Disturbing trend...

I have noticed something recently that is a little upsetting. I will preface this by saying, this thread is not aimed at anyone in particular, whether on this forum or any of the many others out there.

Lately there seem to be a lot of instant "experts" popping up who freely give out advice on the keeping, breeding and illnesses of reptiles/amphibians/fish/pet rocks. Before you give advice, ask yourself whether it is just regurgitated information that you may have heard from Joe Blow on another site or whether you have confirmed it through your own practices or have first hand knowledge that it works. Some information I have seen given has ranged from partial truth to completely false and potentially dangerous.

Everyone is here to learn and grow as keepers, breeders, etc and it only makes sense that we make sure that the new people get the best possible advice to help them along the way.

The fact that this site has stickies and FAQs is great and sometimes it is better to just point a new users to that information rather than to try to answer a question that you may not be completely clear on to begin with.



Jamie

Hrm...

I really don't see the issue. This is a discussion forum. There is a difference if someone says "I heard, or I think, or I imagine", it sets the tone of their post as conversational moreso than 100% factual you can take it to the bank.

It would be one thing if a lot of people were giving bad information, and no one was negating it, but most threads where someone makes an inaccurate supposition they are often reamed thoroughly by other members putting them in their place and correcting their information :) :blowkiss: @ Adam :blowkiss:


Some people are experts, and others are noobs, but there has to be an in between somewhere. I have never bred a female, but if I hear someone saying what size they should breed a female at, I would say about 500 grams per foot, 3 feet, 1500 grams... only because I've heard this 100 times..

just my 2 coppers :)

Edit; Summary, I don't think first hand knowledge should be a pre-req for giving advice, as long as you acknowledge the source of your information...

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Originally Posted by SnakeySnakeSnake

Hrm...

I really don't see the issue. This is a discussion forum. There is a difference if someone says "I heard, or I think, or I imagine", it sets the tone of their post as conversational moreso than 100% factual you can take it to the bank.

It would be one thing if a lot of people were giving bad information, and no one was negating it, but most threads where someone makes an inaccurate supposition they are often reamed thoroughly by other members putting them in their place and correcting their information :) :blowkiss: @ Adam :blowkiss:


Some people are experts, and others are noobs, but there has to be an in between somewhere. I have never bred a female, but if I hear someone saying what size they should breed a female at, I would say about 500 grams per foot, 3 feet, 1500 grams... only because I've heard this 100 times..

just my 2 coppers :)

Edit; Summary, I don't think first hand knowledge should be a pre-req for giving advice, as long as you acknowledge the source of your information...

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I am not slamming those who come here and question something they have heard, that is what this forum is here for. But when someone asks advice and a person chimes in with an answer, then their tone is no longer conversational, but suggests a level of expertise. Nobody should have to put anyone in their place for giving incorrect or partiallly incorrect info. That is kind of what I meant by first hand knowledge that something works. I don't mind someone giving advice if it is from a reputable source but far too many people repeat advice from unknown or untrusted sources such as Jimmy in his basement (or admins from other boards that make up their own theories on BP heating requirements :) )

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jglass38

I am not slamming those who come here and question something they have heard, that is what this forum is here for. But when someone asks advice and a person chimes in with an answer, then their tone is no longer conversational, but suggests a level of expertise. Nobody should have to put anyone in their place for giving incorrect or partiallly incorrect info. That is kind of what I meant by first hand knowledge that something works. I don't mind someone giving advice if it is from a reputable source but far too many people repeat advice from unknown or untrusted sources such as Jimmy in his basement (or admins from other boards that make up their own theories on BP heating requirements :) )

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Can you give some examples, real or illustrated, on people doing this, and it causing harm?

IE, I see someone making a post, Why is my snakes belly pink!! Here is a picture

Noninformed: That's belly rot, you need to clean out all the wounds with alcohol and then give the snake a bath in tequiila, and then put salt to help with the healing

Original poster: Oh ok! *goes and does that*

I would imagine the OP would want confirmation first, preferably from a long term member with a good reputation. I don't see the Noninformed persons post as being harmful as much as ignorant, and Im sure that wherever they drug up that crappy info, they would be told they are wrong, and that really the snake is just preparing to shed...

curious as to real examples on these forums where bad advice , led to problems, when the OP took a thoughtful and responsible aproach to gaining the information they were requesting.

Quote:

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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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Oh yes, that forum is a VERY dangerous place to be for BP information. And it all stems from the top.

On this and other forums, I always look at the date the poster joined when I ask a question and I get an answer. Not that it always means they're an expert, but i figure they got their good rating from somewhere. Usually if someone asks something (like, say, "can I keep a BP in a fish tank?" and if I have experience doing this, I will answer like "in my experience..."
It is pretty bad when people pop up out of nowhere and start spouting off false info; I think that the core members here have a basic agreement on BP care. All we can do is to correct the wrongdoers and give them a bad point, I guess.

Good points made Jamie. It's so hard though Gin to go by dates. You could look at some of our members that in reality have only a year or two of time keeping BP's, which isn't all that much in the grand scheme of things, but give excellent advice based on either their own experience, talking with breeders or good solid researching skills.

Personally in the end I think this forum regulates itself pretty well. I also believe firmly that the person asking the question needs to have some common sense. If you believe the first thing you read or hear and run off half-cocked to follow advise from who knows who online without confirming that information is solid, there is only so much anyone can do for you or your snake. We have to expect that people of any age, that want to take a living creature into their homes, should have at least some skills.

Jamie's concern is one I share. That some newcomers will take any advice as "golden" and some of it won't be great advice or based on real time experience. It's a worry and thanks Jamie for bringing it up for discussion.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SnakeySnakeSnake

Can you give some examples, real or illustrated, on people doing this, and it causing harm?

IE, I see someone making a post, Why is my snakes belly pink!! Here is a picture

Noninformed: That's belly rot, you need to clean out all the wounds with alcohol and then give the snake a bath in tequiila, and then put salt to help with the healing

Original poster: Oh ok! *goes and does that*

I would imagine the OP would want confirmation first, preferably from a long term member with a good reputation. I don't see the Noninformed persons post as being harmful as much as ignorant, and Im sure that wherever they drug up that crappy info, they would be told they are wrong, and that really the snake is just preparing to shed...

curious as to real examples on these forums where bad advice , led to problems, when the OP took a thoughtful and responsible aproach to gaining the information they were requesting.

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As I said, I am not going to single anyone out. You could do some research and find the information in a minute :banana:

Also, I mentioned that it wasn't just this forum.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Good points made Jamie. It's so hard though Gin to go by dates. You could look at some of our members that in reality have only a year or two of time keeping BP's, which isn't all that much in the grand scheme of things, but give excellent advice based on either their own experience, talking with breeders or good solid researching skills.

Personally in the end I think this forum regulates itself pretty well. I also believe firmly that the person asking the question needs to have some common sense. If you believe the first thing you read or hear and run off half-cocked to follow advise from who knows who online without confirming that information is solid, there is only so much anyone can do for you or your snake. We have to expect that people of any age, that want to take a living creature into their homes, should have at least some skills.

Jamie's concern is one I share. That some newcomers will take any advice as "golden" and some of it won't be great advice or based on real time experience. It's a worry and thanks Jamie for bringing it up for discussion.

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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.

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

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.

Quote:

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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 :)

Emilio - that's not Jamie's point at all. Post what your experiences are, that's how we all learn. What he is trying to say is - don't post something as a definitive reply as if you've never had experience with said situation just because you've "read" it. There's a lot of information out there that anyone can read that is now out-dated information. So instead of saying "you should.... or you shouldn't....." without prefacing it with "I've not experienced that myself, but I've read that you should....."


Then someone who has experienced can either validate or give their experiences. If they post it as if they "know" the information, just because they've read it, but not experienced it, then when someone challenges that information - it looks like they're being picked on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RockSolid

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."

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i thin kthats a very valid point. and i believe the reason that Noobs ask the same questions over and over again is because as nooobs they arent aware of the search function capabilities (which are being tweaked with right now as show in another thread)

i think that if there was more "search function awareness" directed to noobs then it wouldnt be such a problem. maybe friendly email reminders for the first couple of weeks on the site ? just a suggestion.

the other thing is that everyone feels that thier situation is unique IMHO. and while this is true to a degree it still diesnt mean that they can't learn from other cases. i don't have a solution for this it's just a thought i had from when i was a noob myself.

Ack I hate that word "noobs" :(

Thinking back a little I have read some funny how to husbandry trick's that could of been bad info from some. Jamie I think your right it must of been a little difficult to start this thread though.So I say kudo's to you .

