Newbies
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2014 16:55
Newbies come to Wedliny for a reason. Many of us have ghosted here without ever registering because it is so educational and the characters who post regularly on the forum are so entertaining. Ultimately, some of us register to become members of this tribe.
Just like there is more than one way to skin a cat, there is more than one way to make a sausage. (Hopefully not on the same day.)
Not everyone who makes sausage is a microbiologist, can do long division in their heads, knows how to work a spreadsheet, has the means to purchase high end equipment or the skill base to build it themselves. Some people ask questions in a way that makes finding the answer difficult and some people answer questions in a way that makes finding the answer difficult.
But those things don't dampen the enthusiasm for learning the art of sausage making.
Not all of us have been on this forum long enough to understand exactly how it works (how to pose a question - what information to include for example), but again, it doesn't mean we don't want to become 'part of the family'. Maybe I can't make a fermented sausage yet, but there are other contributions I can make if I feel secure in the knowledge that I won't be criticized for chiming in.
I worry that some new members are driven away when we don't consider that they are newbies - and when they leave, they take their own contributions with them. Even when they stay, they aren't active so the effect is the same. When I joined this forum, it was to increase my knowledge with a group of people who would, ostensibly, cheer me on through the inevitable mistakes.
We all make mistakes. And most of the time we are our own worst critics so jabs from the peanut gallery are almost always redundant. Diversity of opinion and experience are key to how we do things and we're self limiting when new ideas or mistakes or initial lack of clarity in our questions are jumped from the start. Sometimes there is not enough encouragement before the beatings begin, so to speak.
So let's be patient with new members. Let's be careful and clear and polite in our responses and then let's all go to Duck's house for something yummy.
Lynn
Fairly Newbie
Just like there is more than one way to skin a cat, there is more than one way to make a sausage. (Hopefully not on the same day.)
Not everyone who makes sausage is a microbiologist, can do long division in their heads, knows how to work a spreadsheet, has the means to purchase high end equipment or the skill base to build it themselves. Some people ask questions in a way that makes finding the answer difficult and some people answer questions in a way that makes finding the answer difficult.
But those things don't dampen the enthusiasm for learning the art of sausage making.
Not all of us have been on this forum long enough to understand exactly how it works (how to pose a question - what information to include for example), but again, it doesn't mean we don't want to become 'part of the family'. Maybe I can't make a fermented sausage yet, but there are other contributions I can make if I feel secure in the knowledge that I won't be criticized for chiming in.
I worry that some new members are driven away when we don't consider that they are newbies - and when they leave, they take their own contributions with them. Even when they stay, they aren't active so the effect is the same. When I joined this forum, it was to increase my knowledge with a group of people who would, ostensibly, cheer me on through the inevitable mistakes.
We all make mistakes. And most of the time we are our own worst critics so jabs from the peanut gallery are almost always redundant. Diversity of opinion and experience are key to how we do things and we're self limiting when new ideas or mistakes or initial lack of clarity in our questions are jumped from the start. Sometimes there is not enough encouragement before the beatings begin, so to speak.
So let's be patient with new members. Let's be careful and clear and polite in our responses and then let's all go to Duck's house for something yummy.
Lynn
Fairly Newbie
We need input from every level of the craft.