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kyro298 Glider Sprinkles      CO, USA
15262 Posts
Just want to point out a few things lately that are a bit frustrating. This is not to turn into a "this site is so mean" thread either. It's common courtesy for all members and they aren't law, obviously...just recommendations.
Titles-make them appropriate. If people have no idea what your title is talking about, they might just skip over your post altogether. Make your title describe the thread content/question. This benefits everyone because the original poster can get more responses, other members that would also like info on that particular subject will get useful info and future members that do searches can find the thread containing that specific subject. I've seen people post under the medical category with the title "HELP ME!" 10,000 times. Sometimes it's actually life threatening. Sometimes, it's anything but. If you are in dire need of help, by all means, say so! If you're NOT, please don't make it sound so urgent.
ALL CAPS IN POSTS-Please don't. It's annoying. We don't yell at you. Please don't yell at us.
Referring others to someone privately-This one, in particular, gets to me. If someone posts asking a question, don't answer them with "pm or email so and so. They'll have that info". How does that help anyone but the original poster? If you're posting publicly, there should be a public answer. If you know of someone that is knowledgeable on that specific post, ask them to check out the thread and leave a response. The same reasons that you should use an appropriate title applies here as well. Plus sometimes, newer members will refer other new members to specifically find someone just because they've seen that person post a lot. Posting a lot does NOT equal knowledgeable. Ever hear of the telephone game?
Giving advice-This is ESPECIALLY for diet and medical issues. If you are going to state advice as fact, have something to back it up besides hearsay. We're not vets. Guiding someone in the right direction is one thing. Offering up treatment and/or diagnosis is quite another. I see people scare the bejeebers out of others because of simple speculation. Being cautious is fine. You also should never tell someone that a specific diet is THE best unless you have the research to support it. "Healthy and Happy" is NOT research.
Search-MOST topics have been covered...lots of times. If you have a few minutes, do a quick search up top for the subject you are wanting info about or check the Gliderpedia. 9 times out of 10, it's there. Half the time, my response to posts are links that I retrieved from searching myself. There is also the handy "bookmark" feature. If you find particularly helpful or useful info in a thread, bookmark it. You'll have it forever!
Feel free to add your own.
snusie Goofy Gorillatoes USA 2962 Posts "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma." Punctuation ... it's a matter of life and death. kyro298 Glider Sprinkles CO, USA 15262 Posts Megs06 BANNED_ACCOUNT USA 1 Posts If this were facebook I would 'like' this. lol XD
kyro298 Glider Sprinkles CO, USA 15262 Posts Sugar Mama Face Hugger FL, USA 603 Posts When I refer people to Art with behavior- it's because Art has really awesome solutions for issues people have. Art doesn't sit on the forums too often and I think highly of Art. If anyone doesn't know, he is from New Age Sugar Gliders. His advice is awesome and when I need it I usually call him- he asks a million questions and you go through process of elimination with him. So- I disagree about everything being posted here. Sometimes it's easier and more beneficial for the person asking the question to get targeted information that others do not offer. It's also easier to have a phone convo than wait for someone to reply to an e-mail or post and your problem isn't getting fixed. As for basic diet questions- the same questions are asked FREQUENTLY (like- What should I feed my Sugar Glider?)and there should be a universal answer for! After they research- they come back with questions... that have been asked- it gets redundant, so what could people miss if they are PM'd? I asked all those same questions, too. I'm surprised people didn't throw rocks at me ;o) Rita Glider Sprinkles MO, USA 12214 Posts Sugar Mama, I totally disagree with you, too. This is a "teaching & learning" forum. The questions one owner asks and receives an answer for may very well be the information myself and others need, too. quote:
When I refer people to Art with behavior- it's because Art has really awesome solutions for issues people have.
Art doesn't sit on the forums too often and I think highly of Art.
If anyone doesn't know, he is from New Age Sugar Gliders. His advice is awesome and when I need it I usually call him- he asks a million questions and you go through process of elimination with him.
