A bit sad !!!!

[Colin]

I dont mean to offend anyone.. and apologise for being blunt..

but threads like (no offence intended) "One Word Association" have gone over 346 pages of pointless meaningless posts..

maybe these sort of threads should be deleted and discouraged? whats your opinions on this?

Im all for the site getting back to a more "reptile orientated feel" but its up to you guys to stop posting up the rubbish on here..

Just because someone hasnt posted an interesting herp thread up isnt an excuse for someone to post dribble up is it? maybe members should go and read some of the older interesting threads on here or a herp book etc and then post up a thread asking some decent questions concerning some of these subjects?

a newbie can still post up some great questions and start an informative thread if they take the time to read and research some subjects and then ask some questions..

 

[SamNabz]

You got my vote...

Vote 1 for deleting pointless threads even though I've posted on them, usually cause there's not much else to do on here

 

[Australis]

The prices are going up and down its not fair to my bank account lol

I totally agree on that point.

 

[Kristy_07]

I dont mean to offend anyone.. and apologise for being blunt..

but threads like (no offence intended) "One Word Association" have gone over 346 pages of pointless meaningless posts..

maybe these sort of threads should be deleted and discouraged? whats your opinions on this?

Im all for the site getting back to a more "reptile orientated feel" but its up to you guys to stop posting up the rubbish on here..

Just because someone hasnt posted an interesting herp thread up isnt an excuse for someone to post dribble up is it? maybe members should go and read some of the older interesting threads on here or a herp book etc and then post up a thread asking some decent questions concerning some of these subjects?

a newbie can still post up some great questions and start an informative thread if they take the time to read and research some subjects and then ask some questions..

I agree with you about people starting more informative threads. I think the danger in discouraging all threads that aren't reptile-oriented is that people WITHOUT a desire to research a topic before posting a thread about it will fall away from the site, and that the traffic will decrease considerably. I've been on plenty of forums where there simply isn't enough traffic or threads been posted per day that it is worth continuing to visit them.

 

[xxMelissaxx]

I dont mean to offend anyone.. and apologise for being blunt..

but threads like (no offence intended) "One Word Association" have gone over 346 pages of pointless meaningless posts..

maybe these sort of threads should be deleted and discouraged? whats your opinions on this?

Im all for the site getting back to a more "reptile orientated feel" but its up to you guys to stop posting up the rubbish on here..

Just because someone hasnt posted an interesting herp thread up isnt an excuse for someone to post dribble up is it? maybe members should go and read some of the older interesting threads on here or a herp book etc and then post up a thread asking some decent questions concerning some of these subjects?

a newbie can still post up some great questions and start an informative thread if they take the time to read and research some subjects and then ask some questions..

I absolutely agree with this.

I don't even think the Chit Chat section should be here TBH - 90% of it is absolute garbage ("One Word Association" being a perfect example), and racist jokes are popping up more often too, which makes us look like a bunch of uneducated idiots. Also, too many people arguing about issues they have no idea about. We have the Chat Room and PM for stuff like that.

I think the reason so many choose not to start informative threads is because most of the replies are rubbish - it appears people don't want to research and learn. Too many users are just here to talk crap and it should be done elsewhere. It's mainly garbage threads or basic husbandry that's discussed here.

It's a shame - so many knowledgeable people on here too, but I can understand why so many stay quiet. I would hate to see what an outsider would think of us all after browsing this forum...and people think "harsh" replies are the only problem here

 

[Kurto]

I agree with Colin 1+
The biggest breeder in Europe totally abused us, that is why he got banned. Just because he is the 'biggest' in Europe does not give him the right to do that. Ummm bet he failed to tell you that?

Fay I realise there was probably more too it, but it's a shame to have someone at the forefront of herptocultrue banned for petty arguments.

 

[waruikazi]

Col we've both been here long enough to know that even the idea behind this thread is a repeating theme. I haven't noticed one for a while but the requests to delete the 'chit chat' forum has been made several times in the past and the main defender to keep it has been Slateman.

I tend to agree with him and the argument that makes to keep it, which is that this is a very social forum. Alot of members have become friends and i'm pretty sure we even have APS babies.

