# How about?



## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

Why are there so many posts on the same thing. Surely it would be more time consuming to write a new post & await replies on something that has more than likely already been posted by somebody else having the exact same difficulty with their animal. Surely it would be better to simply google the question and i bet you 1000 locust it has already been said and great advice given.

Too many help threads that say exactly the same thing so just do some google work. That way you get instant answers, and also normally some feedback on how the advice worked. No reptile is particually HARD to keep, and with the right ammount of time, dedication, passion & education any species can be "easy" to care for. 

Labeling certain species as good "start pets" is not only irresponsible, but naive. Everyone knows that before you buy an animal you do extensive research so you are prepared for every eventuality. You can not gain experience with reptiles until you have first taken on the responsibility of one, whether that be working in a shop, keeping them, or breeding. This means you have to be extra careful when doing your research and if things conflict, you take the best of both. 

For example if one care sheet for a Bearded Dragon says 100f for a basking spot, and another says 95f, set your viv up to 97/98f. It isnt rocket science. Before you reply with a smartass comment (and we all know some will) regarding the temps; it was used as an example, that does not go to say it is gospel and they are merely two temps that came to my head to be used as an example. Anyone with an ounce of knowledge would then go on to look at further care sheets and compare them with the ones you have already. If the advice tallies up with advice you have already been given, then take that!

Do your homework, i personally research almost every night for 3-4 months before buying a new species. The animal is not going to be extinct in that time so just be sensible and look between various care sheets. Almost all reptile places on the net will have free care sheets so make use of them. They can be found all over the place or even ask for one from your local reptile shop.

Do not ask which pet to buy next, that is your decision alone and once you have made your mind up, go do your research. You can't ask a question like that and then simply ask the person who gave you the answer of "Thorny Devil" for advice on it, it does not work that way. Like i said earlier there are probably many duplicates of your questions already on this forum alone, not to mention other forums or help sites. You need to get a grip and become the responsible keeper that your pet is entitled to. 

Rant over.


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## liz200898 (Oct 13, 2008)

Don't waste thread space ranting?? :whistling2:


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

liz200898 said:


> Don't waste thread space ranting?? :whistling2:


Thats another addition i might have to edit into it. Don't make stupid replies :whistling2:


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## liz200898 (Oct 13, 2008)

Haha yeah =p it is true though most questions can be answered just by having a quick search on here and Google and the whole what should I name my leopard gecko thing gets my grapes!


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

As this is a forum & as such people will always ask questions. The simple solution is that if you don't like the thread then you don't read it or post on it :Na_Na_Na_Na:. Sometimes people are new to forums & don't know how to use the search within them. Not everyone knows what they are doing on these forums :whistling2:. Care sheets vary greatly, that is why people tend to come on here & ask questions. Surely it is better to ask a question (even if YOU think it's silly) than to follow incorrect advice & end up with a seriously ill or dead reptile :devil:.


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

liz200898 said:


> Haha yeah =p it is true though most questions can be answered just by having a quick search on here and Google and the whole what should I name my leopard gecko thing gets my grapes!


As helpful as i like to be, i'm so sick of answering the same questions and i'm sure many other people are like it too. Surely there can be something done about this from the admins such as a redirector. It would work in the way the searches work on this site.

As an example:

You create a thread titled: Help! Beardie keeps hiding!

The the details you have put in the thread body are something like: 

I have had my bearded dragon for 2 weeks and he is about 8 weeks old. All he ever does is sleep or hide up all the time. What can i do to encourage him to be more active or come out more?

Then the title & body could be used as keywords automatically and before this post is actually created (when the submit button is clicked) it would come up with a warning saying:

"A similar thread has been found with reasonable answers, advice and feedback shared. Click here to view."

Or maybe they could offer a way of duplicating things such as:

"A similar thread has been found with reasonable answers, advice and feedback shared. Click here to merge these threads."

Merging threads would save forum space, and everyone having to write the same answers several times. It would also grant the poster a chance of instant answers & advice rather than having to wait or excessivly bump the thread.

I for one would adopt this thing, even if it means my own posts were merged or diverted. I think this is something the admins & dev should really consider, and if you do too how about requesting a sticky?


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## cadno (Sep 4, 2011)

corny girl said:


> As this is a forum & as such people will always ask questions. The simple solution is that if you don't like the thread then you don't read it or post on it :Na_Na_Na_Na:. Sometimes people are new to forums & don't know how to use the search within them. Not everyone knows what they are doing on these forums :whistling2:. Care sheets vary greatly, that is why people tend to come on here & ask questions. Surely it is better to ask a question (even if YOU think it's silly) than to follow incorrect advice & end up with a seriously ill or dead reptile :devil:.


You know for a moment I felt really bad considering how many questions I've asked on the boards already. Those questions include things like which species etc. I seriously thought to myself I'd better post an apology for taking up so much time and space.

Reading this reply made me feel a lot better about that, its true, forums are there for questions to be asked. And frankly this is a huge forum!

I used the search options and found literally hundreds of pages that touched on aspects of what I looking for but asking straight out would be better in the long term.

But in the true context of a community such as this, I will apologise for posting things that may have been posted before. I hope you understand that I'm just trying to learn 

Rich


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## liz200898 (Oct 13, 2008)

I like your notification idea sounds like it would be a bit of work to make happen but then again this forum isn't updated enough.


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## SoFarSoGood (Sep 11, 2011)

I'm new here too and all I can say is that there are really helpful people in here that take the time to tell us what we should do.
If everybody was sick of answering the same old questions, I think there would be a lot more of sick reptiles.
Sometimes people think they know what are doing but are really doing it the wrong way, which can be harmful to their reptile.
Although I think people should always search first, I still think that not answering a question can get disastrous consequences.


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## olivine (Feb 5, 2009)

This is the 'Newbie Advice' section of the forum, so many of the questions asked are likely to involve relatively basic queries about herp care and so, yes, it can get a tad repetitive. However, that is surely the point of this section: to give new / potential keepers an opportunity to ask questions to the more experienced members of the community just at the point when they're getting started. Frequently 'new keeper' also equates to 'new forum member' and, has already been pointed out, such members may also be relatively inexperienced in how to use forum functions such as the search facility. Personally, I'd much rather repeatedly answer the same question in this section than risk jeopardising an animal's well-being because a newbie has misundertood the advice / information given in a previous thread or is simply too scared to ask.


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

corny girl said:


> As this is a forum & as such people will always ask questions. The simple solution is that if you don't like the thread then you don't read it or post on it :Na_Na_Na_Na:. Sometimes people are new to forums & don't know how to use the search within them. Not everyone knows what they are doing on these forums :whistling2:. Care sheets vary greatly, that is why people tend to come on here & ask questions. Surely it is better to ask a question (even if YOU think it's silly) than to follow incorrect advice & end up with a seriously ill or dead reptile :devil:.


It is not that i do not like the threads or the content within, i simply think there are many better ways to run this forum due to it's rapid increase in members. I never think any question is silly, just some of the people that ask them. For example i just answered a thread with a guy that asked what temps a chameleon requires, who clearly did not even understand there are different types. Do you think these people deserve to keep an animal as exotic as some of ours? I don't. Makes me ashamed sometimes. However i did reply with sensible (albeit it may sound like i was a prick) answers and realistic answers. I did not see you post on it, and instead making somewhat irrelivant posts on mine instead. Each to their own though huh?



cadno said:


> You know for a moment I felt really bad considering how many questions I've asked on the boards already. Those questions include things like which species etc. I seriously thought to myself I'd better post an apology for taking up so much time and space.
> 
> Reading this reply made me feel a lot better about that, its true, forums are there for questions to be asked. And frankly this is a huge forum!
> 
> ...


