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A couple of new forum posters have recently pointed out that we really are pretty tough on new folks.

 

I hate it when I see a new poster express something like 'Sorry I asked, I won't be back'.

 

Even when it isn't pointed out I see a few threads where we really jumped on a newbie who thought it safe to ask a question here.

 

I'm as guilty of it as anyone.

 

I know, folks really should search for a topic before asking about it, but a lot of new forum users don't know that. And our search engine seriously sux; even I can't use it effectively. I usually use Google, but a newbie wouldn't know to do that.

 

And yes, thanks to wonderful Moderators this forum is much better than a lot of them out there, which is why this forum and my local state forum are the only ones I participate in... but the fact that we're better than some others is no excuse for us to be inconsiderate of anyone, especially new folks who may never have participated in any other forum.

 

There's a core group of us who post just about every day and read just about every thread. For example I read every post in the Geocaching Topics forum and reply to a lot of them. I think that leads us to a bit of impatience when a new forum member posts a question we're all well expressed and perhaps a bit jaded about. We tend to be a bit unkind to those who don't know what we know.

 

Some of us cut pretty close to the edges of the forum guidelines with our arguments and slaps at each other. I've met many a cacher who won't come into Geocaching Topics because they feel that we've created a toxic environment.

 

We develop relationships, healthy and otherwise, we develop mental images of our peers, incorrect or not, we begin to talk as if we know each other, and we usually know pretty much how each of us will respond to each other and to each topic (we're really pretty predictable), and among 'old-timers' that's okay, but all of that can come off to a newbie as being pretty harsh and exclusive.

 

People should not have to come to this forum with thick skin and flame suits. Sometimes I think that we forget that we can disagree without being disagreeable.

 

I will do better about welcoming new people to the forum and answering their questions.

 

I hope that you will take a moment to consider who the person is that started the thread or made the reply. Check their post count. If someone has just a few posts here maybe lighten up on them, at least until they get a feel for this place.

 

This forum has a terrible reputation amongst geocachers at large, and that's the direct result of those of us who regularly play here. Let's do better... for sure it wouldn't hurt to have some new voices and opinions!

 

"Why can't we all get along?", Kum Bah Ya, group hug and all that! :D

Edited by TheAlabamaRambler
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This forum has a terrible reputation amongst geocachers at large...

We do? I never noticed that. From what I've seen most of the users of this forums are nice to newbies.

 

I think that a lot of people could exercise some sort of common sense before asking a question that has already been asked numerous times before. After answering the same question for the 12th time some of us are bound to get frustrated.

Edited by BCProspectors
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Guilty too.

If I described this forum how it has been described to my I might just get banned.

Honestly, I don't think they would let me off with a warning or a temp ban.

It is that bad.

 

One thing I will not refrain from is the "It must be bla bla bla", that is a pop culture statement.

 

Buffy! Dawns in trouble.

Oh? It must be Tuesday.

 

"Why can't we all get along?", Kum Bah Ya, group hug and all that! biggrin.gif

Where is the fun in that? I say lets give them 25 posts then haze the frell outta 'em. :D

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It's not so much the people asking questions that get asked once a week that I hold suspect. That could very well just be someone popping in and asking without noticing the "Getting Started" board or not using the search function.

 

What is suspect and tends to draw the most ire is when someone posts a question about a topic that is at the top of the front page from an account with no activity.

 

If it were not for the fact that we have experienced sock puppet accounts trolling in this manner, then they probably would not be met with such suspicion.

 

I hate to say it, but that is a risk you run when posting to ANY forum you have never posted on before. It is always best to lurk for a while so you get a feel for the board you are interested in.

 

Yes, we could be a LOT kinder to new posters who make the mistake of not searching and reading about a hot topic question that has drifted off of the first page before posting. But there is no excuse for anyone not skimming the first page or so to see if there is an active discussion going on. That does not require the use of the search function.

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A couple of new forum posters have recently pointed out that we really are pretty tough on new folks.

 

I hate it when I see a new poster express something like 'Sorry I asked, I won't be back'.

 

Even when it isn't pointed out I see a few threads where we really jumped on a newbie who thought it safe to ask a question here.

 

I'm as guilty of it as anyone.

 

I know, folks really should search for a topic before asking about it, but a lot of new forum users don't know that. And our search engine seriously sux; even I can't use it effectively. I usually use Google, but a newbie wouldn't know to do that.