But i do agree with you. We would have much better herp related chats if people were more inclined to buy AND read books.

I dont mean to offend anyone.. and apologise for being blunt..

but threads like (no offence intended) "One Word Association" have gone over 346 pages of pointless meaningless posts..

maybe these sort of threads should be deleted and discouraged? whats your opinions on this?

Im all for the site getting back to a more "reptile orientated feel" but its up to you guys to stop posting up the rubbish on here..

Just because someone hasnt posted an interesting herp thread up isnt an excuse for someone to post dribble up is it? maybe members should go and read some of the older interesting threads on here or a herp book etc and then post up a thread asking some decent questions concerning some of these subjects?

a newbie can still post up some great questions and start an informative thread if they take the time to read and research some subjects and then ask some questions..

 

[Colin]

you cant blame them... the most respected herpers wouldnt use this site or very rarely... sorry but to many 'know it alls' & fighting going on... you try to be 'upfront' & you get flamed... you ask for help.. you get laughed at.. thats just the way it is.. im on here every day, yes, i like looking at pretty snakes.. but will stay out of the thread from now... you want to talk to me PM me... my 2 cents...

tony I can understand you being very upset over the loss of your eggbound female jungle.

Instead of staying off the forum why dont you start a thread and discuss this issue and what happened in answer to the people on here who questioned your dealing with the incident? Im sure we can all learn something from this sad situation and Im sure it would be of immense benefit to others..

 

[xxMelissaxx]

I have been shocked by few things here, but I was truly gobsmacked by a very recent thread, and the support a member got from some others for shockingly unethical behaviour.

...because too many people are on here to make new internet-friends.

 

[MDSTIM]

Hi all,

I still consider myself really new to this forum, you can probably see by the number of threads I've started and posts that I've made...but I'll throw in my $2 worth, (inflationary change).

I jump on this forum to glean useful information and learn, (as well as researching books etc), BUT I too get frustrated by petty threads and posts that are just "LOL" or "+1" or "naming snakes" or "which snake to buy next" or "which snake is better" which don't add anything to the thread, (only adding to peoples "post count").....maybe starting up some new subheadings in the forum to capture these threads separately might help, (for those that still want to post things like these items).

I also get very dissappointed at some of the rude and arrogant replies that some people feel the need to send....mainly based on their ego and the need wield some power. They also selectively pick on people because they see they are new, or different, or not posted much, or are young, or are the wrong gender....I think you get my drift.

On the "veterans corner" section of the forum....I keep looking there for these new and informative threads that come from our "more experienced herpers" and am left wondering where they are and whats changed in the herp world that is astounding and interesting. I thought this was the perfect spot for people to post this material and not be interrupted by "others" and get good debates happening.

On a good side I would like to thank those who persevere AND I have seen some very good, positive and useful replies coming from quite a few users of the forum....THANKS....YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE....PAT YOURSELVES GENEROUSLY ON THE BACK.

Looking forward to being flamed for an opinion....but I'm big enough and ugly enough to take it.

Good point above Sandee...about respect. I thing Jungle_Freak nails about 10 good points, the relating to "prices" is classic and shows where people are at and it's always nice to think we may make millions, but the reality is we are in it mostly cause we love snakes, (sorry reptiles).

Cheers
Ron

 

[Colin]

I agree with you about people starting more informative threads. I think the danger in discouraging all threads that aren't reptile-oriented is that people WITHOUT a desire to research a topic before posting a thread about it will fall away from the site, and that the traffic will decrease considerably. I've been on plenty of forums where there simply isn't enough traffic or threads been posted per day that it is worth continuing to visit them.

Im not suggesting to discard all non herp related threads, some of them can be really interesting.. Im taking about the garbage threads that are pointless dribble..

If people that are too lazy to reseach about the herps they keep or want to keep then in my opinion it shows their lack of interest in the hobby and general laziness.. this would probably be the same attitude they have caring and looking after their animals.. and if thats the case... good ridance from the hobby is all I can really say.. sorry for being blunt..

I have all the time in the world for serious and enthisuaistic new keepers.. and have tried my best to encourage and help them if and when I can..