The problem is not the questions themselves, it's more of the excessiveness of them and some even go unanswered because people can't be bothered (and rightly so!) to answer the same thing numerous times. This is why i believe my proposed idea or somethign similar would be nothing but beneficial for everyone. It's not targeting people who post the same question as others, it's more of a line of sight for the admins to integrate a merging or duplicating system. 

This would benefit everyone on the forums. See below the examples:

Admins have fewer posts to actually monitor & act accordingly.
Experienced keepers don't have to write the same thing several times.
The poster gets instant answers, aswell as feedback on advice given. Hell they may even learn something else during the process!



liz200898 said:


> I like your notification idea sounds like it would be a bit of work to make happen but then again this forum isn't updated enough.


Exactly. We all know there is a lack of monitoring on this forum and the proposed scheme would help everyone on the forums from admins to newbies, and everyone between! Since the level of active members is increasing and the ratio's do not fit between Admin/Mod & Members anymore, it's common sense to either recruit more Mods or implement a system such as the one described above.


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## cadno (Sep 4, 2011)

> The problem is not the questions themselves, it's more of the excessiveness of them and some even go unanswered because people can't be bothered (and rightly so!) to answer the same thing numerous times. This is why i believe my proposed idea or somethign similar would be nothing but beneficial for everyone. It's not targeting people who post the same question as others, it's more of a line of sight for the admins to integrate a merging or duplicating system.


I hear you but wouldn't it be just as easy for those people you deem 'can't be bothered' to actually post a link to their previous post so people such as myself who are new to the forum could browse the information without asking all the time. Though I do question the whole 'can't be bothered' thing. Frankly I wouldn't care how many times I was asked the same question, the point is someone bothered to ask and that shows a willingness to learn and do what is best for their pet.

Rich


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

SoFarSoGood said:


> I'm new here too and all I can say is that there are really helpful people in here that take the time to tell us what we should do.
> If everybody was sick of answering the same old questions, I think there would be a lot more of sick reptiles.
> Sometimes people think they know what are doing but are really doing it the wrong way, which can be harmful to their reptile.
> Although I think people should always search first, I still think that not answering a question can get disastrous consequences.


I think you are missing the point entirely. It's not what the poster is asking or the content within, it's more to do with the OP not bothering to use their heads before excessive posting begins. 



olivine said:


> This is the 'Newbie Advice' section of the forum, so many of the questions asked are likely to involve relatively basic queries about herp care and so, yes, it can get a tad repetitive. However, that is surely the point of this section: to give new / potential keepers an opportunity to ask questions to the more experienced members of the community just at the point when they're getting started. Frequently 'new keeper' also equates to 'new forum member' and, has already been pointed out, such members may also be relatively inexperienced in how to use forum functions such as the search facility. Personally, I'd much rather repeatedly answer the same question in this section than risk jeopardising an animal's well-being because a newbie has misundertood the advice / information given in a previous thread or is simply too scared to ask.


What would jeopardise the health & safety of the animal if the threads are identical? I think you havnt understood the concept fully and merely think it's an alternative to having to ask questions.

The idea is for people to have instant answers from duplicate threads. They are still able to ask questions on the merged thread if they are unsure of anything, it just means if they can get advice quicker through the merging system then the animal actually stands a better chance of survival, wouldnt you say so?

Plus more often than not the first few replies to a thread are the all too common "go to a vet" which is something people are all too quick to advice on this forum. If a beardie has been sick it is generally down to them being fed too much. 

If you are that worried, maybe the answer is to create stickied threads like a FAQ and instead of "merging" the posts, redirect them to the sticky...


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

cadno said:


> I hear you but wouldn't it be just as easy for those people you deem 'can't be bothered' to actually post a link to their previous post so people such as myself who are new to the forum could browse the information without asking all the time. Though I do question the whole 'can't be bothered' thing. Frankly I wouldn't care how many times I was asked the same question, the point is someone bothered to ask and that shows a willingness to learn and do what is best for their pet.
> 
> Rich


Sometimes it's like talking to a brick wall. The idea is to assist the newbies, not punish them! Some would argue if they were that willing to do the best for their pet, why are they asking rather stupid questions which would have been answered a long time a go and probably prevented, should they do their research correctly.


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## cadno (Sep 4, 2011)

G.R/Trooper said:


> Sometimes it's like talking to a brick wall. The idea is to assist the newbies, not punish them! Some would argue if they were that willing to do the best for their pet, why are they asking rather stupid questions which would have been answered a long time a go and probably prevented, should they do their research correctly.


Personally I'd rather hear a dozen so called 'stupid' questions where people are learning than have people search for information that could potentially be out of date. The way you have put this is people asking simple questions are in the wrong for doing so, I'm doubting this is your intention though. What you seem to be saying is they should literally scroll through literally hundreds of posts in the hope of finding an answer. Ok, in an ideal world that could work, but forums don't work that way, I run one myself and what I tend to do is if I see the same subject coming up again and again is to simply redirect people to it. That way I've taken the time to answer a question while also promoting new life in old threads.

Rich


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## SoFarSoGood (Sep 11, 2011)

G.R/Trooper said:


> I think you are missing the point entirely. It's not what the poster is asking or the content within, it's more to do with the OP not bothering to use their heads before excessive posting begins.


You are suggesting something to be implemented and we all might support it but it is what it is and while the forum doesn't get the update you're talking about, I think people can't just ignore questions because they are against the "system".

I might be wrong or misunderstood what you meant but it's just my opinion.

Maybe they could index some FAQ about the most common reptiles in one topic and sticky it so that we have many links to important subjects just on one topic.


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

SoFarSoGood said:


> You are suggesting something to be implemented and we all might support it but it is what it is and while the forum doesn't get the update you're talking about, I think people can't just ignore questions because they are against the "system".
> 
> I might be wrong or misunderstood what you meant but it's just my opinion.
> 
> Maybe they could index some FAQ about the most common reptiles in one topic and sticky it so that we have many links to important subjects just on one topic.


Nobody is saying people should ignore it lol, it's design is to make it easier & more reliable for everyone on the forums. If the thread advice has a large ammount of positive feedback, that obviously shows the advice is helpful & really worked in resolving the issues the OP was having.



cadno said:


> Personally I'd rather hear a dozen so called 'stupid' questions where people are learning than have people search for information that could potentially be out of date. The way you have put this is people asking simple questions are in the wrong for doing so, I'm doubting this is your intention though. What you seem to be saying is they should literally scroll through literally hundreds of posts in the hope of finding an answer. Ok, in an ideal world that could work, but forums don't work that way, I run one myself and what I tend to do is if I see the same subject coming up again and again is to simply redirect people to it. That way I've taken the time to answer a question while also promoting new life in old threads.
> 
> Rich


It's not the way i have put it, it's the way you have seen it. We're not saying they should search, it's design is an automatic merging/duplicating/redirecting system based on keywords taken from the title and/or thread body where they can find answers, advice, and feedback for the question they WAS about to ask, right in front of them instantly without HAVING to ask.

Sorry if i sound like an arse btw, i think it may be the way i write rather than the way i want it to sound.


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## olivine (Feb 5, 2009)

G.R/Trooper said:


> I think you are missing the point entirely. It's not what the poster is asking or the content within, it's more to do with the OP not bothering to use their heads before excessive posting begins.
> 
> What would jeopardise the health & safety of the animal if the threads are identical? I think you havnt understood the concept fully and merely think it's an alternative to having to ask questions.
> 
> ...


