New members...is this a 'gang'???

I got my balls busted when I was new.

So heck yeah I'll slap some noobs around. And they'll thank me for it later. :D:p
 
Esav Benyamin said:
We can tell by your avatar what a wimp you are.
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Dang it, when did Esav get here? Let me know when it's safe to come out.


1hide.gif









:D
 
xtestifyx said:
Knife knowledge is about experience and not opinions. I did not know sh1t when I was looking for knives. Reading helped, but opinions on this particular forum has ruined the point. This forum has too many new comers giving opinions and asking "ignorant" questions such as "Best knife steel" and "What about this knife?"



Comments such as "I think it's really good and I've had it for 3days" are less than significant to note or read.

If you ever look at Knife reviews.com, you'll see people typing up "Good knife, 10/10" on every knife they have. What you don't see very often is a real user who has put the knife to real use, not opening mail or cutting a piece if fruit for a week. Look up a few of my Reviews. I use Anon as my name on that site. Every rating and review with over 150 words donates $.25 to KnifeRights.com


I'm not here to knock people. But as your response tells me, you're part of the new-comers group.

The best you can do is read. We do not need your "experience" because you're a new comer and as you've admitted, you have no knowledge and you're here to learn. Read a lot, read more and when you've handled a dozen quality folders, speak about your experiences.

Your first knife purchase advised by forum members may be your greatest knife, but it won't be the best in the world. You need a basis to judge anything. They don't post signs to invite people to become CourtRoom judges, you need to earn your degree.
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Couldn't have said it better. I'm not new to forums, but new to knife forums. All forums seem to suffer from people that for many reasons that I won't assume or speculate post questions that are a quick thread search away. If other threads haven't sufficiantly answered the specifics of a question, then by all means dive into some new territory. I'm not making any accusations to anyone here, but sometimes I feel like a forum would get more quality over quanitity if there were no post counts. :jerk it:
 
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Esav Benyamin said:
Easy for you to say.






:)
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No seariously, I mean we have all been guilty of it at one point or another, but aren't there times that you wish that post count wasn't a status symbol. I only say because you and I both know people talk just to hear them selves talk/up the post count (insert smart ass comment here lol). Sometimes I feel like the content of a thread gets horribly dummied down by people that say the same thing over and over and over again, or say very misguided half thought out statements just to be saying something at all (post count). Usually by page 3 I quit reading and decide to not participate in that discussion. Like I said, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't done that in a forum, but man I really try to not be that guy. As I say that on this thread, I'm sure there is a thread about this very topic on this forum somwhere. I could very well be beating a very dead horse.
 
People who talk too much, talk too much. It's not for the post count, it's for the constant interaction. I've seen it in person, with no post count to show for it.

But speaking of post counts and ganging up on new members ... Laugh thread - what's after "Idaho made" stamping? Just registered this month, with 22 posts, and he's mocking a manufacturer in his own subforum. Courtesy cuts both ways.
 
You bring a valid point, forums are here for talking, stands to reason that it draws the well spoken and not so well spoken alike. All of which sometimes can't shut the hell up (again, insert smart ass remark here :) )
 
IMHO, noobs are treated better here than on other fora that I keep up on. There is one self-styled "elite" (just ask them :rolleyes:) tactical forum where noobs are discouraged from even participating.

I've seen some gentle correction here when a noob asks something questionably legal, has a chip on his/her shoulder, or needs to clarify their question, but in general this is a very noob-friendly place.
 
I know the same questions get asked over and over, but for someone just getting started in knives, it may be a serious question to them. The search function is a good friend, but it doesn't replace the interaction with other members, which is why we join forums.

I know when I first joined, there were quite a few members that were very helpful, and I'm sure I asked quite a few questions that seemed stupid to people with more knowledge than I have. I don't recall anyone ever being rude....

Post count doesn't always mean much. I have noticed a few members that have joined recently, have very few posts, but also seem very knowledgeable and have some very nice knives....

It takes time for people to get a feel for a new member. If someone is getting their balls busted, its is probably because of their attitude.
 
Brennanscott said:
And as far as the mods go, Esav has beaned me twice (for acting like a moron of course) but I've seen that he is actually one of the most impartial and fair people around.

Stick around, you guys will figure it all out.
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Thats hit the nail on the head.
I was in same boat, New to this forum , my first forum ever. Its a great place when you learn the ropes. Hell i made a crap load of mistakes and stupid ones. Take it all with a grain of salt and enjoy your self & other peoples information & opinions.
After all we are all here cause we love Knives.
 
Read more, post less is often good advice. It doesn't mean you should be afraid to ask questions, just look around for a while first. I don't think anybody is out to hate the new guys, even if certain themes and topics have bee done to death a thousand times before. Every discussion forum has it's own internal dynamics, it takes a while to learn them but it's worth it.

Don't spam for the sake of post count, don't carry a chip on your shoulder and don't make trouble intentionally and things will be fine, mostly. Just interact like a rational person and nobody is likely to give you a hard time.

Do not go into Whine & Cheese with arms flailing and chest puffed as your first action, because then you're going to get spanked. :D
 
Everyone was new at some point, when I came here I had been collecting knives for years and even had some nice ones…however it turned out I didn’t really know nearly as much as I thought I did.

I asked questions, made mistakes (I even forgot my name once), and got help.

The experienced members here seem to be very accommodating to new guys. When we give someone a hard time its usually do to an attitude problem or because they’re posting stile reminds us of a banned troll (this forum has a very long memory).
 
Only somewhat related to this topic, but a pet peeve of mine is for people to come in and ask questions that a simple search (google, or the search function on the forum) would answer easily. If someone is too lazy to do their homework then I'm not inclined to be helpful.
 
The fact that someone is new to BF does not necessarily mean that they are inexperienced with, or lack knowledge of, cutting tools. For example, I recently joined BF even though I have been using and collecting personal cutlery for 30 years. I didn't join BF sooner because, for the past 4-5 years, I have been obsessed with my Swiss watch collection and posting abundantly over on the watchuseek fora.

And the most important lesson I have learned (about watches, and knives, and everything else in life for that matter) is this: The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.

So share your knowledge, even with a "newbie," because he or she may know something that you do not, and he or she will be more inclined to share with you as well.
 
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Gatogordo said:
Only somewhat related to this topic, but a pet peeve of mine is for people to come in and ask questions that a simple search (google, or the search function on the forum) would answer easily. If someone is too lazy to do their homework then I'm not inclined to be helpful.
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And you need not be. I politely reply "Try searching the _________ forum."

Some people don't yet realize that this should be their first option. But if they keep posting w/o searching (for an answer that is out there), then that's when I ignore them.
 
I haven't noticed anything unreasonable here, the mods seem pretty clued into who is being a wanker and who is just clueless (me).
Maybe one or two guys tried to 'puppy' me - who cares?
After reviewing their posts it became clear that I use knives far more than they do. Just made 'em look silly to me.
Water off of a ducks back...

In fact, I only have high praise for this forum.
Tons and tons of great stuff here. When income becomes steady again I'll kick 'em some money and become a paying member.
 
I think there's a difference between being "new" and being a "n00b" (or however you want to spell it). Sure, the term "n00b" is a tie-over from internet gaming, but it applies. A n00b is the kind of guy who buys the game, joins a server, and proceeds to shoot his teammates, run around like a toy robot, throws some grenades randomly and frags himself. Never read a tutorial, doesn't know the controls, doesn't know the objectives, etc. Generally just in the way and a waste of space. For anybody new to anything there's a learning curve, but some people want to jump swim the ocean without even knowing how to doggy paddle.

The thing is, there's a wealth of information on this forum. The vast majority of general questions have already been asked and answered before, and many times over. If a new user took the time to do some searches and do some reading, chances are he can find the answers to all his questions, and even learn lots of stuff he didn't know he needed to know. Or do a google or wikipedia search.

Certainly, not every time a person will find an answer to a specific question. And there's so many knives out there that it's impossible to know them all, even for the more experienced people. So if a new guy comes along and asks a thought-out, articulate question such as "hi, I was wondering about blah blah, I did some research and found blah blah, but I wasn't sure about blah, can someone explain it to me better?" or "I'm looking for a new knife, I like this one and this one, except for this one feature, and I'd like this feature, is there a knife that matches what I'm looking for?" Then I'm much more likely to take my own time, do some research myself if necessary, and give that person a helpful response.

The problem with a "n00b" as opposed to a "new guy" is that the "n00b" doesn't take any time to do his own research. So many times I'm tempted to give a LMGTFY reply to a "n00b" question, but instead I just ignore it. If it's not worth his own time to do even a bit of research, it's not worth my time to try to help.

