Qualifications to participate in this forum

[Dive-aholic]

How will you verify who you let back here? It's pretty obvious who the regulars are that should be back here, but what about someone like Atomic Diver who tries to portray himself as a cave diver and tech diver yet only took his Basic Nitrox course just last December and has never taken an overhead course? Oh, and forged his temporary nitrox card by adding "Advanced" to it.

In order to keep this real back here, and with what I believe is the intention of this forum, there needs to be a process of verification for member requests. To get into the I2I forum we need to provide instructor numbers. To get my cave instructor badge, I had to scan my card and send it to Rick Murchison. Is there going to be a similar process for participation here?

 

[Cave Diver]

In order to keep this real back here, and with what I believe is the intention of this forum, there needs to be a process of verification for member requests. To get into the I2I forum we need to provide instructor numbers. To get my cave instructor badge, I had to scan my card and send it to Rick Murchison. Is there going to be a similar process for participation here?

Good question Rob.

The intention is to limit it to people who currently hold at least a tech cert and preferably multiple or advanced tech certs. A lot of "known" people have already been pre-invited and granted access. Others have already applied and been denied because their post histories suggest they don't hold the certs.

At this point I'm pretty much going on the peer system. Most of us know each other. We know who has the certs and knowledge and we know who doesn't. I've tried to pre-invite as many of those as I could think of. If it becomes a problem with a lot of people I don't know, then I'll start asking for certs or have someone here that knows them will have to vouch for them.

As I stated in the Forum Rules tho, if someone manages to sneak by, or comes in and starts spewing off total nonsense, they're going to get bounced out. I expect the people invited back here to already know the difference between a wing and jacket and why you don't use a snorkel in caves.

Does that help?

-John

Edit- I forgot this part. This forum is opt in and requires approval from myself, Rick Inman or Steve Lewis (Doppler). Those of you that got the "pre-approval PM" are already known to us and didn't have to wait for the approval.

 

[Dive-aholic]

John,

That's exactly what I was hoping it was going to be. If it holds to that, I think this forum will work very well.

Thanks!

 

[Cave Diver]

John,

That's exactly what I was hoping it was going to be. If it holds to that, I think this forum will work very well.

Thanks!

No problem. And since there has already been a question on this part, let me re-iterate:

New Member Info:
Only members who are part of the user group "Tech Divers" will have access to this forum. If you choose not to participate in this forum, you can PM me or you can opt out of the user group in your user control panel here: Group Memberships

Some previous threads on technical diving have already been moved to this new forum, but that does not mean all posters in those threads have been invited to join this group.

 

[wedivebc]

but what about someone like Atomic Diver who tries to portray himself as a cave diver and tech diver yet only took his Basic Nitrox course just last December and has never taken an overhead course?

Gee how did I know that name was going the come up the moment I got the PM about this forum

 

[Cave Diver]

Gee how did I know that name was going the come up the moment I got the PM about this forum

I've already denied a few requests due to lack of required experience or poor posting history. There are also several users here that are deemed "controversial" on the general board but I feel could have a lot to contribute back here due to their experience. If anyone finds their delicate sensibilities offended, they always have the choice of opting out of this forum.

 

[wedivebc]

There are also several users here that are deemed "controversial" on the general board but I feel could have a lot to contribute back here due to their experience.

Have any of them started any deep air threads lately?

 

[Cave Diver]

No.

Should I add a "How do you feel about deep air?" question to the entrance exam?

 

[wedivebc]

No.

Should I add a "How do you feel about deep air?" question to the entrance exam?

Right, also anyone wearing a Kirby Morgan super lite in their avitar pic should be suspect

 

[Cave Diver]

Right, also anyone wearing a Kirby Morgan super lite in their avitar pic should be suspect

Fortunately, this is a Tek forum, not a commercial forum. Unfortunately the criteria that's been set for admittance is some form of technical cert. Based on that I'm sure we're going to get a certain percentage of members that go hard against the grain.

This forum is designed with the idea that people who have taken the time and effort to achieve these cert levels have developed a sufficiently thick skin to participate here. If that means occasionally having to tell someone they are an dumbass, so be it. A little controversy is good for discussion. Maybe a little "tough love" will give them a new point of view.

Ultimately tho, this forum belongs to --YOU--, the users who participate here and we want you to shape the direction it goes. Censorship is not the goal here. But I do have some ideas on shaping those discussions that get long in the tooth and putting them to rest once the horse is dead.