So i happened to stumble over to another bbq forum...

Oregon smoker

...and one of the top posts talked about how they were treated at another forum. It had some pretty scary allegations in the write up and it didnt name the visited forum, but being that this is the forum that i visit and contribute to the most it aroused my curiousity.
Are we rough on Newb's? Do we remember to be welcoming and remember the time that we went looking for knowledge? Do we cultivate and promote a attitude of ask and learn w/out being brow beaten? Are things moderated not only by the members but the appointee as such done well? Is this the first place you come to post results or is it somewhere else? If somewhere else, is there a reason?

I am not trying to attack to Garry or SE by any means.
I want this to become the first and only place that people come for BBQ related talk. It has had its growing pains and we all have been subject to those in one degree or another. I was a lurker for 6 months before i joined and didnt post any pictures for at least 6 months. I had stage fright so to speak.
But i have also noticed that some of the guys that had some real genius back in the day no longer post. Along with that i post more often as i have gained more knowledge. I bust butt's from time to time to have a good time and mix it up, as do others. But is it making our place unfriendly? I can only hope that the accusations were pointed somewhere else, but please chime in. I want to improve as a contributor and i want my posts to reflect the fact that i share my knowledge.
And just for the record i am not the only that has thought about this, I wont name him but he feels the same.

Jason
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Toga · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

As with any typed communication it is up to the reader to determine whether it was meant to be mean, playful, or helpful. As it goes with interpretations we all perceive things differently. Hopefully all know the interpretation is purely their own perception and learn to over look anything as being perceived as mean or rude behavior as good old fashion playful ribbing Laughing

. On the flip side members do have to keep in mind that others may not interpret what they post in the same manner as what was meant and be mindful of this.

That said this forum has more helpful and friendly people than any other I have ever encountered and I belong to quite few forums for various things. The ring is definitely the front runner when it comes to all things outdoor cooking related. Lots of friendly knowledgeable folks sharing tips, techniques, and a few laughs. I hope it continues to stay this way. I gained a ton of knowledge from the folks here to help me take my passion for Q to the next level and am grateful for that knowledge. I think that as long as all who come try to learn and try to pass some along some of what they learn here to the new members coming aboard the ring will remain a great place to gather to talk about all things outdoor cooking related for many years to come.
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killswitch505 · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

i think i know the site your speaking of. yeah there are some guys that tend to be ruff on newbs but then we got a lot of guys that really go out of their way to help. i think we have been doin a good job of flushing the turds around here lately
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Jarhead · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

I hear ya Jason. Garry and SoEzzy are doing a great job. You have to realize that they can't babysit the 10%, 24/7. The other 90% are right with you.
I remember my first posts were on how to build a DBS. Kevin (KAM) was always there with an answer and helpful guidance. I have made a whole lot of friends here and some I have met person to person. This is the BEST forum by far.
I also try to help on occasion, but by no means is it considered the Bible, just my opinion on how I would do or the way I do things. It all boils down to, "Whatever works for you".
I have been reprimanded a time or two by the Bear in some heated discussions, but it's best to let it be.
As Denny said, I think I know of the site also and I have made maybe 5 posts on it.
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Oregon smoker · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

Thanks for the input thus far, and please keep it coming.
I am not going to out the the other place i just want this place to be better and make everyone including myself more aware.
There are several key old timers, and i kinda lump myself in there that contribute a bunch and sometimes it goes unspoken. And if someone is being a dick then lets correct it. The owner and mod/s have let this place be what it is. I want any nay sayers to come back to the fold and contribute, and voice their opinions and share their knowledge. It only helps the group turn the notch up on our cooking. We all are here for one thing or another but the common thread is cooking, if it be a pizza oven that is wood fired, or bread baking using a DO, we are doing it outside.
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SoEzzy · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

I try and remember that newbies are newbies, and I try and maintain an even keel when dealing with all the members, those that go out of their way to make my life harder bear (pun intended) the brunt of my sarcasm, (yes I do have a little sarcasm in my attitude occasionally, for those that haven't noticed)!

I try and give all members the space they need, I do try and answer questions as they arise, but I don't generally have the time to be more gentle than a blunt post.

When it was mentioned that I am somewhat abrupt with a first poster, I started to add, "Welcome to the forums! PMPNLT650pxOTLS!", so as to not be as abrasive.

The members that make my life easier, will PM, email or phone me when something comes up, it's not so helpful to me when people just comment to the offending member, and make the thread longer, without letting me know there is a problem.