But if were "in danger of losing" all the people that are too lazy to research things, too lazy too ask decent questions or for help and just want to post rubbish on here.. then I wont be shedding any tears to see them leave..

 

[Kristy_07]

If people that are too lazy to reseach about the herps they keep or want to keep then in my opinion it shows their lack of interest in the hobby and general laziness.. this would probably be the same attitude they have caring and looking after their animals.. and if thats the case... good ridance from the hobby is all I can really say.. sorry for being blunt..

I certainly agree with you on this point, but I'm (as in, me, JMO) probably not convinced that scrapping ALL social threads would achieve what you are hoping it will achieve in raising the calibre of the discussion.

I, for one, wouldn't have much to contribute on daily basis if you take out the social aspect of the site. I don't have any husbandry issues, health issues, I can deal with my feeding issues on my own, I don't have any ground-breaking research to offer, and I don't have any fantastic breeding projects happening at the moment. I would be able to answer people's basic husbandry questions, even if it means looking it up in my books as opposed to them doing it themselves. But, other than that, I would be waiting for stories, pics, discussions, successes and failures from more experienced herpers, who, for the most part, are on the quiet side...

What one person considers a "rubbish thread" might not be to others... You suggested that Tony open a new thread discussing what happened with his jungle and to address the people that criticised his actions - but couldn't he have done that from the original thread, which was shut down? Not meaning to be critical of the fact that it was shut down. But, from someone who is only beginning to dip their toes in the shallow end of the "breeding reptiles" pool, I was finding that thread enormously informative, and a perfect example of how things can go wrong, despite your best efforts and others' good advice...

 

[Guest]

The majority of the time the newbies dont want to hear the advice from experienced keepers, they seem to know everything already anyway regardless of weather or not they just asked a question about it.

I also see that breeding something throws you strait up into professional status, and alot of people think the advice from the guy they just bought a spotted python off that bred them for the first time that season is as good as the advice from someone that has been keeping and breeding reptiles for over 15 years

the difference between asking all your questions on a forum from the safety of behind a computer screen and reading a book is you cant argue with a book if you dont like what you hear!

I think lately the experienced members of our hobby dont see the value in sharing their information they have developed over years of hard work in the hot seat to a bunch of people that are only going to argue with comments like "Iv done my research I know what im talking about" when they dont get the answer they were looking for!
Iv been keeping reptiles (of all sorts) since before the amnesty and I still ask questions

I think it will take alot more than just deleting the chit chat section to bring the old boys back!

 

[Colin]

Ive been keeping reptiles (of all sorts) since before the amnesty and I still ask questions

I think it will take alot more than just deleting the chit chat section to bring the old boys back!

me too josh.. Im always learning new stuff all the time..
If you have been keeping since before the amnesty mate, you ARE one of the old boys
so it would be great to see some more threads from you please josh.. thanks mate


PS.. I dont know about you lot.. but Im finding this thread interesting cheers

 

[buck]

I've been here for a while and have seen many come and go and Baden is right, there are quite a few experienced guys who no longer post on the forum. For mine it seems to relate to the amount of flack that more experienced keepers get on here for giving advice. Most people will freely offer advice if asked but most get sick of arguing with people who 6 months earlier were asking which snake they should get as their first snake. Not trying to make that sound elitist but that is the fact.
Many on here seem to judge experience by the post count - more fool them I guess.

I think the other reason why some no longer post or frequent the site is that at times the forum seems to be over moderated. Infractions for voicing an opinion about things that really should be in the open. I have witnessed threads that have been started in relation to a sponsor(one in particular who was ripping people off with enclosures) that were heavily moderated and any post naming the sponsor was removed and infractions issued. All this does is lead to this person being able to continue to rip off more unsuspecting people. Yeah ok sponsors help pay the bills but at times I think the $$ are seen as being more important than the reputation of the site.

generally though I have to say that the site has improved a little from where it was a couple of yeas ago. The whole desperate and dateless phase was shocking!!!!!

