OP
SkullDeformity
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Fixed, thank you for helping out.
Too many subforums
- Thread starter SkullDeformity
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Missdirected
Contributor
I love things "neat and tidy". Makes things much easier in my book. With El coming onboard one can see that several needed changes have been implemented. Lots of tidying 
That said, if one is going to sit and pick apart a thread to extract the good/necessary/well written info then I am all for that. Then again, I am weird like that. I like to see things tied up neat and proper. Skull, I think you are on the right path but you are missing what Ber is saying.
I think the best way to say it is that you don't want a book written by one person and a few links at the bottom for others to follow. What you want is to pour through all of the threads and extract the good info, well written info, same good info stated in another way, etc. All the while giving due credit to the author of said posts. Do you get the idea? Once you have done that, you can then take and put all the info into one piece. :11doh:
Kudos to you for offering to take on such a task.
Thal, I look forward to the mask clearing compilation.
That said, if one is going to sit and pick apart a thread to extract the good/necessary/well written info then I am all for that. Then again, I am weird like that.
I like to see things tied up neat and proper. Skull, I think you are on the right path but you are missing what Ber is saying. I think the best way to say it is that you don't want a book written by one person and a few links at the bottom for others to follow. What you want is to pour through all of the threads and extract the good info, well written info, same good info stated in another way, etc. All the while giving due credit to the author of said posts. Do you get the idea? Once you have done that, you can then take and put all the info into one piece. :11doh:
Kudos to you for offering to take on such a task.
Thal, I look forward to the mask clearing compilation.
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Here, to give you a visual - Check out this thread
Missdirected
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justleesa:
Bingo!
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"Typically, pony bottles use DIN valves..." Huh? Really, some one tell me these things...! :shakehead
So we're looking at the idea of condensing SB past discussions of the last several years into a list of Stickies? The Official, Adopted Statements...?
That idea does not appeal to me. I prefer what NetDoc told me in Nov, about what he said when asked what makes SB so successful: "I don't know, the members do it.
But then, Stickies are so ignored. What to Consider as a New Student to Diving was first posted over four months ago, has had 2,200 looks and 5 replies, while in that same period that forum has had over 300 threads with thousand of replies - some threads with over 4,000 views each, so I don't guess these new Stickies would really threaten the true nature of SB as a discussion board, not an authority.
Still, the idea of suggesting such an approach does seem to fly in the face of what SB really is. It's a place where members discuss things.
But I can't really tell which of y'all are joking here, and which are seriously encouraging our new member with over a hundred dives, a few weeks on site, and 57 posts counting these to organized these one-answer-fits-all opinions - including the flavored ones? Flavored, was that it?
So we're looking at the idea of condensing SB past discussions of the last several years into a list of Stickies? The Official, Adopted Statements...?
That idea does not appeal to me. I prefer what NetDoc told me in Nov, about what he said when asked what makes SB so successful: "I don't know, the members do it.
But then, Stickies are so ignored. What to Consider as a New Student to Diving was first posted over four months ago, has had 2,200 looks and 5 replies, while in that same period that forum has had over 300 threads with thousand of replies - some threads with over 4,000 views each, so I don't guess these new Stickies would really threaten the true nature of SB as a discussion board, not an authority.
Still, the idea of suggesting such an approach does seem to fly in the face of what SB really is. It's a place where members discuss things.
But I can't really tell which of y'all are joking here, and which are seriously encouraging our new member with over a hundred dives, a few weeks on site, and 57 posts counting these to organized these one-answer-fits-all opinions - including the flavored ones? Flavored, was that it?
OP
SkullDeformity
Contributor
I'm trying my best to put together stickies that are fairly comprehensive. If you see someting wrong I will correct it, that is the point of this editting process. It just seems totally insane to post the same answers to the same questions over, and over, and over. I could literally copy and paste replies to certain threads. Stickies are not ignored, you have to label them as something like "Read before posting." There will always be internet newbies who don't know what anything is, but stickies will catch most people. On every forum I have ever inhabited stickies are incredibly useful.
Stickies DO NOT replace discussion and ARE NOT answers to everything. They are to answer basic questions, and if a person needs more clarification then you post a thread. Stickying a thread is no different than people responding "use the search button."
