Controversial Topic #3: Replies to "Newbs"

[JoannaD]

Very, very funny!!!

I agree with most of what has been said here. I definitely see both sides.

Also, age should be taken into consideration. I LOVE it when a 10 year old wants to know how to take care of their new pet, instead of just throwing it a tank and tossing in food! We really shouldn't expect them to post in the same manner as a 25+ year old. They learn eventually.

I completely agree with this. While I can't stand reading posts with poor grammar etc. I think some consideration should be given to the person's age and where they are from (esp. if their first language is not English). This info isn't always immediately apparent and definitely effects the way the post or question comes across. If you want to reply - reply pleasantly and then if the poor netiquette or stupidity continues walk away! This way you save yourself a lot of aggravation!


Jo

 

[Tula_Montage]

Will it fit in a deli cup? Cause if not, its too fat for me.

This deli cup phase is rather amusing i must say

I have to agree with dean on the hijacking... Happened on a Mexican king snake thread recently...

And the lack of good grammar and punctuation, especially in the younger members... I sometimes find myself reading a post 3 times to try and understand it before giving up and ignoring it...

Generally i like seeing more and more new members, however neverending threads on "my snake always hides" or "it poops too much" get old...

I do think new members could be treated better... There are clear "groups" formed in older or more experienced members who just don't seem to give the time of day to a new member who needs help, Thus causing other less experienced members to give ill advice :shrugs:

Vicious circle if you ask me...

 

[JM :o)]

well now don't be thanking me too soon! I'm not saying thats how I HAVE behaved~ I'm saying I think thats how I SHOULD behave and I am trying to remember to be a lot less hateful and intolerant! LOL!

There are a lot of great people here who do welcome the newbies, and are always helpful and polite (I'd name names, but I'd miss some and I don't want to neglect any of the people I so respect~ hopefully they know who they are). We should all try to remember how hard it is to be a newbie~ and try harder to be helpful and polite~ especially me!

 

[zwyatt]

I'm always mindful of age and take it into consideration when reading a post. HOWEVER, by the time a kid is 12 or 13, which seems to be some of the youngest members around here (I think), they should be able to conduct themselves in a proper manner (including grammar and spelling). Take Ultimuttone's (sp?) daughters as an example. They're younger than 13, but you'd think they were older if you read one of their posts.
I didn't learn anything after the 7th grade that would help me create a more coherent thread that I hadn't already learned by the time I reached 7th grade (other than increasing the breadth of my vocabulary).
If English isn't their first language, I also cut them slack. HOWEVER, there's a difference between spelling Liter and Litre or Aluminum and Aluminium and using chat speak and slang where you just purposely drop letters out of a werd becuz its kool. And both English and non-English speakers violate this.

Native English speakers are, if anything, typically worse. They feel like they know the language already (though, they usually don't know it half as well as they should), so they don't have any obligation to use it properly. Those folks who speak other languages usually put forth a lot of effort to make things as correct as they can when posting in another language. And, it pays off. Their posts are often much better than English speaking teenagers and for that reason I would be willing to devote more of my time to them.

I guess I'm saying that age shouldn't be used as an excuse to too great of an extent. Yes, I was that age once. Yes, I was a newbie at one point. I'm mindful of what it was like. I just have a different viewpoint.

 

[ghosthousecorns]

One thing that really tickles my funny bone is when somebody criticizes someone else's spelling and makes a mistake themselves. I've seen that happen a bunch of times. 'Use the spellcheck' is great advice but not when it's "Do as I say and not as I do'
I'm guilty of never using spellcheck but I do proofread my posts and edit them, and I guess spelling seems less of an issue to me than the corn snakes we are all here to discuss, enjoy, and learn about.
Just one more pet peeve related to this topic and then I'll shut up.
If a newbie is 'reprimanded' once by a more senior member for a breach of netiquette, I feel that should be sufficient. A couple of times I have seen a thread where one person lets the offender know about their transgression, which is followed by a bunch of 'Me too' threads agreeing with the first one, kind of reminds me sometimes of a pack of sharks that smell blood in the water. These 'me toos' castigating the OP are really adding nothing to the thread, except in the case where someone posts good advice and the rest of us reinforce it by agreeing.

 

[Billybobob]

I have not seen any of the more experienced members belittling newbies or rubbing there nose in there lack of knowledge on there first post (Except Joejr. but he is the GBB).

It has always been after the newbie has said something rude or disrespectful that we start being rude back and in my opinion there is nothing wrong with that.

With that said, I do understand that it is just a few of the newbies that have given all of the newbies a bad name. But some of you are making it seem like the more experienced members are rude just because we don't take the time to open that "Is it OK to house my corns together thread" even though it has been asks hundreds of times, and even 2-4 in the same day some times. Like I said in my first post:

Yes some members are a little short with newbies and could handle them a little nicer but this is a "discussion forum" not a "help all the newbies forum".

Members here have no obligation to ansewer newbies questions nor do we have to spoon feed the newbs the answers that they are looking for.

 

[kimbyra]

I do think new members could be treated better... There are clear "groups" formed in older or more experienced members who just don't seem to give the time of day to a new member who needs help, Thus causing other less experienced members to give ill advice :shrugs:

Vicious circle if you ask me...

I don't agree with the "groups formed.. in older members" comment. I've noticed that most older members help newbies out a lot. And with "Thus causing other less experienced members to give ill advice", since when do you need an excuse to reply to a post Attention Girl Tula?

 

[kimbyra]

I have not seen any of the more experienced members belittling newbies or rubbing there nose in there lack of knowledge on there first post (Except Joejr. but he is the GBB).

Just wondering, what does GBB stand for? Great big butt? Guaranteed bully boy? Gargantuan battle bot?

And yes, I don't know how to double quote in one post. :bang:

 

[zwyatt]

Just wondering, what does GBB stand for? Great big butt? Guaranteed bully boy? Gargantuan battle bot?

All of the above

 

[diamondlil]

My overwhelming feeling is that this forum supports the hobby in an incredibly robust and supportive manner. No-one on here is obliged to help others, but they do, passing on experience from the basics of husbandry to the complications of genetics. Showing all aspects of the snakes they keep, from egg-laying to pipping and so on, in particular telling of mistakes they have made, the consequences and remedies is so helpful.
I have seen some (imo) unnecessarily harsh responses, but I'm aware that sometimes there is only so much rubbish you can take before you crack, the people who post the links (Duke of url springs to mind) are giving a real boost up the learning curve for anyone starting in the hobby.
From my first post, about my poor-feeding snake, I got excellent advice and felt so supported, so just a great big thanks to this forum in general :cheers:

 

[Tula_Montage]

My overwhelming feeling is that this forum supports the hobby in an incredibly robust and supportive manner. No-one on here is obliged to help others, but they do, passing on experience from the basics of husbandry to the complications of genetics. Showing all aspects of the snakes they keep, from egg-laying to pipping and so on, in particular telling of mistakes they have made, the consequences and remedies is so helpful.
I have seen some (imo) unnecessarily harsh responses, but I'm aware that sometimes there is only so much rubbish you can take before you crack, the people who post the links (Duke of url springs to mind) are giving a real boost up the learning curve for anyone starting in the hobby.
From my first post, about my poor-feeding snake, I got excellent advice and felt so supported, so just a great big thanks to this forum in general :cheers:

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to diamondlil again"

I agree completley with your response and would also say that this forum is EXTREMLY helpful, if not the best information site about corn snakes and to some extent other reptile species i have come across so far :cheers:

 

[jazzgeek]

If you want to reply - reply pleasantly and then if the poor netiquette or stupidity continues walk away!

Best words yet spoken on this thread, imo - it's also a prelude for:

I don't agree with the "groups formed.. in older members" comment. I've noticed that most older members help newbies out a lot.

The former has nothing to do with the latter. There are groups formed among the older participants - if this were not the case, I doubt that dinner plans for Daytona and Tinley would take place.

Among those older members, practically all are willing to help out and answer questions, given the varying tolerance level each has to prior research taken, grammar, country of origin, fluency of English, and other factors. If you've been tracking this thread, this isn't news.

And with "Thus causing other less experienced members to give ill advice", since when do you need an excuse to reply to a post Attention Girl Tula?

I'll be the first to admit that I hold the opinion that Elle's frequent posts are made as often to incite a response as they are to provide information; matter of fact, I may have been the first to post it in a thread.

Fan of irony that I am (I'll usually surround admonitions of "use proper spelling and grammer" from 'veterans' with pseudo-HTML tags of < irony >), I'm compelled to reply that, when the purpose of this thread (as I see it) is to bridge the frustration gap between noobs and the usual suspects, your apparent baiting and name calling has perhaps widened the gap.

'Tis a pity.

For emphasis, I'll close with my opener.

If you want to reply - reply pleasantly and then if the poor netiquette or stupidity continues walk away!

< /irony >

regards,
jazz

 

[Serpwidgets]

I don't think I have ever seen any major complaints aimed at posts where a word or two was spelled wrong. The complaints in that department are when the post is so illegible that ethay olewhay ostpay ightmay asay ellway ustjay ebay inay igpay atinlay.

As some of the non-native-English-speaking members have pointed out, it can be challenging enough for them to read posts that are written properly, but sometimes it is completely impossible for them to read posts that are written as if the person was typing while wearing boxing gloves.

And I also disagree with the idea that 13 year olds shouldn't be expected to be able to spell or know how to act in an appropriate manner.

