just a little rant

[cecilbturtle]

i am so sick of seeing people respond to questions with "try a google search first" or "do some research before someone here 'gives' you the answer!"

if that's your response the just move on!!!

coming to this site to ask questions IS research! its most definitely better to get information from dedicated caring herp enthusiasts instead of some regurgitated out dated so called expert advice from a care sheet you might find somewhere else. I'm not saying that this site is the end all be all of reptile knowledge or that there isn't any other valuable information out there. when some one comes here to ask for advice or help or answers and i see some "veterans" telling them to do some research it irritates me. this IS research!!

if your only response is "google it" then why bother responding? it just makes you sound like an arrogant elitist.

it's okay to not know something. its okay to ask. since i have joined this site asking questions has been encouraged no matter how trivial or basic they may be. its just a select few who seem to know all there is to know and seem to be wounded when someone else comes here for help. just because this wasn't around when you were learning don't hate on someone for using this site for its intended purpose. bringing all of us herp lovers together to SHARE knowledge and experience.

sincerely,
Luke Lindsey

[ReptilesK2]

I agree!

[cinderbird]

...And this is why i love the canned reply feature. I just click two buttons and get nice big answers to the questions everyone asks over and over and over again.

[Royal Hijinx]

This is an issue on every forum I have ever been on. The folks that have been around for a while forget they were newbs at one point.

With that said, people really should try to search, or at least look on the page they are posting on. Posting a question, when the same one was asked 3 posts below, or is a sticky, is just poor form.

Either way, I agree that the "search yourself" answer is useless. At least answer the question, and the suggest they search more or link them to the existing threads. They will eventually get it.

[cecilbturtle]

well how many posts are truly original? there will always be "my snake stopped eating." and "what morph is this?" and "what size tub?" and don't forget "what size prey?".

not to mention the ever popular "check out my bumblebee!"

fact is that there are always going to be redundant questions and redundant posts. what i LOVE about this forum is that there are so many points of view. just because it's been discussed doesn't mean that's all that there is to be said about the subject. and just because its been seen and done before doesnt mean that it isn't exciting for someone doing it or seeing it for the first time.

by the way...i have kept or been around snakes for about 30 years now and i have asked every one of those questions more than once. i even posted pics of my bumblebee a while back. he's not mine anymore but i still wanted to show him off.

[decensored]

Agreed! Personally I like when people ask questions, even mundane questions, it gives me the opportunity to a) help educate, and b) learn something I never knew before. I spend a lot of time on this site and almost everything I know about snakes was learned from here. It bothers me when some people put a couple hundred posts under their name and act condescending towards other members. I try my best to call these people out when I see them making unnecessary posts.

[smd58]

No such thing as a stupid question, and every snake is new to someone, post that picture.

[meowmeowkazoo]

I can see both points of view.

It's frustrating as a newbie to get that answer when you have asked politely and just want some polite responses. Especially when you genuinely want to learn, it feels disheartening to have people blow you off.

It's also frustrating to other people when they have done a lot of their own research and they see newbies expecting to have the answers handed to them.

I think the best solution is to provide links to articles that contain the information people are asking for. That way they can do their own research, but they aren't being blown off completely.

The canned responses are also very useful.

[PitOnTheProwl]

not to mention all the other posts that come up depending on your wording in the search

[decensored]

exactly, some people are not very good at researching. It's a serious set back for some people.