 

And yes, thanks to wonderful Moderators this forum is much better than a lot of them out there, which is why this forum and my local state forum are the only ones I participate in... but the fact that we're better than some others is no excuse for us to be inconsiderate of anyone, especially new folks who may never have participated in any other forum.

 

There's a core group of us who post just about every day and read just about every thread. For example I read every post in the Geocaching Topics forum and reply to a lot of them. I think that leads us to a bit of impatience when a new forum member posts a question we're all well expressed and perhaps a bit jaded about. We tend to be a bit unkind to those who don't know what we know.

 

Some of us cut pretty close to the edges of the forum guidelines with our arguments and slaps at each other. I've met many a cacher who won't come into Geocaching Topics because they feel that we've created a toxic environment.

 

We develop relationships, healthy and otherwise, we develop mental images of our peers, incorrect or not, we begin to talk as if we know each other, and we usually know pretty much how each of us will respond to each other and to each topic (we're really pretty predictable), and among 'old-timers' that's okay, but all of that can come off to a newbie as being pretty harsh and exclusive.

 

People should not have to come to this forum with thick skin and flame suits. Sometimes I think that we forget that we can disagree without being disagreeable.

 

I will do better about welcoming new people to the forum and answering their questions.

 

I hope that you will take a moment to consider who the person is that started the thread or made the reply. Check their post count. If someone has just a few posts here maybe lighten up on them, at least until they get a feel for this place.

 

This forum has a terrible reputation amongst geocachers at large, and that's the direct result of those of us who regularly play here. Let's do better... for sure it wouldn't hurt to have some new voices and opinions!

 

"Why can't we all get along?", Kum Bah Ya, group hug and all that! :anibad:

 

I completely agree. I do think that part of it is a personality thing though, I'm still one of said newbies, but have never gotten my feelings hurt. It's a balance, but one that takes a lot more effort from the experienced posters.

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...I do think that part of it is a personality thing though, ...

Sure it's a personality thing, and in an open community we're going to have a very wide range of personalities.

 

I don't, however, believe that most of us would act at work, church or our Grandma's dinner table the way we act in here, and we should endeavor to act no differently in here than in those situations.

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I am pretty new here, and have to admit I sometimes dont want to ask a question because I see the answers some give to other beginners. Some answers come off as sarcastic at the least, and can give a new person a not so welcome feeling. There will always be new people here, and many of us will ask the same old questions over and over. I can understand that being annoying, but we only ask because we are looking for the answer, and we look at your experience as a good source. If a question from a beginner annoys you because you have answered it over and over again, just skip it. Someone else will answer it who has more patience, or hasnt answered it as many times as you. The "snide" answers do nothing to help or benifit anyone, they only make new folks hesitant to ask another question for fear of being the target of sarcasm. Have a little patience and compassion for us beginners,after all, we admire your skill,knowledge, and love of this game, and only wish to play it as well as you. And Its nice to make a few new friends along the way. :anibad:

 

Ok..every one sing along..G&R..Just a little patience..Yaaaa aaaa.. B)

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...I do think that part of it is a personality thing though, ...

Sure it's a personality thing, and in an open community we're going to have a very wide range of personalities.

 

I don't, however, believe that most of us would act at work, church or our Grandma's dinner table the way we act in here, and we should endeavor to act no differently in here than in those situations.

I don't bleeping act the same way here as I bleeping act at grandmas dinner table. I bleeping refrain from bleeping cussing all the bleeping time here.

Of course be forgives me because she knows that I'll start uncontrollably cursing when she knocks my bleeping brains all over the bleeping table with that bleeping giant bleeping wooden bleeping salad bleeping spoon because some of my political beliefs are a tad to liberal.

Bleeping Italian grandmas! :anibad:

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...I do think that part of it is a personality thing though, ...

Sure it's a personality thing, and in an open community we're going to have a very wide range of personalities.

 

I don't, however, believe that most of us would act at work, church or our Grandma's dinner table the way we act in here, and we should endeavor to act no differently in here than in those situations.

Bleeping Italian grandmas! :anibad:

 

You have one of those too huh?

