This is Really a Shame!

Deb--

I thought the "red coins" meant you had the power to delete threads, no???

Originally Posted by Clay Davenport

This argument is without merit and really strikes me as merely a defense for the sake of justification of your words.
Opinions posted on someone's forum that the owner of the forum doesn't agree with is completely different from information published by the author on their own private site. A forum is by nature a vehicle of interaction and free speech to a greater or lesser extent, and of course when you invite the general public to participate in discussions, there will be things that the forum owner doesn't agree with.
Posting informational articles on one's personal website is entirely different. I can't imagine myself trying to defend publishing an article I didn't agree with on the basis that it's what people want to hear. The simple act of authoring a care sheet has the inherent implication that you endorse the methods you promote on the sheet, otherwise you shouldn't want your name attributed to it.
Anyone's personal site is their site, so anything they chose to post as care information absolutely should be how they would want an animal kept. Whether it's right or wrong in the opinion of the rest of the hobby, it should be right in the eyes of the author until such a time as they are convinced otherwise, then it should be changed.



If something is wrong it's still wrong whether it's the "accepted way" or not. Unless you wrote that care sheet sometime in the 1980s, aquariums were not the "accepted way" of housing snakes by anyone with any experience despite their continued common use by neophytes.



I think the flaw here is blatantly obvious. I don't know whether a lot of newbies do that or not, but anyone with such limited experience in an area who presumes to be capable of offering advice in any form is foolish.
I bought some leopard tortoises a short while ago, but I'm smart enough to know I'm in no position to be offering advice on the tortoise forum let alone to be publishing a care sheet based on my extremely limited experience.

I'm not condemning you for having outdated and ill conceived information on your website. A lot of people make poor judgments attributed to enthusiasm.
Just don't sit there and try to defend it as being acceptable when you, by your own admission, no longer agree with it. Simply take it down or change it to something you do agree with instead of trying to justify it in attempt to avoid further criticism of your statements.

Thank you for your opinion. My website has been change (a disclaimer has been added)

I will tell the person that I learned from that he also needs to make sure that everything on his site reflects HIS and his ownly opinons, and that he can not show people that want to use Tanks the correct way to set them up just because the majority of BP first time owners buy Bps for express purpose of showing them off. He can only espouse racks because that's all he uses and doesn't like aquariums for Bps.

ummmm, how many years do I have to be doing this before it's considered that I have enough or a bit of experience to share? And if I am considered experienced enough to be ASKED to share information..then I am free to accept. Anyone is free to correct or add to my information as they see fit, or show another way.

Where I am from, we don't even stop Newbies from offering the benefit of their experience. My perspective is that, no one can live long enough to make all the mistakes themselves, sharing information is good. But if a few people consider then they only have enough experience to share, or should be in the role of advisors...(ummm I am remembering Bob Clark's site. Used to be the hub of activity, now a graveyard).

Harald, is there a difference between explaining a viewpoint and defending it? You asked, I explained. I saw the point of what you were saying and went and added a disclaimer. I am now searching for the picture that went with the words on that site..(the missing one).

Originally Posted by mvite

Deb--

I thought the "red coins" meant you had the power to delete threads, no???

I don't know.. It would be a waste of time, anyway they would just repost.

But I can delete my own threads.

Originally Posted by Laura Fopiano

I want to thank you for expressing what I have been feeling! As much as Bryon and I are a couple, we both have our own opinions of others and we are independent of each other.

We have had the conversation of this thread and the other one, the items that I high lighted are things that struck me the most.

Being a new person to the hobby is not easy around here. When I joined fauna it took me almost a year to post (I don't take rejection well and tend to personalize it) And my spelling....back in those days I sat with a dictionary in my lap over fear of getting hit on the head with it.

Deb, just keep loving your animals and this hobby, we need new enthusiastic people to remind me that at one time, I was new too and made more than my share of mistakes.

Thanks. I appreciate you sharing that with me. I AM trying.

Originally Posted by mvite

Deb--

I thought the "red coins" meant you had the power to delete threads, no???

Wow....talk about suggesting she jump out of the frying pan into the fire

Originally Posted by hhmoore

Wow....talk about suggesting she jump out of the frying pan into the fire

yeah~ I was sitting here thinking she was her own worst enemy.......but attempting to delete it would be MUCH worse than the snarky inability to shut up and let it die!

is there a difference between explaining a viewpoint and defending it?

I think there probably is, although it would probably be pretty subtle...unless one were to denounce said viewpoint in the process of explaining it.

erased it all. Why..cause it wasn't nice.

Originally Posted by deborahbroadus

ummmm, how many years do I have to be doing this before it's considered that I have enough or a bit of experience to share? And if I am considered experienced enough to be ASKED to share information..then I am free to accept. Anyone is free to correct or add to my information as they see fit, or show another way.

I have had Ball Pythons now for almost 30 years. And to this day either other people or the animals themselves teach me something new on an almost weekly basis. I dont even pretend to have an answer for everything. There is absolutely nothing wrong or demeaning about simply answering with "I dont know". In fact, "I dont know" is a much better answer than giving information that you are not 100% sure about. On a regular basis I am asked things that I do not feel qualified to answer. There is no shame in that. I would much rather say I dont know than to pretend that I do and cause harm to someone's critter.

And personally, I dont care if people use aquariums, racks, plastic tubs, wood enclosures, plastic cages, etc, etc.... None are right or wrong in my opinion. The only thing that matters is that you are able to maintain the proper environmental elements in whatever your enclosure choice many be.

Originally Posted by shrap

The only thing that matters is that you are able to maintain the proper environmental elements in whatever your enclosure choice many be.

Deb, this is the type of disclaimer you need to put on your caresheet.


Oh, and Sammy, you're a pretty fart smeller..er..I mean a pretty smart feller!