But it's often by entering into discussions with a newbie that a more experienced member picks up on the fact that the newbie hasn't really understood the information / advice given in a thread so they can elaborate further / provide clarification. Likewise, a newbie may find a generic answer that they may _think_ answers their question and not pursue the matter further, whereas a brief discussion with a more experienced member could identify other significant factors that the newbie may not have taken into account. Personally, I think it's safer to enter into a discussion with a newbie and provide a clear reply to their precise questions rather than leave them to potentially misconstrue a response from a previous thread .


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## 123dragon (Jan 15, 2011)

to the people/person that dont like repetitive threads ect 
can i just ask what you would like the forum to be filled up with ?


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

Does it really matter? 

You must live quite a boring life, if you have the time you go on about people posting about the same topic.

I think it's a good thing as each persons situation is slightly different to the next. 

But it certainly doesn't get me aggravated over such a small matter.


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

olivine said:


> But it's often by entering into discussions with a newbie that a more experienced member picks up on the fact that the newbie hasn't really understood the information / advice given in a thread so they can elaborate further / provide clarification. Likewise, a newbie may find a generic answer that they may _think_ answers their question and not pursue the matter further, whereas a brief discussion with a more experienced member could identify other significant factors that the newbie may not have taken into account. Personally, I think it's safer to enter into a discussion with a newbie and provide a clear reply to their precise questions rather than leave them to potentially misconstrue a response from a previous thread .


Thats why it would be designed in a fashion so these things can not happen. Lets face it if the person is uneducated enough to distinguise the difference between the questions then (imho) they should not be given the responsibility of looking after any animal, let alone an exotic!



123dragon said:


> to the people/person that dont like repetitive threads ect
> can i just ask what you would like the forum to be filled up with ?


Let me know who this person is and i'll have a word witht hem, because at no point was this to slate people but only to help them. I think you need to read through the whole thing rather than a couple of replies.



nsn89 said:


> Does it really matter?
> 
> You must live quite a boring life, if you have the time you go on about people posting about the same topic.
> 
> ...


And there we have it! The typical forum junk of assumption from members who consider themselves experienced keepers etc. Nobody said that i get aggravated from the repetitive posts and if you follow closely you will see i frequently visit it and answer questions laid there. Once again another useless smartass comment from somebody who didnt bother reading the entire thread!


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

G.R/Trooper said:


> Thats why it would be designed in a fashion so these things can not happen. Lets face it if the person is uneducated enough to distinguise the difference between the questions then (imho) they should not be given the responsibility of looking after any animal, let alone an exotic!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for pointing out I'm a smart ass 

I'm sorry I don't think you have to be overly intelligent to keep reptiles. Just dedication and a love for the particular species, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look after one.

Well if you frequently reply to 'repetitive post' then what's the whole point in your rant? Nothing will come of it, so you may as well save your breath and do something more productive.


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

G.R/Trooper said:


> It is not that i do not like the threads or the content within, i simply think there are many better ways to run this forum due to it's rapid increase in members. I never think any question is silly, just some of the people that ask them. For example i just answered a thread with a guy that asked what temps a chameleon requires, who clearly did not even understand there are different types. Do you think these people deserve to keep an animal as exotic as some of ours? I don't. Makes me ashamed sometimes. However i did reply with sensible (albeit it may sound like i was a prick) answers and realistic answers. *I did not see you post on it, and instead making somewhat irrelivant posts on mine instead*. Each to their own though huh?



No i didn't post on it because i don't keep Chameleons & never have so have no knowledge of them so me posting would be pointless. I don't think my post was irrelevant, i was pointing out that this being a forum it is here to offer help & advice to people, not to shoot them down for asking questions.

Sorry but it is threads like this thread that often put new keepers off posting as they feel people like you will jump on them for asking some simple questions (which yes may have been asked over & over). As someone has already pointed out, this is the newbie section & it's here for newbies to ask questions, regardless of whether they have been asked once or 500 times :2thumb:. Yes we all know about research but sometimes not all the answers can be found when researching so people like to feel they can come on a nice "friendly" forum like this & ask questions to find the answers :2thumb:. Then they see threads like this & it puts them off & they try & sort things out themselves & this is when problems can arise & reptiles can suffer. I suggest again that if you don't like the same things being asked that you don't read the thread, it's that simple. Then these people can get the help they need from those of us who are willing to offer help to them :2thumb:.


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

Also I do consider myself a experienced keeper.............never once have I postulated that, I just try to help people out that are new, whether it's an old or new question, but life's so hard I guess these types of things have to get on your nerves...


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

corny girl said:


> No i didn't post on it because i don't keep Chameleons & never have so have no knowledge of them so me posting would be pointless. I don't think my post was irrelevant, i was pointing out that this being a forum it is here to offer help & advice to people, not to shoot them down for asking questions.
> 
> Sorry but it is threads like this thread that often put new keepers off posting as they feel people like you will jump on them for asking some simple questions (which yes may have been asked over & over). As someone has already pointed out, this is the newbie section & it's here for newbies to ask questions, regardless of whether they have been asked once or 500 times :2thumb:. Yes we all know about research but sometimes not all the answers can be found when researching so people like to feel they can come on a nice "friendly" forum like this & ask questions to find the answers :2thumb:. Then they see threads like this & it puts them off & they try & sort things out themselves & this is when problems can arise & reptiles can suffer. I suggest again that if you don't like the same things being asked that you don't read the thread, it's that simple. Then these people can get the help they need from those of us who are willing to offer help to them :2thumb:.


Exactly it is a forum after all, feel sorry for the guy that was going to apologise earlier he has no need to apologise.


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## Gecko1977 (Aug 24, 2011)

Reading your first post it certainly raised hackles but more i read on i could see where you was trying to come from.

Although i understand your point i do not agree. 
One thing to kill a forum is people not asking questions, The forum dies. The forum maybe busy but if people start feeling like they can't ask questions or post you will find it not so busy.
Every possible question has probably been asked several times if not more. Members like the personal response to their question if you are personally bored by answering them then don't, let someone else, Post a link to a care sheet it is far more helpful.
Not everybody is able to navigate around a forum and it takes a while to know where everything is. just starting a thread can be challanging.
RFUK is very lucky to have as many members have they have, they cover a massive market. 
I have been involved in running more specialized sites with far fewer members and you always get members who start threads like this one the normal response is why don't people use the search?


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

nsn89 said:


> Exactly it is a forum after all, feel sorry for the guy that was going to apologise earlier he has no need to apologise.



Agree that the poor guy has no need to appologise as he's done nothing wrong :2thumb:. A forum is a place where people can ask for help & people can reply & offer help. It has no place for people who do nothing but moan about new keepers who ask questions that may have been asked before :devil:. After all we all had to start somewhere & i bet we all asked questions that had probably already been asked before :whistling2:. People should get off their high horses & help new keepers instead of putting them off asking.


ETA: Think the OP would do well to read this sticky at the top of the section of the forum :2thumb: http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/newbie-advice/111850-notice-helpers.html


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

corny girl said:


> Agree that the poor guy has no need to appologise as he's done nothing wrong :2thumb:. A forum is a place where people can ask for help & people can reply & offer help. It has no place for people who do nothing but moan about new keepers who ask questions that may have been asked before :devil:. After all we all had to start somewhere & i bet we all asked questions that had probably already been asked before :whistling2:. People should get off their high horses & help new keepers instead of putting them off asking.


Were on the same wavelength :2thumb: 

I know I asked a lot of questions and was nice to get individual responses and build up good relations with people on here. 

If they don't want to see repeat posts get off the forum or don't read the posts it's not that hard is it lol.