 

I actually tone down my natural responses here. At home, at work, and in public in general, I pretty openly speak my mind. The only real reason I refrain from it at G'ma's table is because there I'm always surrounded by people who are much wittier than I am and are much quicker with the harsh words. I'm out of my league there. In my limited experience, I've not seen rude or inappropriate in my time here, at least not too much.

 

But as I said at the beginning of my first post, I agree completely with your statements, it's the right way to play. No snark.

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As an occasional reader of the forums, I've only made one post (which didn't receive a negative comment) but have been apalled at the number of nasty, rude or sarcastic comments made by the regular contributors. That includes many but not all of the moderators which is really discouraging. The circle of geocachers that I know DO avoid the forums because of the regulars' reputations. It seems that they need to express their opinions on everything. A lot of those regulars have a poor attitude for cachers who are in it for the numbers yet they seem to relish increasing their post count. I feel that it's not about the number of posts but about the quality of those posts.

 

As for those of you who don't like to see the same question asked, how about ignoring it instead of putting up your popcorn icon or making some snarky comment about how it's been asked before. The search function of the forums really is useless and as TheAlabamaRambler says, most people don't know how to use Google to search only within a single website. Instead of belittling the poster, how about providing instructions on how to do that.

 

I guess that's my 2 cents and now I'm going to return to my corner and lurk.

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One of the things I have observed is a presumed level of skills on the part of inexperienced posters. There are many people who want to enjoy geocaching who are not particularly computer literate and who may not know about scanning a list of topics for something similar, using the search feature, or about the existence of a FAQ section. Or about the inner workings of the geocaching site or their GPS receivers, for that matter.

 

It might be good to treat inexperienced posters the way we would like to see our grandmothers treated when they take their aging Buick to the dealer for repairs.

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A couple of new forum posters have recently pointed out that we really are pretty tough on new folks.

 

I hate it when I see a new poster express something like 'Sorry I asked, I won't be back'.

 

Even when it isn't pointed out I see a few threads where we really jumped on a newbie who thought it safe to ask a question here.

 

I'm as guilty of it as anyone.

 

I know, folks really should search for a topic before asking about it, but a lot of new forum users don't know that. And our search engine seriously sux; even I can't use it effectively. I usually use Google, but a newbie wouldn't know to do that.

You are so correct about the search function. It's "failure" is partly due to the software itself AND the fact that the Searcher may not use the correct term to search on. Thus it is easier to ask a question. Remember what you were always told in school about using a dictionary? How can I find out how to spell a word if I don't even know how to spell it?

 

We will also notice that questions are cyclical. So sure what we answered yesterday or today will be asked again in the future. That's life and the world continues to turn. :anibad:

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I find that many people respond in forums the same as they would respond in person, but I think it is important to note that when an individual sends a response through written word as opposed to spoken, a large part of the subtle nuances are lost. The reader may not realize that what you have posted is mean as a joke, since they cannot read your body language or hear the tone of your voice, facial expressions, etc. They may also not be aware of your personal style of humour, which, when read, appears to be harsh, insulting bitter and angry.

 

I myself have been guilty of that in the past, and it can be hard to get across that what you have said is a joke to be taken lightly, not a harsh bashing of an individual's intelligence, experience, opinions, etc...

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TheAlabamaRambler says, most people don't know how to use Google to search only within a single website. Instead of belittling the poster, how about providing instructions on how to do that.

I've been a daily user of the Internet for 12 years and a daily message board user for over 7 years and I had no idea you could do that.

It might be good to treat inexperienced posters the way we would like to see our grandmothers treated when they take their aging Buick to the dealer for repairs.

 

Exactly. I'm technology-friendly but I still have zero clue how to use waypoints, pocket queries, or anything else. I can upload the cache to my GPS and that is it as far as using the technology goes. I haven't looked so far to find out how to use those features, perhaps I will do that this morning. I'll tell you this though - chances are, if I don't find the answer, I won't ask it here. I won't bother to search either, because rarely does the search engine work for me. I will more likely Google it and cross my fingers, or ask one of my seasoned cacher friends, which I am thankful to have. Had I not been mentored by a couple of experienced, awesome cachers, I'd be SOL and probably still looking for that first cache :anibad:

Edited by coffee/wired
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Just for S&G, I did a search for "pocket query" and came up with absolutely nothing that was helpful.

