, not just yours.
After Kubecj’s solution, I’ll release them again.
I have to block 'all' IM, not just yours. After Pavel's solution, I'll release them again.understand completley tech-have a good one my friend :)
Thank you for the prompt response, I’m sure that will ease/eliminate Tech’s and others problem.
guys come on…they are newbies cut them some slack na…they dont know how the forum works …i i remember right i was all panicked when i came to this forum and i think i IM u DavidR ;D
Panic = open a new thread and NOT Panic = IM. That’s my help equation 8)
In order to find an IM they would have first have to have found a forum and from a list of topics clicked on one before seeing responses by Tech or others. Then an only then would they have seen the IM link/icon, so they will have seen the way questions are submitted and answered.
So there really shouldn’t be a need to IM and when they do frequently they have never posted on the forums and you can guess who they are going to direct their IM’s to, so the higher you post count it seems proportionate to the requests for help ‘directly’ via IM.
So the same slack needs to be cut for those devoting their time ‘through the forum topics’ not IM, so they can continue to help through the forums.
I use a text similar to David’s and advise PM’s from strangers (New Users) to post on the forum.
That way every one gets the benefit of the final solution and the person asking the question gets the
benefit of the combined knowledge of all the forum members.
PM’s are for private messages not for general questions.
I agree … we are here to help eveyone and not just a few. So, please new forum users, start a new topic so that all of us on the forum can benefit.
There have now been changes to the PM permissions, http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=29455.msg242333#msg242333, where new members can’t use the PM function until they have 20 posts on the forums, so new forum members no longer have that function.
It’s a great recent change which most of us should be happy about.
That still doesn’t change the fact that in most cases, PM’s aren’t the place to ask or answer general questions.
Utilizing the PM function for that task deprives all of us of the ability to learn something new.
Yes but hopefully during that 20 post wait they will learn not to ask for help by sending a pm.