To those who use the member rating system, I wish to share a thought....

Some members, including myself, are amateurs or hobbyists at this pond thing. Others are clearly professionals with years of wisdom to impart.

Some of those professionals take precious amounts of time to answer the rest of our infinite questions, even when some questions are asked and answered time and time again.

Good professionals have set opinions on certain topics, and will so state said opinions even when the statements are at odds to someone else.

I don't speak for anyone else but myself on this topic, but have some respect. Someone could take insult.

It would be a damn shame if anyone of those professionals chose not to give their time and input to us on this great forum.

Point well taken.

Sunil, you're six-stars as far as I'm concerned.

Sunil,

I also give a big thank you to the professionals that have a lot of patience.

I am not a professional but I give advice as if I know what I am talking about. Speaking with great authority about things you have no clue is a bad habit of politicians and old people.

Even an expert can slip and give some bad advice (especially when the advice is given based on limited information)and he or she should not be slam dunked for it. That said, we can not learn without a free exchange of ideals and challenges to what we once thought was truth.

My opinion is this site is a fantastic place to learn but be aware you generally get what you pay for. Free advice should always be viewed with this in mind.

I have noticed that a lot of the "insults" are put out in fun between guys that have been participating in exchanging barbs over a long period of time.

Most of us old guys are hard shelled and a few insults and barbs just help scrape the crust off our backs and keep our interest. That said, we old foggies should be sensitive to the younger, gentle, more cultured members. I agree that we should not be too insulting but we should not take the fun & puns off the site.

In summary, shutup and fish!

Couldn't put it better myself Dennis!

I enjoy the barbs also. Life is too short to go around getting upset over stupid stuff.
I mostly ignore any insults. Heck I've been doing that so long it's usually 2 days later before I realize I've been insulted and I'll say DARN! He was cutting me down!!

But I do enjoy picking & hope no one takes offense.

Guys, I believe I need to clarify my statement just a little bit. I'm not offended at all by anything on this board. I feel any joking is done with good human nature in mind.

Last night before making that post, I was scrolling through the threads, reading and learning.

I noticed that one of the main contributers to this forum had his rating drop from 5 down to 4 stars.

When I saw that, I couldn't help but think how bogus it was that someone should vote down on someone who gives a lot of time and advice here, at no charge - totally free. Not to mention that it's basically professional advice.

So the scenario that someone poses a question on this forum; then gets prompt and detailed professional answers; doesn't like the answers; and then goes through the effort to give the good samaritan a poor rating, - just irritated me.

Then again, that may not have been the scenario.

I'm not saying that a poor rating or "loss of a star" is going to stop any of the good professionals here from continuing to post and give good advice. But, I guess I didn't like to see somebody tampering with our good source of knowledge and advice. We don't want to lose any of those people.

And on a final note, no one needs me to defend them, so I'll shut up now.

Sunil, I noticed what you noticed. I was pretty teed off about it too. If there was a ten-star rating available that's what I'd give the aforementioned member. We're all the better for it.

Yes, thanks Bruce for understanding. I was beginning to feel that I was not effectively communicating my thoughts on this topic.

Yaaaheee to the Pros, we really need them!!!!

I try answer some of the "Redundent light work" questions, that new memebers seem to always ask. I hope this keeps the Pros from being frustrated from answering the same questions over and over again on the same subject.

I'm like you Big-Pond, I try to help with the easy stuff.
I'll have to try to find out who lost a star so I can vote them 5, but if it's a long time contributor I prob. already have.

I would suggest to drop the member ratings, leave the member number and amount of posts to show longevity. In my mind, the only way I should have received stars was if someone was looking for help with hydraulics or winches, things that I actually know about. My two cents.

Ric, it was BC that lost a star, and personally I can't picture anybody giving Bill less than a 5 star rating. Nobody on this forum spends more time and effort on this board to give informative answers to each individual pond owner about there unique situations than Bill.It was probably more like something in the computer program that if nobody rates you for say 6 months you drop a star. THANKS for your help Bill.

I was fine and happy with my four star rating. I assumed it meant that I wasn't a total dickhead or something like that. It certainly could not have been due to my pond knowledge (like what you said, Wood).

One day I noticed that my rating had changed to five star. While I guess that was nice of someone to do, it kind of embarrased me. So I promptly removed my member rating because I felt that five star ratings should be reserved for the professionals (assuming they are good contributers).

You can also tell that these professionals take pride in their responses/answers. When you think about it, us amateurs are so possessed with our ponds; then you have these pros who are personally and professional obsessed - now that's a whole different level of obsession!

Bill Cody is in a class of one, IMHO. There aren't enough stars to credit him for his contributions here.

I agree that the star system can harm more than help...it isn't worth the risk of ever driving off a priceless expert. A class of one.

A newcomer like me doesn't take very long to tell who the great contributors are. No amount of stars or ratings could change my mind. BC is awesome.

Bill gives the most detailed answers, even to the newcomers -- it does not matter. When I am just skimming posts and I see him replying -- well I slow down and read.

This whole site has had a lot to do with my new pond and the answers I get here from people like Bill have been a guiding light.

I enjoy those big, multi-screen Bill Cody posts almost as much as a new issue of Pond Boss - and if we're lucky, we get them more often than the magazine. He is an amazing source of varied and in-depth information that is usually fascinating to me.

I used to have a friend at work who we claimed "had been everywhere, met everyone, and done everything" based on the extent of his experiences. Mr. Cody is his pond management equivalent. Thanks for the info, Bill!

Readers - Thanks for the compliments. The ratings do not affect my performance. I supply help and answers based on lots of experience and my readings related to water. Water and what lives in it, has been my life and profession ever since 1967. I have a MS in Aquatic Biology and my training has focused on the identification of most all the animals and plants that live in freshwater, however my area of specialization is diatom taxonomy. I have identified organisms from water bodies including streams all over the North America. Fish, raising fish and their ecology have been my dedication and joy since childhood.

I try to supply unbased, realistic answers to the questions. My goal is to educate based on what I have learned to be the facts. However I am still learning. My answers my not be what you want to hear, but I try to present the information the way nature will respond based on what we do to the pond.

I think it's great some dork busted Bill to a 4, most of us (including myself) don't realize the time it takes the PRO's to post, we simply consume their advice, and take it for granted. This is a reminder of how lucky we are. Just like "health", we'll take it for granted until it's gone. Bill spent personal time 2 years ago helping me with pics and info thru e-mail, his guidance was free, and I owe him a LOT. Bill is a 5 STAR, no if's...and's...or but's. Thankfully his rating is already back to a 5. This should be a simple reminder to all.

five stars again.....just as it should be.

Bill, I know you didn't care, but we sure do. You're the heart and soul of the forum. Hope you don't get bored with us amatuers...we're just tryin' to help out a little.

Bruce

Well all is good then.

Bill, thanks from the bottom of my pond. Oh wait, did I say that right?

And Bruce, you dog! You're no amateur.