This forum has been much different lately.

[Gizabelle]

We all get things wrong sometimes. Everyone here is guilty of giving and receiving bad advice at some point in their lives, its just part of the human experience.
My issue in particular is when its doled out by inexperienced people to newcomers in crisis.
There are some members that have been on here a year tops, but have racked up posts (on mostly non-chicken related issues) and earned a "free ranging" title or some such, so they "look" trustworthy to a newcomer.
They "think" they can help, because they've read bunch of similar posts, and may have the best intentions, but have no real experience in the particular problem at hand.
I just wish more people, whatever their age, would stop and ask themselves, "am I SURE this is really helpful?" Before replying to emergency threads.
...Just a general observation.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I think it’s ok to make mistakes, so long as you learn from them and are willing to be corrected.

My 2 cents on the OP's original thoughts.

I personally don't think its fare to label all kids as members who spread misinformation. I agree, its a bit annoying that theres more beginners then educated members on here in the last year, but its still not fare to label all accidental mistakes as spreading misinformation. I joined the forum to learn, yes, I'm going to make mistakes sometimes, thats how I learn. I don't want to be told I'm spreading misinformation because I'm wrong. I knew nothing when I joined. Then I guessed the wrong breed a few times, asked unimportant questions and diagnosed wrong, but its nothing I was intentionally trying to do. No one is intentionally trying to cause any issues, we're just trying to help. I know SO much more now because of it. So, so much more. I wouldn't' have learned that if I was told to stop spreading incorrect info when I was a new learning member. I know new members on this site who don't post anymore. Not because of the spread of incorrect info, but because of people telling them they were doing something wrong. I think theres a better way to solve the issue than applying labels.
Just my 2 cents.

I think it’s that if you make the same mistake over and over and don’t learn or won’t accept the right information, or your speeding wrong information on purpose. not that it’s not ok to make mistakes.

Why does learning have to come from giving someone a wrong answer? Just wait for someone to provide the correct answer, and we can all learn form it. Misinformation is dangerous, whether spread intentionally or not.

I do agree it is not all the "kids" messing things up. But i disagree that the spread of misinformation, whether well intentioned or not, is necessary for learning.

I think you are a fine member weeg and have enjoyed your threads, especially about meat birds as pets. Not trying to criticize you personally here at all. Just making some generalizations.

I get what you are saying, though humans learn from making mistakes. I remember always feeling horribly awful when I made a mistake, but someone would tell me “the best way to learn is to make mistakes,” which I believe.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Regretfully, Humans seem to learn best from making mistakes. Personally. When we learn at all.

Few seem to learn well from the mistakes of others - though I continue to offer my own as examples. Were it otherwise, we as a species might have learned more from our own history, and would not be doomed to watch, Generation after Generation, as people try the same tired ideas and insist, magically, that this time the results will differ, because they are the ones doing it. Just as we did at that age. and our parents, and their parents, before that.

Its the nature of the human beast.

Can't argue with that

 

[roosterhavoc]

It’s widely noticeable when someone offering advice about something turns around and asks some very basic beginner type question in another thread. Instead of pretending you know more than you do focus on learning. Everyone had to start somewhere.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

We all get things wrong sometimes. Everyone here is guilty of giving and receiving bad advice at some point in their lives, its just part of the human experience.
My issue in particular is when its doled out by inexperienced people to newcomers in crisis.
There are some members that have been on here a year tops, but have racked up posts (on mostly non-chicken related issues) and earned a "free ranging" title or some such, so they "look" trustworthy to a newcomer.
They "think" they can help, because they've read bunch of similar posts, and may have the best intentions, but have no real experience in the particular problem at hand.
I just wish more people, whatever their age, would stop and ask themselves, "am I SURE this is really helpful?" Before replying to emergency threads.
...Just a general observation.

Its free advice, worth no more than a Reader pays for it.

Nor am I sure there is any reasonable way of moderating an expert poster from one who is not. Its not merely time on this site. Nor is it number of posts. Certainly can't rely on the popularity contest that is "likes". or Followers. Neither does expertise in one subject imply expertise in another - quite often, the more expert one is in a subject, the less they are qualified to opine on any other. To say nothing of the "when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" situation that frequently accompanies deep expertise in a subject.

In a perfect world, we might look to self moderation - I stay out of breed posts, except sometime Re: Brahma, but jump in on feed posts, coop construction, zoning - and sometimes dip my toes into emergency disease, though rarely post.

Of course, if self moderation worked, we wouldn't have need for this thread...

We are left, therefore, with an exercise in line drawing, possibly limited by technology. More Badges? "Expert Geneticist" "Zoning Expert" "Coop Expert" "Feed Expert" - who decides? on what basis?

My political leanings have me favoring no lines at all, let the readers decide for themselves, though that risks a drop in quality of BYC if the quality of the posters on BYC drops. Arguably, it has, with the raft of new backyard owners in the wake of COVID. Not that they are "bad" people, just that the "team" has had its size inflated by a bunch of novice players, most not content to sit on the bench.

I don't see how an effective moderate and curate system can be set up to qualify expertise - this isn't people's full time jobs. So we are left with a sort of voluntary association and community recognition system, for good or ill. But I'm open to reasonable alternatives.

 

[aart]

It’s widely noticeable when someone offering advice about something turns around and asks some very basic beginner type question in another thread. Instead of pretending you know more than you do focus on learning. Everyone had to start somewhere.

Hard for newbies to know to do this.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Also it would be helpful if people would shorten their posts to important needed information. I can’t speak for everyone but if someone is writing a book I’d imagine most skim and at worst skip the thread altogether.

 

[KaleIAm]

It’s widely noticeable when someone offering advice about something turns around and asks some very basic beginner type question in another thread. Instead of pretending you know more than you do focus on learning. Everyone had to start somewhere.

x2

 

[U_Stormcrow]

<<<=== writes books. Frequently links sources. Simple answers suggest simple questions, and few posters are asking for help with algebra. "WHY" the answer is what is is may help avoid similar questions in the future, and serve as a way to sort knowledgeable opinion from emotion-based recommendations offered for the "feelz" of the poster. I have not mastered @aart 's skill at asking better questions to help identify what the original poster *meant* to ask.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

It’s widely noticeable when someone offering advice about something turns around and asks some very basic beginner type question in another thread. Instead of pretending you know more than you do focus on learning. Everyone had to start somewhere.

If the poster hasn't taken the time to do a cursory internet search - which, honestly, would answer a substantial portion of the questions posed here on BYC - they certainly can't be expected to troll the forums long enough to sort the chaff from the wheat.