So- I disagree about everything being posted here. Sometimes it's easier and more beneficial for the person asking the question to get targeted information that others do not offer. It's also easier to have a phone convo than wait for someone to reply to an e-mail or post and your problem isn't getting fixed.
quote:
As for basic diet questions- the same questions are asked FREQUENTLY (like- What should I feed my Sugar Glider?)and there should be a universal answer for! After they research- they come back with questions... that have been asked- it gets redundant, so what could people miss if they are PM'd? I asked all those same questions, too. I'm surprised people didn't throw rocks at me ;o)
If everything is done in private and/or behind the scenes, then how will anyone ever learn??? We are talking about our babies. We all want to do what is best for them. Even those of us who have been around awhile still have a lot to learn. As far as questions being redundant, you need to remember that you were once brand spanking new to all of this, too. Does it get old sometimes answering the same questions over and over again??? Of course it does! Ive been here everyday but one since the day I joined. So Ive answered the same questions many times over. But you know what? When I first joined here, I asked the same questions,too. Like Kryo said, no one is forcing you or anyone else to share knowledge with anyone. But in my opinion, not sharing is doing a disservice to many gliders out there who might have better living conditions if their owners only knew. Diet has always been a heated topic and will probably stay that way for quite a long time. The only way to resolve that issue would be to hire a professional to do a study. That would take years and quite a bit of money, which is the reason it hasnt been done as of yet. Yes, it has been discussed more than once. I have no doubt Art is very knowledgeable and is willing to share this knowledge. If he would be willing to come here and answer questions every now and then, that would be appreciated. Or better yet, have him come and write some Gliderpedia articles. We would all appreciate it. Sugar Mama Face Hugger FL, USA 603 Posts quote:
Originally posted by kyro298
I COMPLETELY disagree with your statement that there should be a universal answer for diet. That isn't even possible. Everyone has differing opinions. Everyone has pros and cons for recommended diets. NO ONE can say for sure which diet is best. NO ONE.
Let me be more specific here, By universal answer- I meant, "These are all [recognized]the diets out there- here are the pros and cons of each - this is what you are looking at [nutrient wise & way] - make the best decision for yourself because no one can agree" Because everyone already puts down in the forums why the like the diet they use over and over again. It is easy to find opinions about diets, but if you give someone all the information on all the diets, then they can form their opinions and began to understand others opinions, as well. I like Candy's set up because it compares all the diets on her site and SESG has recognized diets posted on their forums with just straight info. I know diet is not black and white, but I think it could be presented differently to people who ask what to feed sometimes. Diet is really info overload. Sugar Mama Face Hugger FL, USA 603 Posts quote:
Originally posted by Rita
If everything is done in private and/or behind the scenes, then how will anyone ever learn??? We are talking about our babies. We all want to do what is best for them. Even those of us who have been around awhile still have a lot to learn.
As far as questions being redundant, you need to remember that you were once brand spanking new to all of this, too. Does it get old sometimes answering the same questions over and over again??? Of course it does! Ive been here everyday but one since the day I joined.
So Ive answered the same questions many times over. But you know what? When I first joined here, I asked the same questions,too.
I have no doubt Art is very knowledgeable and is willing to share this knowledge. If he would be willing to come here and answer questions every now and then, that would be appreciated. Or better yet, have him come and write some Gliderpedia articles. We would all appreciate it.
