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What happened to JamesC

I must admit I have receded back into my shell a bit over the last year, it seems that experience don't mean much these days!
You can see folk come and go like the wind, baffled & bombarded by quotes from the Barr report & other sources, for the average guy wanting a bit of friendly advice, that can be a bit OTT!
It just seems some members actively look for opportunity's so they can upset the cart & have a good argument!
 
It seems, more often than not, the questions and resulting arguments have also been asked/had before...which aside from being unnecessary isn't always helpful...particularly when myths that we thought long dead and buried become resurrected again...:arghh:

I think perhaps James O had a point a while ago about not being able to post until the would-be poster had signed a sworn affidavit to the effect of...

'I hereby swear I have made a strenuous effort to discover if my question has been asked before by correctly using the UKAPS search function, or Google with UKAPS tagged on the end of my search criteria, before posting - so help me God...'

Or some secular oath like...'may my plants all wither and die and my tank fall apart at the seams...'
 
One of the shrimp forums had this rule - it was great for keeping the forum bog-free, it was also very effective at dissuading new members, new discussions ... anyone that broke the rule (I believe it ran like baseball) was OUT but banned for eternity (unlike baseball).
That forum is mostly just a memory now ...

Perhaps a Beginner Zone would be an option, anyone that finds these sorts of new posters (the sort that just want a fast answer & don't want to wade through loads of posts/threads looking for the range of answers that best suit their query) unappealing, can just avoid this section (like the plague ;))

While I agree that many queries are in their 100th or 1000th repetition, for the newcomer to the hobby, this is often not apparent or they aren't great readers or they lack the skills to decipher which reply variation most applies to their unique situation ...
In the last months I've received a few So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish pm's from new posters who felt unwelcomed to ukaps - it takes courage to post photos/journals/excited ramblings of your new venture - and this saddens me.
 
While I agree that many queries are in their 100th or 1000th repetition, for the newcomer to the hobby, this is often not apparent
After 2 years in UKAPS I still discover interesting things. The information stored here is huge and TBH, I am subscribed to other forums in my country, and I can tell you that the information in this forum is excellent (both experience share and scientific level).

I just retract from a post where my views are obviously not shared, unfollow it
That's something I am learning now... take a deep breath, keep calm and don't post!!! Just unsubscribe :)

But again, this a very friendly forum, and bullying is an isolated situation IMO

Jordi
 
Me too...and I also think for the most part this is a very friendly forum too, but I also agree it is still sad that some folk feel unwelcome, although I suppose the flip side is you can't please everyone all the time.
 
Let me just say that I love the forum.

However the feedback that I get from people on other forums/Facebook groups is that is comes across as quite elitist.

One thing that stands out to me is the lack of a simple hello when people introduce themselves. This would go a long way to making new members feel welcome. Especially if this comes from long standing members whose many posts these people may have already read.
 
comes across as quite elitist
maybe that has to do 1) with people not using search engines 2) people having the same problems every time, it's hard not to get jaded by these
 
One thing that stands out to me is the lack of a simple hello when people introduce themselves. This would go a long way to making new members feel welcome. Especially if this comes from long standing members whose many posts these people may have already read.
Never thought this was so important, I didn't introduce myself when I joined UKAPS... Well, from on now I'll say welcome, not really too much effort if it helps

Jordi
 
Never thought this was so important, I didn't introduce myself when I joined UKAPS... Well, from on now I'll say welcome, not really too much effort if it helps

Jordi

But think how some may feel when they have introduced themselves to be met with silence.
 
People can be very sensitive. Personally I don't really care that most of my journal updates are uncommented upon. I like to be able to see the journey my tanks have taken.
It is quite a male dominated forum but again that doesn't bother me, boys do like their toys and there is nothing like complex, programmable, megawatt lighting units to get them slavering. I do find the long winded arguments tiresome but just avoid them. I was surprised when someone told me, the otherday, that there was TOO much info on ukaps. I'm like, how can you have too much?

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 
Wow :)
I have not intended to trigger that sort of discussion, but glad to hear that he might still be in the hobby :)

He had become very frustrated with some of the "bullying" on the forum, and chose to withdraw.
I know what you mean. Some folks take our hobby too seriously ;)
 
Hi
The moderator on duty should welcome all new members and guide him/her to the revelvant section of the forum where need be!
hoggie
 
I think it is a shame if a person leaves the forum for reasons discussed.It did make me feel welcomed getting a like or two when I joined .Difference of opinions?,questioning a theory? asking a question first?. Why not. Members can always point someone somewhere if need be later ie tutorials,Practical Fishkeeping.Tom Barr( who ,incidentley has discussed thousands of posts on the Barr report and generous enough to credit people who laid the groundwork to the water column and EI),Diana Walstead,Amano.eys tc I think possibly some new members and like myself dont always want the scientific jargon and prefer to ask a question first.New members can have different levels of expertise a complete new enthuisast possibly just seen a Amano aquascape.or a mix of high end Aqua scapers.The former want to ask a question first
 
We have those??:confused:
These still lurk here in the shadows of Mordor ;) every so often I look at the Intro forum and place a like on every new post, and if the thread is on 0 post I will always post the first if necessary.

Mind you this forum is actually kind of moderates itself, there are regular members that keep things is check and there is little need for mods to intervene, there are those that like the simplistic answers, just had a bit of this and a bit of that and it will work but don't really care how it works, and then there are those that like to take it to the extreme with scientific or even alien proof that what you are doing is actually the best way of doing it.

End of the day you don't have to get too much into it or understand the science behind it, if you have the time and want to be that thorough about it fine, but all you need to know is that plants need ferts, CO2, good flow and some decent light, and depending on the plants and plant mass you have in your tank you have to try and get a balance between these, that you will learn as you go along and make mistakes and correct these mistakes, every tank is different and you need to adjust.

I am not sure about the "elitist" branding, we are just a community formed of every type of member from all walks of life, I myself like the low budget DIY tanks and ran my Rio 125 for like 6-7 years on plain gravel, every one has a budget and you can get results no matter what that is. It is easy to feel under achieve when you see some of the members posting some great aquascapes and feeling low parred in comparison and afraid to show your tank. Shame a lot of the photos on my Rio journal have gone due to some crap hosting company, as it was a great example how you learn as you go along.

What I see is beginners trying to get award winning aquascapes within a few months after they start the hobby, start low tech with nice and easy plants, then start learning how to dose, add CO2 and try a few more plants in the medium area, once you have mastered that, had more flow if you need it, then up the lights and master the difficult plants. Once you have mastered that then start playing with hardscape and start creating some proper aquascapes.

If you just starting and go for the ultimate setup with all the bells and whistles does not mean you will get great results, you have not yet learn the basics so you have no room for error, then people will put everything up for sale and leave the hobby which is discouraging to other beginners.

I have my eyes on all of you remember that :twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted: :):)
 
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