"Answering Newcomers Threads"

[sweetpea1981]

I normally try and help answer questions, but I'm on 1st shift right now and when my bf and I get home from work he wants to get on the comp. so I just haven't had the time to help out....I kinda liked helping others cause everyone was helpful to me, but work and everything else is just not leaving me much time.....

 

[sweetiepie9]

I try also to help anyone who asks for it, but working full-time and taking care of 6 beardies and 2 geckos can take time away from that. So I truly understand when people just don't have the extra time and also that it's can become a bit monotonous when giving answers to the same questions over and over. I appreciate any and all help that is given here!

As a moderator I have to say that if there is any rudeness on any thread that is asking for help, please press the exclamation mark to report it to us so it can be addressed. It's not allowed on this site, it's part of our policy, so please report it.

I do try to help as many people as I can as I firmly believe that research only goes so far and not all questions can be answered, not even with that long list that can be copy & pasted from the Health area. I have a few questions that I bring up, that have to be addressed right away, UVB light, basking temp, temp guage, calcium & vit/min and baths. Once those are established, then the dragons are on their way to better health. Then food and I introduce the Nutrition chart at www.beautifuldragons.com. That usually is all I have to do to get the setup right. There is an article being worked on with these essentials and others and I'm hoping it will be on here, soon, then new people will have something to read before asking any other questions.

I very much appreciate all the help I got when I first got on here in 2006; Sweetie was very ill and I found a lot of people who helped me with her until she was well again. They saved her life and helped with Rubio, Lonzo and Leo along the way. As a result, my dragons are very healthy. So I like to pass along what I've learned over the years to others so they will get the same satisfaction from raising their beardies.

 

[Chaosadnd1]

So I'm a newbie to the forums but have been part of many forums for years. This is the cycle. People join to ask a question. People respond. Older members start making sticky post answers and complain about search functions and that people should use them.

Basically my point is this happens. My thoughts on it are: this is a discussion forum. To my knowledge, there are only so many questions a newbie can ask. And they're going to. If they are on a forum ready to ask a question they want a personal response. That's why we're all here in the first place. If people wanted to read a book about the subject, they would.

This is getting long winded,sorry. To wrap up I'll just say for the older people that are tired of answering the questions, either just don't answer, or point them to other threads with a response. After all, we're all hear to learn and meet like minded people, right?

 

[morphmom]

-Sticky's: Ok, so, yes there are sticky's for the more frequently asked questions however, there's also the issue of site navigation. It is my opinion that beardeddragon.org is a very easy site to navigate, but there are others who may disagree because they simply aren't very computer literate (Heaven's know's I'm still learning) to begin with. This is where the hyper links come in so handy. People go where the info is and learn the site while learning to care for BD's.
-Terms: Many people who come to forums are learning about reptiles for the first time. Terms that more experienced members find easy to understand may not be so easy for others. Common short forms like MVB, CHE & UTH are not self explanatory and can intimidate the new comers.
-Time: The idea here is not to have people feel guilty for not being able to help 24/7. We all have other priorities and responsibilities. My suggestion, is just to break out when time allows, pick a thread, and help someone else when you can because as Chaosadnd1 stated, we're all hear to learn and meet like minded people. I couldn't agree more :wink:

 

[SciencePam]

As a newbie maybe have stickies that spell things out to the letter. It may all seem second nature to those of you who have been doing this for a while but there is a lot to take in. Between UVB, heat lamps, temperatures, feeders, feeding, etc.... it can be overwhelming! Maybe a few stickies that are basically "beardie care for dumbies". Include links to commonly used products to people can see what it looks like.

 

[morphmom]

Maybe a few stickies that are basically "beardie care for dumbies". Include links to commonly used products to people can see what it looks like.

LOL! :lol: Well, we'll have to call it something different then "beardie care for dumbies" but I really like your sense of humor :wink: A page of specific links is more then possible, however, the magic formula many new people are looking for, in regards to set-ups doesn't exist.
For instance, I have an Exo Terra, front opening viv, 36"L x 18"W x 18"H. I have a 24" Repti Sun 10.0 UVB tube style light, a Zoo Med 75watt basking bulb, and a Zoo Med CHE (ceramic heat emitter) that is also 75watts (used for night time, during the winter only) Someone could go out and purchase every single thing I have to the last detail, measure the temps with the same thermometers I use, and you'd still have different temps. The temperature of everyone's home is different largely due to where you live. The same holds true for the humidity. This directly effects the temp/humidity of the viv. Everyone has to play the adjusting game to some extent :wink:

-It's really great to hear from our newbie's, experienced members and our wonderful Moderators

 

[Claudiusx]

IMO, a sticky is an OK tool, but not the best. What creates friendships on boards and lasting members is personalized responses which show a genuine interest in the persons question or concern.

That is the one thing I absolutely HATE about many other forums I visit. You ask a question, and you get told by 1, 2, or even more people to go use the search function because its all been asked and answered before.

The reason I really like this site and have stayed so active on it (minus the past year) is because that's not how this board is, and why I would literally spend hours a day answering questions, and yes, usually answering the same questions about 10 times a day. But that doesn't bother ME because I hope by doing so it keeps the board strong and away from how all the other boards I frequent are.

Being personal, helpful, caring, patient, and kind will go a long way; on the internet and in real life.

