A plea to all forum users.

[SamNabz]

My view: It's not too bad, you have to treat the forum like a magazine, flick through, read what interests you, ignore the rest. If someone gives you one under the belt, hit them back because the mods are often too slow to act (no offence, I realise you can't be there all the time).

Couldn't agree more Michael. How somebody can get upset by a strangers comments/remarks made over the internet is beyond me..

If you feel like a thread is getting nasty and you're one of those people that gets upset and feels like they are always personally attacked, simply don't enter the conversation as that is what usually gets those discussions closed up. Once the mods see that feelings have been hurt, they close the thread for moderation, which is sometimes unfair on the people actually participating in the discussion/debate/argument - not everything needs to be sugar coated.

How to improve APS (?): People should know the difference between discussion and argument. The former is more paletable to everyone. It would be great if the mods (when present) would advise posters to search before asking a question that has been answered hundred times - it can be done politely.

I'm a member of a variety of different forums, most of which already do this. After you register on the site and get a confirmation email, they either link you to a page for new users or have some guidelines included in the confirmation email. Most of which state you should search common place terms/subjects before creating a thread about it as most of those questions have been answered 100+ times - APS definitely needs to state this somewhere and keep it somewhere noticeable.

Michael i totally agree with you, BUT it is a public forum & people are entitled to ask whatever they want, & it should be in the apropriate section of the forum. Just as people are entitled to reply or put thier piont of view across, BUT we should all do so with the upmost courtesy of others or just not say anything.

Cheers
Ian

I agree with Michael's points, especially regarding the "help me name my..." threads.. However, as you mentioned, there should be a designated section of the forum for them. In saying that though, I think they (as well as other threads, most of which are in the 'Chit-Chat' section) shouldn't appear on the front page.

The Chit-Chat forum topics should definitely not appear on the first page of a reptile forum - especially one that seems to be going downhill... They get more replies than reptile related threads do which is quite sad.

If people are interested in those sort of topics, then they should browse the forum categories OR "New Posts" link to find them.

 

[CrystalMoon]

Thread on here " Crocodiles and Mice " fully illustrates my point. At the start of that threads how many Fwits contributed anything to the thread except stupid comments. A lot of the problems on here is people try to reply to every thread to get their post count up and contribute FA.

Do people really care about their post count? I am sincere in asking. I usually post in threads that have 0 or 1 reply simply to make the OP feel better and not ignored. I may not really know the answer, and I will inform them of that fact but if nothing else it bumps up the post so some one who knows more than me might answer I might contribute SFA but I hope to make them feel that their question matters I dont give a rats bottom about my post count or my "like" count lol uhmmm ok I lied about my like count(just kidding)

 

[Snowman]

It would be nice if chit chat threads were disposable and got deleted 4 weeks after the last post....

 

[Poggle]

Do people really care about their post count? I am sincere in asking. I usually post in threads that have 0 or 1 reply simply to make the OP feel better and not ignored. I may not really know the answer, and I will inform them of that fact but if nothing else it bumps up the post so some one who knows more than me might answer I might contribute SFA but I hope to make them feel that their question matters I dont give a rats bottom about my post count or my "like" count lol uhmmm ok I lied about my like count(just kidding)

unfortunatly crystal there are alot of people who would be concerned about their count ... besides i like it when you comment on my threads, you are always bubbly and polite

 

[Mo Deville]

Do people really care about their post count? I am sincere in asking. I usually post in threads that have 0 or 1 reply simply to make the OP feel better and not ignored. I may not really know the answer, and I will inform them of that fact but if nothing else it bumps up the post so some one who knows more than me might answer I might contribute SFA but I hope to make them feel that their question matters I dont give a rats bottom about my post count or my "like" count lol uhmmm ok I lied about my like count(just kidding)

another like for you and another post count for me haha!!!:lol:

jokes

 

[MR_IAN_DAVO]

I think that i might have opened up a garbage can full of rattle snakes here.Lets hope so.
But let us just treat everyone with respect.

I agree on many statements made here, let us hope that we can control it. I like this forum & have learnt a lot & met good people from it. I just hate all the nastiness to put it politely.

Cheers
Ian

 

[Kam333]

Michael i agree with you.
Ian i also agree with you..

There are a couple of things i don't like about these forums any more.

1 there is a lot of nuisance posted.
2 people arguing for the sake of arguing...

God knows i have been smashed by the likes of bluetongue, michael, echioposis etc etc when i have been wrong. But it has been good cause they jave pulled me up on good points, and i certainly appreciate it and learn from it at the same time. What i do hate is when people post some waiting for a reaction and when someone of intellect and experience answers in a logical matter they are suddenly flaming the OP??

There is also the though of longer existing members not sticking around... Well it happens... I have been here since 07' and it has changed alot on this forum. Mods do a good job when they around yes, but at the same time cant always be around.

I agree with the way you look at it Michael, i flick through what i do and odnt want to read.

Cheers,

Mick

Interesting way to view it Mr Pog,

I think being smashed into comprehension might not be for everyone and before anyone says people should toughen up crystal moon has already touched on why it is not a logical approach.
And sometimes the experts in any industry are to set in there ways to move forward or to arrogant in there "expertness' to see the point. . . often to their own loss. I have been into, collected, studied and worked with herps since memory serves I am now 1 month of 40, still got a lot to learn. Facts this year will be next years fallacies, maybe offering advice and listening to others reasoning or opinions would be m ore proactive

 

[Red-Ink]

I'm not a fan of people that are quick to call other people "trolls"...

 

[Kam333]

I'm not a fan of people that are quick to call other people "trolls"...

There is no double like button if there was I would have hit it

 

[kr0nick]

Here Here, Ian Davo. But someone should write up A "how to use the advanced search function" thread to make A sticky. And that could solve A few problems
"

 

[richardsc]

maybe a newbie section? which contains questions like what to get next,what to name them type posts

does get full on in here sometimes,alot of angst over differing opinions,you will always get differing opinions,just sift through the ones aplliccable to you i guess,ignore the negative argumentative ones,there posted alot to get to you,so retaliating is just what they are after,sometimes its better to go to the next post,ive been on and off here alot over the years,its definatly gotten worse,you have to sift through alot of junk tofind the goodthreads,even more so when you stay away from here for a while

 

[Renenet]

Ian, I hear you. I despair when people belittle or attack others, making the forum a negative place to be. It drives people away. I've learned so much from the more experienced herp keepers and field herpers on APS and would like to keep doing so. Oh, and I really hate the expression "harden up and eat some cement".

I'm no expert, but I'm now experienced enough to be able to answer a lot of newbie questions. I admit my brain sometimes goes to the red zone when I read a question that's already been asked dozens of times before. But no matter what smart alec comments might flash across my mind, I try to remember that there is the welfare of an animal, possibly animals, at stake. If I'm not in the mood to answer properly, I leave it to someone else.

I like the idea of having chit chat in a separate section altogether, if this is at all possible. I do post in the chit chat section and I think it's great that we have one, but the way posts are organised now, the chat gets jumbled with the reptile threads. Reptile information is the essential value of this forum, and it's what I and many others come here to learn about, so it makes sense to make it most prominent.

 

[vampstorso]

I'm not a fan of people that are quick to call other people "trolls"...

Agreed...
For me the term "troll" screams "i can't be bothered putting forward a logical and well thought out argument as to why I feel this statement is false etc"
It's degrading, slack, and more than useless.



I'm no I.T expert so this may be to complex to create,
But you know how on sites (e.g. eBay) when you go to submit a question through customer support, ask a seller etc,
It searches your phrases in the title and offers you existing pages that may be of use? And you confirm you want to know/ask something else?

Is a tool like that possible to install on the new thread posting page? E.g. refers you to threads with similar titles and you must confirm you don't want those, and instead a new one?

 

[Waterrat]

I'm not a fan of people that are quick to call other people "trolls"...

Sometimes genuine posts may look like trolls or nonsense when people don't express themselves correctly. Some just don't have it and lets not hold it against them but it helps to read your post before hitting the "post" button.

Text messaging on forum? Don't read it, ignore it, never reply. That's my policy. Call me old-fashioned if you like, but it really gets up my goat.

 

[yommy]

Do people really care about their post count? I am sincere in asking. I usually post in threads that have 0 or 1 reply simply to make the OP feel better and not ignored. I may not really know the answer, and I will inform them of that fact but if nothing else it bumps up the post so some one who knows more than me might answer I might contribute SFA but I hope to make them feel that their question matters I dont give a rats bottom about my post count or my "like" count lol uhmmm ok I lied about my like count(just kidding)

For nearly 1800 post since Apr 11 your doing alright CrystalM

But seriously if it's thats much of an issue simply delete that function. Wasnt that why the 72hr ?? bump rule was introduced?

I dont take anyones experience level off their post counts. its about how they communicate and the useful info they contribute, I've keep reps for over 20 years now and i learn new things everyday i guess that what makes them so attractable to keep, they keep me striving to learn more about them.

 

[Red-Ink]

Sometimes genuine posts may look like trolls or nonsense when people don't express themselves correctly. Some just don't have it and lets not hold it against them but it helps to read your post before hitting the "post" button.

Text messaging on forum? Don't read it, ignore it, never reply. That's my policy. Call me old-fashioned if you like, but it really gets up my goat.

I have to agree with you there Michael, I'm definitely not a fan of text speak (I myself predominantly would not reply to thse post). I'm just a bit disapointed at people calling people trolls quickly without giving the benefit of the doubt. As you said they may have just not expressed themselves properly. In the end if that person had a geniuine concerns it get's their back up being called a troll and instead of the original reptile related issue being addressed it turns into a slanging match, meanwhile there may be an animal's life in jeopardy.

If they are a "genuine" troll, after being given a few sensible answers it would'nt be hard to figure them out in their next few post... usually more inciting dribble. If that was the case then yes chase the nuissance out of the forum with pitch forks.

 

[SamNabz]

I think the 'Chit-Chat' section should be removed from the home page and replaced with the threads from the Herp Help forum under the title "Herp Help".

NB: In saying that, the Herp Help forum should not include the "help me name my.." threads etc.

As for the main 'Recent Herp Discussions' section, I reckon only the following forum sections should appear (in no specific order):

• General Reptile Discussion
• Reptile News
• Field Herping and Reptile Studies
• Australian Snakes
• Australian Lizards
• Other Australian Reptiles
• Exotic Reptiles (maybe..)

Not 'Other Animals' (e.g. dogs, cats, mice etc.), 'DIY Zone' and so on... All of the other sections can be found by users who are interested in said subjects - this will keep the home/landing page reptile related.

 

[Waterrat]

Ian Davo,

can you summarise all this and submit a ticket? That's the only way to get admin's attention and hopefully some response.

 

[cement]

GREAT!! Another thread on a reptile site with nothing to do with reptiles.
I reckon we should hybridise this site, and morph the crap out of it. It will only ever be onscreen, not used as conservation material in the wild. And we might get some pretty patterns.

 

[AirCooled]

Ian, it only comes down to one word thats not hard to remember and even easy to spell,RESPECT!