Noel wrote:

I think there MAY have been several new members in a row a while back who innocently asked about the and maybe the last one in that group got some frustrated or impatient replies.

IMHO. YMMV.

guilty (hangs head in shame)

www.surfintheeye.com

In terms of cliques, I think it’s pretty natural for sub-groups to form based on geography because those members actually get to interact personally and form friendships not easily cultivated via forums alone. I wouldn’t expect to receive the same support from an acquaintance as I would from a friend.

And I agree on the notion of “forum fatigue”. I bet if Brian constructed a graph of the number of posts over time; for many members we’d have a flurry of posts shortly after joining SG101 that would drop off sharply and level off over time.

I’d say that time and interest are also factors in responses to forum topics. If I added up the running time of all the band videos that people post everyday on various Facebook groups it would be hours to view them all. I don’t have time for that, so I typically only watch the ones from a group I haven’t heard of or maybe live versions of artists/songs I really like. I’m a bedroom player, so I don’t really feel qualified to offer a true critique of someone’s album/song so I typically don’t comment on them but I will hit the “Like” button. In the absence of an SG101 “Like” button, I think tracking how many people have viewed your post might be a good indicator at least of how many people were interested enough to check out your song/event/whatever.

https://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=9353f9155b5ff32e14c998495fd00da4&#!/rich.derksen.7

Yes there is a "cliquishness" as Danny puts it. it is a fantastic forum and some absolute experts available to have their brains picked. Priceless.
But, this notion of a newbie asking a question that has been discussed before and then being dismissed for doing so is plain foolish. An analogy for the "regulars" here. You are in a bar and just finished your surf set when a woman walks up to you and says" fancy some fun" and you respond with, " no thanks, check out my archives, I've done it before". Unlikely huh? Point is, people like interaction, this is a globaly available resource, I, like many others have had responses from people whose cd's I listen to in the car, amazing. If the small clan of "regulars want to be elitist just pass on your private emails to each other but don't be even remotely derogatory to people who innocently ask questions that are obvious or have been asked before, after all, they are just aspiring to the level you have already reached.
Take diplomacy lessons from Noel, a true gent!

Who is being dismissed or derogatory? Where is this happening? I'm mystified by these comments. Noel is like the nicest guy on this forum and he is always helping people find old threads.

I think you may misunderstand the purpose of "please see these other threads in the archives". The newbie is encouraged to read those threads and if they have further questions, they can ask in those threads. That way all the Q&A takes place in one place to help future newbies. Of course this isn't going to be perfect; we'll never have 1 thread for every question. But it also helps cross reference conversations when you leave "see these threads also" type responses.

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

Maybe it's best not to assume that a newbie should know that he should have searched the forums prior to posting? This could be a first experience for a newb and a gentle suggestion may be in order. You know "welcome to the site, there's a bunch of great info already here, try searching ..... etc."

I guess I'm just too gentle.

Heck I still will post a question every once in while without thinking about searching first. Just get focused on the question and miss the biggest potential for a solution. But then again, I may not have the time or desire to search 17 pages of the String Thread. Just sayin'

DannySnyder wrote:

Not trying to be argumentative here, just curious. When has anyone replied to an newbie request in anything but a polite manner here? Can you cite some examples?

Dude... http://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/268/?page=1#p288837

Well yes Brian, I may misunderstand the advice "check before posting" after all, it can be taken 2 ways, !, we are bored with this subject, use the search button dummy or 2, you may find some really useful information if you search and I am sure it has been used to fulfil both purposes. My point is simply that people should be allowed to interact and those that don't want to. well. don't.
I don't know about you but I have told the same joke several times, laughed at the same joke several times, discussed the same sporting topic over and over debating the same points and get this, I reckon I have played some surf tunes a zillion times. Am I bored? No. I will go on playing said tune til the cows come home and likewise probably chip in to a conversation on the net that has been had before, citing the same points, maybe my point of view will alter as I get older and more experienced, leading me to have a slightly different opinion than I had last year?
We are human and like to interact, even if there is an element of repletion. Human nature.

Thanks everyone who chimed into this meta discussion. It is good to have these every once in a while.

If anyone really is being rude or dismissive to a newbie (including myself) I'd like to know about it because that goes against our values here.

I can understand just wanting to interact. But you can interact in older threads also. They aren't read-only.

Mel's point about people being new to forums is well taken. There are lots of folks with tons of musical knowledge out there who can barely operate a computer and forums are sometimes overwhelming to them. We don't want to exclude these people from participating. So that's why everyone should bend over backwards to help the new guys out.

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

I have tenure and this is a government job. You are stuck with me forever!

Dammit Jake, why don't you just go away?

Perhaps this thread could be stickied? Might help serve as a reminder to the permanent fixtures among us that perhaps a little more patience is in order, as well as a good pre-posting read for the newbies.

IMO.