I'm not saying that EVERYTHING is okay to go "behind the scenes". My words are being taken out of context here. I'm saying- once in a while, phone calls work better than forums and direct help is better sometimes- NOT ALL THE TIME! I'm not saying other people ARE NOT knowledgeable or incorrect by any means. How many people here would get on the phone with someone who needs that? And I DO remember being "brand spanking new" to all of this and how confusing it was for me and frustrated I felt trying to figure out where to start. I feel dumb now knowing just how common my questions were- but I had more help "understanding" things privately, away from the forums for specifics. Sometimes there were too many answers or opinions and I couldn't tell what I thought was best. I weighed everyone's opinions on what they answered to me on my threads and they were helpful... but I still needed more. Sometimes the way one person explains something makes more sense than another person's way of explaining the same thing- because no one explains things the same- even if it is the same information. Does that make any sense? Art has come on and answered in threads after I have referred people to talk to him, also he has already written up tons on gliders that people used to have access to until his website Crashed. He does more with gliders outside the forums with the community than in here. He and Paulette are just really great, and it's okay if there are people out there who are not into forums. Forums are awesome in the sharing of information and I love it here. I love reading things on here because it makes me feel better knowing that my gliders are normal in stuff they do, that I am not the only one confused about things, that my cages and toys are okay for them, etc. But there is nothing wrong with someone preferring to be helped away from the forums either on occasion, it isn't always "selfish" or a means to jip others out of information. I understand why you feel that way- it does suck if we've missed out on something. However, shouldn't we all just be happy that people are willing to help each other in all different forms? Publicly, privately, in person, over the phone, over forums? If this forum was not meant for people to get help from all avenues, there would be no journals, no Gliderpedia, no PMing, no comment leaving, no picture uploads... I'm sorry you don't agree with my side of the coin, I do agree with you that this IS a place to share with each other- to swap information, but I also think that it is okay and acceptable for people to ask for help privately, as well.  daddyglider Super Glider 310 Posts The thing that is hard on a forum to answer is if I ask questions and person wanting help doesn't answer. On the phone or in person you can ask so many questions and even change direction by the way the person is telling you what the suggie is doing and what you are doing with the glider or how the glider responded after you changed your approach. I have talked to a person in public and toward the end of the conversation the truth came out about how he acted toward the glider, he was causing the biting. Another case was the glider got moved into another quiet room instead of being in the kids room. Once the suggie was put back around the family he quit biting. It took 1-2 hours on the phone and she kept telling they didn't do anything different, so how do you sometimes pass your EXPERIENCES to another person. Some things can be posted or guessed at on the forum, and basically is only a guess or if you went through it with your glider. Only the owner has the suggie in front of them no body else can see how this glider reacts to a hand, to a treat, while in a pouch, while out playing. So the owner/slave has to find their way with other people's suggestions, experiences, knowledge that they read from other people. Art I also have posted a few articles on GC and on SESG, so I am sharing more iof guidelines to how I approach my sugar gliders. One big difference is that I don't scare the baby glider by removing them from the parents until they know my scent or have been handled with the moms and dads. Will be back later as I will be in Orlando this weekend. Everybody have a great weekend... valkyriemome Goofy Gorillatoes USA 3479 Posts Joeymum - I certainly wasn't trying to single you out! I completely agree - typing with one hand while bonding with the other is ABSOLUTELY an exception! Where part of this conversation is going has come up on other forums. The fact is, the "Old Guard" gets tired of answering the SAME newbie questions, day after day, week after week, year after year. However, they need to be answered. Every time. It is overwhelming to come as a newbie to a forum. Have you done it recently? Try going to an animal forum of an animal you know NOTHING about. Then try to poke around and determine what is a good diet, what is good housing, and what behaviors are normal. It is next to impossible in a chat-based forum! You end up finding threads where people are responding to one another much like this thread here! WHERE is the clear answer here? If I were a newbie, I'd feel overwhelmed and lost - and like an outsider eavesdropping. So - yes, it is painful and redundant. However, it is a necessary part of glider education for those who know to KEEP answering those same questions. 24/7/365. However, the GOAL is, about the time the "Old Guard" is getting forum burn out, a new wave of "Newer Old Guard" will be fully educated, fully dedicated, and able to step up and start answering those questions! We can NOT stop. We can not answer newbies with "do a search" or "this has been answered already." We MUST continue to actively educate if we are going to improve the lives of pet gliders!
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