The same goes for posts that look like they're written by a dyslexic 12 year old with ADD (no offense to actual dyslexic 12 year olds with ADD). It's not that I'm a grammar nazi or a spelling snob (ok, I am, but that's beside the point), but if you can't be bothered to write an intelligent question, I can't be bothered to answer. This is a discussion forum. It's not Omeagle or Chatroulette. It's not a text message or a tweet. Some of our more knowledgeable members are from older generations that can't decipher that gibberish. I can understand typing that way for a text message or chatting, where shorthand or brevity might be necessary, or simply more convenient, but on a discussion forum, typing that way gives me the impression of lazy, apathetic, and frankly, disrespectful rudeness.

In other words, if somebody joins and his first post is something like:

hi im goin camping and want i 2 bring a knief wats a good one less then $50,,,i like the rambo knife but i kno those arent real lol

Chances are I'm not going to respond. Chances are he won't get many responses, and chances are there might be a post or two of scorn, annoyance, or even ridicule.

But if somebody asks a question like:

Hi, I'm new to Bladeforums. I'm looking to buy a knife for camping, probably 5-6" and either stainless steel or a carbon steel with a protective coating. I've found the ESEE and Ontario knives and those look nice. Busses look great, but those are way too expensive for me right now. What other companies and knives should I look at before I make my decision? Also, what exactly is micarta and why is it used for handles on all these knives? I looked it up on wikipedia, but although it mentioned that micarta was used for knife handles, it didn't say why.

With a well written, thought-out, researched question like that, I have no problem responding, no matter that he's a 1 post new guy.

Welcome to Bladeforums. Check out Swamprat knives. They're Busse's more affordable line of knives. 90% of the toughness at 30% the cost. Check out the RatManDu. Micarta is a composite of natural materials like linen, canvas, or even paper, and epoxy resin. It's great for knife handles because it's very tough, and nicely grippy, even when wet. The materials can also be layered easily, so when shaped they can produce cool patterns.

If you haven't already, check out the Wilderness & Survival Skills forum. Lots of good info on camping and outdoors there.

Or if I don't answer, likely there will be plenty of others willing to help, since I'm certain that I'm not alone in my likeliness/unlikeliness to answer a question dependent on the attitude and respectfulness of the OP.

And of course, I don't just answer questions, I ask questions too. I know some stuff, but there's lots that I don't know, so I need to ask those that do. I respect those people, so I write a well thought-out question and take the time to show that I appreciate the time they take to respond to me.

As Esav mentioned, a new member within the past couple days has posted a couple dozen "hit and run" questions - all within a mere few hours span, all asked lazily and seemingly apathetically, all of which could have been answered by himself if he took just a couple minutes to do some searches. Posting in such a manner and in such volume is tedious, obnoxious, and frankly disrespectful to other members; at one point 17 of 25 threads on the front page were his, meaning that 17 other threads of very recent discussion were suddenly buried on page 2. I can't be asked to care about him or his questions, because obviously he cares only about himself and the answers he wants, and not anybody elses'. Not cool.

In the end, in my book, respect and graciousness count for much more than post count. And by "respect" I don't mean new people should bow to older members. What I mean by "respect" is taking the time to type legibly, write clearly, and generally be considerate of the people who you're asking to take the time to help you out. I don't think that's too much to ask, and if you can't be bothered to be respectful and gracious, don't expect me (or others) to welcome you with open arms and waste our time that you obviously don't value.
 
Planterz said:
I think there's a difference between being "new" and being a "n00b" (or however you want to spell it). Sure, the term "n00b" is a tie-over from internet gaming, but it applies. A n00b is the kind of guy who buys the game, joins a server, and proceeds to shoot his teammates, run around like a toy robot, throws some grenades randomly and frags himself. Never read a tutorial, doesn't know the controls, doesn't know the objectives, etc. Generally just in the way and a waste of space. For anybody new to anything there's a learning curve, but some people want to jump swim the ocean without even knowing how to doggy paddle.

The thing is, there's a wealth of information on this forum. The vast majority of general questions have already been asked and answered before, and many times over. If a new user took the time to do some searches and do some reading, chances are he can find the answers to all his questions, and even learn lots of stuff he didn't know he needed to know. Or do a google or wikipedia search.

