I was a newbie about 18 months ago, and I would have appreciated your post back then. One reason I stuck it out on the forum was that there was a good mixture of sound advice which took a sympathetic approach. By sorting out who the jokers were and who the helpful were, I managed to learn who to listen to. Then, I would just wait for their advice.
Who were the "helpful"? Those who responded to my OP that:
(a) heard what I was asking and addressed it, specifically;
(b) made suggestions in line with my budget;
(c) justified any suggestions which were pushing me further (in budget or in gear) and explained a bigger picture as to why it might make sense down the road, and
(d) asked me follow up questions.
To the best respondents on a thread, I reached out by private message to thank them, and told them a bit about who I am. In some cases, now, we email instead of use the forum.
Caveat emptor is a good approach to fora, but once you get good advice, thank people personally for it. They deserve the thanks and it solidifies the online connection.
P.S. The hardest part about a forum is that some people are both helpful and jokers, depending on mood. The online world simply unshackles some folks from taking serious questions seriously. All of a sudden, they're at the back of a middle school school bus, cracking wise!
Who were the "helpful"? Those who responded to my OP that:
(a) heard what I was asking and addressed it, specifically;
(b) made suggestions in line with my budget;
(c) justified any suggestions which were pushing me further (in budget or in gear) and explained a bigger picture as to why it might make sense down the road, and
(d) asked me follow up questions.
To the best respondents on a thread, I reached out by private message to thank them, and told them a bit about who I am. In some cases, now, we email instead of use the forum.
Caveat emptor is a good approach to fora, but once you get good advice, thank people personally for it. They deserve the thanks and it solidifies the online connection.
P.S. The hardest part about a forum is that some people are both helpful and jokers, depending on mood. The online world simply unshackles some folks from taking serious questions seriously. All of a sudden, they're at the back of a middle school school bus, cracking wise!