So truth be said, i'm not really for the idea of "read all these stickys to get the info you need", for reasons explained above.

-Brandon

 

[JenFid]

I honestly think this site is one of the best reptile oriented forums around. Most of the others I've been too have weird lay outs and it's hard to navigate. I think the only thing I would add to this site is maybe a "beginners" forum, where there could be a bunch of stickies related to housing, feeding, etc. which you typically find in the other forums newbies wouldn't go to...like how the enclosures forum has stickies like "lighting help for newbies" and "why shouldn't I use sand?" while the health forums has a cohabitation sticky and brumation sticky, and all of those have great info for beginner beardie owners who might not think to look in that section.

 

[morphmom]

It's a great pleasure to hear your opinion claudiusx.
Each section has it's own sticky's so it's really just a matter of going to the proper section to find a quick reference. Perhaps newbies who want to "get in and get out" could simply ask if there is a quick reference in regards to their issue?
As far as being "personal, helpful, caring, patient, and kind on the internet and in real life." of course. :wink:
There are however people who prefer to do their own research and do not enjoy entering into a conversation or a discussion unless and until it is absolutely necessary. There are those who just want to be pointed towards a quick reference like is being discussed by JenFid.

 

[Chaosadnd1]

IMO, a sticky is an OK tool, but not the best. What creates friendships on boards and lasting members is personalized responses which show a genuine interest in the persons question or concern.

That is the one thing I absolutely HATE about many other forums I visit. You ask a question, and you get told by 1, 2, or even more people to go use the search function because its all been asked and answered before.

The reason I really like this site and have stayed so active on it (minus the past year) is because that's not how this board is, and why I would literally spend hours a day answering questions, and yes, usually answering the same questions about 10 times a day. But that doesn't bother ME because I hope by doing so it keeps the board strong and away from how all the other boards I frequent are.

Being personal, helpful, caring, patient, and kind will go a long way; on the internet and in real life.

So truth be said, i'm not really for the idea of "read all these stickys to get the info you need", for reasons explained above.

-Brandon

Your post is exactly what I was thinking above. I just suck at words. Me no talky right

 

[scipherneo]

I'm pretty new myself, and I've made probably 5 or 6 threads with different questions and such. I really feel like this community tries to help as much as possible, however sometimes a lot of the people that reply to threads don't actually answer the question and instead address other issues. For example, if someone was asking what the basking temp should be for a baby beardie, and showed a picture of the tank and there was no UVB light or there was sand being used as substrate, etc, (not saying these issues shouldn't be addressed!) i've noticed a lot of people don't even answer the question and instead just reply saying they need to fix something else.

While I see that it is helpful, it can be a little annoying to get 5 replies on a thread telling you stuff you need to do with not a single one answering your original question. I think if you are going to reply to a thread that is asking a question, the first thing you write should be an answer, or response to their question. Then you can fill the rest of your post with whatever else you think needs to be said, but the question should be answered first.

All in all though, you guys have been really helpful so far, especially for someone who's always worried about his baby like me!

 

[morphmom]

This was the original suggestion:
"I'd like to suggest that more of us (myself included) try to find the time to help the people just starting out in the world of BD's as we were all newbie's once."

The thread has now transformed into discussing everything from "sticky's" to etiquette, You can see how easy it is for thread to stray off topic because there are so many aspects related to it. The original poster has every right to politely ask that the thread stay on topic. The original question should be the first priority, however, a lot of insight can be gained by hearing out all points of view.
-I may have to change the title to this post, however, I'm not sure what to call it. Suggestions? :wink:

 

[Chaosadnd1]

How about " How to help newbies and not be a jerk?"

Edit: I did not know that word would be sensored! Took all of the fun out of my joke

 

[randommonks]

I'm pretty new myself, and I've made probably 5 or 6 threads with different questions and such. I really feel like this community tries to help as much as possible, however sometimes a lot of the people that reply to threads don't actually answer the question and instead address other issues. For example, if someone was asking what the basking temp should be for a baby beardie, and showed a picture of the tank and there was no UVB light or there was sand being used as substrate, etc, (not saying these issues shouldn't be addressed!) i've noticed a lot of people don't even answer the question and instead just reply saying they need to fix something else.

While I see that it is helpful, it can be a little annoying to get 5 replies on a thread telling you stuff you need to do with not a single one answering your original question. I think if you are going to reply to a thread that is asking a question, the first thing you write should be an answer, or response to their question. Then you can fill the rest of your post with whatever else you think needs to be said, but the question should be answered first.

If you experience an issue like that and you feel it's gotten out of hand, you can report the post(s) that you feel are off topic by clicking on the \!/ triangle and click "This thread is being taken away from the original poster's topic without consent." I see that happening all the time.

 

[morphmom]

How about " How to help newbies and not be a *****?"

Edit: I did not know that word would be sensored! Took all of the fun out of my joke

LOL! :lol: Ok, I think that falls under the etiquette portion. :wink:

If you experience an issue like that and you feel it's gotten out of hand, you can report the post(s) that you feel are off topic by clicking on the \!/ triangle and click "This thread is being taken away from the original poster's topic without consent." I see that happening all the time.

Yes you can and our amazing Mods will take care of the situation. I would however like to suggest that the original poster asks to have the topic return to the original topic/question. There would be no benefit to adopting a "shoot first, ask questions later" attitude :wink: