Forum Moderators: open
Just curious.
It was somewhat self-serving, because I was in a thread, and at times it is difficult for me to determine the "intent" or "true meaning" of the written word.
Brad is probably correct that the felling of intimidation wears off eventually. However the emotional aspect will always exist, because there is no "face value" to written words, so we interrupt them in various manners.
The moderators do a wonderful job (<start> applause <increase volume> ..... <wind down>).
It is very rare that I see anything close to a negative comment, still I read lots, ask a few questions and answer even fewer. (BTW, I posted on Google needing help, and the thread died, arghhhhhhh)
Still overall this is a great forum. When I do start my site later this year, the time spent reading will pay-off.
A humble,
Shane
I worry more about being the first to answer a thread and giving the absolute wrong answer, usually if one person responds first then I either jump in or wipe my brow thinking 'glad I didn't tell them that'. I usually feel less so if I am familiar with the person.
maybe brett will add an idiots forum one day? if he does i'll apply to moderate it, but knowing me, i'll screw up my application.
but apart from that, the people here are great and made me feel very welcome when i first arrived.
something that is very evident is that when a question is asked, people genuinely go out of their way to reply, often listing previous discussions and lots of basic information. it doesn't matter if the person asking is a new user or has been here for ages, the answers are often very detailed and clear enough even for idiots like me.
now if only i could work out how to actually find things with the site search, maybe i could be more helpful with my replies to others?
I am a newb here to the forum, but I must say (while I will also agree with much of the above sentiment) that this is an easy going forum which lends its self to non-intimidation.
I too tend to only post when I feel that I have something constructive (or just absolutely witty ;) ) to say. I personally have never been a person to be 'intimidated' by much of anything... Now a word that might better fit would be 'overwhelmed' by the immense amount of information at hand.
I have the feeling that I could easily spend a year or two just browsing old entries, and doing so with much enthusiasm.....
I like to lurk in the background for the most part, checking out some of those old posts, and just getting tons of great information. Heck, I am trying to learn more in regards to search enging optimization since coming here, and bringing that type of thinking to light to my employer.
((p.s. a spell checker optionn on thsse postss wouldsss be gret.....))
I am humbled by the amount that I have to learn, and that is one thing that this site has helped me realize... ;)
But what is nice, is to know that I dont really have to become a 'expert' in all areas, especially when this forum is available and the knowledge base represented by all of you is available to pull from.
I look forward to learning and sharing more as time goes by.
Well heck, thats my 3 cents worth. Anyone have change for a nickle????
Thor
(edited by: Thors_Hammer at 12:36 am (utc) on May 29, 2002)
I also tend to get discouraged when things that seem to work for other people don't have the same bang for me.
But I really enjoy the discussions here - it has definitely become part of my daily routine!
That said, I have tremendous admiration for the wealth of talent and information on this site. If only I could find a way to get paid to sit here all day and read, read, read!
I tend not to post new topics because I usually find if I keep searching, someone else has already asked my question. I do find, however, that I start searching on one topic, and I keep finding so many very, very interesting other topics that I totally get lost. I get frustrated that I can't do a simple download to my brain and get it in all at once.
Use colors if you have to I don't know either! But just jump in!
Something you all might not know about is if you go to recent posts at the top of the page and click over to it and then click on the MSGS link it will put the posts in order starting with single posts that haven’t received a response yet. We really like to get every post responded to each day, so it’s a big help if you feel like jumping in as pshea suggested.
Also, if you see someone has only one or even less than a dozen posts, feel free to welcome them to Webmaster World. I know when I first posted here it felt great to receive the welcome, even if the person didn’t have an answer. It’s also nice if you think there’s someone who might have a good response to send them a sticky (found also at the top of the page) and send them a link and ask for their response. I get those all the time and it’s helped me find discussions I may have missed otherwise.
I applaud everyone around here for his or her strong sense of community. Still amazes me when you think of all the variety of folk visiting that we continue to get along so well.
The only time I really feel intimidated is when someone starts in with authoritative geekspeak. I mean... like I know a tiny bit about some things, but if I mention that I'm running a dynamic site, and someone chimes in with something like:"why don't you try <$spg plunk 88$ factor GO run zlunk*#>... see how simple that is?"
Piff piff, you certainly shouldn't be intimidated by anyone giving *that* advice. *Everyone* knows plunk 88$ has long since been superseded by plunk 99$.
;)
My first language is English, yet I still have a hard time interpreting questions sometimes, and converting geekspeak into something more human is often a real challenge. That's probably why I lurked for 6 months before posting. I now know that I was daft; the people here are great and I get just as much out of the community aspects as I do from the technical discussion.
In the past, I thought that efficiency and accuracy was the Holy Grail. Those things certainly matter, but "nice", in tandem with those things, is the Ultimate Currency. The Nice Bar is high here. Don't be afraid of it. I adjusted to meet it and am enjoying the rewards.
Fascinating thread. (thanks).
