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misfit11

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I seem to have noticed a significant uptick of new users on the forum lately. I wonder if this is a result of the pandemic and more time people have spent at home on the rather than out in the real world or is there suddenly more interest in bonsai? I think there was already an increased interest in the forum in the last few years anyway. Other bonsai forums seem to have fallen by the wayside (Bonsai Site forums, Internet Bonsai Club etc). Internet Bonsai Club (IBC) used to be a great source of quality trees specifically from European artists, now it seems that many have migrated over to BNut. IBC seems to be dying a slow death.

All the increased traffic on BNut is great as more interest in the hobby can only make it better. I love to see newbies in the hobby as it reminds me of my early days when everything was so exciting and new (aren't those words in the lyrics of the Love Boat theme song?). More people means more ideas, more trees and increased opportunities for networking.

All in all, with more members the benefits far outweigh any potential negatives. The only downside I see is that with increased activity from newbs the advanced members' posts can get buried beneath the flurry of newbie threads. This might be off-putting for the more advanced artists on the forum. I know @Smoke left because of his dissatisfaction with the way things were going (although that may say more about his personality rather than anything else). Although I appreciate the newcomers, I often just want to see nice trees and find myself wading through lots of posts with sticks in pots. There's "The Tree Thread" of course but I want to see progression threads too. I don't want to come off as some kind of bonsai snob, but I don't know how to state this in another way (like I said, I love newcomers and we were all newbs at one point or another).

The Bonsai Site Forums used to be broken down into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced sections. Obviously, these were quite subjective with people posting in the Advanced forums who had zero business being there but at least there was some attempt to "segregate" for lack of a better word. Could we possibly consider something like this here on BNut? What do people think?

Cory
 

Maloghurst

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While I agree with there being a lot of threads that just leave shaking my head. I don’t like the idea of separating either.
I just click follow on some members But I’m not quite sure what that does exactly. Also watching specific threads of course can help wade through everything.
 

misfit11

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Just because I’m new to this venue doesn’t mean I’m new to bonsai.
Of course. I'd been doing bonsai for close to a decade before joining BNut. What I'm proposing here wouldn't be based on how long you've been a member of the forum. It shouldn't be based upon your number of posts either as there are those with 10k+ posts but poor quality trees. It would be based on your level of mastery in the hobby and the quality of your trees. Again, this is highly subjective as what one considers advanced, another would call beginner.

I really don't want people to take offense to this at all. Please don't. That was my worry when posting this. I just want to make the forum as good as it can be for all levels of experience in the hobby.
 

kale

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Of course. I'd been doing bonsai for close to a decade before joining BNut. What I'm proposing here wouldn't be based on how long you've been a member of the forum. It shouldn't be based upon your number of posts either as there are those with 10k+ posts but poor quality trees. It would be based on your level of mastery in the hobby and the quality of your trees. Again, this is highly subjective as what one considers advanced, another would call beginner.

I really don't want people to take offense to this at all. Please don't. That was my worry when posting this. I just want to make the forum as good as it can be for all levels of experience in the hobby.
For the noobs (like me), are you tired of the flooding of the home page or is there better etiquette we could follow? I’ve been learning that starting a new thread to ask a simple question causes a lot of clutter and I do agree, to post a pic of a tree is best saved for the tree thread.
 

JudyB

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You can always learn something even from beginners, it opens your mind when you think you know everything, and a question comes along that you want to know the answer to. I find that helping others can be enjoyable. How many advanced people would visit the newbie section? Then who gives them advice? New people helping new people is no way to keep people interested.
 

HorseloverFat

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I know your heart is in the correct place, operating on all cylinders.

However...

This seems like a subject designed to spark controversy... even if that wasn’t the original intent... it, inevitably WILL be the outcome.

As a “new guy” feel free to put my posts wherever you’d like... It matters not... at least to me. ;)

I’d know that if my posts got “buried”... they weren’t being looked for hard enough...

I’d be content sitting at the “kids table” ;) :) .. but the outlook on life that I hold is different.

I gotta get myself to the lobby before the previews are done.
 

sorce

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There is nothing wrong with starting brand new threads to rehash same stuff. New ideas can always come about.
If there is a great thread on it already, we can link it, so all roads lead to good information.

We should be responsible in where we post things, so you can find good progression threads where they belong, size or species categories. Keeping same old rehashed stuff to general discussion and newb threads.

Though New Posts is easy, and where I'm at.

I wonder how Newbs find useful information?
Searches?
I kinda like the "similar" threads at the bottom, kinda don't.

Generally, searching "all threads by", is a good way to find the right people's progressions.

Sorce
 

AaronThomas

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I think that would completely change what BN is as a forum. If you happen upon a post that causes you to shake your head... don't click on it. The beauty of what BN has created is that this is a place for experienced artists as well as noobs. (is that pc?)
I have gone back and read some of my early posts and yes.... I have shook my head at several... But without this site... I would not have continued my hand at bonsai. Nearly everything I have learned about bonsai has come form folks here in the Nut House... I have no other out let. And to second what JudyB said...I learn from the beginners just like I learn from the masters (masters lol;)). Some of the simplest threads turn into all out information overloads... I totally dig it!
I've learned a ton in the past 8 years and think I have created some pretty cool friendships along the way.... {{{SAP SAP SAP}}}
But maybe I'm being selfish because I have got so much out of the site... I hope to one day be able to pay it forward.
Noobs rock.... let them be free to rome!
 
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HorseloverFat

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Some of the simplest threads turn into all out information overloads... I totally dig it!

Precisely! Shared information! Knowledge is the ONE resource we have that DOESN’T diminish when shared with others.

If i knew how link a post(but i dont... cause I’m a new guy 🤣) I would link the “Most difficult specie to bonsai???” (Wording?) thread.. as an example of that “information overload” effect.
 

Mikecheck123

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I seem to have noticed a significant uptick of new users on the forum lately. I wonder if this is a result of the pandemic and more time people have spent at home on the rather than out in the real world or is there suddenly more interest in bonsai? I think there was already an increased interest in the forum in the last few years anyway. Other bonsai forums seem to have fallen by the wayside (Bonsai Site forums, Internet Bonsai Club etc). Internet Bonsai Club (IBC) used to be a great source of quality trees specifically from European artists, now it seems that many have migrated over to BNut. IBC seems to be dying a slow death.

All the increased traffic on BNut is great as more interest in the hobby can only make it better. I love to see newbies in the hobby as it reminds me of my early days when everything was so exciting and new (aren't those words in the lyrics of the Love Boat theme song?). More people means more ideas, more trees and increased opportunities for networking.

All in all, with more members the benefits far outweigh any potential negatives. The only downside I see is that with increased activity from newbs the advanced members' posts can get buried beneath the flurry of newbie threads. This might be off-putting for the more advanced artists on the forum. I know @Smoke left because of his dissatisfaction with the way things were going (although that may say more about his personality rather than anything else). Although I appreciate the newcomers, I often just want to see nice trees and find myself wading through lots of posts with sticks in pots. There's "The Tree Thread" of course but I want to see progression threads too. I don't want to come off as some kind of bonsai snob, but I don't know how to state this in another way (like I said, I love newcomers and we were all newbs at one point or another).

The Bonsai Site Forums used to be broken down into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced sections. Obviously, these were quite subjective with people posting in the Advanced forums who had zero business being there but at least there was some attempt to "segregate" for lack of a better word. Could we possibly consider something like this here on BNut? What do people think?

Cory
I think it is pandemic related. My account is years old, but I only started coming daily in March. Coincidence? I think not.

The influx of new beginners is a problem that has been around since the dawn of the Internet. But I don't think the traffic yet justifies segregation. I only have to scroll down two pages to see old stuff from yesterday at the moment.

