Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations An observation for the Question and Observation Topic Area

First I would like to say that I enjoy Pond Boss both the magazine and website.

In another area of this site there is some moaning and groaning about people posting questions in the wrong area. I would like to remind all of you that at one time or another you were new to both ponds and the internet forums, people got to learn somehow and usually it's through trial and error, most learn as they go.

To get all the info on any subject in this site you would have to search all the forums, not just one. If you have a dial up connection this is painfully slow.

Instead of bitching about someone posting for example about the pros and cons of Crappie in the wrong forum how about helping them with a reply or just dont reply. The length of the post explaining how to post in the appropriate area was longer than the answer to the question. If an old question is asked often enough and is posted in an area most likely visited by others you might get some new insight on the subject.

I pay for my magazine subscription, I bought old issues of Pond Boss, I bought most every book offered for sale by our fearless leaders, and I do searches and yes every now and then I still post questions which may seem stupid to some but maybe not to others.

I mean there are only so many questions and so many answers about pond management, instead of having a forum you could just have a Q and A section with no interaction of people from all over the country, that would suck.

I do appreciate everyones time and there desire to help folks.

If no one ever tells you that you made a mistake, you go around thinking you're perfect. They crucify perfect and fault-free people. It's better to learn from your errors so you hopefully do not repeat errors.

Bill that is some deep thoughts you got there. I'll give you a more simplistic way to look at the point I was trying to make. Bearbait who said he was new when posting...........has never posted again on this website. I think the warm welcome and education he received was more than he could "bear".....pardon the pun!

Alabama,
I have confess I too have suggested posts be put under proper headings.
There's a very good reason some of us think this is good & it's not just because we're sticklers for following rules or like things neat & pretty.
Anyone wanting to take full advantage of the knowledge stored on this site by searching for an answer to their questions has a daunting task because so many posts are not under related topics.
There's lots of room in pond management to be creative, the structure of this forum however shouldn't be used for personal expression. There will always be those who have to be gently reminded to put things in their propper place. It's always been so.
It just makes things easier to find.
This is a phenominal site! We are striving to make it better. Please help us do so?

Bill Cody is one of our most knowledgable & dependable contributers. He has unselfishly shared his experience in helping a great many visitors to this site with answers to their questions.
I defend Bill Cody in his effort to make this forum better.
Everyone benefits when this forum is easier to use.

Woody, I'm also on a dial up and feel your pain. However, there are a lot of real basic questions that have been answered multiple times. I remember one recent poster who asked all of the basic questions many times but on the correct threads. He got them answered but I have also seen some questions that are ignored; probably because they are so basic and so readily available.

Most of the questions that are on an incorrect thread are in the above category. Had the person taken a little time to read, they would have learned far more than just getting a quickie answer. You also find guys like Bill Cody who specializes in the microcosm in a drop of water, Kelly Duffie who can tell all you ever wanted to know about chemicals, Ted Lea from Forevergreen who specializes in aeration systems, DR. Dave Willis and Scott Trava who can tell you everything you want to know about way Up North ponds and ecosystems, and Greg Grimes who doesn't profess to know anything about Yankee fishing holes but is an expert on Southern water holes and everything that goes in them. I've missed some like Fishman with the Texas Park and Wildlife Dept. who doesn't post often but has never been too busy to answer an E-mail.The point is that a lot of these guys probably don't look at general questions and if you don't do things correctly, you don't get the right info. Heck, you might get an answer from me and that might be real suspect. Another thing is that if you were paying these guys you might not be able to afford the answer. So, do it right to make it easy for them and so you can get the right answer. You'll also find that they don't always agree.

One of the best reasons for correct postings is that it helps dummies like me who have problems and go here for enlightenment from either pro's or others who have had the same problem. It helps to research muddy water problems under the Muddy Water area.

Dave, that was a wonderful answer. When I want to know something about feeding, I don't look any place else but that subject. The same with leaks in a lake or controlling a specific plant. At least for me, if a subject isn't posted in the correct category, I miss it. Sometimes, that is quite fustrating because I don't have the patience to search every category.

Maybe all the experts need to boycot the Questions and Observations section. If you want a good answer, post it right. Just kidding.
I also think the search should include all categories. I don't even bother using it.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate everyone taking the time to help. I think Brian H has the best advice for the forum. If possible include a way to search all the forums at once.

The type of folks posting here vary. You have everything from new pond owners to people who are truely experts. Some are just rednecks like me..... And some are the biologist type..... I am married to a Rocket Scientist(engineer) and I know first hand that you have to be thick skinned to deal with "educated" folks........often I try to force some common sense and a sense of humor on her.

Please don't take my post wrong. The site is great.....really needs no change at all......The only other forums I visit are duck hunting or fishing related and they all at one time are another try to influence you to post in the proper catagory. When you have a question that you are dieing to get an anser for it is always tempting to post it in the area that seems to get the most traffic (use).

I know I violated this policy too on that thread about my lake. I have tried to post specific issues to the correct threads though.

I too would like an improved site wide search feature.

In addition to a search engine that would search all sites, is it possible to get spell check?

I also like the spell check idea. Either I can't spell it or my fingers hit the worng keys. I do a lot of editing of my posts for spelling errors.

I second (third, maybe?) the comment about improving the search function. Searching all topics would certainly make things easier. Especailly when one thread sidetracks to something different than the original title. Honestly, I would suggest that as the number one improvement I think I for one could benefit from.

Bill, I think if you can't spell it the rest of us don't know what the word means anyway.

Bill - good suggestion. I know what you mean.

In the mean time, I've resorted to creating my replies in MS Word, run the spell check function, then copy/paste the text into the PB message block.

Sometimes, typos and grammatical errors can significantly alter the intended message.