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

nsn89 said:


> Thanks for pointing out I'm a smart ass
> 
> I'm sorry I don't think you have to be overly intelligent to keep reptiles. Just dedication and a love for the particular species, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look after one.
> 
> Well if you frequently reply to 'repetitive post' then what's the whole point in your rant? Nothing will come of it, so you may as well save your breath and do something more productive.


I do it because i try to share the experience and knowledge i have gathered over the years. It's normal for posts to go answered for even 24 hours so if i dont share it, who the hell will? I do this because there is not a system in place to offer instant support to those needing it.

You are absolutly correct it does not take much intelligence, so how do you justify the amount of people that purchase an animal with no understanding of requesting help from other people? Like you said, it's not hard so go do the research and stop asking stupid questions. It more of a people cant be bothered to find things out for themselves and would sooner just go ahead and buy the animal without checking it's requirements or common problems it is open to in captivity.



corny girl said:


> No i didn't post on it because i don't keep Chameleons & never have so have no knowledge of them so me posting would be pointless. I don't think my post was irrelevant, i was pointing out that this being a forum it is here to offer help & advice to people, not to shoot them down for asking questions.
> 
> Sorry but it is threads like this thread that often put new keepers off posting as they feel people like you will jump on them for asking some simple questions (which yes may have been asked over & over). As someone has already pointed out, this is the newbie section & it's here for newbies to ask questions, regardless of whether they have been asked once or 500 times :2thumb:. Yes we all know about research but sometimes not all the answers can be found when researching so people like to feel they can come on a nice "friendly" forum like this & ask questions to find the answers :2thumb:. Then they see threads like this & it puts them off & they try & sort things out themselves & this is when problems can arise & reptiles can suffer. I suggest again that if you don't like the same things being asked that you don't read the thread, it's that simple. Then these people can get the help they need from those of us who are willing to offer help to them :2thumb:.


Then they too are reading too much into it. Like i said previously (numerous times infact!) the system is not to make people feel belittled or afraid. It's design is to be even more helpful than the forum currently offers. I say again, i do not mind the repetitive posts, i mind that people lack the intelligence to first google something, or that the admin/dev has not thought about implementing a system such as the proposed.



nsn89 said:


> Also I do consider myself a experienced keeper.............never once have I postulated that, I just try to help people out that are new, whether it's an old or new question, but life's so hard I guess these types of things have to get on your nerves...


Making yourself look even more silly now. Read what i said earlier about the aggravation and understand it.



nsn89 said:


> Exactly it is a forum after all, feel sorry for the guy that was going to apologise earlier he has no need to apologise.


You are right they do not have anything to apologise for, minus the x amount of remarkably stupid questions such as the one i mentioned earlier but majority of the people are genuinly trying to better themselves as a keper and understand their animal more. Therefore a system like the proposed would grant them even easier access to a huge knowledge database, rather than them having to search for it!



Gecko1977 said:


> Reading your first post it certainly raised hackles but more i read on i could see where you was trying to come from.
> 
> Although i understand your point i do not agree.
> One thing to kill a forum is people not asking questions, The forum dies. The forum maybe busy but if people start feeling like they can't ask questions or post you will find it not so busy.
> ...


The system proposed is not to make people use a search, it would be designed (and i say it again and again and again!) to assist these people and give them instant answers, without actually having to create a post and wait for replies.

The forum wouldnt die as questions would still be asked using the "merge" proposal. That would mean old threads actually get reactivated rather than sitting in page 10,000 and be idle for years. It reduces forum space and would offer the poster a chance to get definative answers with positive feedback in the palm of their hand.


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

I think asking questions on here is better research than reading stuff on random websites that could be wrong.

Asking people on here helps people learn from other people's experiences, and become a better reptile keeper. 

I regard myself to be fairly intelligent, but I asked questions on here because it's better than reading random garbage on other sites.

This is the purpose of a forum, and people shouldn't be swayed from using it for it's use by people like you, who think they are reptile 'gods' and can talk down to people who are obviously less intelligent than you....not!


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## 123dragon (Jan 15, 2011)

G.R/Trooper said:


> Let me know who this person is and i'll have a word witht hem, because at no point was this to slate people but only to help them. I think you need to read through the whole thing rather than a couple of replies.


so your helping them by complaining about repetitive posts and telling them to use the search function
like i said what would you like the forum to be full of ?
pics of baby leos ect cause i find them boring and repetitive but dont complain


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

To be honest I rarely see posts go unanswered, they are responded to in a timely manner.

If the problem is that mad most people will go to the vet at the nearest opportunity. Your rant will achieve nothing.


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

I have found that many of the people who come on here & ask "stupid" questions are people who have gone to a shop & been given totally wrong advice & equipment. They then find RFUK & ask what they should do to put things right for their pet. Most people feel that by buying from a shop they will be getting all the help & advice they need from so called experienced people. Many people don't realise that there are people out there that breed reptiles & can offer great advice & often a great friendship. People also don't realise there are specialist reptile clubs that hold meetings & anyone interested in buying a reptile will be pointed in the right direction of a club member who breeds that reptile (i know this is what i did, after i'd done plenty of research).


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## cadno (Sep 4, 2011)

I feel I may have added fuel to the fire of this thread and feel I need to apologise for that, I know people will say I'm being daft but I'm a person who would rather apologise first and then work things out (hope that makes sense).

What was just said is true, people like myself go through pages and pages or books and websites learning about a desired rep. But I value the information I can get from actual keepers above all else. No amount of research can compare to hands on experience. An example of this was a friend of mine being given a bearded dragon in a 2 foot viv, way too small but the advice he'd been given by the pet shop said it'll house two with no problems.

I'm very happy to be a member of this forum based purely on the advice I've already had, the people I'm starting to know and most of all the shared notion that we 'all' care greatly for our reps. 

So I hope that I won't offend by asking daft questions, I hope that I'll always strive to understand my reps better and lastly I hope that through collective understanding forums such as this can ensure that no keeper goes ignorant.

Rich


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## debbie_baby1 (May 16, 2011)

I agree with both sides, I do feel having the opportunity to merge threads is a great idea. I dont know about any of you. But when ive tried to search ont he forum for specific issues. It shows me hundreds of threads that i have to try and seive through, as half the time is isnt specific to what i need.

However i think being able to ask "silly questions" as you put it, Is more than ok. What may seem like a silly question to some, is important to others. Some people find more reasurance in asking a question specific to them and getting the answers back. For the people who can not be bothered to answer as its repetitive, there will be people who will take the time and dont mind if its been asked a 1000 times before. Asking questions is how you learn, i read for months and months care sheets and posts on here about royal pythons, before i bought one. Infact searching google is how i found this forum in the first place.

Searching and reading general care sheets and posts doesnt prepare you 100% for caring for that animal. I know i certainly asked "silly questions" when i first got athena my royal. i had issues that are proberly asked a 1000 times before. But i wanted answers specific to my situation. Im very grateful for everyone that answered. 

I also think posting threads like this, the wording you are using on occasions like "silly questions" will put alot of people off posting, which is a great shame. Asking questions helps you learn, being replied to gives you reassurance.


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## olivine (Feb 5, 2009)

G.R/Trooper said:


> Thats why it would be designed in a fashion so these things can not happen. Lets face it if the person is uneducated enough to distinguise the difference between the questions then (imho) they should not be given the responsibility of looking after any animal, let alone an exotic!


As you have completely missed the point of my post, I'll give you an example. A common concern of newbies is that a newly acquired leopard gecko isn't eating and a reply given out all too frequently is not to worry because leos often don't eat for up to several weeks while they're settling in to their new home. If a newbie comes across a such a response repeatedly, they may gain a false sense of reassurance and take the matter no further, at least for a while. However, a chat with an experienced forumite might identify additional factors that they'd not taken into consideration or identify potential risks (e.g. that the animal in question is far too young to have the fact reserves to see it through a prolonged period of fasting) or even identify underlying health issues that an inexperienced keeper may not pick up on.


