Disturbing trend...

i agree totally with you, the tone of the message is very important.


i give advice everyonce in a while and if it's something that i don't do in practise myself i usually try to get a quote or preface it by saying..."this is what i think but why don't you wait for some responses from the veterans on this site"...or something to that effect.

to me that sets a very clear tone that while the info im giving is what i would do and the conclusions i've come to in my own research/ experience. however there are more experienced people on this site who do this thing for a living and in my opinion they have better first hand knowledge not to mention a wider selection of BPs or whatever to get a bet scientific sampling from.

blink.blink. i have no clue where that came from...

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Originally Posted by kavmon

imo, NOTHING will equal expierence and first hand knowledge... this is how we learn and evolve.



i.e. i don't know anything about flying planes, if i read several books or participated in aviation forums. do i give out flying advice? NO


vaughn

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I think it has to do with more on how a person gives advice and not whether or not a person should give advice. For instance one could say, "I do not have any experience flying, but here are the instructions followed by those experts who do it."

Same could apply for anyone who comes in here and asks "Can someone give me advice on breeding and incubating." A person could say, "I do not have any experience in breeding or incubating, but here are some of the guidelines put out by some of the reputable breeders in the business." :colbert2:

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Originally Posted by jglass38

Good post Jo! I didn't start this thread for any other reason than to help the community and those who come here for assistance. We spend a lot of time here being silly and funny (or sometimes not so funny), but the truth is, a lot of people come here everyday looking for guidance. Every effort should be made to make sure they get the right information.

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I think this is a very important thread especially this time of year. It seems no matter what forum I wander through there are tons of first time owners with snakes they picked up down at the PetCo (and damn PetCo for having a BP sale anyways...it's about to get worse me thinks). A lot of these new owners didn't do a lot of research and aren't getting well started babies so right now especially I think we all need to be super patient and very careful with advice given.

As much as I'd wish all new owners to do it differently or know enough to triple check online advice I know that's not the way of it.

As far as giving advice, take me for example. I think I can reasonably talk about handling an aggressive BP because I did, can I say "you should do it this way because I'm an expert snake wrangler". Hell no, that's stupid and ego driven. Can I tell someone how to incubate an egg? Well I can give them good links that I'm researching on but no I can't say how to. I've no experience so that would be stupid and careless of me. Should someone read anything I post and take it as gospel. Well only if they are that sort and would like to buy a bridge and swamp from me LOL.

I remember a time I doublechecked Wysocki's posts on husbandry LOL. I may not have known much but I knew enough to make sure he was the real deal before I followed his ideas. That's not a slur to Adam, that's just being smart online in any forum.

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Originally Posted by jglass38

(or admins from other boards that make up their own theories on BP heating requirements :) )

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lmao, I was just thinking about how I got bashed on some un-named fourm for discussing the care of a certain species

i've noticed a little of it as well but i also notice that someone with experience always chimes in, with some good information ;)

this is a really great forum... with great info and wonderful caring people... *mushy moment* - thanks for all you've all done for me :wuv:

Good topic for discussion. I think what gets me as I visit other forums (as Jo said - it's not just here) is someone will give advice as gospel and when challenged will say - well, that's what I've read!!!


Just because you've read it, doesn't make it true. Posting from your own personal experience lends more credibility, and if I'm not certain, like Raj pointed out - I'll say "I've not personally dealt with that, but I've been told that.....". That statement in itself tells the reader that they should continue to get more information.

This forum has been a great resource for someone like myself (new). I loitered on the site for a month before I even became a member. One thing I noticed from new owners is that most of their questions are the same, such as do I feed live of F/T? Is a 30 gallon tank too big for a baby? My baby won't eat? etc. etc. etc.


I think if the search function could be encouraged a little more to go along with the stickies and FAQ's, newbies like myself, will figure out who has the best advice to offer. I utilize the search function obsessively and have come to figure out who gives advice that should be trusted and who is just giving "regurgitated advice."

One thing I have noticed during my searches is that the most experienced owners on this site definitely challenge the advice that could be harmful to your pet in the long run.

The info being handed out, good, bad or questionable.... is pretty much what you can expect from a highly active forum like this one or from any highly active forum.


It's part of the game, so to speak of forum life. I think for the most part and I think for the "large" part.... bad info isn't taken up as good... because it gets challenged or adjusted failry quickly by other members.

And no matter what, people with bad info are going to post it.... it's up to the members with more reliable info to correct it and they do. That's what makes this forum so good!

I don't know guy's when you bring up something like this it's tough.If we don't give our opinion's or write about what has worked for us. Who's gonna do it?What's the experience needed to be able too try and answer some one's question?If it's going to be like that there's only a handfull of member's who should answer any question's.

Just my 2 cents but I have been on here for quite a while and I don't think we really have any what I would call "experts" on here. I would be careful throwing that title around.
To me and most folks experts are folks who are at the top of their field, who have done extensive studies, research etc. Someone who the pros call for advice.
We do have folks on here who have extensive experience and such, but for the benefit of newbies I would refrain from stating we have experts.

With that being said, I feel you need to sort thru what you read on here and see what most folks go with and judge from there. In this hobby as in most there are more than one way to do things and it still be effective.

Some do post on here like their way is the only "right" way to do things. And in fact it is very different from how I do things yet my bp is well and thriving since I got him 3 yrs ago. And I am sure this is the case w/ others on here.

But all in all this is one of the very best sites around :)