 

So then I tried to do search for my phone, an HTC Hero, but that's not allowed, apparently the HTC is an issue and "hero" doesn't have enough characters. So THEN I tried "hero pocket query" and got this: One or all of your search keywords were below 5 characters or you searched for words which are not allowed, such as 'html', 'img', etc, please go back and increase the length of these search keywords or choose different keywords.

 

Google it is, I suppose.

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TheAlabamaRambler says, most people don't know how to use Google to search only within a single website. Instead of belittling the poster, how about providing instructions on how to do that.

I've been a daily user of the Internet for 12 years and a daily message board user for over 7 years and I had no idea you could do that.

It might be good to treat inexperienced posters the way we would like to see our grandmothers treated when they take their aging Buick to the dealer for repairs.

 

Exactly. I'm technology-friendly but I still have zero clue how to use waypoints, pocket queries, or anything else. I can upload the cache to my GPS and that is it as far as using the technology goes. I haven't looked so far to find out how to use those features, perhaps I will do that this morning. I'll tell you this though - chances are, if I don't find the answer, I won't ask it here. I won't bother to search either, because rarely does the search engine work for me. I will more likely Google it and cross my fingers, or ask one of my seasoned cacher friends, which I am thankful to have. Had I not been mentored by a couple of experienced, awesome cachers, I'd be SOL and probably still looking for that first cache :anibad:

 

"how do i do that" site:http://forums.Groundspeak.com

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This forum has a terrible reputation amongst geocachers at large...

We do? I never noticed that. From what I've seen most of the users of this forums are nice to newbies.
Yes, we do. We most definitely do. I've heard that from a great many local cachers.

 

Very well put, TAR. Thanks for the reminder!!

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TheAlabamaRambler says, most people don't know how to use Google to search only within a single website. Instead of belittling the poster, how about providing instructions on how to do that.

I've been a daily user of the Internet for 12 years and a daily message board user for over 7 years and I had no idea you could do that.

It might be good to treat inexperienced posters the way we would like to see our grandmothers treated when they take their aging Buick to the dealer for repairs.

 

Exactly. I'm technology-friendly but I still have zero clue how to use waypoints, pocket queries, or anything else. I can upload the cache to my GPS and that is it as far as using the technology goes. I haven't looked so far to find out how to use those features, perhaps I will do that this morning. I'll tell you this though - chances are, if I don't find the answer, I won't ask it here. I won't bother to search either, because rarely does the search engine work for me. I will more likely Google it and cross my fingers, or ask one of my seasoned cacher friends, which I am thankful to have. Had I not been mentored by a couple of experienced, awesome cachers, I'd be SOL and probably still looking for that first cache :anibad:

Go ahead and ask - I'll help.

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This is a great thread. Once in particular I was guilty of this. I don't remember specifically as it was a year or two ago. I do know this, it is not usually what I say- but how I say it.

 

Some of the local cachers here use forums and I have heard that they avoid here because of what you mentioned. The local forum is primarily a social forum. I'm much more interested in caching than being sociable forums that discuss geocaching in particular. At least one local has made it very clear that they don't care what the geocaching forums say regarding what is typical geocaching protocol. Maybe that is because of the perceived unwelcome atmosphere here.

 

I am so sick of someone posting something and then seeing a stinky comment about the search feature and posting 6 threads and the links that cover that persons question. Regulars know what I am talking about. Share the link to the answer instead of criticizing.

 

Snarky comments aren't so bad as long as they are directed the right way.

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I just recently started posting again on the forums after a fairly long stretch of lurking. I admit that I left the forums because I felt like people were "mean" to me, but one thing I did notice was that my quality of caching improved mightily after participating on the forums. I've been much more aware of how I hide, find, and talk about the game. I felt like the forums kept me up to date.

 

So I started lurking again, and then I started posting again because I think that folks are much more polite than they used to be, not just to me, but to newbies.

 

And maybe I have a thicker skin, I dunno, but it seems to me that folks say what they do because they are honest, or because they truly believe something is the way it is, and just because someone disagrees with me, doesn't mean they are being "mean" to me.

 

I must admit, however, that the forums do have a bad reputation. I have friends, seasoned cachers and noobs alike who do not want to participate because they have "heard" that the forums are full of drama and negativity.

 

HOWEVER, I keep in mind that those people saying those things are people who don't participate, and thus they don't really know. How can one know if they don't try?

