Feedback Needed on New Search Function Tutorial and New Member Sticky

Everything looks great! You did a super job Zach! If only a small percentage of newbies read this and follow the guidelines, it will have served it's purpose well. You may want to add something around the "Don't be afraid to speak your mind" section. A mild warning that an occasional sarcastic remark may come from a member or two, that these remarks can often be identified by the accompanying smilie, and that newbies should take these remarks in the spirit in which they are given...NOT as an all-out attack.

I've read too many threads where someone has made a wonderful, usually humorous, remark that most of us fully understand has been made in the spirit of a jest, but has been taken far too literally by one, usually new, member as an attack which must be countered by an all-out offensive. True, these threads tend to be enjoyed by many, but they occasionally don't involve a troll and an actual "innocent" gets their feelings hurt when that was not the original intent. There are still alot of computer/forum/chat illiterate people out there who may not even know what a "smilie" is and what it may denote. Heck, I'm just getting into using them more often...and probably incorrectly in some instances.

Originally Posted by Susan

Everything looks great! You did a super job Zach! If only a small percentage of newbies read this and follow the guidelines, it will have served it's purpose well. You may want to add something around the "Don't be afraid to speak your mind" section. A mild warning that an occasional sarcastic remark may come from a member or two, that these remarks can often be identified by the accompanying smilie, and that newbies should take these remarks in the spirit in which they are given...NOT as an all-out attack.

Thanks, Susan! I do need to add something like that in there. I originally had started to put something along those lines in, but somehow it must have been lost in the mix. Then, I forgot to go back and add it.

Possible solution?!

Okay, so thanks to Taceas, I was introduced to an arachnid forum which uses vBulletin just like here. Very interesting set of circumstances happened upon registering there. I registered, didn't get my registration confirmation email, but could still log in to the site. There was a box at the top of the forum telling me that I hadn't confirmed my registration yet! Kinda neat . . .long story short . . .Once I confirmed my registration, the attached photo was at the top of the forum. Obviously, there's something in the code (??) that recognizes me as a newb and therefore posts that message.

Would it be possible for Rich to put something like that here which will show up for newbs for say the first 60 days or for the first 100 posts or some such arbitrary number. It would be a message pointing them to the information you are coming up with?!

D80

That's a very interesting concept. I don't entirely know how vBulletin works. Looks like we're on a slightly older version than they are. Regardless, that would be something that Rich would have to consider and decide. I know he's far too busy right now to think about something like that. But it's something we can keep in mind and maybe mention when he's not as busy and has a chance to look at it. Thanks for the heads up!

Originally Posted by zwyatt

That's a very interesting concept. I don't entirely know how vBulletin works. Looks like we're on a slightly older version than they are. Regardless, that would be something that Rich would have to consider and decide. I know he's far too busy right now to think about something like that. But it's something we can keep in mind and maybe mention when he's not as busy and has a chance to look at it. Thanks for the heads up!

Agreed, I know it's not something that Rich should be worrying about right now, but wanted to post it while I experienced it. It stays up there even when reading other posts. It's located in the same place as Rich's green contributor bar right now. As for age of that vBulletin vs. this one? I have no idea, but would like to assume that it's an add-on type of thing that may or may not need to be purchased . . . Just thought it was really neat and would be functional for what you're trying to do! We'll see when things slow down for Rich.

D80

Originally Posted by Drizzt80

Agreed, I know it's not something that Rich should be worrying about right now, but wanted to post it while I experienced it. It stays up there even when reading other posts. It's located in the same place as Rich's green contributor bar right now. As for age of that vBulletin vs. this one? I have no idea, but would like to assume that it's an add-on type of thing that may or may not need to be purchased . . . Just thought it was really neat and would be functional for what you're trying to do! We'll see when things slow down for Rich.

D80

Sounds good.



In other news, I'm going to go ahead and post the search tutorial. Then, it can get stickied whenever Rich gets a chance. If anyone should feel it needs any changes in the future, just let me know and I'll take care of it.


I'm gonna hold off just a bit for the new member post. I've asked Lennycorn and he agreed to let me add in a link to the collection of links that he put together to show new members.

Great minds think alike?

In going along with Zach's theme, I spent a few hours drawing up this master list, similar to Lenny's in which I would love to see as stickies up in the New Member section. I have e-mailed Rich with the following information, but have yet to see a reply. If needs be, I am willing to pay for a forum, however since I've no real interest in having a personal forum, I would like to "sponsor" this work to be done.

New members seem to be good at finding out how to post about themselves, well if they have to scroll down through 10+ stickies, you think they might pay a smidgeon of attention and actually read some if the info was right there.

The look I'm going for is similar to Arachnoboard's General Tarantula Questions. Before you get to where you can post, you have to scroll through some VERY informative posts the members and moderators of that site have compiled for a beginner's every basic need. When I first joined, I didn't have to use the search function hardly at all.

To see what I'm referring to:


And now for the information I would like to see, please let me know what you think and if there are any changes you would make, information I've left out, etc.

__________________________________________________ _______________

New Member and Beginner Information Center Section

Welcome to Cornsnakes.com! We hope you’ll find the following links and information helpful with your new hobby. Most of what has been compiled here is to streamline your research for you. If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, please feel free to post a question and we’ll try to answer it for you.

