rastokirn Loc: Maribor, Slovenia

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

How many folks know that there is a List of Abbreviations in Photography on WikiPedia?

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Which part of the original message are you referring to? There is a good flow and various ideas appearing...

cpeter234 Loc: WA state Lost in South Boston, VA

GREAT IDEA!! I would wager that ALL the newbs would be in favor. Of course all of the snaky old farts will hate the idea. Bring it on. (Yes, I am a newb who sometimes hesitates to ask.)

bluechris Loc: Grapeview, WA

I agree, a newbie area would be very nice. I see a lot of questions and the snide remarks of some people. It is a shame that people have to make newbie's feel that they are in the wrong place. You are not, and I have seen some very nice and knowledgeable people help with problems and they are to be applauded. A special newbie place would be helpful in what we hope will keep the snarky folks away. I have been around a long time and there are always a few bad apples out there that just get off on giving out bad vibes. It is not easy putting on blinders and ignoring them but we can try.

cpeter234 Loc: WA state Lost in South Boston, VA

I didn't. That is GREAT info to know. I have often asked about abbreviations....or wondered but hesitated to ask.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Sometimes ones perceived attitude enhances the probability of poor responses.

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

So are you saying that it is the Newbies fault they are getting rude responses to their questions?

Mary Kate Loc: NYC

Yeah, then you can feel safe with sophisticated questions.

Sir Motley

bdk-

I think that is a wonderful idea. I endorse it 100%.

I was the guy who asked the question about dof and I received a couple of very snide responses. And they came from regulars on this site who have posted thousands of times. When I said the remarks were upsetting to me, the next response was "You shouldn't be so thin skinned." or something to that effect.

Maybe I am thin skinned but I'm also not a coward who hides behind an anonymous name. Just like the person above who posted "Isn't that what Facebook is for?" That response adds absolutely nothing to the conversation so why did he/she even bother to post it?

So bdk, I think your suggestion is great and I hope all posters on the site are civil in every respect.

John

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

FAQ: Common Photographic Terms & Abbreviations at http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-26493-1.html
Updates and additions welcomed via PM to me.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

It actually is not tiring to answer questions. It is VERY tiring to answer questions whose answers are right in front of someone's nose!

I come from the training world, where there are no stupid questions and everyone deserves a straight answer. But sometimes that answer NEEDS TO BE, "Read the reference material you should have read last night," or, "Read the manual," or, "Hundreds of replies to your questions can be found here: _______."

The objective is to remind people to take initiative, AND to take advantage of a wealth of existing information and ideas. It is not to demean, belittle, or offend. Information you dig for is remembered far longer than information that is spoon-fed to you.

JeffR Loc: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

The problem with a newbie section as I see it, is that most of the members with the most knowledge and experience aren't going to follow it very closely, if at all. I suspect we would end up with a section read mostly by newbies, with answers given mostly by newbies. I don't think that's doing them any service.

The solution, obviously, is for everyone to be civil. Unfortunately, there's no way to force an immature adult to grow up.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

No pill to cure nasty

Don

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

Bill I also come from a backround in training of a subject matter that is fairly complex. Coming from an education backround, surely you have to acknowledge a forum like this is a digital form of dialogue. I have found value in being able to engage others as opposed to just looking something up. Especially where we are able to engage others who we would not have access to otherwise either due to their location or experience levels. Socrates and Harkness put a lot of value on learning through dialogue
It is not fair to assume that someone didnt do the research. Maybe they did and are looking for further clarification, or they just simply didnt understand what they looked up. Just because the information is right in front of their nose it does not mean that it is necessarily understandable to that person. There are many different learning styles and ways people learn. Is it possible that the person asking that redundant question is in fact "digging" for the information? Maybe your are right sometimes the answer does have to be what you said, but not here. Especially when no one takes the time to ask "did you look here for the information?" "Did you check this out first?" Because if you have not asked the question how do you know? I can assure you no one does that. But none of that should even be an issue, the issue is the number of people here, and I admit it is a minority, but they are a loud minority, that just can not pass a topic by rather than jump in and say something rude. It always boggles my mind with the number and variety of posts here every day why some people can not just skip over the "what is back button focus" question asked for the 1000th time. SO what if it is asked a million times. If it annoys someone why can they not just move on and ignore it. If someone does not want to answer a question for the 1000th time then don't just move on. It most definitely takes a lot more energy to click in and post something nasty than it does to just move to a post of more interest.