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Mark_Gough wrote:
While attracting farrier talent is critical, so too should be a goal of attracting horse owners to register and share cases in the Farriers Helping Horse Owners section of the forums. I've found case discussions to be some of the most interesting and educational aspects of the forum.
The difficulty in achieving that goal isn't so much offering rewards as controlling content in such threads. While we expect a certain amount of thick skin armor in the farriers helping farriers section, one cannot presume the same level of tolerance on the part of horse owners. The bar for moderation has to be higher. Frankly, that's why so many horse owners take their forum business elsewhere, opting for softer websites where the barefoot trimmers attend their sometimes delicate sensibilities.
Cheers,
Mark
A certain amount of thick skin is sometimes not enough...one must come in here at times wearing chainmail and a full suit of armor. I know I for one lurked for a long time before ever posting anything, and I have not posted much of my work at all for the fact that sometimes, lets face it we mess up or get in over our heads. In those times when I have have been in too deep, yet it was too late to turn back now, to be able to ask questions and post pictures and get advise would be welcome. To post and get chewed up and told you have no business trying to do that kind of work, that will drive new blood out of here. We can follow a guy around forever but till we actually do it ourselves we will never truly learn.
I know that part of the whole Karma thing, to support the good and try to minimize the bad.
Yes a guy should try to learn first hand from a more experienced farrier, but that isn't always possible. There isn't always a "qualified" mentor close, available, or willing. This forum tries to provides a place for a guy to get some help when maybe we are the only help a guy can get. But sadly many times the new guy or the inexperienced guy gets ripped up one side and down the other and left feeling more lost than when he logged in.
I think it would go along way to encouraging new guys to participate if they felt is was "safe" to give their two cents. Yeah they will sometimes be way out in left field, but it's how we show them how little they know that will determine if they stay and grow or if they bow their neck and move on.
The same holds true for the horse owner I think.
Just my take on the situation.
BTW I like the new site and I hope the kinks get worked out and Steve gets more return on his investment than he ever expected. Thanks Steve for running this site for all of us.