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

cadno said:


> I feel I may have added fuel to the fire of this thread and feel I need to apologise for that, I know people will say I'm being daft but I'm a person who would rather apologise first and then work things out (hope that makes sense).
> 
> What was just said is true, people like myself go through pages and pages or books and websites learning about a desired rep. But I value the information I can get from actual keepers above all else. No amount of research can compare to hands on experience. An example of this was a friend of mine being given a bearded dragon in a 2 foot viv, way too small but the advice he'd been given by the pet shop said it'll house two with no problems.
> 
> ...


Do not apologise mate you have no need!!!!!!!! Lol


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

nsn89 said:


> I think asking questions on here is better research than reading stuff on random websites that could be wrong.
> 
> Asking people on here helps people learn from other people's experiences, and become a better reptile keeper.
> 
> ...


I do not claim to be a reptile god and there is much to learn about the world of reptiles. You consider yourself fairly intelligent yet you did not understand what i previously said? Nobody talked of the forum shunting people to other websites.



123dragon said:


> so your helping them by complaining about repetitive posts and telling them to use the search function
> like i said what would you like the forum to be full of ?
> pics of baby leos ect cause i find them boring and repetitive but dont complain


No, i'm trying to put forward idea's that every forum user would benefit from. That is the difference. It is not a slating technique, it is a design to assist everyone more than what is currently on offer.



corny girl said:


> I have found that many of the people who come on here & ask "stupid" questions are people who have gone to a shop & been given totally wrong advice & equipment. They then find RFUK & ask what they should do to put things right for their pet. Most people feel that by buying from a shop they will be getting all the help & advice they need from so called experienced people. Many people don't realise that there are people out there that breed reptiles & can offer great advice & often a great friendship. People also don't realise there are specialist reptile clubs that hold meetings & anyone interested in buying a reptile will be pointed in the right direction of a club member who breeds that reptile (i know this is what i did, after i'd done plenty of research).


For a start that is why you do the research beforehand. Everyone knows this. When you get a tradesman to survey some work for you do you use just one or get several quotes back? It's a similar thing here. You search through several care sheets, compare them all, and go with the one/s that offer not only the most precise, but most detailed answers.



cadno said:


> I feel I may have added fuel to the fire of this thread and feel I need to apologise for that, I know people will say I'm being daft but I'm a person who would rather apologise first and then work things out (hope that makes sense).
> 
> What was just said is true, people like myself go through pages and pages or books and websites learning about a desired rep. But I value the information I can get from actual keepers above all else. No amount of research can compare to hands on experience. An example of this was a friend of mine being given a bearded dragon in a 2 foot viv, way too small but the advice he'd been given by the pet shop said it'll house two with no problems.
> 
> ...


Nothing can beat experience of others except firsthand experience. That is why threads could be "merged" so you can get the advice you need instantly.



debbie_baby1 said:


> I agree with both sides, I do feel having the opportunity to merge threads is a great idea. I dont know about any of you. But when ive tried to search ont he forum for specific issues. It shows me hundreds of threads that i have to try and seive through, as half the time is isnt specific to what i need.
> 
> However i think being able to ask "silly questions" as you put it, Is more than ok. What may seem like a silly question to some, is important to others. Some people find more reasurance in asking a question specific to them and getting the answers back. For the people who can not be bothered to answer as its repetitive, there will be people who will take the time and dont mind if its been asked a 1000 times before. Asking questions is how you learn, i read for months and months care sheets and posts on here about royal pythons, before i bought one. Infact searching google is how i found this forum in the first place.
> 
> ...


That is mostly down to the fact the search only uses something like 5 keywords, and if it's a question asking "Beared Dragon Not Eating" those are more than likely the keywords to differentiate the threads and then you have 1 single keyword that could (but probably wont) make the threads absolutly perfect. The proposed system would use a far larger number of keywords from both the title AND the thread body to provide a spot on, reliable answer. 



olivine said:


> As you have completely missed the point of my post, I'll give you an example. A common concern of newbies is that a newly acquired leopard gecko isn't eating and a reply given out all too frequently is not to worry because leos often don't eat for up to several weeks while they're settling in to their new home. If a newbie comes across a such a response repeatedly, they may gain a false sense of reassurance and take the matter no further, at least for a while. However, a chat with an experienced forumite might identify additional factors that they'd not taken into consideration or identify potential risks (e.g. that the animal in question is far too young to have the fact reserves to see it through a prolonged period of fasting) or even identify underlying health issues that an inexperienced keeper may not pick up on.


Thats why we mentioned earlier about directing the merges to stickies as a priority. A stickied post usually goes into huge amounts of detail to cover every possibility rather than the simple answer to the example you gave just above. That way they could get answers for every eventuality.



nsn89 said:


> Do not apologise mate you have no need!!!!!!!! Lol


Troll much?


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

As arrogant as it may sound, I am intelligent and don't need someone like yourself to assert that.

I didn't say shunt them to other websites. I'm saying they should be 'welcomed' here with whatever questions they pose to get real advice from people with different backgrounds and experiences. 

Troll much? Very intuitive of you 

Your the one 'trolling' about something so petty, and putting off people from posting, making them feel bad.


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

Theres not point in merging the threads, as each case is different from the other. For example the conditions the reptile was kept in before could lead the rep to not eating...or could it be relocation stress? You won't know these things unless you post on here and people respond with their experience and advice.


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## olivine (Feb 5, 2009)

G.R/Trooper said:


> Thats why we mentioned earlier about directing the merges to stickies as a priority. A stickied post usually goes into huge amounts of detail to cover every possibility rather than the simple answer to the example you gave just above. That way they could get answers for every eventuality.


Sorry, but there's no way that *every* eventuality can be covered by a sticky (or even several). I really do think that the system that you're proposing might lull newbies into a false sense of security.


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

nsn89 said:


> As arrogant as it may sound, I am intelligent and don't need someone like yourself to assert that.
> 
> I didn't say shunt them to other websites. I'm saying they should be 'welcomed' here with whatever questions they pose to get real advice from people with different backgrounds and experiences.
> 
> ...


Yet you keep coming back? The beauty of it is everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and clearly that is something you struggle to come to terms with. Real "intelligent" of you.



nsn89 said:


> Theres not point in merging the threads, as each case is different from the other. For example the conditions the reptile was kept in before could lead the rep to not eating...or could it be relocation stress? You won't know these things unless you post on here and people respond with their experience and advice.


As said previously, again. It would be designed on more than a handful of keywords, making the system VERY reliable in providing correct & detailed advice.

There is also somethign that ALL of you have failed to notice. Nobody said this would be forced on people. I have read all your replies and everyone rushed so quickly in to criticise that you all forgot about the idea in principle. The notification when submitting the thread would "suggest" you do this, that does not FORCE people to do it. It gives them the CHOICE of whether to continue to post their very own materiel, or "merge" it with a suitable thread that has already been answered and positive feedback left, ensuring the advice is safe & much quicker than waiting on replies.

How sophisticated you all are to respond in the ways you did, quick to judge and criticise and make all sorts of ridiculous remarks which (some) were absolutly irrelevant and yet failed in epic proportions to look at the origional & main proposals in great detail. 

Finally lets just make one thing clear. We all have a different tolerance and we also have a different view on what we would class as "stupid". SO let me help you out with what i deem "stupid". See the below thread.

