I dunno...
Yeah, the kid exaggerated his "credentials", and his posting style has been defensive, and sometimes hostile. BUT, I'm not willing to write him off as a troll, or at least not a pure troll anyway. He's a kid who obviously knows SOMETHING about snakes, and he's a little too proud and confident in what he's learned. He seems to desperately want to prove that as an amateur herper he's at least in the same league as his elders around here. A pure troll would only be here to waste our time and cause disruption. If the kid has done that, I think he did so inadvertently (for the most part).
I'm the mod who gave him that 30-day suspension. That's a harsh penalty for a first-time offense, so don't think I'm siding with the kid or asking for special treatment for him.
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Snakemaster24:
I have some advice for you, and I hope you take it if you decide you want to be a constructive and respected member here:
1. Be yourself. We have some REAL experts here (and no, I'm not in that number). There's no need to inflate your credentials or accomplishments. Let your knowledge stand for itself.
2. Remember that this is a discussion board, not an argument board. You should avoid posting your comments as if you are "schooling" other members. It's a simple fact that people don't always respond well to being lectured, particularly by children. If you feel that someone is wrong, or that their assessment of your opinions is inaccurate, discuss it civilly.
3. Read the rules that are stickied in the "New Member" forum. If you follow them, you should be able to stay out of trouble. One of the most important rules is the one against inflammatory posting. There are real gray areas to this, and if we enforced the rule as strongly as possible, this place would have few un-banned members left. But generally, if you post as if you were having a discussion with a respected friend, you should be ok.
As Pootie Tang's father used to tell him: "You have to have respect to get respect, Pootie Tang!"
Good luck.
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