Maybe we can give special flair to posts by people with high karma (or whatever it's called here :))?
 

misfit11

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You can always learn something even from beginners, it opens your mind when you think you know everything, and a question comes along that you want to know the answer to. I find that helping others can be enjoyable. How many advanced people would visit the newbie section? Then who gives them advice? New people helping new people is no way to keep people interested.
I wholeheartedly agree, Judy, that we can learn from anyone. I certainly don't think I know everything (the second I think I might I'm quickly reminded that I don't know s@#&). I also find it enjoyable to help newcomers. Just yesterday I wrote a multiple paragraph post in the intention of helping a beginner. It's when I try to teach someone something that I am forced to understand it better myself.
That being said, some days I'm more inclined to help a noob. Other days I'd just rather see nice trees. I don't think I'd ever stop helping beginners altogether, though, even if they were in a different section.
There probably isn't going to be a beneficial way to do what I'm proposing. I can already see that this is a contentious issue. In an increasingly divided nation and world we probably don't need our bonsai forum to be divisive.
 

HorseloverFat

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A section for people to post threads who are new to bonsai

I think we should call it, “New to bonsai” ... or something like that.

Or we could set up a “caste” system....
 

Atom#28

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I am noob. I lurked for a while before I posted, because I didn't want to look like a complete tool. Watched the ebb and flow of the information; the interpersonal relationships of the users. Then I jumped in with a bunch of idiotic, naïve, ridiculous noob posts and questions. Achievement Unlocked: Look Like a Tool. What's my point? Well, even when my posts are rather stupid, this community has always been gracious and accommodating.

[By the way, don't we already have a section called "new to bonsai"?]

Searches?

Search function in this forum isn't all that useful IMO.

HOWEVER

Using Google to search, with the term bonsainut thrown in, renders amazing results.
 

JoeR

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You know, I look back at my old threads and comments and cringe... so we have all been there. But I can also see improvement over time, thanks to bnut.

But I do agree with you Leo. However, I think its not so much that there's been an influx of new members. I have personally thought theres been a decline in quality threads, or said another way a decline in contribution from the more experienced members. But any content that an individual chooses to share is a donation of their time- literally- and we are not entitled to this information, its simply a gift.

I think the most exhausting part of the forum are new duplicate threads that have been discussed extensively over and over. Questions that already have a clean cut answer asked again, not that I'm not guilty of this myself. So maybe the solution is more pinned threads, highlighting some of the better threads with applicable info, making them more accessible.

I dont see any easy or cheap way to negate these problems.

Edit: sorry Misfit, your avatar looked like another member here (Leo).
 

Mikecheck123

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The search functionality is a bit lacking. I recently tried to find Brian's 10-year trident maple progression (the thread has a very generic name, like "Maple project.") Wow, that took awhile!
 

Woocash

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As a noob round these parts i have often asked questions which i have not easily been able to find through the search function, only to find the information in another thread later on. I try to look for answers before posting and I don't bother asking half the questions i think of even though I don't find the answer because I don't want to clog up the forum.

Perhaps a temporary Q&A style section would be good, where basic newbie repetitive questions can be asked that only lasts for a certain amount of time unless a button is activated to make the thread permanent if deemed useful enough.

Also, the resources section could be so much more expansive. Frequently asked questions, big box bonsai (mallsai) care, standard beginner species IDs, species care guides etc etc. And if you create an account the FAQ section is a suggested first port of call, like an induction (Non noobs can just pass on). That way, segregation isn’t required, but those same threads wont necessarily be quite so repetitive.
 

amcoffeegirl

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Do not be afraid to post pics. It may not be what you want to hear but it will get you thinking in the right direction.
It is the best and fastest way to learn.
Take pics and share them often.
 

amcoffeegirl

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I think if anyone goes to @Smoke with a sincere interest in learning he is very open to helping. He has a lot of knowledge and has tried many experiments of his own.
He will tell you his honest opinion.
It may not be wrapped in a pretty bow but it will be the truth. I gotta respect that.
If it saves me years of headaches and teaches me something along the way then I def wanna hear that.
I have learned a great deal from progression threads. Those I have to say are my favorite.
This is a good thread. Thanks for posting it.
 
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