 

Besides, all internet fora have some amount of drama. It's the nature of communicating online. For whatever reason, miscommunications happen easier. You can't see someone's facial features, hear the tone of their voice, nor do we really know the person. Some people feel braver communicating online because of the anonymity, and so they might say something they normally wouldn't feel comfortable saying to someone's face.

 

Personally, I feel like I benefit a lot from the forums, and I'm enjoying participating again.

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TheAlabamaRambler says, most people don't know how to use Google to search only within a single website. Instead of belittling the poster, how about providing instructions on how to do that.

I've been a daily user of the Internet for 12 years and a daily message board user for over 7 years and I had no idea you could do that.

It might be good to treat inexperienced posters the way we would like to see our grandmothers treated when they take their aging Buick to the dealer for repairs.

 

Exactly. I'm technology-friendly but I still have zero clue how to use waypoints, pocket queries, or anything else. I can upload the cache to my GPS and that is it as far as using the technology goes. I haven't looked so far to find out how to use those features, perhaps I will do that this morning. I'll tell you this though - chances are, if I don't find the answer, I won't ask it here. I won't bother to search either, because rarely does the search engine work for me. I will more likely Google it and cross my fingers, or ask one of my seasoned cacher friends, which I am thankful to have. Had I not been mentored by a couple of experienced, awesome cachers, I'd be SOL and probably still looking for that first cache :anibad:

 

"how do i do that" site:http://forums.Groundspeak.com

Cool! Thanks B)

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It seems that they need to express their opinions on everything. A lot of those regulars have a poor attitude for cachers who are in it for the numbers yet they seem to relish increasing their post count. I feel that it's not about the number of posts but about the quality of those posts.

-A forum is for expressing your opinions, idea, thoughts.

 

-Do not assume that posters post to increase their post count. This is something that we cannot control. That is the same as assuming that someone who has 10k finds is in it for the numbers. This may or may not be true. Maybe they just enjoy caching/posting.

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One of the things I have observed is a presumed level of skills on the part of inexperienced posters. There are many people who want to enjoy geocaching who are not particularly computer literate and who may not know about scanning a list of topics for something similar, using the search feature, or about the existence of a FAQ section. Or about the inner workings of the geocaching site or their GPS receivers, for that matter.

 

It might be good to treat inexperienced posters the way we would like to see our grandmothers treated when they take their aging Buick to the dealer for repairs.

All of that makes sense with the exception of skimming the first page. There is absolutely no skill involved in reading the titles to the threads on the first page. If you see "bus micro" in the title of the 3rd thread from the top, indicating that it is active, then you should open that thread and read it before asking about putting micros at bus stops. I'm sorry, but if you can read and find the forums, you possess that much skill.

 

If we are going to excuse that behavior, then folks are going to start raiding their sock drawers and posting away.

 

I may just be ignorant here, but the timing on a post like that on a hot topic issue known for blowing up quickly just smells.

 

If my family is together and we are having a discussion about a topic and someone pipes up and asks that same question while the discussion is still going on, then you can be assured that he's going to get an earful about not listening. Even if he just walked in the door, he is expected to listen to the current conversation before making himself look stupid.

 

I find that many people respond in forums the same as they would respond in person, but I think it is important to note that when an individual sends a response through written word as opposed to spoken, a large part of the subtle nuances are lost. The reader may not realize that what you have posted is mean as a joke, since they cannot read your body language or hear the tone of your voice, facial expressions, etc. They may also not be aware of your personal style of humour, which, when read, appears to be harsh, insulting bitter and angry.

That is soooooooo true. And sometimes you can't put enough smilies into your post to convey it. Even when you regularly post in this manner, some just take your written words flat, without taking into account your style of posting.

 

In person, someone's dry sense of humor may not come through the first time you hear them speak either. But over time, you become familiar with it.

 

My family often don't get me, but they know I'm not being mean to them either. My stupid jokes often fall on deaf ears, but rarely does anyone get ticked off about it. They just look at me like I'm an idiot.

 

The other thing that doesn't come through very well in forums is some of the light hearted poking between friends. Where one might read a conversation between two posters as adversarial in nature, those two may actually just be jabbing each other in fun; neither really being mean to the other.

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It seems that they need to express their opinions on everything. A lot of those regulars have a poor attitude for cachers who are in it for the numbers yet they seem to relish increasing their post count. I feel that it's not about the number of posts but about the quality of those posts.