(STICKY) #1
First Things First - Books to Own:

Click on the images to be taken to the site to purchase.

Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner’s Manual by Kathy & Bill Love


Cornsnake Morph Guide by Charles Pritzel


(STICKY) #2
Basic Husbandry FAQ’s:

Husbandry & Basic Care FAQ
Health Issues & Feeding Problems FAQ
Cornsnake Morph FAQ

(STICKY) #3
Caging Ideas Links:

Building Your Own Rack System
More Rack Setups
Basic Cage Construction Tips for the Do-It-Yourselfer
Plastic Caging Information
Tub-style Caging

(STICKY) #4
Reptile Cage/Rack Manufacturers:

Boaphile Plastics
RBI Plastics
Animal Plastics
Barr’s HerpCages
Vision Cages & Racks

(STICKY) #5
Caging Substrates:

Avoid anything with a strong odor.

Use:
- Aspen
- Hardwood Chips (maple, oak, cherry)
- Newspaper (no colored ink)
- Paper towel
- Carefresh
- Hemp bedding
- Repti-Bark (& other Fir bark products)
- Cage Carpet

Don’t Use:
- Cedar:
– Contains oils and dust that can irritate and damage the respiratory system.
- Pine:
– Contains oils and dust that can irritate and damage the respiratory system.
- Sand, Calci-sand, Vita-sand, Ground Walnut Shells (Desert Blend Lizard Litter):
– Can be ingested and cause impactions/blockages and ultimately death
– Particles are small enough to get under scales and cause irritation and sores to develop
– Can also clog nostrils on a snake burrowing through the substrate
– Has a drying effect of the enclosure and can cause bad sheds
- Corn Cob:
– Has a drying effect of the enclosure which can affect sheds, and also molds relatively quickly
- Potting Soil
– Can harbor parasites and bacteria
- Peat Moss
– Extremely dusty when dry and when wet can cause belly rot from being kept too moist
- Astro-turf
– Hard to disinfect, stays moist when wet, abrasive for extended periods
- Aquarium gravel:
– Small enough to be ingested and cause impactions/blockages, hard to clean, abrasive for extended periods

(STICKY) #6
Miscellaneous Cage Accessories:

Hide Box Ideas:
- Toilet Paper or Paper Towel Rolls
- Kleenex Boxes
- Plastic Flowerpot Saucers w/ Notch
- Coconut Shell Halves
- Wood Half-Log
- Plastic Resin Hides
- Terra Cotta Flowerpots

Cage Decorations:
- Fake silk/plastic plants (Walmart or any craft store)
- Baked/frozen sticks or wood from outside
- Boiled and cooled rocks

Cage Heating Products:
- UTH – Under Tank Heater, rectangular pad adhered or set below a cage/tank to provide belly heat. Should be used in conjunction with a Rheostat or Thermostat.
- Flexwatt – Works the same as a UTH, but mainly for rack systems where a whole shelf is heated.
- Incandescent Light Bulbs – Works, but tends to dry the cage out excessively

Homemade Rheostat for $7

(STICKY) #7
Cohabitation - Make an Informed Decision:

For further information, please do a Search for “cohab, cohabitation, cohousing”, but these links should get you started.

Kathy Love’s Opinion on Cohabitation
The Unlucky Ones
Cohabitation Poll
Jimmy’s POV on Cohabitation
Lack of Quarantine

(STICKY) #8
Reptile Supply Links:

Herp Supplies
LLL Reptile
The Bean Farm
Big Apple Herpetological
Reptile Supply
Superior Enterprise
MG Reptiles
Pet Discounters

(STICKY) #9
On-line Frozen Rodent Suppliers:

Big Cheese Rodent Factory
The Mouse Factory
Cajun Mice
Mice on Ice
Rodent Pro
The Gourmet Rodent
Serpent Pets

For those in the UK: Exotic Pets.co.uk

(STICKY) #10
Free Herp Software:
http://www.serpwidgets.com/Apps/apps.html
http://home.comcast.net/~spencer62/cornprog.html
http://www.cornsnakes.nl/
http://www.eyehit.com/degei/

Nice work, Misty! That looks very nice and quite comprehensive. It would definitely be worth inquiring about to see if that arrangement of stickies can be done in the new members forum.

To be honest, I haven't really looked over your whole post yet. I'm moving to a new apartment in the morning and am going down to the wire to get things packed and ready. (Finally, I'll be free from all roommates! ). I may also be without a home internet connection for a few days. As soon as I get a chance, I would be happy to look it all over. Just at a glance, it looks quite well done.




Forgot to add...great minds do think alike.


Or how does the other saying go? Something like "Two idiots only have one thought between them."

Awesome job Misty! Must be nice to have all that free time!

Just read this out in the Misc. forum and got a couple of ideas...

Perhaps a PM could be automatically sent to every new member with a welcome & links to all of the important areas to look at: the different FAQ sections, the rules, along with a *gentle* reminder on specificity when titling threads & spelling/grammar are like honey to flies.

I'm adding in the thread titling part. The PM idea is a good one, IMO. The first time a user logs in it would pop up showing them all the info. I just can't remember if the default setting for the forum is for a pop-up window everytime you get a new PM or if you have to enable that yourself.
Obviously, if new members don't have that option enabled, many of them won't realize they've got a PM. It might be something that can be set as the default if it isn't already.