Originally Posted by SchmeckFlyer
No offense, but the OP is clearly a new member
None taken, of course
But I disagree – in this case, the OP registered in May 2006 according to their profile!
Originally Posted by SchmeckFlyer
Who knows, maybe this person has a wealth of knowledge and experience to brighten our travels
Indeed - I hope so! FT possesses a wealth of information and many, many people add a lot of great new information every day - presumably, that's why people visit! And of course, we were all new once, too.
Originally Posted by SchmeckFlyer
but we will end up chasing him/her away because we greeted him with the coolest and most unwelcome of receptions.
No offence to anyone intended here...but speaking generally, IMHO if you're the kind of person who is 'chased off' an Internet forum because someone questions the fact you've asked the exact same thing before, or because you're directed to use the search facility, what kind of person are you?! How do you get through every day of 'real' life where you face tough questions which actually matter? Or receive robust responses from dozens of people in person
Let's get a little perspective here...it's not like anyone tracked the OP down and gave them a savage beating in front of a camp fire whilst dancing around chanting with their faces painted in blood!
OK, I have been around this board a few years now…but in that time, I’ve been wrong, I’ve been slapped down, I’ve been disagreed with and I’ve experienced a whole range of responses – from quite unpleasant to delightful. I’m still here (like it or not
) and in between threads like this where there are differences of opinion and they go off at a tangent a bit, I hope I add some valuable/useful contributions too – I know I still get a lot of value out of FT, definitely.
Originally Posted by SchmeckFlyer
FT is not an exclusive club where all new entrants are expected to know the rules and ettiquette after all.
It's definitely not an exclusive club and I don't think anyone wants it to be. But it is a ‘club’ with
'Guidelines and rules',
'FAQs' and a
'New Users Guide'. Personally, I don't think it's too much to ask that - in exchange for the wealth of information given and shared - people spend a few minutes reading these if they are indeed new...nor do I personally think it's too much to expect that people spend a couple of minutes searching a forum (as those guides indicate) before posting a new question to
properly utilise that wealth of shared information we all love -
especially if they are by their own admission an 'occassional' or infrequent visitor and therefore obviously don't/can't follow the forum with careful scrutiny to know for sure if something has been asked before. To me, that goes double if it’s your own question you’ve already posed!
Perhaps I have a different view of taking some responsibility and helping one’s self initially in this life before expecting others to jump in…but that’s just MHO!