Self Proclaimed Experts

[Dangerousdan]

Ok so Im probley the worst for bashin serial blockheads, they know who they are but its alarming to me the number of experianced fish experts we seem to have on here reacently, who seem to not want to do anything but criticise other, less experianced members rather than help.
I find it very offencive to some degree the way some people reply to others.
I know there are a few clicky groups within the site that jokinly might say things to each other which is taken how its ment and eveyone has a laugh, haha.

Instead of shooting people down and saying things along the line of, thats cruel to keep that in there or put it in a larger tank straight away etc maybe if people tryed using there "expertes" and try and explain in a unpatronising way there would be a lot less bashin.
If the poster then fails to put up a reasonable response to why, or will not listen to the advice, then get nasty. But give them a chance first.

Dan

 

[Ami]

Ok so Im probley the worst for bashin serial blockheads, they know who they are but its alarming to me the number of experianced fish experts we seem to have on here reacently, who seem to not want to do anything but criticise other, less experianced members rather than help.
I find it very offencive to some degree the way some people reply to others.
I know there are a few clicky groups within the site that jokinly might say things to each other which is taken how its ment and eveyone has a laugh, haha.

Instead of shooting people down and saying things along the line of, thats cruel to keep that in there or put it in a larger tank straight away etc maybe if people tryed using there "expertes" and try and explain in a unpatronising way there would be a lot less bashin.
If the poster then fails to put up a reasonable response to why, or will not listen to the advice, then get nasty. But give them a chance first.

Dan

Well said hun,

 

[maryjason]

I second that....i am far from an expert and only give the best i can for what i have be it my choice or not

 

[Dwarfs]

I agree, if someone is doing something wrong with their tank, don't bash them. Give them a strong reason to change what they are doing and help them out

 

[Genesis]

i fourth that

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I don't agree. People should not come to a forum (where no-one professes to be an expert by it's nature), ask for advice and then argue against that advice.

I have been here a long time and although I have seen cases of people being a bit harsh, sometimes it is needed to show just what is going on and why - for example - you can't keep a common plec in a 10gallon tank when the owner has been told 'it will only grow to the size of the tank'.

People are concerned, I do not think there's any malice in it and if you see it (not that you are around any more ) you should just say it in the topic, IMO or have a word with the mods.

You may have a good point but I have seen no examples of which you speak to be honest.

 

[Ami]

Sorry, but I don't agree with you there.

We want new people to come to the forum and learn about keeping fish, about doing things the right way and about enjoying it. Some people make mistakes, there's nothing wrong with that but they need people to give them help and advice, not condemnation. Only by staying calm and explaining properly why we believe something is not correct, will people actually listen to us.

This applies especially on a forum such as this where many people will have different views and takes on the same situation - there's not always a right and wrong answer, just opinions.

There have been many examples since I joined the forum last year where the more experienced members have hit out against people they felt were doing something wrong, instead of just calmly explaining. The prime example of last year was a member by the name of William, who was obviously very young, but when he questioned some advice he was given he got flamed. As a result he got upset, hit back and eventually got banned.

If we'd only taken time to explain things in a better, clearer way, he might still be around. I've already spoken out against this attitude in several threads myself and expect I will do so again.

 

[tttnjfttt]

From what i remember with William, when he asked a question and was given an answer, he always had an excuse, even at the very beginning. Also, his info constantly contradicted itself. He would say one thing in one post, and the complete oposite in the next. He got mad when we compared posts and called him on it.

Alot of times, it seems like newbies get ripped on because of their mistakes, and try to claim they really aren't mistakes. I think this also comes from the LPS giving bad info. We've all gotten bad advice from the not so knowledgable staff at a LPS. But when you are new, you think hey, they sell fish, they must know what they are talking about. So when newbies come in here with that attitude, conflicts start when they are given accurate info. I've also seen newbies blatently contradict any info people have from experience. For example, I consider The-Wolf to be very knowledgable, but have seen newbies rip on things he has learned from personal experience.

I think there are two things all members should keep in mind when hleping newbies. The first is give specifics. Be as specific as you can when showing problems and the reasoning behind needing to fix them. The second is for everyone to show some self restraint on when to jump in. If a newbie tries to say they are wrong, and three other people have jumped in already backing up the original member, there is no need to have eight more members also jumping in.

 

[Ami]

I think there are two things all members should keep in mind when hleping newbies. The first is give specifics. Be as specific as you can when showing problems and the reasoning behind needing to fix them. The second is for everyone to show some self restraint on when to jump in. If a newbie tries to say they are wrong, and three other people have jumped in already backing up the original member, there is no need to have eight more members also jumping in.

That's a much better way of putting it than I did


Here, here!