Same Old Stuff

[KeithG]

The whole point of the forum is discussion ... social interaction.

Social interaction? Bah. Humbug! If I want that I will take a trip on our local subway train. Lots of interaction opportunities there. Too many...

I enjoyed NetDocs post a while ago about FIGJAM. I (barely) keep it in mind and sometimes delete my knee jerk responses before I post them.

I come here to learn things. I have lurnd lots. And have lots more to go.

But in general I find that I no longer respond to threads in the beginners forum.

 

[gcarter]

I have not been around here as long as some others, but what I did notice:

1) Much (most?) of the time, the question is similar, but not identical, but a lot of us don't bother to read the OP very carefully or may not appreciate the difference. After seeing similar questions a number of times, it is perhaps natural and undsrstandable to start to assume they are all the same, our brains are wired for pattern matching. And, if you start with the assumption that it's all the same, your perception is selective and biased, and of course you will see a confirmation of it everywhere. Our brains are wired this way, too.

2) Often (usually?), many (most?) of the replies are responding to a question that's similar, but not identical to the question stated in the OP. I think a lot of the time, when people hold a strong opinion on some subject, they need to express themselves, and may end up bringing up the same point across a number of threads, regardless of the exact topic, especially if they think it's the same question over and over (see above).

When most threads steer a bit off-topic, if ever so slightly, and contain some amount of tangential discussions and knee-jerk replies, the practical utility of the "search" button can be somewhat limited.

In addition, having an answer directed towards you personally can somehow make it feel like a better answer than an answer directed at someone elses question, no matter how similar.

 

[Neilwood]

In addition, having an answer directed towards you personally can somehow make it feel like a better answer than an answer directed at someone elses question, no matter how similar.

As a relative newbie on this forum, I would agree with this. I felt very happy about getting responses to my particular questions rather than simply being told "use the search".

A lot of what makes a good forum is the personal interaction - I feel I can come on here and have a relatively friendly conversation with other posters in the threads (despite having met none of them although I hope in time this might change) whereas on other forums I have been on I feel like an outsider or that I have set off a tripwire when I post a certain question.

 

[wheeledgoat]

I'm a forum junkie. I find great information and wisdom by perusing forums for all of my hobbies and interests, and I've even modded a couple myself. Such a wealth of [free!] information out there!

As was mentioned, you will get much better search results for this, and most all forums, by just doing a google search with
site:scubaboard.com in the search box along with your query terms. It's a good habit to practice. Searches can be resource intensive and for underfunded forums, there's just no point in reinventing the wheel.

I, too, am perpetually entertained by the "do a search" vs. "don't resurrect old threads" mentalities, and the enthusiasm with which they are expressed. It's always fun to wade through the posts of a newly discovered forum and see which way the wind blows. In my estimation, SB is pretty laid back as forums go. Probably due to the more mature nature of the residents here, which is refreshing.

I can't help but laugh when I search for a topic, find a thread that seems spot-on, only to click into it and read the advice "do a search!" scolding the OP. Hah! I just did! A big +1 for people to just move along if you've got nothing constructive to add.

And lastly, so far as "has it been covered before?". As much as I like to search old topics and learn from them, I personally think re-hashing topics is quite healthy. To a point of course. I relate the concept to how when algebra was first invented (discovered?), relaying the concepts filled an entire book. Now that we have mastered it, we have refined it considerably and can teach the topic to grade school kids in only a few chapters.

 

[urbaneve71]

Social interaction? Bah. Humbug! If I want that I will take a trip on our local subway train. Lots of interaction opportunities there. Too many...

I enjoyed NetDocs post a while ago about FIGJAM. I (barely) keep it in mind and sometimes delete my knee jerk responses before I post them.

I come here to learn things. I have lurnd lots. And have lots more to go.

But in general I find that I no longer respond to threads in the beginners forum.

yes the point of this is social interaction about diving.... if you dont care for then dont post your negativity. maybe you should have deleted this post -- i am sure some of us (me included) find this a bit untasteful. many of us come here to learn and not be admonished by posts like this. this is not a helpful in anyway.

it seems to me that you are responding to a post in the beginners thread, so you yourself have contradicted what you said.

While I have learned quite a bit out of this forum, i have to say, i learned nothing from your post whats-so-ever, other than than the fact you seem to want to boost your post count. mama always said if you dont have anything nice to say, the dont say it. next time try something constructive to say. seems to me that you have quite a bit of dives under your belt. I am sure you could add something to this discussion.

p.s -- if i want to learn about someone peeing on the subway, by all means, ill be happy to take one as i have done in the past when i lived in NY and chicago. never learned anything about diving there, but i have here