I still feel that way about technology. Much of what we do it not all that complicated. I was taught that the first computer was actually invented by a weaver. He discovered that, by laying pieces of paper over the weaving looms, with holes cut out to guide which threads to pull out, lovely patterns were created in the woven cloth. Another man came along, took that idea, and used it to create a voting machine. The 'holes in the paper' allowed 2 wires to touch each other and create an electrical connection. The wires either connected (a '1') or they didn't (a '0'). Ones and zeros. Binary code.
I tell my students that everything can eventually be broken down into ones and zeros. Even the toughest task can be broken down into many very simple concepts and tasks. It's that simple. It's a series of many, very easy steps that come together to create a web page, or write code. It's just a matter of knowing what those easy steps are and when to use them. That's the beauty of this forum. We are all the ones and zeros. (Okay, that didn't come out right....)
I applaud everyone around here for his or her strong sense of community.
The advantage of this Board, and this is no small feat, is that it IS a community, not just one that advertises itself as a community!
I cross-posted early on (which wasn't all that long ago) and was reminded that I shouldn't do that, one not so gentle but what bothered me more, and I admitted as much, is that I knew better. Must have been my enthusiasm. I still feel a lingering embarrasment.
Nonetheless, the more I read, contribute and absorb, the more I feel like I belong and the more I feel like what I have to say is of value - and the more I trust that if someone thinks I'm in error or full of it that they'll let me know (gently please).
In such an anonymous medium it is important to be made to feel welcome and comfortable and this Community has accomplished this for me - though sometimes (like now) I'm a wary that maybe I should shut-up.
All in all, this is a Community of mixed tastes, experiences and opinions. But that is precisely what makes a community not only valuable but fun to participate in.
Oh these wary times we have.
You know these are the best times for us to evalutate ourselves. We can at times get so caught up in things and get carried away, but when we grow wary we should take heed, perhaps someone is telling us something that we really need to be told. Ego and pride must take a back seat once in a while and let humbleness and humility due the navigating for a away.
Ok, self-check done!
But yes when i was new to forums i didn't stick up my hand in the air, and expressed my opinion and views as i do now, so i think there is a intimidation factor, but as the time goes, and you get more information, you compile it and then post your compilation, and everything goes fine, and you get your 15 minutes of fame.
(edited by: lazerzubb at 7:51 pm (utc) on May 30, 2002)
I feel everyone has something to say that is worth hearing about. Your view and mine of the world, of search engines, are totally different - multiply that by everyone at the forums. Keeping this in mind helps pave the way to sharing information, which is how we end up learning from the forums.
Being eager or making a mistake (haven't we all made some) is a far cry from spamming a forum
I suggest that you all read
Moderators handbok [webmasterworld.com]
And especially the "Editing Posts" section, it's a wonderful piece of text, and it makes you feel very good, and know that you can do misstakes without having to take criticism directly.
taken from the guide
It is a rare exception when a users post needs editing. Please remember we are dealing with people from all over the world, from all experience levels, and all points of view. I believe strongly in the freedom of speech and in respecting other peoples contributions to the board.
What I often think about when participating in any forum, especially if I start the thread is - when do I cut off?
By this I mean if I started a thread and a few people replied, obviously I go back and interact with the other posts to my thread but I often don't know when to cut off. When do I stop replying to my thread that I started?
Does this sound strange?
Maybe it's just me or maybe others have this 'problem'.
Cheers,
Stickymaster
Unfortunately, it is. But that is ok, it happens to the best of us, which is why I asked the question to begin with. Although my intimidation came more in the form of being unable to understand the meaning of the "written word". But intimidation comes in all sorts of different ways and means.
As for ending a thread, well, the thread will basically end itself when the time comes. Until then, keep posting. It will naturally I believe most of the time.
I would say no. I stay away from threads about Microsoft IIS server administration... because I don't deal with IIS servers and have no interest in them. Then again, I stay away from threads regarding almost any server administration topic: I don't administer my own servers and therefore have nothing helpful to add and very little interest in the discussion overall.
It's perfectly natural not to read threads you have little interest in, and not to post in threads you have little to contribute to. Perhaps your question has already been asked by someone else, and/or already answered... or you're just reading out of idle curiosity.
That's how I usually deal with the board... however, my post count would indicate I'm not suffering from much in the way of intimidation... ;)
Same here. At the end of the day, if we are all making better websites, and everyone here can read, then we are on to a winner. I've no need to feel intimidated, in fact, the only intimidation I feel is to keep up with the crowd, and that is my "fault" :)
Attend a BarCon or PubCon! After being a member here for a few short months, I made the decision to load the familial unit into the car and drive to Irvine for the last BarCon. After revelling in the atmosphere (and..uhh...beverages) with the members and Mods, I felt like one of the family. No pretentiousness or attitudes were to be found. Just a bunch of people with a common interest willing to share and absorb information. Not that much different than what you find here, just more personal since you're standing face-to-face. My opinion of the members here, while already high, only increased and my apprehension to post decreased significantly.