-A forum is for expressing your opinions, idea, thoughts.

 

-Do not assume that posters post to increase their post count. This is something that we cannot control. That is the same as assuming that someone who has 10k finds is in it for the numbers. This may or may not be true. Maybe they just enjoy caching/posting.

 

Post counts may be unintentional and beyond our control... however there is a certain reverance for high poster counts (HPC) regardless of the merit of their contributions.

 

I noticed one thread recently where someone with a HPC returned to the forums after a long absence to ask a question with a slightly disgruntled tone. This poster recieved somewhat dismissive responses until it was pointed out their HPC then the following posts took on an almost apologetic tone.

 

So newbies will get a rough ride - happens in a lot of forums but few would be humble enough to acknowledge their prejudice. Skills and experience counts for nothing, but if you are able to post a few of these...

 

;)B):anibad:B):D

 

or

 

one word approvals/missives

 

...on more than a few threads you can easily rack up your post count and you will then be in with the clique. Your words will suddenly take on an air of wisdom and respectability.

 

Happens on a lot of forums... the most wisened and experienced of folks here could join a GPSr or Outdoors forum elsewhere tomorrow and get their comments trodden all over.

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HOWEVER, I keep in mind that those people saying those things are people who don't participate, and thus they don't really know. How can one know if they don't try?

Excellent point. A lot of what upsets people that don't come here regularly is a perceived negativity. I'm not saying that there isn't a bit of negative posting that goes on around here, but by and far most of what is perceived as negative is simply banter among friends.

 

Anyone seen Gran Torino? If you walked into that barber shop you would probably think those two guys hated each other.

 

Something else occurred to me as well.

 

The forums are where a lot of us go when we can't go anywhere else. We come here when we're sick as well as when we're depressed or otherwise would not go outside our home and communicate with the public.

 

It makes us feel good.

 

The problem with that is when we are not feeling our best, we have a tendency to let our guard down and just say whatever might be on our mind. We generally have a natural check for that in the real world as we simply don't get around other people. If we do, then the same problems often occur there as well.

 

I wouldn't want to avoid the forums when I'm not feeling well, but I do try to keep it in mind when I post. I'm not always successful. I tend to suffer from foot in mouth disease at those times more than normal.

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For those of you who don't think it happens, look at the religious material thread. A newb bumped it. Most of us don't aggree with her/his stance, and some of us visiously attacked her/him. Someone realy should have said something like "don't sweat it too much, just trade it out then trash it", and the thread should have been dropped.

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One good thing I have found, is that the more I communicate with many of you,the more I understand your "style". To me, some of you have become the "words of wisdom",some are "snarky",some are "impatient,some "speak their mind",and arent shy about it..[as you read that last sentence, picture Chris Farley making "air quotes".. :anibad: ..]

But I am learning to not see these things as character flaws, but as character..There are alot of good characters here. B)

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Being fairly new to Geocaching, but a veteran of forums for a long time, (I participate in upwards of a dozen on different interests) I pretty much knew what to expect when I got here. There are always groups of people who have developed "relationships of familiarity" on forums. Many know exactly who is going to respond to a post (by anyone) and more or less what they will say. Many have met in person, and developed friendships in the real world. ( or intolerance, B) ).

 

I have received a couple PM's from Briansnat (rightfully deserved btw) about my responses in the Getting Started section. I wasn't trying to be intentionally nasty, but lost patience quickly with a poster who asked a question, got about ten answers all saying the same thing, then wanted to argue everyone was wrong.

 

Another poster asked if "such and such" was ok, and after a good number of Forum veterans advised them it was generally frowned upon, responded "well I'm gonna do it anyway".

 

I am not trying to put off what TAR pointed out by any means. This is not the worst forum I participate in, but it is right up there as a contender!

 

I have refrained from posting on several threads of late, as I could see in which direction the conversation was destined to go.

 

I think my tongue is still bleeding from the biting I did when I saw a post about a TB being left in a bookstore by a newbie, and his defense was "well I left it in the Travel section" :anibad:

 

This same cacher, was asking about putting out a new hide the very next day! With one find!!

 

I'm sorry but it is very hard to respond in a kind and diplomatic way to that. So I chose not to respond at all!!

