Lost our way?

[Scaley.Jade]

i agree i came to the forum for info on garters as that is what i want to get and learn about them as lovely as all the pics are i think we could do with a few less and some more garter direct posts that everyone can learn from ect

Jade

[jeanette]

this is a good forum, i came here specificly to learn about the differences between garters and other kinds of snake (which are many). It is rare that there is any bad feeling here, and the garter community is so large it stands to reason that they need a place to share ideas and information that doesnt involve other snakes and reptiles. maybe your right James, but i dont know where along the way we got lost as im still quite new.....
maybe the founders need to get their heads together and come up with a solution that is acceptable to everyone.

[adamanteus]

It's certainly not my wish that we should exclude these other genera... I think without them the forum would fall silent at times... plus many of our membership keep a variety of snakes. I just feel we are switching focus recently, from Thamnophis to just about anything... I don't really know the answer, I just want us to remain 'focused' on who we are. There are enough good, general interest forums out there already.

[Lulu Bennett]

Hi guys,
James has just pointed me to this thread, thankfully, becauser otherwise i would have missed it. As i don't get on here very often, as my comp is broken and i need to use my brothers instead, i usually read through the tham related threads and the Shh thread and then click 'mark forums read' on the rest but this way i am only reading about 10 out of 75 threads.
i understand why everyone wants to share info about their 'other' kids but is has got to the point where is is mainly about the 'other' kids.
people are making new threads about pointless things. i believe we need to think twice before we post about how big your dogs poop was (just made up but you get the point).
Just my opinion
Lulu xxx

[CrazyHedgehog]

Lots of good points, how bout if instead of ALL of the recent posts showing up on the home page, just the recent "garter snake info" posts show, with a button for the "general info" posts. That way people could choose what they want to look at. ?

I was just about to write this....then when you come on, you have a choice of 'all new posts', or 'all new garter posts' ?

[adamanteus]

I wonder if that can be done... but then we might miss other posts we would have wanted to see!

[drache]

I've always assumed that everything below the green bar on the forum page was garters only
categories above the green bar are sort of more social
like - if I want to chit-chat about my garters, I go to general talk, but that cute thing my beardie did would be in "it's oh so quiet shh shh", unless there's a photo and then it would go into "pics of your other pets"
hey - why don't we have an equivalent of "it's so quiet shh shh" in general talk, so we can put our garter related chit chat there?

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Got something to say that does not deal with Garter Snakes? Here’s the place to say it.

i didnt know my post would be taken so harshly.

[adamanteus]

i didnt know my post would be taken so harshly.

I knew you'd think that! This thread isn't about you, Shannon. It's about all of us.
I wrote the first post off-line, when I posted it you'd already done your "Ball Python epic"!
Had my questions/criticisms been directed at you, I would simply have PMd you.

[infernalis]

looks very controversial....

Think of it like this, You found a pub and wander in, it's got some great folks hanging around, great conversations and a welcome to join right in.

then someone says, we only talk about Garter snakes here, you think wow, what a great place! so you walk out front, feed some more money in the parking meter and settle in for the night.

eventually someone says want to see my ball python? (assuming that since you like garter snakes, that you may find that BP more interesting that say aunt Millie would)

Do you tell them, oh no that's 3 pubs up the street from here, they talk about ball pythons there?

This same exact phenomenon has and does occur with nearly any open forum, it's a side effect of human nature.

"We have many common interests, we must be friends right?" we chat more often than I do with my parents, so were friends right?

I just ran a snake over with my lawn mower, aunt Millie does not even care, so I can tell you, were friends right?

Tham.com should be very proud of the people attracted to the forum, regardless of where conversations lead, I see for a good part many people with very big hearts, compassion for others, and plenty of great information and experience to share.

Another very important factor I have noticed, in forums dominated by snooty breeders and self proclaimed experts, if a "casual" garter keeper with an "ordinary" eastern or checker they found in the yard were to ask something as simple as "what do you do when"? commonly the answers are harsh and condescending.

Conversations stay on focus there simply because more often than not, threads are either ignored, or responded to in such a way, that the casual keeper will flee and never return.

But in time, the side effect of that is what was once a "public" forum evolves into a private bulletin area for the same 5 or six breeders to chat among themselves.

The warm responses here only encourage further banter that may seem off topic. Everyone is so friendly, you make users want to show off their puppies and kids, and ponies......

It's going to be an interesting call....

Wayne, "the over thinker"