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Fauna Mentor Program?

Lucille

Lucille

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What do y'all thinkof creating an unofficial network of those new to the reptile biz, and good honest business folk?

I've seen a couple of times where young people or just brand new business people start out and make unwise choices. End up on the BOI.

But while their integrity is either there or it isn't, lots of stuff like how to ship, when to refund (and when not to) and how to write a good advertisement are skills one learns with practice.

These guys may not know how to come on here and ask their questions, after all, some of us are verbal and some are not.

But if they had a reptile 'big brother' or 'big sister' just to give them a few pointers once in a while, someone they could go to with an occasional question, they might learn how to navigate this site better in order to be able to learn the many things here, and may become less shy about speaking up with a question on the forums rather than just guessing (and then guessing wrong).

What do y'all think?
 
Excellent idea Lucille! How would one go about it?

Regards
 
Mike, lol, I see you as one of the most experienced and wisest here, YOU would (please?) be a mentor.

Dan, it was just an idea, I was looking to y'all for suggestions. I see you as a man of integrity and experience and I think you would make a great mentor as well.
What do y'all think of maybe starting a 'mentor available' thread and some of the good guys on the site volunteer? Perhaps allowing mentees to contact the mentors privately since they may be too shy to post that they want one?

Mentors would not have to be world class experts although we have some here. Just good honest folks who are willing to share a little of their experience.
I think that mentors are a good idea in almost any field, but here especially since there are so many factors, and rules, and so on that would be helpful to learn, and that could be gained by good advice from those who have 'been there'.
 
Another good idea Lucille! You can count me in.

Thanks! :)
 
Lucille, I think that this is a good idea in principle. However, not many people even realize the potential that having a mentor creates. I certainly had someone who guided my path into reptiles. I can appreciate what a mentor has to offer.

If we as experienced keepers offer advice on the forums, is this not just another form of mentoring? I have on occasion gone off board as well. Contacting individuals who seemed like they could use a little more personal contact. If you manage to put something together, sign me up. I'll do what I can.
 
Jeremy Letkey said:
If we as experienced keepers offer advice on the forums, is this not just another form of mentoring?
Click to expand...

Jeremy

Of course you are right. The ideal is to answer questions on the board so that all may share and benefit by the answer.
The mentor program in my mind is for those who are very new. It would allow for them to be pointed toward the right forum to ask their questions. It would be a quiet place to tell someone no, don't ship that snake USPS and point him to the regulations, before he does it and asks questions afterward.
The forums are definitely the places to get information, but the mentor program is to welcome and introduce those just starting out so that they become comfortable here on Fauna. And I believe in my heart that if you reach out and give a little help, that will be returned a thousandfold as those you have helped find good information and get off to a good start.
The mentoring relationship might lead to lasting friendships but it is meant to be a brief way to help those who need a bit of confidence and to be shown around so they are comfortable here.
 
Good Idea

I never knew this side was on here until recently. I would love for someone to show me what I am potentially doing wrong and what I am doing right. Selling in my store is one thing but online there is all kinds of factors that I never realized. Sign me up!!!
 
I'm in!

It might be easier to put this into some type of manageable form, if you knew where everyone had expertise.

I'll start it off:

I'm reasonably well versed in care and breeding of boas, colubrids, and tortoises (specifically Redfoots). Additionally, I've been doing online sales of animals since the early days of the World Wide Web - anybody remember Herpauction?

I have good skills with HTML and I'm about to launch a new version of Reptilian Dreams as a full-blown E-Commerce site utilizing PHP and MySQL. This will be a database-driven site with all the bells and whistles.

If I can offer any assistance in any of these areas, don't hesitate to ask.

Another great idea from Lucille.

Thanks,
 
Thank you Mike.
Any more mentors? Please list yourselves and hopefully the mentees will start asking questions and getting some great business insights!!
 
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Good idea...

Lucille,
Put me down to mentor. Hots are my specialty but also have extensive knowledge of and have bred colubrids, boids, and bearded dragons. I have been keeping herps seriously since the mid 70's. I have built several rack systems and am well versed in lighting and thermostats.

I have an extensive herp library consisting of over 1000 books and papers that I can reference.
 
I am going to let people who wish to offer their help list themselves here for a couple days. Then probably this weekend I will cut and past all your intros into a separate mentor thread that those wanting advice may access.
I appreciate all our volunteers so far.
 
I'd volunteer, but I'm not really sure for what. I have pretty decent grammar and communication skills, would that help?
 
How would this work

This is an awesome idea and I am all for it. I don't want this to stay an idea but rather become a reality. If you need any help with this let me know I would be more than happy to help you set this up. It would help beginners like me not make simpl and avoidable mistakes. I can do basic html and so forth.
 
I have answered (and still do answer) lots of questions about corns and other colubrids (and a scattering of questions about other species as well), about shipping and exporting (non-CITES animals) and dealing with business issues in general, as well as proofing articles and doing a little writing myself. I enjoy helping people, although I am not a fast typist and can't commit to TOO much writing of long emails, etc. But phone rates are cheap these days and I am happy to help where I can.
 
Sigh. I need a computer mentor... :bawling:



I wanted to have a little chart with mentors grouped in similar categories. It was my idea that each time a new volunteer posted, the post could be copied and pasted into the appropriate area on the chart, which could be stickied at the top of a forum somewhere perhaps. That way people who were looking to have a mentor to show them around a little would be able to easily locate the kind of help they sought.

I can't even get started. I am blonde and clueless when it comes to computer stuff, and now I'm mad at the dang computer because this is turning out to be so difficult.

Please, help!!.. :ack2:
 
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