gripe.

[Burntchef]

this is a post to remind some folks here why this board exists. there are a lot of new divers joining this forum allmost every day and so yes a lot of the same questions do get asked repeatedly. instead of of the beating a dead horse logo or saying use the search feature please take a moment to voice your opinion or dont post. yes posting a link is easy but how old is it? is it full of hijacks? does it really even apply to the current topic?

this is not the deco stop, this is a local forum, one of the major problems with large fromat forums is its a easy place to slam people and never see or care about them. there are many many divers of wich i am one that if it were not for this place i would not be where i am today as a diver. if i was met with some of the responses back then that is being posted lately i probably would of assumed that diving is full of ego filled dickheads and moved on.

please dont misunderstand my post, this has not become a major problem yet but again its a trend i wish would stop. i am not a mod so i cant snuff out posts but i do believe it drives newer folk away or they are less likely to ask simple questions.

remember when you joined you were most likely a wide eyed newbie full of the same questions,so instead of taking up bandwith, help out a newbie. remember we can do a search for your old posts too

thanks for reading,

howard goldberg

[scottsax]

[Dusty2]

I have to agree on this one. Maybe you have heard it a dozen times but the person asking is honestly looking for info and we should be helpful. On the other hand these questions should also not be considered a place to beat your drum or use the old soap box either. I know allot of questions go unasked because the less experienced divers feel intimidated by the answers that allot of the questions get.

[Zen Diver]

Well said Howard, thanks.

-Valerie

[Maverick]

Very nicely written, and dead on Howard

[Grateful Diver]

Another one supporting what Howard said ... keep in mind that most of us were full of questions when we first started diving ... or first joined this board. And most of our questions had already been asked before ... but not by us. People come here to participate ... not to read old threads.

Whenever you see someone asking a question you've seen before, put yourself back in the perspective of when you were a new diver ... or new to this community ... and ask how you'd feel if someone else were giving you the answer you just typed. Do this BEFORE you hit the Submit button ... it might result in some edits.

This board was created by a handful of friends looking for a fun way to communicate. The rest of us joined BECAUSE it was such a friendly place. Let's keep it that way. We can do that not only by nurturing those newer members who are asking the questions, but by setting a good example so that in a coupla years, they can pass it on to the next set of new divers who will want to join in.

Thank you Howard for bringing it up ... I was thinking to say something yesterday, but got caught up in all the octopus excitement. You expressed the issue very well.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[spatman]

thanks for the reminder, howard. i confess i am guilty of posting links to other threads lately. i've been doing this not out of disdain for the new folks, but mostly because of time restraints while working. i was hoping to be able to help the person learn more with a quick link to some info. your post does point out that it can be interpreted as cold and dismissive. to all of the folks i did this to and to those that found it rude somehow, i apologize.

[Jaksonbrown]

Hey Howard,

All though I whole hartedly agree with you,..

ya gotta kinda give some of these guys a break. Im not sure if you were around a few months ago, but I was a new guy who came on full of piss and vinegar and attitude. I am somewhat opinionated and got off on a really bad start with alot of folks around here. I believe thier lack of wanting to answer questions I posed were more of a result of a dislike for me rather than an unwillingness to help new folks. I have not observed any of these people doing anything but being very kind and gracious to other newbies.....
We are working on rectifying these situations, but Im sure that you will see that this is not the norm around here....

Just my .02 worth....

[dsteding]

Do a search. Been discussed before.

kidding, I'm kidding, I agree with you Howard

[BDub]

Very well said, Howard

[Joshua Smith]

Thanks for writing that, Howard. (But if you'd bothered to do a search, you would have found that we've already talked about this.....) (sorry, couldn't resist.......)

Burntchef is right on the money, folks. The primary function of this board is to help out new divers- there's nothing wrong with posting links to relevant threads, as long as it's done thoughtfully.

[spatman]

Im not sure if you were around a few months ago, but I was a new guy who came on full of piss and vinegar and attitude. I am somewhat opinionated and got off on a really bad start with alot of folks around here. I believe thier lack of wanting to answer questions I posed were more of a result of a dislike for me rather than an unwillingness to help new folks. I have not observed any of these people doing anything but being very kind and gracious to other newbies.....
We are working on rectifying these situations, but Im sure that you will see that this is not the norm around here....

although this could be a topic for an entirely new thread, cory, thanks for acknowledging that. you are well on your way to becoming a solid member of NWDC.

[dsteding]

(But if you'd bothered to do a search, you would have found that we've already talked about this.....)

Stop being such a meanie, Howard means well.

[Joshua Smith]

(But if you'd bothered to do a search, you would have found that we've already talked about this.....)

Stop being such a meanie, Howard means well.

Yeah, but the road to hell is paved with well meanings.

Or something to that effect.



Point being, everyone who isn't as smart, or smarterer than me, should bask in the glory of the collective smugness of the awesome divers, and just try and learn by soaking smartness into their pointy skulls, instead of asking silly questions.

[Nwbrewer]

Thanks Howard.

One of the things I've said many times is that what makes this board so great is that many of us know each other off-board. We dive together, BS, and in general abuse each other in person. I fear that as our community grows, we may lose some of that 'hanging with my dive buddies' feel. One of the ways to prevent that is to not just point people to old threads, and in some cases, not even responding with thoughtful posts, but to actually offer to take folks diving. I know going out and doing dives with some of the folks on this board has been FAR more helpful to pushing me forward in my diving career than any of the hundreds of posts. Let's do a take a noobie diving week..... (that's new to the board, not necessarily to diving)

Anybody want to go diving?

[mattwave]

if i was met with some of the responses back then that is being posted lately i probably would of assumed that diving is full of ego filled dickheads and moved on.

i am not a mod so i cant snuff out posts but i do believe it drives newer folk away or they are less likely to ask simple questions.

howard goldberg

Good points How, lately the way this forum has been going I am starting to think "Sound or Sandbox?"

[Burntchef]

Do a search. Been discussed before.

kidding, I'm kidding, I agree with you Howard

its game on doug, game on. of course not here but on t.d.s.

[Sounder]

Howard's right. If newbs want to ask the same question, even in multiple threads running at the same time, they should be able to. This is a great resource for new divers, and I'll do my part to help keep it that way.

[airsix]

Howard, thanks for this thread.

[Pez7378]

sorry.

[BigFameOne]

As a newbie with a list of dumb questions long enough to keep this board busy for a loooooong time I appreciate the post Chef, I also appreciate those of you who have been very helpful to me along the way. Even Pez.

[Tom Nic]

Even Pez.

:rr:

Bring on the Noob questions! (Heck, I'm lousy at using the search feature anyway so I probably wouldn't be able to find all the old threads with the really cool answers and subsequent hi-jacks.)

[sunnydude]

Thanks Chef!

I have asked a few questions that have caused the horse to be displayed. The reason I join boards is to tap into the knowledge they have. I have learned more than one could expect in the short time I have been a member.

[Sounder]

Thanks Chef!

I have asked a few questions that have caused the horse to be displayed. The reason I join boards is to tap into the knowledge they have. I have learned more than one could expect in the short time I have been a member.

That's on me. I'm sending the horse out to pasture for a while...

[Pez7378]

Even Pez.

:rr:

(Heck, I'm lousy at using the search feature anyway so I probably wouldn't be able to find all the old threads with the really cool answers and subsequent hi-jacks.)

The trick is to "REMEMBER" the topic of the thread you want to search for!