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/newbie-advice/750379-light-heat-chameleon.html


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

olivine said:


> Sorry, but there's no way that *every* eventuality can be covered by a sticky (or even several). I really do think that the system that you're proposing might lull newbies into a false sense of security.


And in the same respect, an answer from a forum member would never cover EVERY eventuality. You said it yourself earlier that sometimes threads do not go into enough detail. So hey, maybe we should just direct every "Help!" post to the local vet instead? That way EVERY (as you so boldy put it) eventuality is covered. But again, even sometimes the vets get it wrong. Oh no!


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

G.R/Trooper said:


> Yet you keep coming back? The beauty of it is everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and clearly that is something you struggle to come to terms with. Real "intelligent" of you.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It's clearly not something I'm unable to grasp, I'm just arguing my point of view...which surely means your not able to grasp people's view points?

Keywords being what? It could easily lead to misconstrued cases being merged together. Each situation is different it may share the same basis but yet the solution may be very different. Thus being no use of merging the threads, as could give false advice. 

If your so incredibly intelligent how about you design such a system that produces 100% perfect results and present it to the admins of this website? Then you can claim your moment of glory, and look very sophisticated indeed.

If it annoys you so much, ignore them, many people don't have a problem with it...is it that hard to do? Think you need to find another avenue for fulfilment.


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

nsn89 said:


> It's clearly not something I'm unable to grasp, I'm just arguing my point of view...which surely means your not able to grasp people's view points?
> 
> Keywords being what? It could easily lead to misconstrued cases being merged together. Each situation is different it may share the same basis but yet the solution may be very different. Thus being no use of merging the threads, as could give false advice.
> 
> ...


Thats petty, real petty. Keywords like i mentioned above. Go ahead and look at the Lizard section for example and look for every post with the keywords "help Beared Dragon Not Eating" and i bet you 9/10 of them if not more have the exact same advice given. That already would make the system 90% succesful, and that is based on 5 keywords. We're talking about merging 20-30 keywords between title & detail!

I never claimed to be "so intelligent" and so that is a perception. Not to mention intelligence is not how much you know about all subjects, but rather in particulars. For instance would you say a biologist that works on cures for diseases is unintelligent because they don't know anything about surfing? Be realistic.

I'm certainly seeing everyones views, but since i am the guy that created the thread, thought of the design, and put forward the idea, i'm trying to SHOW you how the system would work and the benefits it brings to the forum. 

Once again, it doesnt "aggravate" me or "annoy me" and now it seems that is your only comeback. You're clutching @ straws matey. To top it all off if you even had mentioned something sensible, you go and blow it by making a silly remark like:



nsn89 said:


> Think you need to find another avenue for fulfilment.


Renders your arguements (whether for or against) rather, childish.


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

G.R/Trooper said:


> Thats petty, real petty. Keywords like i mentioned above. Go ahead and look at the Lizard section for example and look for every post with the keywords "help Beared Dragon Not Eating" and i bet you 9/10 of them if not more have the exact same advice given. That already would make the system 90% succesful, and that is based on 5 keywords. We're talking about merging 20-30 keywords between title & detail!
> 
> I never claimed to be "so intelligent" and so that is a perception. Not to mention intelligence is not how much you know about all subjects, but rather in particulars. For instance would you say a biologist that works on cures for diseases is unintelligent because they don't know anything about surfing? Be realistic.
> 
> ...


I doubt it's as high as 90%, whether it is or not they shouldn't be discouraged from posting as they MAY have something underlying that they may not spot but someone more experienced may.

Obviously not, of course the biologist is intelligent, and what does that have to do with anything? 

I don't think it's a great idea, it may give benefit sometimes, but could lead to more serious cases being missed because it's just a simple 'beardie won't eat thread'.

If it doesn't annoy you then why post about it? Because very few people actually have a problem with answering similar questions. The forum is here to help other people keep their reptiles in better conditions.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

I agree with everything, most of the information I needed I typed into google and the forum results came up anyways?

completely agree mate.
Just a simple yes on everything mentioned.


Peeps love to spout the same krap at every given oppurtunity though, infact it is that very thing that drove alot of the "old" best enthusuasts people with "real" knowledge away from rfuk.

It just gets boring after a while... and in turn can be completely unessacery.
I could possibly understand if people searched and still did not find the answers they seek.

but if I typed into the forum search engine now? bearded dragon temperatures.
or bearded dragon thermostat...... or bearded dragon can't move? the answers are there and when something goes wrong it is always just see a vet.... I have read vet so many times on this forum the word has lost all meaning lmao.

One thing I have observed though with certain members is they spout advice and krap on things they have not even expirienced? such as I know one person advised a problem on mites for eg, the very following week the person who advised about mites came on and created a thread screaming heeeeeeeeellllllllllllp! 

and I just thought, MY GOD! What the hell?
it is worrying when the people advising us are more clueless than outselves too.

Admitedly the forum is not all that reliable either, many people advise things such as diets? that they don't understand?
and when confronted or pulled about it all you ever seem to get is "oh you don't know what your talking about my animal is thriving quite nicely thankyou, and then a month later, you see a thread.... my beardie can't move 

and I think to myself DOES IT ACTUALLY SUPRISE ANYONE!

even if their was just one help thread that coverd the questions, or a previouse help thread that could be bumped asking a different question.

Just saying. lol.


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

nsn89 said:


> I doubt it's as high as 90%, whether it is or not they shouldn't be discouraged from posting as they MAY have something underlying that they may not spot but someone more experienced may.
> 
> Like i said, shall we just direct everyone to a vet then as they are the most experienced of us all? No system in the world is bulletproof.
> 
> ...





Salazare Slytherin said:


> I agree with everything, most of the information I needed I typed into google and the forum results came up anyways?
> 
> completely agree mate.
> Just a simple yes on everything mentioned.
> ...


Oh Dixon, how i love you. Where the :censor: have you been :whip:


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

liz200898 said:


> Don't waste thread space ranting?? :whistling2:


This one too.: victory: although I sometimes make a sligh one now and again I gotta admit, but usually only to prove a point of how pathetic a reply above might sound.



G.R/Trooper said:


> Thats another addition i might have to edit into it. Don't make stupid replies :whistling2:


It is in my view a good thing to bring too attention.



corny girl said:


> As this is a forum & as such people will always ask questions. The simple solution is that if you don't like the thread then you don't read it or post on it :Na_Na_Na_Na:. Sometimes people are new to forums & don't know how to use the search within them. Not everyone knows what they are doing on these forums :whistling2:. Care sheets vary greatly, that is why people tend to come on here & ask questions. Surely it is better to ask a question (even if YOU think it's silly) than to follow incorrect advice & end up with a seriously ill or dead reptile :devil:.


That is the most complete and utterly preposterouse thing I have ever read?:Na_Na_Na_Na:

THE ANSWERS ARE ALREADY THERE! TO SUMMARISE IT IS SIMPLY LAZY nothing more, if people can't be botherd too make a simple search by putting forward what they have researched (with the reason of what they are confused with) I am sorry but I can't be botherd to reply.... it seems and alot of members reading this will know it to be true, they expect people to do everythign for them, or give them the easirst and simplest solutions, and when you point out the obviouse you get told you are wrong anyways..... a simple search less than 5 seconds.