 

When I first joined, I did not rush to the Forums and begin questioning everyone on information that was freely and easily obtained by reading the KB's. In todays "instant gratification" society mindset, I think a lot of people say to themselves" I dont want to have to read through all this mumblespeak on the Geocaching website, I'll just go to the forums and ask."

 

I'm sorry but from where I am standing I just call that plain ol' lazy!!

 

Riddle me this.... how many questions are posted in this forum where the answers are easily found in the KB's?? If you are honest... your answer will be "a good majority". I am not talking about the "is this a good idea" type questions, which are asking for opinions. I mean the basic questions.

 

People dont want to take the time to read anything. Including taking the time (if the search function failed to return) to scan through the list of topics in the subsections and see if my question has been asked already.

 

C'mon people, after ten years of Geocaching, and posting on the forums, there arent many basic guideline questions that haven't been asked.

 

Its amazing someone can seem to find their way to the forums, and post, but cant seem to find their way to the Knowledge Books!!

 

TAR is correct in his assessment of the current situation. WE are all probably guilty of being quick to respond in ways that don't paint us in a "newbie friendly" light. I am sure others (as I am) are trying to work on our "people skills" every day. Thanks for pointing it out that we need to keep working on it!! :D

 

(Just pointing out the flip side of the coin)

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For those of you who don't think it happens, look at the religious material thread. A newb bumped it. Most of us don't aggree with her/his stance, and some of us visiously attacked her/him. Someone realy should have said something like "don't sweat it too much, just trade it out then trash it", and the thread should have been dropped.

I don't see the relevance of that example. There was plenty in that thread to indicate the general tone. Anyone wishing to post to it should be expected to read it first. I've made the mistake of posting to a thread before reading all the replies. I have paid for it. It has nothing to do with being new. You stick your hand in a hornet's nest, you have a high probability of getting stung.

 

<snip actual post for brevity>

I pretty much agree with the majority of NeecesandNephews post.

 

I will add that posters and mods pay particular care with the "Getting Started" board. It serves more like a dynamic FAQ section. Instead of sending people to read the knowledge base or FAQ, TPTB were kind enough to provide a place where newcomers can come in and ask some of the more frequent questions without getting shouted down. This is a great idea. From my experience, the mods ensure that board remains an open, free space for newcomers to ask questions.

 

Due to the nature of the questions, I typically avoid that section. People with much more patience than I have do a great job answering those questions over and over.

 

But when I do stray over there, I am very cognizant of where I am. If I do post, then I am very careful about what I say.

 

I guess it wouldn't hurt to carry some of that into this board.

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Seems to me, if you have a concern about the lack of civility on the forums, the thing to do is...be more civil. Dilute incivility with civility. Try to deflect threads that start to go south.

 

The thing not to do is start a post about how everybody else needs to be more civil.

 

There's only one person on this thread that any of us can control.

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I enjoy meeting people through the forums who share my interest. There as some fine people and there are some bullies. There are some threads that are helpful and some that vear off into la la land. It is gonna happen both ways.

 

We all should try to be polite though.

You mean like the one about Religion and I ended up bringing the Fremont Troll into it? :anibad:

 

I find it interesting to see usernames that I know are from my area.

Also this has given me some hints and tips about finding caches and even about hiding caches (soon I promise).

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I enjoy meeting people through the forums who share my interest. There as some fine people and there are some bullies. There are some threads that are helpful and some that vear off into la la land. It is gonna happen both ways.

 

We all should try to be polite though.

You mean like the one about Religion and I ended up bringing the Fremont Troll into it? :anibad:

 

I find it interesting to see usernames that I know are from my area.

Also this has given me some hints and tips about finding caches and even about hiding caches (soon I promise).

 

Cool photo BTW!

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...on more than a few threads you can easily rack up your post count and you will then be in with the clique. Your words will suddenly take on an air of wisdom and respectability.

 

 

:anibad:

 

...or one can stay on the outside, just on the edge of darkness wreaking havoc on multiple threads baiting all the forum police into mass hysteria.

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Seems to me, if you have a concern about the lack of civility on the forums, the thing to do is...be more civil. Dilute incivility with civility. Try to deflect threads that start to go south.

 

The thing not to do is start a post about how everybody else needs to be more civil.

 

There's only one person on this thread that any of us can control.

 

Ok Auntie, You are correct! I am guilty of letting myself be pulled into forum fights and of keeping them going as well. I need to correct my behavior. As for others well it is like the fire triangle, take out one element and it won't burn. So when someone moves beyond polite discussion and debate and I will remove one element.

