JUST an Observation

[Guest]

My wife and I have been reading the forum for about a month and a half now and without a bit of hesitation will state that the wealth of knowledge and experience here is tremendous. Unfortunately, there is a down side to this vast fortune.

We have posted a few times without a whole lot of success which started me to thinking. Usually when I think, I get into trouble. It's a male thing.

At first I told my wife it was because she typed funny that there wasn't a whole lot of responses. Hey, when it comes to O's and A's, everyone has one, so what gives?

In my newbie opinion, I think it boils down to intimidation. For all those with less knowledge and experience it becomes a matter of sticking that neck out and taking a chance on getting your head chopped off. So now it is 'terrapin syndrome', suck your head back in and shut up. Look, but don't speak.

The sad part about all this is, if we don't learn, we don't grow and if we don't grow, we don't learn. I don't think there is a single person on this forum that can honestly say that some 'newbies crazy notion' won't become the accepted 'norm' somewhere down the road. Fresh minds, fresh ideas.

As long as I'm venting, here's my view on the great Sevin debate! I find it hard to believe that a person would not use Sevin, with a 'moderate' risk, to help their birds when most would willingly bombard a child or granchild with toxins to treat cancer. Who really knows what the long range effects of chemotherapy are?

Now that I have successfully 'stepped on it', I'll go back to looking. This may all be in the archives somewhere, I just don't have the time or the inclination to look for it. And we do appreciate the replies we did get!

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

pmelitus, I read your post with great interest. I think of the word "intimidation" that you use and I disagree with that. This forum is not about that, its about helping other purple martin owners, especially the newbies. It is my intent at least, to state my opinion, so if that intimidates you, then so be it. Many new ideas appear on the forum, probably about 90+ percent have been tried many times, so you may get a reply that quickly sezs that the new idea may not work.

My suggestion to any idea, no matter what you read on the forum, is to go ahead and try it. There is no better teacher than experience. Try your new ideas to see if they work. Many people throw those new ideas out, but they want someone else to try them, rather than them trying it themselves. If you really think they are worth a dime, go ahead and try them.

In order to get a lot of responses, it must be a topic that others are interested in. I very seldom reply to aluminum house questions for example, as I don't own any, and I am not interested.

Also, I wish all newbies, or anyone else, would ask any question that they wish to answer. Sometimes I see the same question about 10 entries lower, so I don't answer it, as I think that the older entries should be read, as nobody likes to answer the same question, the same day, on the same forum.

By the way, the sevin debate has also been discussed so often, its like watching a movie over, and over, and over. Having said that, I am on your side on that issue.

[Laverne]

Are you mad at us?

I thought everybody was doing a great job of responding to your posts.

I'm not the "hall monitor" - but whenever I see a post that nobody is responding to, I will usually try to answer it. I know how it feels to have your comments ignored.

This is what I think happens. If you don't ask a direct question (and sometimes even if you do) everybody will just read your post and go on to the next one. It is expected that you should have at least a basic knowledge of Purple Martins before you start asking questions. Some people will not respond to a question that is not from their area. I suppose they believe they may not be qualified. And different areas do have different problems. I am at work when I am on the Forum. I really do have a "job" and can't always respond immediately. When I leave here, I rarely get on my home computer (dialup - too slow) to access the internet. Besides, the "Purple Martin Show" is still playing at my house - I can't miss that!

Many colonies have completely dissipated - their season is over and so the landlords don't frequent the Forum as much. We really do slip into a depression when all our birds are gone... I have found that the Forum helps me get through this tough time. The Northern landlords still have young at their colonies and interacting with them provides some solace.

You will find this Forum to get pretty quiet during the off season. But, it will crank right back up again - as soon as the first scout is reported! That usually happens in early January - sometimes even late December in Florida.

We're happy to have you and your wife as new members and we'll eagerly assist y'all any way we can. Welcome aboard! May all your seasons be Purple!!!

[Guest]

Aah, you're just a newbie. You have really embarassed yourself with your inane rant. How dare you soil these hallowed pages with your witless drivel!
Just kidding of course! I fancy myself an expert and learn something here every day.
This is an absolutely wonderful place to ask, to answer, to opine, to complain, and most of all vent. The trials of a martin season can be to most of us quite stressful. But at the end of the day, when you see that first flight of the little lump that's been poking his head out at the world for three weeks-all the sadness, trepidation, and mother-henning melt away.
One day I hope you'll be answering emails and phone calls from people in your area in a panic over their colony, and answer all their questions as the local 'expert'.
I really hope anyone who visits this forum can feel comfortable enough to say all the things you said.
By the way, replace nesting materials-don't sprinkle poison in the nests of your babies, silly! It's not that hard and it is effective.

[Dale Hrncirik]

pmelitus,

Hey man, I feel your pain. I'm a regular here and oftentimes I don't get many if any replies. It doesn't bother me because I know folks get busy and can't always get to the forum to read everything and reply...I'm in that same boat. I will try and help anyone with their questions pertaining to PMs. If you need immediate assistance, then you can send me a private message anytime. I'm sure others will make the same offer. I do recall responding to at least one of your posts. Please try and not take things so personally...we are all here to discuss martins and help each other to the best of our ability.

Take care,
Dale

[Guest]

Emil,

I guess I should have said that it was more about the uncertainty of what we don't know that is intimidating around those who do know. I wasn't trying to imply that it was intentional on anyone's part, please don't think that.

My computer skills are very limited, hence my reluctance to mess with it much. No interest as you said. My wife does all the computer stuff, like this reply. She is the typist.

Maybe it is just the way things are, but 600 looky-loos and 5 replies seems so strange.


Laverne,

No, I'm not mad at anyone, I can't think of many places I would rather be at 3 or 4 in the morning when I can't sleep. It'll tickle me to death when I finally get to view my own 'little wads of bubblegum'.


J Gragg,

Everyone knows we don't have bugs in the great state of Arkansas, so I won't need Sevin. (evil, crazy laugh in case you missed it!)


Dale,

Thanks and it really isn't personal. I do have a question, actually a request. Would you please phonetically spell your last name for a country boy? I hate to keep saying Dale H. and Steve K. to my wife....

Oh yeah, Steve Kroenke if you happen to read this, could you also?

Thanks so much for the replies!

[Dale Hrncirik]

pmelitus,

My last name is pronounced 'hen shrik'. It's tough for most everyone. I had a heck of a time in school with a name like that. Lately I've had a few get it right at Tom Thumb while checking out.

I don't know for sure if it will help you with your perceived lack of replies but using a name instead of an alias often works wonders. I really like to know who I'm talking to, but very willing to help others as well.

"little wads of bubblegum"

Now that's a good one!

Dale

[Guest]

pmelitus,

I don't know for sure if it will help you with your perceived lack of replies but using a name instead of an alias often works wonders. I really like to know who I'm talking to, but very willing to help others as well.


Dale

Thank you so much Dale. Peg altered the signature to make it easier for us to remember to include our names. Although with the name Smith it is almost as good as an alias.

[Dale Davis]

Harold & Peg, Reading your post and the replies tickled me somewhat. If you notice all you have to do to receive relies to your post is just add a small insult to your question and you will get more replies than you want. LOL

Only joking I don't think there is a single person belonging to the forum that would intentionally ignore your post, including myself.

A new asked question can easily drop down the list quick if not answered right away. I think a lot of people get caught in that trap if they only look at the first 4 or 5 posts assuming that is the only new ones.

So, if you see that happening, reply to your own post in some way or another and it will get bumped back to the top

Sorry for your upset and good luck with your future posts.

Dale Davis

[Fred Kaluza~MI]

And keep in mind this is kind of the "slow season". You'll find that around the end of December through early April, this board gets MANY more readers. As far as "Sevin" goes, my opinion is that any method is fair where Martins are barely holding their own. If they were as common as Starlings, then I would be more inclined to let nature take the course that man has pushed her towards. P.S. Welcome to the Board! Fred in Michigan

[Guest]

was just thinking of positng a reply to all of the experienced people that are helping us new people with questions. I know it must be tiresome to answer the same question over and over, but everyone has been so kind to do it. I remember Sevin questions from 8 years ago when I was reading the forum all the time.

It might help if we added some more posts to the archives. Although it does seem faster to ask the question than read the archives sometimes. Steve K's "essays" would be nice to keep available. It sure helped me determine if my eggs had hatched on my one pair by timing the entry and exit of the parents.



But anyway...just to let all of those still reading the forum, that we appreciate the input. While it may seem like a little piece of help, when you only have one pair like I do, you don't want to "experiment", and you want every single baby to make it.

So thanks to all of you.
Sharon Kerbs

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey,

I just read your post and you mentioned my name. Kroenke is German. Since almost no one can pronounce my last name, I tell folks it rhymes with donkey! It sounds somewhat like, cron key. The "cron" is pronounced similarly to the "don" in donkey. Remember: rhymes with donkey.

Steve

[Guest]

Before the Forum crashed, Mary Dawnsong had a thread on "How to get replies to your post" or something like that. I forget all her suggestions, but some were: If you have an emergency, indicate that in the title. If you aren't getting any/many replies, bump your post up by replying to yourself, or edit your post/title to include more information or clarify your question. If your post is just "Hey, I have eggs, too" or similar, don't expect many replies.

People tend to respond to questions that they can relate to - I look at questions on natural gourds, interactions with bluebirds and tree swallows, and posts from people in Ohio first. If you put your state abbreviation in your screen name (Like "Dr. Kathi~OH") you are likely to get responses from people in your area, since the problems of martineers in Texas are different than those in Michigan.

For my part, I tend NOT to reply to requests for basic information that can easily be found in the archives or FAQs, except to point out to the person that they should READ the information on this site BEFORE they start posting. Questions like "How long do martins live" or "How many eggs do they have?" or, worst of all "What kind of bird seed should I put out for martins?" are annoying to me, because this basic info is easily available for anyone to find. [If you haven't guessed yet, this is a pet peeve of mine. ]

Also, there are times, especially early in the season, when a relative newcomer will ask a question that is almost identical to a question already on the board. I know that not many of us scroll beyond the first "active" page of posts so that threads which have rolled over to the second page or more can easily be missed, but it would help if people would at least scan the first page of the Forum for similar topics. If their question is about tree swallows, for instance, and people like Mary Dawnsong and Cathy Brouse have answered the first poster in detail, the second questioner could read that thread, jump in there to add his/her comments & questions, and save everyone some time. It takes a lot of effort to answer people's questions thoroughly and accurately, and it can be frustrating to have spent 20 minutes in crafting and posting a well-thought out response, only to see the same question pop up 2 threads away.

I understand why you might have felt neglected, because that happens to all of us. I am most active in the early part of the season, because as spring progresses, my free time is spent outside instead of online. By July, I am reading the board once or twice a week instead of once or twice a day. However, you should not feel intimidated. Jump into any thread which catches your attention. Sometimes you will get shot down and feel all hurt and insulted. (I know, 'cuz it happens to me from time to time! ) Sometimes, you will stimulate a controversy and may have to "duck and cover" for protection. (Ditto. ) But mostly, you will begin to feel more and more like a "member of the family," as I do.

If you haven't heard it enough yet:

Welcome to the Forum, and keep on posting!

[Guest]

Thank you all again for wonderful replies. However, I think most of you really did miss the point.

We don't feel any of you have intentionally intimidated anyone. Least of all us. We don't feel any of you, oldtimers and newbies alike, have ever tried to go out of your way to make anyone feel uncomfortable. What we feel is that many would-be posters do feel intimidated, maybe because they don't feel their opinion would get a favorable comment. Or, maybe like us, they feel they are too new to have anything worth the time to print.

What we have observed reading the forum is that many do not post. Period. Those that do, offer great advise. Reading the archives is the most standard 'pat' answer that probably does need repeating often. But, in some cases, the answers are just not in the archives and is not a relevant point to make.

Searching the past posts is difficult even if you are comfortable using the internet. Many times all you get is unrelated posts that just happen to have the word you are looking for it in somewhere. Of course, now that all of the older posts are gone, searching the old posts is kinda mute.

Posting the same question over and over does get irritating, especially if an answer had already been posted. I do understand that over a period of years it can get frustrating breaking in newbies. I am also sure that we will at one point in time ask a 'stupid' question and I am equally sure that someone will gently remind us that the answer is available for us to read.

We really were just making an observation and we were hoping that it would get the attention that it did get.

We did not intend to come off sounding intimidated or angry or disappointed. We are very please that it was taken seriously (and even joked over), y'all are really a great bunch of folk and we are definitely happy we found you.



ps. Steve, thank you so much for sounding out your name for us!!!

And as a side note, I just wanted to let you all know that Peg is copying every one of Steve K's posts and saving them as text documents for me to read over when the forum goes into hibernation!! Thanks Steve K, that is great material.


Spell checker is still broken so disregard any typos....