New-ish to Audiogon Forums... Is it always like this?


I have been trying to be more involved in the forums over the last couple weeks, and I'm noticing a trend already. It seems that when someone asks for a recommendation for a piece of equipment, they provide little to no room/system context. In a couple threads, I've asked the OP to provide more information, such as system information, preferences, requirements, and the like, and ended not getting much more information. The thread ends up being a running list of members' favorite gear, whether it really helps the OP or not. Is this the norm? If so, I'll probably stop trying to be more involved.
128x128daveman2
It takes little to trigger bloviating gasbags into exposing their insecurities with the unhinged self promotion of personal absolutes, but if you hang with any site that's open to the public you're always going to risk exposure to that sort of thing...develop a salve that thickens your skin.
I find the same thing with other things besides audio. I'm a photographer - how many times have I been asked 'What's the best camera?' without having any idea of what they're going to use it for. I can never answer a question like that; all I can do is tell of my own experiences.... 
Having asked quite a few of them, now I consider inane or unanswerable questions to be potential entryways into a dialogue that has a good chance to transform into something useful to both parties. On the receiving end of the help, the gain is obvious, but the opportunity to practice patience and pass on hard-earned experience and knowledge is also rewarding. Why else are we trying to help each other on here? My assumption is that some question askers are naive, or ignorant, or maybe not he brightest bulb in life's light fixture. So? A question can be a starting point in any case, and kindness is where it's at.
It's hard to see how anyone could argue with this perspective, but ironically--given the OP's concerns--maybe they will. And perhaps the tone of this will be objectionable to me. I know the risks. I'm posting anyway.