I don't expect everything I write to be accurate, that's why I'm asking for help. But nothing will be accomplished by me saying "someone should make a sticky" over and over and over. How many "virtual dives" and posts I have are completely irrelevent. I could set my dives to 2000+, and falsify all sorts of information. I could also sit around and copy/paste replies to the introductions forum all day long and easily spam myself up to 20k posts. Lets not play this game. I don't want to play it. All I want to do is make SB a little better.
Stickies DO NOT replace discussion and ARE NOT answers to everything. They are to answer basic questions, and if a person needs more clarification then you post a thread. Stickying a thread is no different than people responding "use the search button."
I don't expect everything I write to be accurate, that's why I'm asking for help. But nothing will be accomplished by me saying "someone should make a sticky" over and over and over. How many "virtual dives" and posts I have are completely irrelevent. I could set my dives to 2000+, and falsify all sorts of information. I could also sit around and copy/paste replies to the introductions forum all day long and easily spam myself up to 20k posts. Lets not play this game. I don't want to play it. All I want to do is make SB a little better.
These will be threads we don't want replies in, once put together they will be locked down for use as a reference. You see a lot of people saying "do a search" and Don, my dear you even have a searching assistance link in your sig line. Doing this right means these threads will come up when people search for the topics and they won't have to wade through pages of chaff to get to the best tidbits in the discussions. I know dial-up is slowly dying but some people still have slow connections and that wading is terribly time consuming. I know there are regular posters here who actually do cut/paste info from their own previous posts to answer questions; saves typing time.
The same questions will still pop up and the same answers will still apply. Some people will continue to answer in the threads and others can simply link to these to guide new members. When future members answer a post in a way that makes people say "Wow" then that post gets added to the ones in the sticky collection. It's basically a "best of" compilation.
The better question is, "Why didn't anyone else step up?" Skull is motivated and others seem to be willing to help as well. Many hands make light work and I'm willing to do the admin stuff to organize these "Search links".
It's going to be fun!
Ber :lilbunny:
DandyDon:
The same questions will still pop up and the same answers will still apply. Some people will continue to answer in the threads and others can simply link to these to guide new members. When future members answer a post in a way that makes people say "Wow" then that post gets added to the ones in the sticky collection. It's basically a "best of" compilation.
DandyDon:
The better question is, "Why didn't anyone else step up?" Skull is motivated and others seem to be willing to help as well. Many hands make light work and I'm willing to do the admin stuff to organize these "Search links".
It's going to be fun!
Ber :lilbunny:
I don't even read stickies until one of my posts is pulled and I need to find out why I was such a baaad boy. Seriously, if you are annoyed by something don't read it. Like tv or radio. Don''t like what's on? Change the channel.
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As I said earlier here, SD - you're new to SB, and I do hope you'll enjoy it. My reference to your 57 previous posts - which I see you've chosen to hide but still quite easily seen - was a hint that you just don't know SB well yet. Hehe, if you see my participation on SB as spam, ofw...
I always try to be polite around here, but sometime that prevents me from making my point so I'll be a little more blunt in my opinions - the real basis of SB. Yeah, I think this is extremely ambitious of you to get right....
That said for clarification, you do seem to have some real offers from some accomplished divers. A write up on mask clearing by Thal, pony slinging by Clay, Hawaii by Leesa could all be beneficial, and there could be other good possibilities - as long as you consolidate previous existing Stickiness into the new ones. Get anyone to read one Sticky is a challenge - 3 or more is hopeless and starts to actually disable the forum when so much is taken by non-discussion. And flavoring these statements with your opinions at this stage would seem like a sophomoric effort at hubris. Sure, I've done that, I'm sure I've done that a lot, but I don't think I ever asked for any such to be Sticked at SB's Official Statements - just my own., to support and defend in discussion.
And to Ms.Rabbit: Yes, I encourage Searching as well as reading Stickies in forums before posting, but I know that if they do, they'll get a variety of opinions - not the "neat and tidy" conclusions. There are some excellent books available with "neat and tidy" presentations, I have my favorite that I give to newbie friends, but running a Search and wading thru varying opinions will teach a helluva lot more than a condensed presentation of the popular view on SB.
