Controversial Topic #3: Replies to "Newbs"

Originally Posted by shed'n my skin

OK I did post in c.t. # 2 that I was starting to feel weird about giving advice.
I was a newbie once, and have recieved great advice (even as a not so newbie) from the likes of Carol, Taceas, and many more.
I find it easy to see things from the point of view of someone new to the hobby that might not know how to search, asks a commonly asked question wanting to learn something and recieves these 'jeez why isn't there a sticky about this?' or 'just do a search' kind of response.
I agree the same old questions can be a drag but today's newbie is hopefully tomorrow's knowledgeable person that can take up the torch and pass what he has learned on to others. Otherwise this site could end up being just 3 or 4 old timers who have said and heard it all. Just don't reply to the newbies if they bug you I guess, but try to remember when you got your first corn and had questions somebody helped you... Otherwise this forum could end up looking like this...
Serpwidget - nice snake
Corncrazy - yep
Hurley - yep
Susan - yep
J/K of course but hopefully I've made my pont
Maybe there should be a tutorial 'how to post on CS' kind of etiquette thread when you first join informing you of the search function etc... just a thought.

I was a newb on this forum too, and in many ways I still am. My blabber-mouth-inflated post count doesn't confer upon me any special status. I've been here less than a year. But I never asked a substrate question, an incubation question, or a temp question. Why would I? The answers are already here! The "Serp/Terri/Connie/Susan" point just doesn't hold water. They're STILL here discussing INTERESTING points of this hobby. Despite the fact that they don't answer "poo" questions anymore, they are of no less value to me here. (And BTW, I did get your joke. )

Originally Posted by MohrSnakes

A+ there! Hijacking the threads to unrelated topics sometimes seems like a new members duty. I love it ( ) when my for sale ads are hijacked with statements like:

I saw you are selling an albino. Man, I wish we had albino corns in Mongolia. One time I saw one in a pet store. They are cool.

And then someone else takes it from there and my for sale ad has turned into a talk about albino corns!

Amen to that! I may be a newb, but hijacking someone else's thread should just be common sense - you don't do it!!

From a newbie point of view, I have found that the replies I have received from "senior" members have been informative and friendly. Maybe it is the way I post and/or maybe my questions aren't oft repeated ones?

I do attempt to use the search function to find my answers before posting questions, but sometimes the threads that come up don't necessarily relate to my question at all. Like if I use search for "partial shed", I might get a list that includes partial regurge, my snake in shed...etc etc... I might also get threads that are extremely long and sometimes paging through one after another after another doesn't produce the answer I am looking for. When that happens, I might post a question that has been posted before because I have been unable to find the answer I am looking for.

I always hope that other members might give me the benefit of the doubt that I have searched to no avail before posting a question...but maybe I should preference that at the beginning of a question post? Thoughts?

I didn't seriously mean to demean those 4 and I don't think they would have that 'king of the hill' conversation, just picked 4 people I know have been here for a long time.
The answers are already here, but maybe the newbies don't know this? That's why I suggested an introductory etiquette thread for the new members.
But then again I guess people who can't read faq's or search probably wouldn't read the introductory thread either
I still feel fresh points of view should be welcomed and embraced, and I hope others do as well. A little patience and understanding will keep people from just going elsewhere, imo.

I'd like to start by thanking Roy for starting this thread and offer another apology for the near hijacking of CT#2.
I think a etiquette thread would be great for new members, It would have, and still will, help me a lot. When I first joined, I posted questions without using the search. At the time, I didn't realize how vast the amount of info here was. I have never been treated poorly here, I've never even received a rude or terse reply. But I have seen it happen. Perhaps it's because I'm a teacher, but I firmly believe that a person who asks a question, wants to know the correct answer. There are probably thousands of corn owners out there who don't even care to look up information or ask questions. The new members here are here because they care. I wish they were viewed in that light instead of the common "newb that knows nothing" view. I don't want everyone to respond like "Hello love, here is all the info you need...my home phone is ###-####" Kindly direct them to the info they need (the first time someone posted a link to a thread about a question I asked, I thought it was the best thing ever, "A whole thread already finished, no waiting for a reply or anything") If you are bothered by new member posts don't participate, If a new member is rude, ignore them. But if you have the patience and experience, please help us out! There is a person at the other side of each post.

Originally Posted by ArpeggioAngel

I do attempt to use the search function to find my answers before posting questions,

It is good that you use the search function

Originally Posted by ArpeggioAngel

but sometimes the threads that come up don't necessarily relate to my question at all. Like if I use search for "partial shed", I might get a list that includes partial regurge, my snake in shed...etc etc... I might also get threads that are extremely long and sometimes paging through one after another after another doesn't produce the answer I am looking for.

Maybe i missunderstud your post but this just sounds like laziness to me.

