james terrio
Sharpest Knife in the Light Socket
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2010
- Messages
- 22,618
I'm a little miffed. There seems to be quite a bit of bitching and moaning in and about my favorite part the forum lately - namely, that any nincompoop with an internet connection, a chunk of metal and a dream can post their questions, WIPs and concepts in ST. How dare they?!?
Worse yet, the bitching has spilled over into other, supposedly more genteel subforums. I think that's short-sighted if not downright childish. ST is for talking shop. C&H and the Knifemaker's Gallery are for showing off finished works to potential customers and to get feedback from peers. ATG and W&C are for shooting the breeze and complaining about stuff.
It's the internet, guys; anyone can play. Yes, there is such a thing as a stupid question... Lord knows, I've asked my share. There's never a shortage of doofuses who don't really know what the heck they're talking about, yet offer plenty advice... I've been guilty of that, too. It's going to happen... it always has and it always will.
But no one forces any of us to read or answer any thread or post. The vast majority of those type of users and their threads fade away within days. Neither my pursuit of knowledge nor my business is hampered by them, and neither is anyone else's.
Let's take a moment and sincerely reflect on what ST is now, and what it was just a couple of short years ago. Thanks to exceedlingly patient yet diligent moderation, a whole slew of egotistical, disruptive trolls have been banned, and we're all better off. I remember when foolish arguments with no point at all used to rumble and thunder and drag on for weeks. That, more than anything else, is what stifles learning... and it's no longer tolerated. ST is a far, far better place now because of that.
I've spoken personally with some big-name makers who no longer post in ST, too. What gets overlooked is that part of the reason they're not posting a lot is that they're pretty dang busy making knives... not pontificating about who should or shouldn't "wear orange" or the definition of a WIP. Their frustration with dumb questions and argumentative know-it-alls is very real, to be sure... but they too have the option of ignoring them.
I humbly submit that more often than not, discretion is the better part of valor, and simply walking away from some sort of perceived insult or waste of our precious time is more honorable than picking a fight about it. Starting threads that seem (rightfully or not) specifically designed to discourage interested persons from sharing their enthusiasm is counter-productive to the furthering of our craft at best, and at worst makes us look like a bunch of crotchety old elitist curmudgeons.
Lighten up, guys.
Worse yet, the bitching has spilled over into other, supposedly more genteel subforums. I think that's short-sighted if not downright childish. ST is for talking shop. C&H and the Knifemaker's Gallery are for showing off finished works to potential customers and to get feedback from peers. ATG and W&C are for shooting the breeze and complaining about stuff.
It's the internet, guys; anyone can play. Yes, there is such a thing as a stupid question... Lord knows, I've asked my share. There's never a shortage of doofuses who don't really know what the heck they're talking about, yet offer plenty advice... I've been guilty of that, too. It's going to happen... it always has and it always will.
But no one forces any of us to read or answer any thread or post. The vast majority of those type of users and their threads fade away within days. Neither my pursuit of knowledge nor my business is hampered by them, and neither is anyone else's.
Let's take a moment and sincerely reflect on what ST is now, and what it was just a couple of short years ago. Thanks to exceedlingly patient yet diligent moderation, a whole slew of egotistical, disruptive trolls have been banned, and we're all better off. I remember when foolish arguments with no point at all used to rumble and thunder and drag on for weeks. That, more than anything else, is what stifles learning... and it's no longer tolerated. ST is a far, far better place now because of that.
I've spoken personally with some big-name makers who no longer post in ST, too. What gets overlooked is that part of the reason they're not posting a lot is that they're pretty dang busy making knives... not pontificating about who should or shouldn't "wear orange" or the definition of a WIP. Their frustration with dumb questions and argumentative know-it-alls is very real, to be sure... but they too have the option of ignoring them.
I humbly submit that more often than not, discretion is the better part of valor, and simply walking away from some sort of perceived insult or waste of our precious time is more honorable than picking a fight about it. Starting threads that seem (rightfully or not) specifically designed to discourage interested persons from sharing their enthusiasm is counter-productive to the furthering of our craft at best, and at worst makes us look like a bunch of crotchety old elitist curmudgeons.
Lighten up, guys.