Certainly, not every time a person will find an answer to a specific question. And there's so many knives out there that it's impossible to know them all, even for the more experienced people. So if a new guy comes along and asks a thought-out, articulate question such as "hi, I was wondering about blah blah, I did some research and found blah blah, but I wasn't sure about blah, can someone explain it to me better?" or "I'm looking for a new knife, I like this one and this one, except for this one feature, and I'd like this feature, is there a knife that matches what I'm looking for?" Then I'm much more likely to take my own time, do some research myself if necessary, and give that person a helpful response.

The problem with a "n00b" as opposed to a "new guy" is that the "n00b" doesn't take any time to do his own research. So many times I'm tempted to give a LMGTFY reply to a "n00b" question, but instead I just ignore it. If it's not worth his own time to do even a bit of research, it's not worth my time to try to help.

The same goes for posts that look like they're written by a dyslexic 12 year old with ADD (no offense to actual dyslexic 12 year olds with ADD). It's not that I'm a grammar nazi or a spelling snob (ok, I am, but that's beside the point), but if you can't be bothered to write an intelligent question, I can't be bothered to answer. This is a discussion forum. It's not Omeagle or Chatroulette. It's not a text message or a tweet. Some of our more knowledgeable members are from older generations that can't decipher that gibberish. I can understand typing that way for a text message or chatting, where shorthand or brevity might be necessary, or simply more convenient, but on a discussion forum, typing that way gives me the impression of lazy, apathetic, and frankly, disrespectful rudeness.

In other words, if somebody joins and his first post is something like:

hi im goin camping and want i 2 bring a knief wats a good one less then $50,,,i like the rambo knife but i kno those arent real lol

Chances are I'm not going to respond. Chances are he won't get many responses, and chances are there might be a post or two of scorn, annoyance, or even ridicule.

But if somebody asks a question like:

Hi, I'm new to Bladeforums. I'm looking to buy a knife for camping, probably 5-6" and either stainless steel or a carbon steel with a protective coating. I've found the ESEE and Ontario knives and those look nice. Busses look great, but those are way too expensive for me right now. What other companies and knives should I look at before I make my decision? Also, what exactly is micarta and why is it used for handles on all these knives? I looked it up on wikipedia, but although it mentioned that micarta was used for knife handles, it didn't say why.

With a well written, thought-out, researched question like that, I have no problem responding, no matter that he's a 1 post new guy.

Welcome to Bladeforums. Check out Swamprat knives. They're Busse's more affordable line of knives. 90% of the toughness at 30% the cost. Check out the RatManDu. Micarta is a composite of natural materials like linen, canvas, or even paper, and epoxy resin. It's great for knife handles because it's very tough, and nicely grippy, even when wet. The materials can also be layered easily, so when shaped they can produce cool patterns.

If you haven't already, check out the Wilderness & Survival Skills forum. Lots of good info on camping and outdoors there.

Or if I don't answer, likely there will be plenty of others willing to help, since I'm certain that I'm not alone in my likeliness/unlikeliness to answer a question dependent on the attitude and respectfulness of the OP.

And of course, I don't just answer questions, I ask questions too. I know some stuff, but there's lots that I don't know, so I need to ask those that do. I respect those people, so I write a well thought-out question and take the time to show that I appreciate the time they take to respond to me.

As Esav mentioned, a new member within the past couple days has posted a couple dozen "hit and run" questions - all within a mere few hours span, all asked lazily and seemingly apathetically, all of which could have been answered by himself if he took just a couple minutes to do some searches. Posting in such a manner and in such volume is tedious, obnoxious, and frankly disrespectful to other members; at one point 17 of 25 threads on the front page were his, meaning that 17 other threads of very recent discussion were suddenly buried on page 2. I can't be asked to care about him or his questions, because obviously he cares only about himself and the answers he wants, and not anybody elses'. Not cool.

In the end, in my book, respect and graciousness count for much more than post count. And by "respect" I don't mean new people should bow to older members. What I mean by "respect" is taking the time to type legibly, write clearly, and generally be considerate of the people who you're asking to take the time to help you out. I don't think that's too much to ask, and if you can't be bothered to be respectful and gracious, don't expect me (or others) to welcome you with open arms and waste our time that you obviously don't value.
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I didn't read that, too long but good for you. :D
 
A good rule for a newbie in any forum is "read more, post less." That way they don't ask the same questions that have been answered a million times already. I have been here a while and still often use the search feature before asking a question. That said, I don't think busting the b*lls of newbies is appropriate. You can politely correct newbies without being an *sshole.

- Mark
 
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