With regard to caresheets, anyone can type one up! caresheets are only ever an overview, expirienceing something is different to learning about it.
People don't like the fact that a keeper in a week can all of a sudden become more expirienced than those who have kept for years.

expirience is just a politer word for mistakes and to folllow every caresheet down to the exact word without making an effort on your own behalf if you don't cross reference what you learn or read, it will only end in disaster 
the internet is full of krap to be polite.

caresheets are never intended to be followed exacly it is a collection of information to compare, what works for one keeper is not likley too for the other?

the fact is there is some great information on rfuk but unfortunately we have to trawl through threads and threads of utter crap from people spouting the same stuff at every given oppurtunity to find what we are looking for?
So yes it does matter.
I have known people simply give up searching and let the animal never benefited because of the tralws and trawls of tosh on this forum.

and as I said above someone with no knowledge will take someone who replies as gospel... yes kale is fine to feed daily as is parlsey, tomato and spinach etc etc etc.....

there is some good info, but some very bad stuff on this forum too.
and I think we would all do well to remember that.

How is that hard to cross reference?????????



nsn89 said:


> Does it really matter?
> 
> You must live quite a boring life, if you have the time you go on about people posting about the same topic.
> 
> ...


Yes it does matter, there is no need for it! it is just sheer lazieness to not make at least some effort.

the best thing peeps can do is research what is wrong with their animal, type it into the forum search function and if they are still then not sure post a thread? simples.


just my opinions.:Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

G.R/Trooper said:


> Oh Dixon, how i love you. Where the :censor: have you been :whip:


Your missing the point. Someone could say my beardie is not eating...your system leads them to another thread which says it's just relocation stress. But that may well not be the problem, it could be something more crucial. So the current system allows experienced keepers to ask more questions and delve deeper if needs be.

If no system is bulletproof, then whats the need to change it? I'm sure the same 'problem' will remain.

It's simple you don't like it, ignore it, don't see how something so minute can bother you so much. 

Not trying to insult your intelligence, I don't need to, I'm comfortable within my own self.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

nsn89 said:


> Your missing the point. Someone could say my beardie is not eating...your system leads them to another thread which says it's just relocation stress. But that may well not be the problem, it could be something more crucial. So the current system allows experienced keepers to ask more questions and delve deeper if needs be.
> 
> If no system is bulletproof, then whats the need to change it? I'm sure the same 'problem' will remain.
> 
> ...


this is why you cross reference because any thread worth its mention covers more than just one aspect.... and anyone would do well to remember for any problem there could be a number of reasons and those reasons normally are posted on these threads.... any thread lacking in such information is simply again just being lazy.

also don't think just because newbies seem to be newbies on the forum
some who have joined up as newbies are some of the most knowledgible in the hobby?
some are even authors and highly respected?

I would much rather spend my time helping someone with an hour of typing who is willing to listen and be botherd to research for themselves and guide them than post for a few seconds to someone who won't.
Or can't be botherd.


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> this is why you cross reference because any thread worth its mention covers more than just one aspect.... and anyone would do well to remember for any problem there could be a number of reasons and those reasons normally are posted on these threads.... any thread lacking in such information is simply again just being lazy.
> 
> also don't think just because newbies seem to be newbies on the forum
> some who have joined up as newbies are some of the most knowledgible in the hobby?
> ...


But like mentioned before, people might get their advice from the pet store.

Which a lot of the time is wrong, like saying keeping a Leo on sand is fine...

Then they only discover it's not once they've posted on here etc (just an example). 

To be honest if someone needs help, you give them help. If someone is dying outside a hospital your not going to say no get lost try putting some effort it and get to the hospital yourself. Extreme yes, but the same principal remains..for me anyway.

Yes but the problem may only come to light where more experienced members ask questions. 

All in all, I don't think it's that much of a big deal, and doesn't affect my life enough to want to change it. If it does to yours then feel free to come up with a new design for the site, maybe you can do a poll and see what people think.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

nsn89 said:


> But like mentioned before, people might get their advice from the pet store.
> 
> Which a lot of the time is wrong, like saying keeping a Leo on sand is fine...
> 
> ...


 
as above.

one other factor I would like to point out, during the help threads I have only seen a handfull of people actually post previouse threads relating to a similar problem.

One thread I replied too (regarding a bearded dragon not eating I think...) 
I typed in the search engine and easily found 10 threads with the same people spouting the exact same stuff they had only hours before hand?

why not just type it in and post the links?
I did?

and even then the threads were ignored... yet those threads were full of a load of helpful information... again laziness for not making an effort to read, and then there is a big issue on the forum, everyone wants to be somebody and I think this is what flagelegates egos to keep posting the same stuff, when in reality and in the "real life" they know absaloutely nothing!

to someone who has no clue, a person with a little bit of information is then took as gospel....
why not check out other peoples opinions to cross reference????? it is less than 5 seconds and less than 3 minutes of reading a few similar threads to at least make up some kind of informed decision.

Regards
Dixon.


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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

123dragon said:


> to the people/person that dont like repetitive threads ect
> can i just ask what you would like the forum to be filled up with ?


Certainly not Google Images where the poster claims they are theirs!

Um, sounds familiar does it?


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

nsn89 said:


> Your missing the point. Someone could say my beardie is not eating...your system leads them to another thread which says it's just relocation stress. But that may well not be the problem, it could be something more crucial. So the current system allows experienced keepers to ask more questions and delve deeper if needs be.
> 
> If no system is bulletproof, then whats the need to change it? I'm sure the same 'problem' will remain.
> 
> ...


The proosal to "change" it is simply to offer a bigger variety of choice. If you clicked "Yes" on the little poster notification you get taken to threads that provide you with good information. If you click "Cancel" then you continue to post what you had wrote, and will have to wait replies before anything can be done.



Salazare Slytherin said:


> as above.
> 
> one other factor I would like to point out, during the help threads I have only seen a handfull of people actually post previouse threads relating to a similar problem.
> 
> ...


 
:cheers: Hit the nail on the head



Stephen P said:


> Certainly not Google Images where the poster claims they are theirs!
> 
> Um, sounds familiar does it?


What did i miss? Does this relate to anyone that has already replied to this thread by any chance? Oh i love a gossip me!


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> as above.
> 
> one other factor I would like to point out, during the help threads I have only seen a handfull of people actually post previouse threads relating to a similar problem.
> 
> ...


Some people can also take a lot of cocaine and be perfectly fine, so why doesn't everyone take copious amounts of it? A problem can arise whenever. If you do you sand for your Leo's no offence but your obviously don't care for them in the slightest. It's a known risk so why take it?

Very commendable that you'd leave someone dying by the way.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

nsn89 said:


> Some people can also take a lot of cocaine and be perfectly fine, so why doesn't everyone take copious amounts of it? A problem can arise whenever. If you do you sand for your Leo's no offence but your obviously don't care for them in the slightest. It's a known risk so why take it?
> 
> Very commendable that you'd leave someone dying by the way.


 
Edit...
not worth it, you missed the point which was being made, and therefore have taken out bits and nit picked at the most obvious fault, and interpretated what I was saying the complete wrong way.

and I don't care for my leos? okay..... 
^^^^^^^ the above post is exacly what I mean.

next time you are in stoke on trent why don't you drop me a message


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> Edit...
> not worth it, you missed the point which was being made, and therefore have taken out bits and nit picked at the most obvious fault, and interpretated what I was saying the complete wrong way.
> 
> and I don't care for my leos? okay.....
> ...


Well if everyone suggest's not to keep them on a loose substrate like sand, and you go against that, pretty stupid in my opinion. 

I've never been to Stoke on Trent and don't intend to sorry ...


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## CollaredLizardGal (May 17, 2010)

G.R/Trooper said:


> As helpful as i like to be, i'm so sick of answering the same questions and i'm sure many other people are like it too. Surely there can be something done about this from the admins such as a redirector. ]
> 
> If you are sick of answering the questions - simple answer would be -
> Then Don't - I am sure there are plenty of other people on here that are happy to answer them, just because you have been on here forever - new people arrive every day and have concerns about their new pets etc - just think back to when you were a noob and if these forums existed back then didn't you find it useful - and if they didn't back then wouldn't it have been useful!
> That is precisely why there is a "Newbie Section" - if you dont like the questions - stay out of the section maybe ?