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Originally Posted by RockSolid

I think if the search function could be encouraged a little more

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I really disagree with this statement. There's nothing I dislike more than attempting to learn about a new critter, joining a forum and when I post getting the response "use the search function" and that's the end of their post!

I don't mind being reminded there IS a search function but in all honesty, most of the times I've searched and not found the info I'm looking for. Some members on other forums get into the habit of responding with that answer... use the search function and I think (just my opinion here) that it makes newcomers feel unwelcome. One of the things I loved about this forum when I was deciding what type of snake to get (ball or corn) - people talked to me :P they gave me suggestions and answers and made me feel sooooo welcome :colbert2: which in turn... assisted me to not only choose a ball as my first snake, but encouraged me to stay on as a member :pinkele:

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Originally Posted by jotay

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.

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Jotay,

I humbly disagree with you. I think we do have a lot of experts here... people who have that ever so valuable life experience which IMO does make them an expert. You don't have to go to school for 10 years to know something which is extremely valuable to other hobbiests!

As a homeschooling mom of three kids... I can tell you... the life experiences my kids get from homeschooling is just as valuable as the kids (if not more IMO) to the info the kids get sitting in a classroom staring at the blackboard! My seven year old can tell you what almost every fish we have is... and with 6 tanks which total over 500 gallons of water and fish... I'd say that's pretty darn impressive :D

:carouse: I looooove this forum and all it's experts!!! :pinkele:

:grouphug:

Sorry, life experiences makes not an expert.

Adam is very knowledgeable but I think he would be the first to say he is not an expert. When you use the term expert folks tend to live and die so to speak by what that person states.
Kinda like you have been sick alot and have alot of life experiences dealing with illness, that being said I would still rather get a doctors advice as I am sure most would.

I have no doubt your great at homeschooling your children but those life experiences do not make you an expert on education.

I feel calling our posters experts is misleading to newbies that's all. :)

Very interesting thread. As far as the search function I do think we should encourage it's use more. Not to avoid answers questions or be lazy in our responses but because to my mind, it encourages a proactive learning curve in newcomers. To offer information but also to encourage the use of the search engine in a balanced way makes for a nice balance I think. As far as what an "expert" is, that's so subjective I can't see why we are debating it. What makes an expert in one field does not make for an expert in another field, nor even inside one particular field. A medical degree for instance may make one legally a Doctor, it does not in my mind make one an expert Doctor nor automatically someone I want to listen to or take medical advice from necessarily.

Ahhhh.... I guess I didn't make my point well or it's just being lost.

On this forum I don't think anyone on here is advance enough to call themselves an expert in say herp or bp's. I think that is misleading to newbies especially considering what the first poster was saying terms of folks sometimes giving bad advice but making it seem like they are " experts"

99% of us on here give advice by "our life experiences"and it is good advice, but when a poster is really asking for do or die info most of us refer them to an "expert" ie a vet, a research book etc.
I just don't want to mislead anyone that's all.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jotay

Ahhhh.... I guess I didn't make my point well or it's just being lost.

On this forum I don't think anyone on here is advance enough to call themselves an expert in say herp or bp's. I think that is misleading to newbies especially considering what the first poster was saying terms of folks sometimes giving bad advice but making it seem like they are " experts"

99% of us on here give advice by "our life experiences"and it is good advice, but when a poster is really asking for do or die info most of us refer them to an "expert" ie a vet, a research book etc.
I just don't want to mislead anyone that's all.

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It seems as if you are hanging on the term "expert". The only time I referred to experts is the "instant experts" that seem to be popping up here. In my opinion, there are some people qualified to give advice and some not. Whether those qualified are experts is up for debate until the cows come home.

I think when you look at the situation you need to look at it in its totalitarianism (anyone...bueller?..movie reference?)

Seriously, this topic has turned out to be an excellent debate and far more constructive than I believe it would be. Now back to our scheduled ping pong match!

http://www.glassreptiles.com/pictures/catpong.gif

Personally if anyone takes the advice of an "instant expert" then they are at no fault but their own. Where is it written that being a keeper to what is considered an "exotic" requires one be spoonfed information that should in fact be your responsibility to not only gather but verify. What did these people do before snake forums existed?

That is something that does bother me. To offer help, a bit of advice is one thing...to be asked to lead another person by the hand through the format of a forum is quite another. I think at BPNet we do offer a very balanced, helpful forum and we do know our limits. Both for us as posters and for the person posting so that they do not become lazy about doing their own work in learning about the snakes they wish to keep and we don't offer more than we specifically have knowledge of. We aren't perfect, that's a given but it's a pretty good balance most days.

One side note on this whole "what is an expert" discussion. Actually some of the people that post on here would most probably easily pass the legal definition of "expert" which is defined by the courts as "a person whose special training, knowledge, skill or experience in an area relevant to resolution of a legal dispute which goes beyond the average person’s knowledge". Just an odd bit of info really.

For me, it still comes down to the fact that anyone reading a post should verify the information and not blindly follow anyone's advice without using some common sense and doing their own research either into the problem itself or the person giving them advice they wish to follow.

you've got props! how did you get 2 cats to play that well?

:bow: :O :hokitty: :eyepoppin :clap:



vaughn

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kavmon

you've got props! how did you get 2 cats to play that well?

:bow: :O :hokitty: :eyepoppin :clap:



vaughn

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Tuna flavored ping pong balls????

Well guy's I do think there are a couple of expert's at keeping and breeding Bp's on this forum. Most of you know who they are , they have an extensive body of work you just have to respect.Also we are not asking life and death question's here we're trying to learn to keep these amazing animal's to the best of our ability. If one of our snake's is very sick we take them to vet , if we're making husbandry mistake's we correct them with help from our friend's on Bp.net.

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Originally Posted by emilio

Well guy's I do think there are a couple of expert's at keeping and breeding Bp's on this forum. Most of you know who they are , they have an extensive body of work you just have to respect.Also we are not asking life and death question's here we're trying to learn to keep these amazing animal's to the best of our ability. If one of our snake's is very sick we take them to vet , if we're making husbandry mistake's we correct them with help from our friend's on Bp.net.

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:sweeet: i couldn't agree more :banana:

jimmy would know... jimmy knows everything! jimmy we lub you... how do cats play ping pong? what's the secret?

inquiring minds NEED to know!

My cats are well trained...Call me an expert :)

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Originally Posted by jotay

Adam is very knowledgeable but I think he would be the first to say he is not an expert.

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I think "expert" is a relative term ... Am I an expert compared to Kev@NERD, Ralph@RDR, Tracy@VPI? ... Absolutely not ... Am I an expert compared to the 14 year old kid that just bought a ball python at PetCo? ... Well, I'm a little biased, but I would have to say yes. :P

There are many "experts" on this site ... I consider Becky a site expert on all things poopey, viral, and infectious. Does that mean Becky could go toe to toe with world renowned virologists ... I would guess probably not ... but she can lay the smack down on just about anyone that wants to talk parasites around here ... I consider Vaughn an expert in HVAC ... does that mean I think he could single handedly design and install an HVAC system in a skyscaper? I have no idea, but if you want to talk thermostat or thermometer technology on this site, Vaughn can shool you with some pretty serious knowledge.

We have a very cool little family here on the site ... some people know thier stuff inside and out, others do not, know they do not, and are having a great time learning, and still others don't have a clue, but like to pretend that they do for whatever reason ... I've been around the snake business for a long time and internet message boards related to snakes for almost as long and I know one thing for certain about the "posers" ... everyone knows who they are and they don't last too long. :sweeet:

-adam

This is just my opinion. (Fairly powerfull words there).

Without a doubt, some of the most experienced BP keepers in the states read and frequent this group.

Without doubt, Adam W. saved the life of my female BP when the local herp store, 2 herp vets, every book I could find, and random guesses didn't have an answer. Adam shared *his experience* and *his opinion* that his experience might be a clue to my delima. That's all any of us can do.

Nobody has a monopoly on the truth, or all the right answers. What might work for me might not for you. Heck, what worked for me last week might not work for me tomorrow.

Essentially we *all* have to take *everything* with a grain of salt. But back to the original topic, there are people all over the Internet that state his or her opinion with so much force that it appears as Holy Writ. I've figured out that the deeper water runs more quietly. Anyone flailing about and screaming answers tends to get taken with 2 or 3 (or 420) grains of salt.

P.S. my dad always said an expert was a "former drip under pressure"

I'm gonna go hug my BP's now.