So you don't want to dredge through multiple long post in a search if it could answer your question? You can't do multiple searches modifying your search paramiters? I am sure that I could find all the info I needed if i did a search on partial sheds. This is the type of attitude that has got allot of the "senior" members to ignore newbies posts.

Yes there are questions that have not been answered hundreds of times but those are not common questions and people who have been here awhile will recognize that.

Originally Posted by Billybobob

It is good that you use the search function



Maybe i missunderstud your post but this just sounds like laziness to me.

So you don't want to dredge through multiple long post in a search if it could answer your question? You can't do multiple searches modifying your search paramiters? I am sure that I could find all the info I needed if i did a search on partial sheds. This is the type of attitude that has got allot of the "senior" members to ignore newbies posts.

Yes there are questions that have not been answered hundreds of times but those are not common questions and people who have been here awhile will recognize that.

You do misunderstand. I do read the posts regardless of how long they are. I love to read so paging through them is no big deal to me personally. I might find some other tidbit of useful information along the way as well. What I was trying to say is that sometimes even in pages and pages of thread the answer I am looking for is not to be found. That is when I will normally post a question. Others may not be so determined to find their answer, or may be just lazy as you put it. Sometimes it can be a daunting task to find the specific info you are looking for you if put in search parameters and end up with 15 threads that "might" contain the answer you are looking for and each one of those threads is multiple pages. For some people that is a lot of heavy reading to do. If it is important to them, then yes, by all means they "should" read through all of it...but obviously some don't.

WOW, I am a newbie. I have asked at least one silly question (0.0.0) and got rather slammed for it. Yet I always do a search, some things don't come up on search(0.0.0.), I also google to see if I am spelling wrong any way to get an answer without asking on the forum, first.
I do think this forum at times is obsessed with "poop" and have thought about disguising a question with the title "todays poop" LOL.
I have been guilty of sending private message to more established members rather than ask on the forum and received gracious answers.
It never hurts to remind a newbie there is a search button, but admittedly the FAQ eludes me, still. Unless this is sticky's and those I get.
On the other hand I do see where someone will ask a question on substrate, co-habitation, temperature... get lots of good answers never to be seen again. I keep "Lenny's list" on my desktop as a quick reference.
Well, Dean hope this helps somewhat. I am wishy-washy and agree with both sides, but only to a degree. There are times I want to say what you do and give you a high five. susan

Dean, I just thought of yet another way to look at this. Recently a developmentally challenged person posted on intro thread, and again on another thread tried to help. This person meant no harm, just trying to be helpful. How can one distinguish the person who needs help and can't go to search or FAQ, who tries to help. I don't want this kind of person to be discouraged from asking or helping, how can this forum deal with this?
I may not be clear as to the purpose of this forum, and it may not be the "job" of the forum to help in these regards, just a queston on my part. susan

I think this is a related sub-topic. Sorry if it's not. I LOVE that people here ask others to to use proper grammar and spelling and to avoid overusing those inscrutable internet acronymns.

I have lots of students who get bent out of shape because I will not give them credit for an answer like this.

Q: What are the two processes of protein synthesis?
A: Translation and transcription.

correct. Full credit.

Q: Where does each occur?
A: in the nucleus and cytoplasm.

Incorrect. The correct answer is "in the nucleus and cytoplasm, respectively."

They get bent out of shape, but they learn. If no one asks them to know the difference between the two answers and how important grammar and punctuation are to effective communication, they cannot learn.

I appreciate that here, people hold up a standard of written communication and ask people to meet that standard. In general, that doesn't happen much anymore and I think people really suffer because of it. I like that people here are intelligent, thoughtful, and articulate and that they expect others to at least attempt to be thoughtful and articulate.

I will grant that it isn't always communicated in a nice way, but it certainly makes reading posts a lot easier when people actually try to make them make sense! And lots of people wouldn't bother with spellcheck if the culture on this site didn't value grammar so highly and make it known.

Many thanks.

Originally Posted by susang

Dean, I just thought of yet another way to look at this. Recently a developmentally challenged person posted on intro thread, and again on another thread tried to help. This person meant no harm, just trying to be helpful. How can one distinguish the person who needs help and can't go to search or FAQ, who tries to help. I don't want this kind of person to be discouraged from asking or helping, how can this forum deal with this?
I may not be clear as to the purpose of this forum, and it may not be the "job" of the forum to help in these regards, just a queston on my part. susan

You can't always tell. There's no simple answer to your question. This board is a community like any other, so mistakes will be made, and feelings will be hurt. Every arena in life requires a minimum level of proficiency in a specific set of skills to effectively participate in it. In a medium that requires clear, written communication, there will always be those whose skills won't be enough. It's just too bad. It sucks that I can't participate in an Iron-Man competition either, but I just don't have what it takes.