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

CollaredLizardGal said:


> G.R/Trooper said:
> 
> 
> > As helpful as i like to be, i'm so sick of answering the same questions and i'm sure many other people are like it too. Surely there can be something done about this from the admins such as a redirector. ]
> ...


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

nsn89 said:


> Well if everyone suggest's not to keep them on a loose substrate like sand, and you go against that, pretty stupid in my opinion.
> 
> I've never been to Stoke on Trent and don't intend to sorry ...


 
okay.... 

who is everyone?
what works for one person might not for another.... that was the point being made.

you obviulsy know nothing of my history, what my jobs have represented, and not being funny but you have absaloutely no idea what qualifications the people I worked along side had.

I did also state that I did see where people were comming from when they stated it, but many have had great success with it too, ultimately using a substrate is not a black and white thing.

If I don't care for my animals why don't I give you my address, that way you can get animal welfare inspectors or whoever to come around to my home, and I suppose you know better than the best vet in the country too.

I have rescued animals in "real cases of neglect" and I am sorry but I have much better things to do with time than argue and debate over something as petit as substrates, when real cruelty is happening.


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> okay....
> 
> who is everyone?
> what works for one person might not for another.... that was the point being made.
> ...


Everyone being all the respected Leo breeders and keepers on this website. 

Like i said some people MAY not have a problem using sand it might be fine for 10 years and then all of a sudden the problem can crop up. So was it worth the risk? For starters they don't even come from sandy area's...I know some playsand can be ok for adult's the keyword however being CAN.

I didn't say you don't care for you animals, i said Leo's, as i believe you shouldn't keep them on sand at all if they meant that much to someone i would like to think they would do what's best for the animal. 

To be honest i don't care what your jobs represented, means nothing to me.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

nsn89 said:


> Everyone being all the respected Leo breeders and keepers on this website. Breeders are often short of space and when cases of impaction or other problems arise it can be put down to lack of space, so I can see where they are comming from and I do see there concern with it.
> 
> Like i said some people MAY not have a problem using sand it might be fine for 10 years and then all of a sudden the problem can crop up. So was it worth the risk? For starters they don't even come from sandy area's...I know some playsand can be ok for adult's the keyword however being CAN.
> 
> ...


okay thats fine....


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## mstypical (Feb 16, 2011)

I agree with Troopers recommendations. As a newb myself back in April I didn't know how to use the site, and yes I used Google but, RFUK answers are sometimes 3 pages into the search results, amongst American sites where 14 year olds have wrote caresheets claiming to be 'experts'. As such, my initial threads included _'Are my setups ok?', 'How do I find a lost corn snake?', 'Can anyone recommend a good herp vet_?' and so on. At no point was I directed anywhere else, and with the hundreds of new threads popping up each day such as _'What should I name my goldfish'_ even after looking through 3 or 4 pages on here, I didn't find my answer. Yet, as soon as I posted my new thread, similar threads show up at the very bottom. These could simply be shown, as a notification, just before you hit 'submit'. They could open in a new tab/window, you could read (research!) and then decide if you still want to submit that thread. A lot of the times the questions are that amateur, and that obviously un-researched, the OP is criticised and mocked, probably leading to them to think this is a horrible unhelpful place anyway.


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

CollaredLizardGal said:


> G.R/Trooper said:
> 
> 
> > As helpful as i like to be, i'm so sick of answering the same questions and i'm sure many other people are like it too. Surely there can be something done about this from the admins such as a redirector. ]
> ...


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## mstypical (Feb 16, 2011)

G.R/Trooper said:


> Eh, not even worth a detailed reply.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A trophy! For me? Yayy!

Seriously, it would have helped me, some of my earlier posts are so amateur I wish I could delete them, would have rather found the information easily than have to trawl through countless pages of irrelevant threads or start my own!


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

.........


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

mstypical said:


> A trophy! For me? Yayy!
> 
> Seriously, it would have helped me, some of my earlier posts are so amateur I wish I could delete them, would have rather found the information easily than have to trawl through countless pages of irrelevant threads or start my own!


 
Yes but the point being mystypical I can understand why peeps make threads when they first sign up.

Not everyone is aware how the forums can work....
but doing it almost daily, and what is worrying is when the people replying to the help threads are more clueless than ourselves if you take my meaning?

It is disturbing, there are only a handfull of people on this forum I even bother with.

There is a fine line between being confused  and being lazy : victory:


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## mstypical (Feb 16, 2011)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> Yes but the point being mystypical I can understand why peeps make threads when they first sign up.
> 
> Not everyone is aware how the forums can work....
> but doing it almost daily, and what is worrying is when the people replying to the help threads are more clueless than ourselves if you take my meaning?
> ...


That was my point, I didn't understand the forums. I had amateur questions, and yes I got the help, but how long will people keep helping when the same threads are posted time and time again? I offered advice here http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizards/751361-hunter-bosc-eating-rat-pup.html only to be advised it was a copy of a thread, by the same member, here http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizards/750543-locust-bosc.html, and there are more of the same since. It's the lazy ones, the ones that don't/won't listen, and the impulsive buyers, that spoil it for the other, genuine newbs : victory:


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## nsn89 (Jun 11, 2011)

G.R/Trooper said:


> Eh, not even worth a detailed reply.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Lol!! That's very funny indeed. I just have a problem with idiots like you, that nit pick over the smallest little details. You must live the sadest, most boring life of anyone on this forum if this is all your have to do with your life. Stop being such a pretencious :censor:.

You've just shown your level of 'intelligence', we were talking about sand with Leo's not Beardies!


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Right guys, I haven't read the entire thread yet (but I will be because it seems like some people can't have a discussion in any section without throwing their insults in there), but I can already see from the first post onwards this thread is not really suitable for the Newbie section. Not only is this the "newbie" section, but it's also the section that some parents let their children browse and post in, knowing that it is a lot quieter than the other sections.

I'd like to remind everyone of the sticky at the top of the page

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/newbie-advice/111850-notice-helpers.html



> Please be aware that this is a forum for new owners, inexperienced keepers and younger members to ask questions and be assured a helpful, polite and detailed answer. The aim here is to ensure that new keepers have the best advice and are able to keep their animals in the best care possible.
> 
> We will remove access for anyone who is unhelpful, condescending, argumentative, flames or is bitchy when answering questions. We also will not tolerate any language that is not child-friendly.


This section is purely for helping new people. You are perfectly entitled to discuss many of the issues raised in this post - but please do it in the snake, lizard, etc. or general herp if it covers everything.

You can let people know about search functions and existing threads in a polite and helpful manner.

And this user.... said what I would have said in a very eloquent manner 



olivine said:


> This is the 'Newbie Advice' section of the forum, so many of the questions asked are likely to involve relatively basic queries about herp care and so, yes, it can get a tad repetitive. However, that is surely the point of this section: to give new / potential keepers an opportunity to ask questions to the more experienced members of the community just at the point when they're getting started. Frequently 'new keeper' also equates to 'new forum member' and, has already been pointed out, such members may also be relatively inexperienced in how to use forum functions such as the search facility. Personally, I'd much rather repeatedly answer the same question in this section than risk jeopardising an animal's well-being because a newbie has misundertood the advice / information given in a previous thread or is simply too scared to ask.


In conclusion, I'm closing this now.

Edit: I will add, if people want to suggest some changes to the way the forum is handled, you are welcome to do so in the Forum Help section and discuss it... however the animal sections are for discussion on animals, and not on forum management


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