Here are some 8th grade spelling words:
<table border=1><tr><td>abbreviate</td><td>discernible</td><td>malefactor</td><td>callus</td><td>gigantic</td><td>radioactive</td></tr><tr><td>absorbent</td><td>discrepancy</td><td>malicious</td><td>cancellation</td><td>gnawing</td><td>rapacious</td></tr><tr><td>accept</td><td>disinterested</td><td>markup</td><td>canvas</td><td>gorgeous</td><td>rayon</td></tr><tr><td>access</td><td>disoblige</td><td>mattress</td><td>canvass</td><td>grotesque</td><td>raze</td></tr><tr><td>accessible</td><td>dissociate</td><td>mesmerize</td><td>capricious</td><td>gymnasium</td><td>recently</td></tr><tr><td>accessory</td><td>distress</td><td>meteor</td><td>carburetor</td><td>handicapped</td><td>reconcile</td></tr><tr><td>accoustics</td><td>diurnal</td><td>metric</td><td>cashier</td><td>handling</td><td>relevant</td></tr><tr><td>accumulate</td><td>divine</td><td>mischievous</td><td>catastrophe</td><td>handsome</td><td>relief</td></tr><tr><td>acknowledgment</td><td>domestic</td><td>misgiving</td><td>centripetal</td><td>haphazard</td><td>repulse</td></tr></table>

 

[jazzgeek]

Just wondering, what does GBB stand for?

Um, search the FAQs. It's in every one posted. :grin01:

regards,
jazz

 

[snake5007]

sorry i'm a bit late. i'm still new here,but i've found that most people are polite and give sound advice. if i'm doing something wrong and a senior member points that out to me,i won't get offended because that's how we learn whats right and wrong. just my opinion.

 

[jazzgeek]

....to read posts that are written as if the person was typing while wearing boxing gloves.

How can you do that?

regards,
jazz

 

[snake5007]

I don't think I have ever seen any major complaints aimed at posts where a word or two was spelled wrong. The complaints in that department are when the post is so illegible that ethay olewhay ostpay ightmay asay ellway ustjay ebay inay igpay atinlay.

As some of the non-native-English-speaking members have pointed out, it can be challenging enough for them to read posts that are written properly, but sometimes it is completely impossible for them to read posts that are written as if the person was typing while wearing boxing gloves.

And I also disagree with the idea that 13 year olds shouldn't be expected to be able to spell or know how to act in an appropriate manner.

Here are some 8th grade spelling words:
<table border=1><tr><td>abbreviate</td><td>discernible</td><td>malefactor</td><td>callus</td><td>gigantic</td><td>radioactive</td></tr><tr><td>absorbent</td><td>discrepancy</td><td>malicious</td><td>cancellation</td><td>gnawing</td><td>rapacious</td></tr><tr><td>accept</td><td>disinterested</td><td>markup</td><td>canvas</td><td>gorgeous</td><td>rayon</td></tr><tr><td>access</td><td>disoblige</td><td>mattress</td><td>canvass</td><td>grotesque</td><td>raze</td></tr><tr><td>accessible</td><td>dissociate</td><td>mesmerize</td><td>capricious</td><td>gymnasium</td><td>recently</td></tr><tr><td>accessory</td><td>distress</td><td>meteor</td><td>carburetor</td><td>handicapped</td><td>reconcile</td></tr><tr><td>accoustics</td><td>diurnal</td><td>metric</td><td>cashier</td><td>handling</td><td>relevant</td></tr><tr><td>accumulate</td><td>divine</td><td>mischievous</td><td>catastrophe</td><td>handsome</td><td>relief</td></tr><tr><td>acknowledgment</td><td>domestic</td><td>misgiving</td><td>centripetal</td><td>haphazard</td><td>repulse</td></tr></table>

i have to agree with you there,serp.

 

[Serpwidgets]

How can you do that?

regards,
jazz

Yeah, like that's a question nobody ever asks... bzzzt

BALEETED!!!

:grin01:

 

[zwyatt]

The former has nothing to do with the latter. There are groups formed among the older participants - if this were not the case, I doubt that dinner plans for Daytona and Tinley would take place.

I think the important difference here is to discern that there are 'groups' formed, but not cliques (at least by my estimation).

Of course, members form groups (AKA Friends). Many members have been around for years and go back to before the cs.com forum as we know it existed. How can they be expected to not have formed friendships? There are going to be topics that they discuss to which not everyone is privy. There are going to be inside jokes that not everyone is going to understand (and may even be the butt of).
If they appear to stick together, it's probably because they've been learning about this hobby together and from one another for the last several years.

No one forces anyone to give bad advice. If they don't know the answer they shouldn't give out the advice. If they feel no one is answering someone's question, then they should just advise that the person try a search on the topic. If a thread receives no responses it's probably because the answer is everywhere on this forum. If it's a new/difficult situation, then members with knowledge on the topic will surely speak up and help out.

 

[Serpwidgets]

The former has nothing to do with the latter. There are groups formed among the older participants - if this were not the case, I doubt that dinner plans for Daytona and Tinley would take place.

Sure, there are groups formed. I think it would be crazy to try to say there aren't. But I also would have to say it's a good thing that members of a community like each other.

However, what makes this board different from every other forum I've been a member of (a lot of forums, on a lot of different topics) is that when there is a disagreement about any issue here, there is no "everyone must agree with the group" mentality. The "senior" members will post an entire spectrum of of opinions that contradict many of the other people who are supposedly of the "same group" as themselves. :cheers: