why we come here

[Mommy2many]

Well said, Rhea.

I can honestly say I came to this forum 2 years ago for educational purposes (actually having no idea there were "forums" like this out there). We had just found our girl "Stewie" and I wanted some updated information on how to care for her. You see, it had been over 35 years since I had taken care of a garter snake. Let me tell you, most of what I thought was proper, was not.

I was welcomed warmly, and supported in every way by advice from members for all of my questions(silly or not).

I have "met" many wonderful people from around the world through this forum and have made some very good friends, some I've met and some I have yet to meet personally.

I am ever so grateful that I stumbled upon this site and the people involved.

Keep up the great work!

[jitami]

...rather than "you idiot! You fried your snake", or something like that...

Very well said, Rhea.

As someone who has fried a garter I am so glad this was not the first thing I heard when I asked why Sly's scales were peeling up at the edges. Sigh. He was extremely active climbing the glass, too. Trying to escape, imagine that .

This forum was mentioned to me through another and by the time I got here I had had my first garter for several years and had the basics down, so it really wasn't for education. It was more of a fellowship, I guess. I joined in and actively participated here because of the family like atmosphere. I enjoy getting to know the other members a bit and of course love to learn, about pretty much anything, but that education is always a little more dear when it's about something you have a connection with.

I'm hoping to be able to be more active in the future and reconnect with the regulars I've lost track of as well as meet some new people Hopefully those who choose to stick around can treat others with the respect they would show a good friend or grandparent.

[katach]

I have to say I've been very happy here. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming. I am new to garter keeping and feel like I can ask anything and will get an answer without being made fun of for not knowing already. Thank you to everyone for all your wonderful advise and passion for garters!

[infernalis]

Good topic. Is there a certain thread or threads that provoked this?

See it too frequently to pinpoint, it's not just Thamnophis.com, it seems to be a forums trend.

[kibakiba]

Well, we are all humans... We're all different, we have different views, ways of reacting and ways of dealing with things. It's normal for someone to disagree with something, and depending on the person, they might ignore it, kindly disagree, or they may become angry. You cant blame a human for being a human. I see plenty of disagreements, fights and all of that. I come here because, despite disagreements that arise, there are many genuine people here. I enjoy helping people and I enjoy reading about peoples experiences. Even when there are disagreements, I cant keep myself away from the forum. Maybe I have too much time on my hands, but I enjoy the company of everyone here. I wish it could be the same for everyone else.

[d_virginiana]

Though there is the occasional jerk who is just plain mean, I've found this forum to be a very helpful place. There are a couple low-key 'arguments' I've been involved in on here, but 99.9% of the time the people who involved in those discussions continue to be very friendly and helpful afterwards and I know it's just because they are passionate about those issues and I can be the same way.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I agree that it seems to be quite a trend on forums these days. The fact is that the older a forum gets, the more people that visit that forum. The more people that visit, the more people you will get that simply have trouble communicating with others in a respectable manner and there will always be that handful that are just plain rude. When people are hiding behind a keyboard, they are totally different people than what we might have met if we had met them at a show. Since there is no obligation to speak to forum members in person, treating them like crap is no big deal to some people since it's only on the Internet. Some people also simply do not have the skills to communicate well via a keyboard, buy may be a wonderful person to chat with in person. Keeping that in mind I try not to judge even the snobbiest forum people, but it does get hard at times and when it comes to dealing with people I will be the first to admit that I simply do not always have the patience to tolerate ignorance... And that is a problem we will commonly see when we feel passionate about our hobby.

[drache]

a word about ignorance . . .
we all start out with it, and I for one keep bumping up against my own - often with a loud thud preceded by the brief conviction that I actually knew something
the ignorance can be remedied, and the bump is sort of a good thing - it's the conviction of rightness that makes it so damn painful
I know I may not look to learn about stuff I think I know, and I've forgotten to check multiple sources at times, and ended up with perfectly reasonable sounding info that turned out completely wrong

no - this is not a post about my personal shortcomings, although I'll freely admit I've got a few. I'm probably pretty average, and I'd like to apologize right now to the more experienced and more knowledgeable on this forum when I beg their indulgence with the ignorant and ask that they reserve their ire for the rude - ignorance is much more amenable to change, while rudeness often proves to be a terminal condition

[Stefan-A]

I don't have much to say anymore.

[RicMartin]

People who have attacked others in this forum are also posting in here about how they keep dead snakes in their fridge to throw at their neighbors. Stefan, I don't have much to say anymore either, what I think has all been said already.