On the Cozumel forum, only for example - when one asks for Ops suggestions, I'll point out that while there are many good Ops on the island, "Christi's is certainly one of the very best, well worth the extra money - one you can compare all others to," but I would never want that in a Sticky. I want that to be a floating opinion, a record for her to always have to support as she does, an opinion I'd be totally free to change, and depending on the diver asking for suggestions - I might add some of my other opinions, like for a seasoned diver who does not need or want the degree of services and oversight offered by that renown Op, there are others that charge closer to half as much that may work as well. Personally, I am more comfortable diving with one of the cheaper Ops. I'll state my opinion in different ways for different requests, but hate to see any of them as a Sticky.
Well, I do hope SB remains a discussion board, not a How-To board. If y'all do go thru with this project and have any of your "neat and tidy" threads posted as Stickies, I think my opinion would be to read the Closed Stickies with a grain of salt.
I always try to be polite around here, but sometime that prevents me from making my point so I'll be a little more blunt in my opinions - the real basis of SB. Yeah, I think this is extremely ambitious of you to get right....
You have an impressive first year diving record, but not enough for your opinions on whats right & wrong here to amount to much - and some of your examples of your opinions, including those based on what seems the popular word on SB, really suck. No, you'd need a lot more than help here - you'd need someone else to do it, for one.
That said for clarification, you do seem to have some real offers from some accomplished divers. A write up on mask clearing by Thal, pony slinging by Clay, Hawaii by Leesa could all be beneficial, and there could be other good possibilities - as long as you consolidate previous existing Stickiness into the new ones. Get anyone to read one Sticky is a challenge - 3 or more is hopeless and starts to actually disable the forum when so much is taken by non-discussion. And flavoring these statements with your opinions at this stage would seem like a sophomoric effort at hubris. Sure, I've done that, I'm sure I've done that a lot, but I don't think I ever asked for any such to be Sticked at SB's Official Statements - just my own., to support and defend in discussion.
And to Ms.Rabbit: Yes, I encourage Searching as well as reading Stickies in forums before posting, but I know that if they do, they'll get a variety of opinions - not the "neat and tidy" conclusions. There are some excellent books available with "neat and tidy" presentations, I have my favorite that I give to newbie friends, but running a Search and wading thru varying opinions will teach a helluva lot more than a condensed presentation of the popular view on SB.
On the Cozumel forum, only for example - when one asks for Ops suggestions, I'll point out that while there are many good Ops on the island, "Christi's is certainly one of the very best, well worth the extra money - one you can compare all others to," but I would never want that in a Sticky. I want that to be a floating opinion, a record for her to always have to support as she does, an opinion I'd be totally free to change, and depending on the diver asking for suggestions - I might add some of my other opinions, like for a seasoned diver who does not need or want the degree of services and oversight offered by that renown Op, there are others that charge closer to half as much that may work as well. Personally, I am more comfortable diving with one of the cheaper Ops. I'll state my opinion in different ways for different requests, but hate to see any of them as a Sticky.
Well, I do hope SB remains a discussion board, not a How-To board. If y'all do go thru with this project and have any of your "neat and tidy" threads posted as Stickies, I think my opinion would be to read the Closed Stickies with a grain of salt.
DandyDon:
When the threads merge the posts end up in chronological order and I'll be the one putting the originating post in with an explanation of what the thread is. I'm the one that has offered to merge all the stuff and merging is easier to do in the back room where people won't post to the threads I'm building.
This was actually a project I have considered doing myself for some time but with limited internet time at work and an incredibly slow connection at home it wasn't feasible. It literally takes my home connection 3-5 minutes to load each page. That is a royal pain when someone asks about something and I know there is a great post dealing with the issue but don't remember exactly who posted it or where it was. It's not going to be a bunch of stickies in one place rather 1 or 2 scattered throughout their respective forums.
There's something on the board for everyone and in the end this won't hamper discussions and repetitive questions. Besides if it doesn't work we can always unstick them, they will still show up on searches if we title them well.
It's nice to see people offering to work together. Heck this could possibly be a brief respite from the repetitive "blank vs blank" discussions people seem to be getting so annoyed with these days. We are a community building a library of sorts.
Ber :lilbunny:
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