Good points Adam

I wonder what Jamie is the BP.net "expert" of... :fishslap: uh oh! hehe

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Originally Posted by jglass38

My cats are well trained...Call me an expert :)

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jamie is the expert of cats... that has already been established! :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

jamie is the expert of cats... that has already been established! :P

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ohhh well then what is wrong with my cat she is spazzing out and attacking the walls! she is a kitten of about 8 weeks or more. I'm a Big Dog person and This is my first ever cat. *you dont have to reply to this lol. Im being goofy*

Jamie and his cats... that is a littler worrying :)

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Originally Posted by Sputnik

Jamie and his cats... that is a littler worrying :)

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what's new :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: cat.... ohhhhhhh oohhhhhhhh what's new :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: cat... ohhhhh oohhhhhh ohhh ohhhhh

edited to add: oh my, i didn't know my song would be :cens0r: giggling... :P

:carouse:

I am a member of 10 forums ... I spend hours a day researching, reading, and ghosting.


While I read almost all sections in a forum I normally only post in 2. The first is feeders ... The second is about aggressive snakes. Feeders is an area where I feel comfortable ... I have screwed up most of the methods out there, tried most of the "little tricks", and developed my own methods. I do give advice in these forums ... but every now and then Adam opens my eyes to something new or a different method I havent messed up yet. I seldom post in aggressive snakes now because I learned not everyone can handle being bit 5-6 times in a row without hating their animal.

The search function ... While it works great and is used by older forum members, It's basically useless to newer members. Most people dont go into forums until they deem their problem to be an "emergency". Since they deem it as so they wont search. If their question isnt one of the first 10 threads they will ask and expect an answer. In this respect "stickys" are good ... but when you get too many they will get ignored.

Instead of referring someone to the search function it is much better to do the search ... post the links ... and tell them you found them by doing a search. This is going to make people want to stick around because you are attempting to help them. I take the most common questions I see about frozen feeders ... write an article on one of my websites, and then copy and paste info into threads and refer people to my site to answer the other related questions.

Alot of "instant experts" are the result of the pet store. While there are alot of knowledgeable pet store employees, it seems to be the least knowledgeable that spout the most info. Since that employee works in a pet store and is telling people how to care for their animals, the "instant expert" just spouts the same info he was told. The real blame lies with the pet stores not properly educating their employees.

The remaining "instant experts" are a result of the 70's book writing days. Info has changed dramatically since then ... however the cheapest books (and sometimes the best) were written then. A public library isnt going to drop $150 on a new reptile book when they can get 20 books for the same price. These "instant experts" have done their due diligence in research. They are just quoting old text and ideas.

While helpful, join date and post count really dont mean much. While someone may have 900 posts about the care of a corn snake this may be their first reply on the care and dietary requirement of Sulcatta Tortoises. Join date just means that they can remeber their password everytime their computer crashes. My nephews go in and out of "phases". Every fall they are really into their pets ... when summer comes the animals are forgotten and they come to my house ... Fall comes and they go back to my nephews. While there are middle aged people on the forums the majority of people are in their teens and 20's. I cant imagine trying to stay active on a forum while I was "attempting" to date.

In short ... the disturbing trend has been there since before Al Gore "invented" the internet. And will be there as long as 2 people are still alive. The best we can do is to show newcomers who we feel the experts are and try to direct them to the correct info that they should have.

.... My meds are starting to kick in so I better stop before I go off on more tangents.

Bryan

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Originally Posted by jessie_k_pythons

ohhh well then what is wrong with my cat she is spazzing out and attacking the walls! she is a kitten of about 8 weeks or more. I'm a Big Dog person and This is my first ever cat. *you dont have to reply to this lol. Im being goofy*

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In my expert opinion, she is a cat.

:)

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Originally Posted by jessie_k_pythons

ohhh well then what is wrong with my cat she is spazzing out and attacking the walls! she is a kitten of about 8 weeks or more. I'm a Big Dog person and This is my first ever cat. *you dont have to reply to this lol. Im being goofy*

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Feed cat to dog it will stop it from attacking the walls .Just joking here :P

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Originally Posted by jglass38

In my expert opinion, she is a cat.

:)

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:wuv: :bow: :wuv:

All hail Jamie.... the cat master :bow:


MASTER OF CATS!

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Originally Posted by Sputnik

All hail Jamie.... the cat master :bow:


MASTER OF CATS!

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That was my nickname in high school... :hokitty:

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Originally Posted by jglass38

That was my nickname in high school... :hokitty:

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Yep, saw it on the girl's locker room wall! :P