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...on more than a few threads you can easily rack up your post count and you will then be in with the clique. Your words will suddenly take on an air of wisdom and respectability.

 

 

:anibad:

 

...or one can stay on the outside, just on the edge of darkness wreaking havoc on multiple threads baiting all the forum police into mass hysteria.

I've always believed that find counts should be visible only to the account holder. Perhaps that's a good idea for post counts as well. Neither find count nor post count should be used to evaluate a geocacher.

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I've always believed that find counts should be visible only to the account holder. Perhaps that's a good idea for post counts as well. Neither find count nor post count should be used to evaluate a geocacher.

 

nah...the good, the bad, and the ugly....

 

post history is important, no matter the forum. as someone(s) pointed out above, this forum is like many others. i know for sure, sarcasm does NOT translate well - there are some people who have such a good filter for it that they have no ability to read it. :anibad:

 

then... there are some, who might look at a persons post history to determine if they were actually joking (because there are some like me that don't always use the appropriate smiley... or any at all).

 

i saw someone's GC profile the other day. i was in awe. if i remember it right, he only had about 56 finds and had been caching for about 6 or 7 years. all of his finds were mountain tops.... or crazy spelunking type adventures. i think that's a really good geocacher. heck... who knows, it may be a secondary account, so he can look kool while he gets his fill on LPCs and forum antics.

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I know I've had to stop myself from making a snarky sarcastic comment. The Getting Started Forum is the place where newbs should be asking the basic questions. I don't know why newbs don't use all the great informtaion on the main site before coming here, but I try to be helpful. People should enjoy this hobby/sport/addiction and I think a lot of people can do a better job of making the forums more enjoyable.

 

:anibad: Maybe we need a heated topics board where the circular yelling debates can go on.

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Maybe TPB should consider a thank you system of sorts for the forums. You see it in all sorts of other forums. If SB or TAR or BD or KC or anyone says something helpful then they can get a simple thanks.

 

I'd post it in another thread but those suggestions always seem to get kicked aside by work arounds and such. Too much work. :anibad:

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...I don't know why newbs don't use all the great informtaion on the main site before coming here, but I try to be helpful...

 

I think it's because there is so much information on this site that it takes several weeks of reading bits at a time, dipping in to the forums, reading replies from others, following links given...

 

It often takes 'newbs' several visits before they realise that there are the regional forums too.

 

Just this afternoon I had a phone call from a very new local cacher who had seen our phone number in one of our caches and wanted to ask about how to deal with a TB which he'd just found. I invited him around to the house and we spent about an hour wandering around the site while I showed him the links explaining about trackables, then sat him at my pc while he did his log and retrieve, drank tea, showed him where the Getting Started and UK forums are to be found etc etc. He said (words to the effect) that he wasn't very pc literate (neither am I really!) and wasn't very familiar with forums either but he was gradually learning the geocaching game bit by bit, dealing with different aspects of it as he needed to.

 

As somebody else mentioned, we may consider this a bit of a 'techy game' to play but there are new people joining in every day who aren't at all 'techy-minded' and we should all do our best not to scare them away as they try to get to grips with it all within the geocaching game itself.

 

MrsB

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:anibad: Maybe we need a heated topics board where the circular yelling debates can go on.

 

seen it on several forums.... a hidden forum, or regulated entry (one forum it was based on gender, and let's just say one gender was always boring)...

 

it never ends well, as someone always ends up getting their one true feeling hurt. ...and really, just as with the grammar nazis, there are some people who will bang their heads against the brick wall making dadgum certain that their point is the one surviving at the end of it all.

 

B)

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I really don't see the rampant newbie bashing that TAR is referring to. If someone comes here with an earnest question most forum regulars fall over themselves to help the person out. Sure once in a while you'll see that ridiculous popcorn icon, or someone will make a flip comment in an poor attempt at humor, but they are generally received well.

 

There are times that new visitors are jumped on and it usually occurs when:

 

- They set the tone with a negative, accusatory or belligerent OP.

- They are obvious trolls.

- They are sock puppets and not really newbies.

- They have little or no geocaching experience and are disposed to tell us what's wrong with the sport.

 

But if they come here and are sincere and polite they are almost always treated respectfully.

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