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teachndad
2002-04-25, 04:24 AM
I moved my response to "New rider 20" - 24" to the top of a new thread because I felt the responses to my post would get buried and I wanted to make it more public.

Here was my response to Uni- Daks comment about sending people to the search engine for riding tips.

When I came to RSu last May, I began asking questions. A lot of people answered and it really helped. It also gave me a feeling that I had a place to go for advice and I eventually developed some friendships among the newsgroup members.

While going to the search engine for past threads is helpful, it is highly impersonal. I wouldn't want to start there. I wouldn't send a newbie there either.

If it wasn't for the help of people like Jeff Lutkus, John Foss and even Jack Halpern in those early days, I may not have come this far. Right now, I feel like part of a community and that is sometimes hard to come by in the hectic lives that some of us lead these days.

I think it's important to make newcomers welcome and give them all of the help they can get. God, knows they will need it. There are plenty of experienced riders out there who can give advice.
Everyone has a choice on whether to respond or not. Choose not to if you don't want to help. The newbie post titles are always easy to preread. That would give anyone an indication of what the thread was about, thus allowing one to make his/her choice whether to read it or not.

There are soooo many threads that come through the newsgroup in a day. One or two beginner threads aren't going to slow it down. The newbies need to see that there are other beginners out there going through the same things they are.

... c'mon


Work the maze.


Bruce Edwards answered similarly to me and his response is still in the old thread. We were actually typing at the same time, he just finished first.

U-Turn
2002-04-25, 12:25 PM
I agree completely. Moreover, technology and creative builders and riders are rapidly changing the sport of unicycling so that an answer given 6 months ago about gear, or seat height, etc., may no longer be valid.

Why alienate people that you may be riding with someday or that may be buying unicycle gear, helping lower the price of one that you may buy? A kind reference to the results the search engine can give is more self-serving, even, than an insult.

register
2002-05-14, 11:38 AM
I agree. You are so right.

truthfulblah
2007-03-14, 08:10 PM
I wish people would be nice to newbies. We were all one once.

tobbogonist
2007-03-14, 08:12 PM
I pwn Noobs with my lvl 39 twink!

Jerrick
2007-03-14, 09:11 PM
I wish people would be nice to newbies. We were all one once.


I think here we are pretty nice to new people. The closest thing to being harsh it by telling them to learn to search and point out grammar mistakes.

thejdw
2007-03-14, 09:13 PM
I always try to be nice to newbies
(I was one once)

Unibugg
2007-03-14, 11:40 PM
I agree completely. Moreover, technology and creative builders and riders are rapidly changing the sport of unicycling so that an answer given 6 months ago about gear, or seat height, etc., may no longer be valid.

I agree. And while a treasure of information lies in just pushing the search button sometimes you need more specific advice. All of our challenges, circumstances, and needs are different. It helps to have our concerns addressed from a real member talking to US rather than relying mainly on really old posts from people who are no longer posting.

dudewithasock
2007-03-14, 11:46 PM
I pwn Noobs with my lvl 39 twink!

Twinks are for n00bs.

free power-leveling service, /whisper Koreanassmunch for details

mark williamson
2007-03-15, 12:30 AM
Hear hear!

Simply telling people "Use the search" and not clutter the forums is gratuitously unhelpful - it's probably not a good use of time for the poster or the thread starter and bumps the thread to the top without adding any new content.

Suggesting some helpful keywords is more helpful; the best folks answer the question *and* suggest using the search for more detail.

I find search is sometimes rather more useful if you *know* what you are looking for (e.g. trying to find an old thread you once read). If you're new you just don't have that; and ill-directed searches generally turn up lots of spurious results that can take time to sift through. I'm not sure that frequent forums users appreciate this.

And finally; it's more sociable to ask questions and receive answers - and that's what many of us are here for. Instead of complaining about it we may as well enjoy it!

James_Potter
2007-03-15, 12:35 AM
(do you guys know this thread is five years old?)

Unibugg
2007-03-15, 12:38 AM
(do you guys know this thread is five years old?)

yes... but it is relevant. Why start a new thread if you know one already exists. Or if you've found an oldie while searching you'd like to add to. :)

Jerrick
2007-03-15, 12:39 AM
(do you guys know this thread is five years old?)



Yep, but it is still relevant to today's posters.

toddw9
2007-03-15, 01:07 AM
I'm not changing my sig.

tumblebug rollin
2007-03-15, 01:27 AM
Besides the above some of us with teacher's instincts in some area or other enjoy playing LEARNED SAGE and contributing to those who may have need of our words of wisdom or encouragement.

uni57
2007-03-15, 01:48 AM
(do you guys know this thread is five years old?)I was wondering the same thing! It's funny resuming a conversation five years later as if it were the next day.

In five years, I'm going to add further comments to your post that I quoted above. (so stay tuned)

Hazmat
2007-03-15, 04:47 AM
I also try to help newbies as much as i possibly can with whatever questions they may have and i'm pretty sure people could agree with me on that. :D :D

Hazmat
2007-04-08, 07:43 AM
We should help newbies as we were newbies once also. :p