New forum slot.

Hey! I just thought we have so many veryveryvery smart people on this site, I thought it would be great if we had an advanced care section. I know I can never get enough info, and I have read all of the basic care stuff. I'm talking like parasites and treatment, how to identify coccidiosis under a microscope, the most technical stuff all of you beardies addicts can throw at us little novices! If there is already such a thing, then . I hope this can happen, I think it would take this site to the next level!

There is a forum for dealing with infectious diseases. My concern with having an advanced section is both that it may not get a lot of use, and that it may overly fragment common topics. But I do appreciate the suggestion!

Ohh I see. I love your dragons names! Good,funny show, Brain and Pinky!

i'd like to second the suggestion for an advanced section in the forum. lately there's been a lot of topics and questions that have come up that are more advanced or controversial, and they often devolve into personal attacks and flame wars that detract from the original thread or topic. one of the common themes i see pop up in these arguments is that this forum is intended to provide information for new or novice keepers, and the desire to provide clear advice and info without creating confusion for those people. by having an advanced section, these topics can be discussed separately from the main threads. you can put a disclaimer in a "sticky" announcement at the top of the subtopic to inform people that this section is for advanced or experienced keepers only, that some of the topics discussed are controversial and involve techniques that are not endorsed by the site, and that any advice or information is employed at the reader's own risk and the risk of their pet. then, when these topics pop up in the main threads, they can be moved to that section or people can be referred there for further discussion to avoid "polluting" the main threads with contradictory or highly-debated tangents.

i'd like to see this forum serve both novice and advanced owners, and creating a new area to allow more advanced discussions i believe would help in that regard, and keep people active and interested in the forum who otherwise might become bored answering the same basic care questions over and over and eventually leave, taking all their good knowledge and experience with them.

Thats true! There is a lot of more novice stuff. I love this forum, but sites like rfuk.co are much more based in science, rather then what cute thing you dragon did today. Both have their place, but sometimes I feel like this site and I don't always have the same goals. What's my goal? I'm glad you asked! My goal is to provide a habitat for my dragon that is as close to the wild as I can make it. I don't want my dragon to wear a hat, or a vest :? . Now, those are MY goals, they don't have to be everyone's, but I would like a more scientific base on this site, rather then tradition. Oh dear, I'm afraid I've dug myself into a bit of a hole. I am not dissing you people who have dragons for years! But I would like to see threads like a natural viv section, and threads with more progressive info without people being alarmist. There, hope you all don't hate me. I know its very bad of me, but some of the mods should take a look at reptile forums uk. The problem with it is it is not dragon specific. I would love to see a site like that, just for dragons. Hope that helps show where I'm coming from. I love my dragon!! And I also want in depth, veterinary school level info to care for him.

Thanks for the additional feedback and detail about what you see such a forum as being. I can see more value for such a forum. For some reason, I think we had tried something like this many years back... maybe it's time to give it another try. I'll think about how to best "frame it", so people understand its purpose. I can also talk to the moderators about moving basic topics, not seeking advanced topic discussion, into the normal spaces, should they occur.

I should really spend some time (when I can find some) to review the use of existing topics to see if some are worth collapsing down (i.e. rarely used forums).

Hello,

I understand what type of discussion you are looking for. As Alex had mentioned, the forum we had awhile back was not used much.
While a lot of the topics are beginner, everything we do recommend on here is veterinary practiced & or recommended. We don't feel comfortable suggesting a technique that may be risky when one is inexperienced which can harm a reptile. We have actually had quite a few medically advanced topics on here for help on threads. It is always better to err on the side of caution than use a risky technique that isn't scientifically proven anyway.
After all, what is science? It is trial & error until something is "discovered" then documented. Reptile medicine books are based on traditional methods as well as scientific studies & information after proven. Reptiles are not the most popular species which explains why there usually isn't nearly as many studies put out on them as mammals.
We will see what we can do for a specific forum for discussion for more of a mix.

Tracie

that's the advantage of having a separate subforum, you can "quarantine" those discussions, so to speak, in their own area, while the main threads can remain a place to promote the tried-and-true best practices that are commonly recommended. after all, those same practices began as an experiment by someone at some point before being found safe and effective and becoming commonly followed procedures.

Thanks for the response drache. Glad I didn't step on any toes.

Sounds like a great idea

I agree, as long as the experimental/advanced discussion is kept separate from advice for beginners and that is made clear, it could be very beneficial to advancing thoughts and practices for best care.

I'm a movement!!!! Thanks for the support,guys! Yeah, cooperdragon, thats exactly what needs to happen.

Huh... actually, the forum for this purpose that we setup before is still there. Many of the topics had been long archived (a handful are still there, but locked due to inactivity), and I don't think this has been used in years. Originally, I had it where the forum was only visible to members in a group, and that group was hidden (so invite only).

I've kept it so that the forum is hidden, BUT anyone can add themselves to the group to see it. This will minimize the casual beginner from stumbling into topics of concern.

You can add yourself to "The Back Room" group under the Usergroups tab of the User Control Panel...

ucp.php?i=167

You will then see The Back Room forum near the bottom of the main group of forums (near the "Off Topic" forum).

Does that suit your needs? This is actually very close to what we had before... it will be a new start for The Back Room discussions.

Hello,

That is the forum I was referring to, Alex. Thanks.
I think that should cover it all!

Tracie

Love the back room. Thanks guys!