I'd Like To Make A Suggestion... I'd Like Thoughts!

[sparklefuzz]

This thread came to me whilst reading the mentring thread, but its not about mentoring... bear with me...

Over the past 6/7 years I have been a part of 2 communities not involving fish on the internet. The first (don't laugh) was as a collector of 'My Little Pony' toys. The second as a host and player of Online Reality Games, based on tv shows such as survivor, big brother etc.

There is a point to this, please keep reading!

As a collector of vintage toys, you find there are alot of questions, proper care and maintenance, value, where to buy etc etc etc and we had forums where loads of newbies arrived daily asking the same boring questions, and in alot of cases receiving bad info from people who gave duff information. Eventually, a couple of the girls got together and started a website dealing with frequently asked questions. The community helped put it together, offering GOOD info and coming up with every question they could think of. The website was super easy to navigate, split up into sections, and for a newbie, covered everything you could possibly want to know, and even things you didn't know you needed to know. It was INVALUABLE.

Because of this, when I saw the same thing happening with the gaming commnity, newbies arriving asking hundreds of questions.... and ignoring the information we'd put together on a website I was running, we did a very similar thing, with an "Ultimate FAQ" section, and it stopped the vast majority of questions. Anyone arriving to the newbie section was sent to the FAQ, which was laid out well and easy to understand.

Now, (aleep yet?) I realise there is OODLES of info on the net about fish keeping, but not all of it is good. I am a firm believer that the most reliable, up to date info available is on forums like this, but ONLY if it presented in a good way, easy to understand, in lamens terms, one step at a time. This subject is so much more important than the others I referred to, being the care of live creatures, and yet the conflicting info out there makes it damned near impossible to get it right.

If, as a community, we got together to make a website (as part of the TFF obviously) we could have the newbies come up with the questions - they are best qualified afterall, and the more experienced members answer them, simply. If it was worked well, all answers could be tested on the website, perhaps in a new forum, to check that newbies really DO understand what is being said, before being permanently put on the FAQ website.

I am talking about an in depth valuable resource which would cover the most simple questions... how to care for a goldfish, right through to reefkeeping in a 1000g tank, and all the DIY and all the diseases in between. We could all be a part of it, and maybe even the most knowledgable members would learn something!!

The question is, can people be bothered? I'd be up for doing the website aspect, and if the TFF admin would give us a forum to use to coordinate the questions, and check the answers... I think it could work.

I'd appreciate thoughts and suggestions. Thanks for reading!

 

[geo7x]

there is already a website that this forum is from incase you didnt know: http/www.fishforever.co.uk/

this probably cover s alot of what youre trying to say. Great idea though!

 

[Cheffi]

If as you say it's already been done and was successful then it should work for any subject. However there are people on this board that would add 2 and 2 together and come up with 6 and say one had an ulterior motive for doing it. ie being an unsavoury character with underlying motive or seeking notoriety, as with the menoring thread.

 

[sparklefuzz]

there is already a website that this forum is from incase you didnt know: http/www.fishforever.co.uk/

this probably cover s alot of what youre trying to say. Great idea though!

I know there is a website, but the info on it is minimal, also, people are STILL asking the same questions. I am talking about something much bigger.

If as you say it's already been done and was successful then it should work for any subject. However there are people on this board that would add 2 and 2 together and come up with 6 and say one had an ulterior motive for doing it. ie being an unsavoury character with underlying motive or seeking notoriety, as with the menoring thread.

I agree that some things are done differently by different people, in those cases, presenting different options, with pros and cons might be the answer. There are still alot of things everyone agree on, cycling, goldfish bowls, etc etc etc. I think it could still be done, especially if answers were posted here first for views first. But, again... thoughts are welcome, it certainly can't be done unless enough people believe in it and want to contribute.

 

[SugarQube]

Get it up and running I will be on there reading Simple and in depth for me plz

 

[sparklefuzz]

Get it up and running I will be on there reading Simple and in depth for me plz

Simple and in depth would be the aim I think... anyone else got anything to say?!

 

[Erised]

Umm ... we already have a FAQ Topics Index.
Why not just write what you want to write and ask for a moderator to concider putting it in there?
Incase you're unaware of this section, you can find it here:
TFF FAQ Topics

 

[CAC]

I think its a good idea, but going as in depth as you want to go would be a mammoth task!!!

Firstly, the TFF member would need to write it, then get it verified by someone experianced in that area of fishkeeping, then get it all checked by William, so that its all ok, then get it put up on the site.
The problems lie where, "who is qualified" to check all these articals that people would write...How would we judge that that person knows what theyre doing???
The ammount of people wanting to be a 'verifyer' would be phenominal, so who would choose them, and on what basis???

Cant really see any other way of doing it, unless people just posted them up, but then it would baisically be another forum

I would love to see it all come together, and i would defineately use and read it, and it would be great for a referance, but i think that the above problems would need to be solved first.

Mikey

 

[raptorrex]

if its none profit making i think you may find its possible to post say, fish profiles. that have been published, providing you give them the bye line! though thats a bit of work, the verasity of the profiles could not be questiond.
as for advice, i see no need for checking, providing they are techniques that have been used by members. why is anyone else asked? if the advice is untrusted by the membership, it need not be posted. the idea if being able, and perhaps part, of starting the first place anyone who wants to know will come. yehh!!!!! not sure about keeping newbies off the forum?? often people do get tanks without knowing what to do. cough cough! and most times the things they need to know, are far from novice!

 

[CAC]

If anyone can put the info up though, then it will be like any other site found on the web about fishkeeping...
I though the whole point would be to have it from people who know what their on about!?!?
Someone could become a TFF memeber, copy an artical off the web, and put it up...I do think some sort of checks for whats goin up is needed...The fishprofiles are monitored, so that you cant post swear words, or compleatly wrong information. How to do these 'checks' is beyond me, if it would be done on a mass scale.

Mikey

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i think that what sparklfuzz is suggesting is not an open website where anybody can post anything, but rather a website form of the pinned topics sections.

i'm not certain that we really need to replace the FAQ sections; it seems to me that anyone who is likely to visit such a website should be equally inclined to read pinned topics on the subject. i will agree, however, that a lot of the pinned topics need serious cleaning-up and improved clarity.

but if you think that the FAQ section is lacking in a certain area, feel free to write something up! i can't guarantee that the mods will agree that it should be pinned, but if you don't attempt to fill the void, who will?

 

[Neal]

I'd supply the webhosting and do most of the work, aslong as people gave me the information, as i'm a fast typer and have the available tools to put it onto a website, but i'd need a little bit of help also, and I wouldn't be able to pay for a domain, I only get my hosting because i'm a frequent user of their forums.

Neal