I came here to read the posts first and moderate it second, perhaps we need a month's / weeks, free for all, to remind the longer standing members what things would be / could be like!

I read pretty fast, but to read all the posts and to moderate them all on a busy day, may be getting beyond my capabilities as a sole admin.

For the most part the boards do run themselves, I normally don't need to ask more than once before members comply with my requests, the times that they don't comply, generally don't make it to the boards, the times they do make it to the board are more often than not down to me being really pissed.

The harder ones to deal with, are those that just won't or can't listen to any voice not in their head!

I may be wrong, and when I am, members are welcome to tell me in a PM or email, or to tell Garry, but bitching me out on the boards doesn't really work, and is seen by me as an attempt to undermine the gentle me, often bringing the bite to my attitude.

Sometimes I think that we all need a reality check every now and then, we could put in a "Please Read Section"... that would but just be another section that newbies might miss, or ignore, there are plenty of information threads that already get missed by the average newbie.

One other thought that just went in... and out of my head, is that some members come and go, some come and stay, some come and others wish they would go, the balance remain mostly the same, but I don't want the "craper" back for one, and if spotted will be taken out and shot again... and again. etc.
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Oregon smoker · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

day_trippr · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

Oh my. I'm verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves, here's the topic: Weekly Group Hugs and a round of Kum Bay Ya?

Cheers! Wink

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Soapm · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

Oregon smoker · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

http://www.texasbbqforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=14865

for perusing purposes...
Like i said i dont think it was here, but all the same....
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feldon30

Q-in · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

Being a Newb,I give this site an A+!!!
Awesome job -to everyone! Cool

Wreckless · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

The bar was already set high when I got here and it has remained high. I have seen the response " The only dumb question is the one not asked" repeatedly. Diplomacy is used for the most part even when the offense is created by the original poster. No worries, this is about as good as it gets, IMHO. However, when one posts " I have gasoline, some briquets and some matches, what so ever shall I do?" It is hard to resist LOL
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Smokin Mike · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

Just my personal observation but it seems the biggest one ongoing issue here is excessive image size and the offender(s) are usually the newbies who haven't taken the time to read the stickies and the notices. Is it their fault? I dunno, they probably just want to get registered and get to posting as quickly as possible. For those that get reprimanded, some seem to take it personally and their enthusiasm for this place wains very quickly.

SoEzzy, I know you're looking at this and I'm saying this out of empathy. It just pains me to see you have to continually address this issue without any end being in sight. It's painfully obvious (to me) that it won't fix itself. I know you have better things to do with your time besides editing one out of every ten posts that occur, or whatever the number is... especially when there are technological solutions that can be implemented to relieve you of this burden. It may or may not not be your call about implementing a fix, but here's what I'm going to do. As you suggested above I'm going to send Garry an email about this. I mean this is silly... the boat is leaking and the two choices are either keep bailing or fix the leak. I'm a "fix the leak" type of guy. Fixing this image size thing will resolve two problems; It'll keep the newbies from getting their feathers ruffled and it'll free up the Bear's time so he can do more productive things. Am I right or should I just shut up?

Raine · BBQ Pro Joined: 06 Feb 2005 Posts: 598 Location: Dixie

So far, after coming back, this forum is a lot tamer than it was when we were on the mailing list. At times things got real nasty. The biggest drawback to any online conversations, is the tone, etc aren't always received the way the poster intended.

zysmith · Posted: May 09 2011 Post subject:

I was treated well when I started here as a total rookie and overall I believe that this forum is very kind to newbies. I can't count how many times the foil vs no foil (and other questions of this ilk) have been asked and answered with little complaints. There have been problem threads but not usually with or between newbies and these are quickly brought under control.
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GF · Posted: May 10 2011 Post subject:

Being very new as a member, how you think you are being treated is mostly depending on what you expect. From what I have seen 99% of the time all questions are answered, very nicely, and quickly. If you expect that you will be treated with the same regard as more senior, and helpful members you will probably be disapointed. I don't participate on any other forums, so I don't know what happens elsewhere, but I can say this site is very helpful to me.Joining any group is like starting a new job, sometimes it is best to sit back and watch how things are done and how it all works before posting a dozen oversized pictures, or asking the same question for the thousandth time. Thanks again for all the valueable information here.

Dr Obvious · Posted: May 10 2011 Post subject:

k.a.m. · Posted: May 10 2011 Post subject:

Oregon smoker · Posted: May 10 2011 Post subject: