That was my guess as well, but it's not like I am that familiar with her history or participation here. If this is indeed what set her off, I'm sorry she feels this way but there isn't a snowball's chance in hell I'm going to apologize for stating the absolute fact that being a "dealer" doesn't automatically make one an "expert" (or even knowledgeable) in all areas of numismatics. I even tried to be clearly friendly when initially addressing this, but even that apparently wasn't good enough. Those new to the hobby coming here for advice and/or to learn have every right to understand the aforementioned fact, even if some find it offending, particularly since it seems to be a common misperception. Reality matters, even if it feelings are hurt in the process of promoting it and is as simple as that.
It is difficult to show that member populations go int any specific direction. Here is a 'snapshot' right off the home page Total: 485 (members: 50, guests: 379, robots: 56) on line taken just a couple of minutes ago. There are 47,517 registered members. So Guests ( unregistered, non-posting lookie loos) are much more in numbers than members by a factor of 7X, even the robots out numbers the members. A long time ago I was on a different forum, where if you didn't post a certain number of time in a certain time period, you were deleted, not so here. I see posts from people absent for years and has the time to dive back in. No One ever has to POST in any thread. It is voluntary, and if you do not like the result in a certain thread , move on , or if it is against the rules , report it. Some may feel , they HAVE to respond, and that is where problems often arise. No one HAS to reply You can always say Welcome, Ask about their collection, etc. etc. If they say "what's it to you !!!", Just move on or answer politely, but otherwise REPORT it, so the Mods and Admin. can watch the thread. Yes there are some posters on both sides of the conversation that could be much more polite, but the rules contain the limits that are enforced. Have a nice conversation. Jim
If truly so concerned with it, Harley, no one is stopping you from personally trying to make a difference instead of going on about how "vile" others are for not living up to your lofty standards, and the same goes for everyone here. If only more would lead by example instead of only showing up when there's an opportunity to complain, profess "profound disgust", or talk about how they'd ban those not conforming to their demands maybe, just maybe, there wouldn't be such a problem? Crazy talk, I know... I do want to be clear though: this isn't just about you or anyone in particular. In what seems to mirror the real world, there's a number of folks here who seem more concerned with the actions of others than with their own and/or with what they can personally do to help the very people that clearly matter so much to them. "Charity should begin at himself" -John Wycliffe
Ive got mixed feelings on this issue, and my view is probably different than most of the older members>>>> I see newbie after newbie post PMD or strike doubling, go into denial & then try an argue when someone lets them down, regarding their million dollar find. That gets old but noone, absolutely none of us started out as experts. Why you gotta be so rude?? What really burns my bacon, is the members who seem to get a kick out of busting balls all day. Initiating arguments with greenhorns and then insulting them on the way out the door. I would rather not Edited off a bunch of potential collectors day after day. I would like to see these new "change searchers" evolve into numismatists one day. We are in a down market right now. I prefer not see ANYTHING that appears to be hazardous to the future of the hobby . Unfortunately thats how i see this>> (agree or disagree idc) disgruntled, angry old men,off a whole generation of greenhorn young change searchers and booting them into the abyss. I would MUCH rather see these (YOU) guys taking the greenhorn by the hand and helping them and teaching them through their endeavor to persevere !! Otherwise you old timers are akin to a dusty old book, that gets left on the shelf, never to be read again
Then respond with the panache and temperance I know you can call upon Jim (Hey its only 101 now, time to go for my walk).
I speak when I am moved to speak. My general reaction to bloviating blowhards, skeptics and experts is amusement until they hit one of my pet peeves. I enjoy hearing stories. I enjoy hearing the rest of the story. When certain people continually run off people that I find interesting it annoys me. I don't consider my standards on interpersonal relationships high. I actually consider them very low. Your posts are interesting to me and I read the ones that show up on topics that I read. I am the world's leading expert on my own opinion. Whether anyone agrees with me or not. I stated an opinion and a preference. I'm not looking for converts or agreement. Moving on your opinion is as welcome or more welcome than mine. Have a great day.
Well said, you nailed it Jim. There's a handful knowledgeable people here that consistently help by posting their opinion on new posters without belittling or berating them and they back it up with some information on why it's not the error the poster believes it is and then they move on. And then there's quite a few that just waits for the new posters to complain about the opinions on their coins and they jump in and start attacking, some doesn't even post their opinion on the coin. It's so much easier if everyone ignores the disgruntled poster comments instead of fueling it. New posters learn the lesson hard if they get ignored.
Books is the one who will tell you the truth, you might not like the way he says it. It's always a well thought out statement. This account here will give you some old school banter. We do try to give the best information that we can muster. @Monster looking for some kind of recognition? You are apart of some interesting conversations don't quite now!
Threads like this happen, and sadly will continue to happen, because CT doesn’t impose a minimum post count to start a new thread. I follow a number of forums across a range of enthusiast categories and they all require minimum post counts — typically in the range of 25, give or take — for this very reason. It helps to separate those who have a genuine interest from those who merely saw a YouTube video and think they may have a Lincoln “penny” that’s going to make them rich. Minimum post counts also give newbies time to become familiar with the tone and timbre of a forum, so that when they do have enough posts to start a thread, they’re more likely to do so in a manner that won’t invite abuse.
So, you have a strong preference for threadjacking instead of garbage threads? We do get plenty of both right now, but if we can't respond to threadjacks with "please start a new thread", we're left with "that's off-topic, go away".
Short answer? Yes. Your mileage may vary, but my own experience on forums is that members can be pretty effective at policing threadjackers and shutting them down in short order. Plus, I can usually ignore and scroll through an off-topic post faster than I can open a garbage thread, determine its content, close it and move on. It's really a case of choosing your poison. Personally I prefer the way minimum post counts force newbies (in most cases, at least) to tap the brakes. And I don't really see how "that's off-topic, please start a new thread when you've met the minimum post requirement" would ever be an inappropriate response.