Mick

 

[pythons73]

I no a few people that have keeped-breed reptiles for 30+years,even these people still say they learn new tricks of the trade (so to speak).IMO theres just too much useless threads that go on-on-on 5pages later,without any useful answers...BUT there is some they are GREAT,with useful information...Ive meet some really AWESOME people that use this site (others) and have learnt so much over the years...For the more experienced herpers the majority of the time they look at the site,without posting anything...or if they do its great advice...The site is ALOT BETTER then a few years ago thats for sure....

 

[Snakeluvver2]

I've joined this forum just this year, it has been amazing help in all facets of my herp knowledge but there is a lot of rubbish out there. I mostly learn new facts from old threads many two or three years old. I'm not sure if it's because the state of discussion has gotten worse recently. There has been some threads that really opened my eyes such as the rock python thread which has been mentioned already. So while there is a lot of crap in here and I have contributed to them still think there is great information and discussion going around. So that's why I'm here checking threads most days.

That being said a lot people need to think about their post, the amount of aggression and rudeness is staggering. That's my primary issue really. I bought some herps off one of those people who have been collecting for many years and have a bounty of information. His direct words are I don't post much anymore because I don't like it when some 15 year old brat starts telling me how to do things.

 

[Tristan]

a few suggestions i can think of would be things such as,

the ability to Edit your post (saves double posting etc)
make the minimum post count 10 char (reduces the ability to just reply with +1)

If a post is deleted leave the post box delete the content and add a comment to state why the post was deleted, if i make a post and its deleted with no comment i wont learn (or even know) what i did wrong and if i don't know i cant ensure i don't do it again.

don't delete threads close them with a comment stating why it was closed again so people learn why.

this community is not large enough to permanently suspend users for minor infractions,

users need to remember to take every thing on a forum with a pinch of salt.
challenge arguments NOT people.

provide some factual evidence to back up your argument link to a gov website or a vet paper what ever.

SEARCH before posting and on that perhaps make the search easier for new people to find i dunno perhaps you could title the search bar with SEARCH so its a little more obvious

respect the other people even if you don't respect their methods.

chit chat stuff is necessary to help keep a forum active with traffic and users, but limit the game threads to a few pages, then delete and recreate if its popular.if the forums is filled with only technical data that will only appeal to a minority group you will loose people.

make a few sticky threads with titles that cover the most common questions (what should i feed my dragon) (is my animal gravid) (how often do i feed) (what temps do keep blah)

this wont stop people making those threads any way BUT you can simply hyperlink the sticky in a reply and close that new thread (with a reason why it was closed)

just a few ideas ill think of more im sure

 

[AM Pythons]

i asked fay to delete my jungle thread for the reason that i was being called an animal abuser...by a certain person, i would of continued the thread but couldnt tell the whole story because of others involved & it wasnt fair to 'tar' them with the same 'brush' as i was being 'tarred' with... this is the first reptile that has ever died in my care... thanks for the PM's from the experienced herpers that helped... tony

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Thanks to those who PMd me too.

Col, I agree that this is an interesting thread indeed. I think it's easy to nip a few of the 'what's your favourite hybrid combination?' and 'Can I keep my Coastal with my Lacie?' threads in the bud (god knows I try!). One of the problems (for me!) is that there are many here who believe that all questions are deserving of a considered answer, I'm not one of those... I do certainly believe there are some very stupid questions.

There is a fundamental problem with the licensing systems in most states, in that people can acquire reptiles without a jot of knowledge, and basically do with them whatever they want. Sites like this are hopefully more helpful than problematic, but they can present a few problems with regard to the information members provide, and the way in which it is used by those with not much knowledge. This is where the experienced herpers can step in and try to ensure that the info is accurate and timely, and also interpreted correctly.

It's no secret that I have strong views on many things, and I'm not shy about expressing my views where the wellbeing of animals is concerned. All of us with experience MUST do what we can to ensure that animnals are treated ethically at all times. The future of our hobby depends on it.

I haven't really noticed that there has been any increase in 'other animal' threads, but maybe it's because I don't really bother to look at them. I contribute to a few of them - a current one where a member has a dog with a life-threatening health issue is one - but I'm a dog person...

Chit chat - meh - never go there, never will... it's not what I'm on APS for...

Jamie.