Calling All Members

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I agree a lot is wrong if not most but blanket statements like that are probably not the best way to get our information across to someone.

I agree with almost everything you say. I would also like to add "all the info you get from the vet is wrong" to the list. All those definite statements are just too strong. We should also pay more attention to the location of the posters and try to adjust our advice that way.

 

[EppsDynasty]

I think this is a fantastic idea. With the GREAT communicators we have here and the CORRECT info they give it will be an incredible help to all that interact. I'm all for it, however I'm not one of thoose great communicators so I'll be taking notes.

 

[JoJosMom]

I like this idea. Maybe we can start off

"Welcome to TFO!, to better serve you, please take a moment and fill out our questionnaire! It will save time and provide all the important answers we will ask that is specific to your tortoise and their care"

I don't know, something like that to grab them and pull them in to participate.
We can go on and on all day long about should we or shouldn't we, It can't possibly be any less helpful than what we experience now. It helps get to the point so the experts can chime in and begin helping right away, instead of everyone having to ask 50 questions for every post before proper info can be given.

Great idea @Yvonne G

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I think this is a fantastic idea. With the GREAT communicators we have here and the CORRECT info they give it will be an incredible help to all that interact. I'm all for it, however I'm not one of thoose great communicators so I'll be taking notes.

Neither am I, in English I mean. In my native language Finnish I feel like I am much better at getting the message across, but I still try my best lol

 

[COmtnLady]

I think the opening page should not be long and super saturated. It should be light, airy, welcoming. Overwhelming someone chases them away.

It would be good to have, in every sentence of that opening statement ,"blue link words" (or in keeping with our color scheme, green link words) where a simple click would zip the reader over to the page about whatever that subject is. With something like that pinned to our home page, where it is brain-dead-ly simple to find, the new people can easily go back and read more when they are up to it. (Or us old people can easily access something we know we read, but where is it,) People friendly... Tortoise friendly.

 

[Cathie G]

I like this idea, and I feel it is important to start with this sort of disclaimer to lessen the "shock" people feel when we tell them that all of the "research" they've done over the last several months was all wrong and from all the usual wrong sources. Taking a page from the ever-eloquent Yvonne, I would leave the more negative aspects out, or try to find a way to word them less confrontationally. Many people do take it as a personal insult or challenge, but I don't want to lead them in that direction right off the bat. I like the tone to be more of, "Hey, we are here to help...", instead of telling them how much they are gonna want to fight with us over what is being said. Diplomacy. I'm not great at it, but I've learned to get better at it over the years from some excellent role models here.

I agree it's better to not be confrontational. I like the idea of the questions page too though. New members could be guided to it. After they get a friendly welcome. That's what I loved about this site in the first place.

I would like to chime in here if you'll allow. I read the forum every day and I've been around a long time. I've noticed some changes on the board the last year or so and it's been bothering me. They kinda relate to this topic so I hope this can spur a constructive conversation. First this forum has without a doubt, the best information to be found anywhere. I think the list of questions is a good idea. With that in mind I would like to point out a few things.
First and foremost, we have no idea who the person asking the question is. We don't know their age, experience level or even if English is their first language. I too often see people argue with or attack someone who it appears to me is either a child or not proficient in english. I think it would be helpful to remember that the person may not be an adult or english speaking. They could even be using google translate.
Another thing to remember is not everyone learns the same way. Tom's care sheets are great but not everyone retains information well from reading. When someone has been watching youtube it may very well be because they are visual learners. It bugs me when people say "all" the info on youtube is wrong. It's just not true. There is bad information on there but there is bad information everywhere. Some of our members post youtube videos. Garden State Tortoise has great informational videos. So telling people it's all wrong is just not true.
Another big thing I think we need to remember is that when someone new comes here they don't know any of us. The information on this forum is no more reliable to them than anywhere else. When we just attack everything they've been told it's not always going to be received well. We shouldn't expect people to just blindly believe what they're being told. I have seen people be told that everything they've read on the internet is wrong. I have news for everyone, THIS is on the internet lol. It also goes with everything on facebook or from pet stores is wrong. I agree a lot is wrong if not most but blanket statements like that are probably not the best way to get our information across to someone. There has to be a softer way to tell people the best info is here.
Also we need to understand that tortoises are very resilient. Not everything is an instant death sentence. People have spent a lot of money doing what they thought is right and they come here and are told they need to change everything immediately. There are very few things that need change immediately to prevent death. We should tell them what's most important to do first. Not everyone has unlimited funds and finding out it's all wrong can be very deflating. Like saying you must have a minimum 4x8 indoor inclosure. Not everyone has a big house or room for something that size. Having 4x8 is an opinion and we know nothing that says a 3x8 or 3x10 or some other size won't work just as well. There are a lot of factors that go into how big an indoor enclosure has to be. Like how much outside time are they getting. Maybe it's just for nights or inclimate weather. We all know bigger is better but a few weeks or months in a small enclosure with adequate outdoor time is not going to kill a tortoise. We don't need to overwhelm them with everything at once. They should do what's most important first.
I hope that this is taken how it was intended, that is to try to get the best information available out there to help the most animals we can. If we run people off, all of the work people on here have done is for nothing. Sorry for rambling on.

I agree with you. I like what happened with me. I got friendly answers right away. And everyone patiently tried to keep guiding me to the right places on the site despite the fact I had no idea how to use the site and don't still 🤔😜. Most know how to use a computer better than me though. The questionnaire is a great idea to guide new people to for better help with specific questions after a friendly welcome and some conversation. I needed that so bad when I joined. I'm still here because I got it. That's a part of this site I don't want to see changed.

 

[Cathie G]

Neither am I, in English I mean. In my native language Finnish I feel like I am much better at getting the message across, but I still try my best lol

You do just fine.😊in English. Thanks for trying. I've wondered about the non English speaking people here and wondered how they communicate so well with us.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

You do just fine.😊in English. Thanks for trying. I've wondered about the non English speaking people here and wondered how they communicate so well with us.

Well I guess it depends. I got enough English learning under my belt to write these messages on my own, but I have to use spell check. It is more the tone or emotion that I struggle to get across sometimes if you know what I mean.

I wonder if there was a way for non English speakers to indicate their level of English (like a stamp or something one could use if they wanted). There are some with lower English skills who would probably benefit from members answering their thread acknowledging that.

 

[EppsDynasty]

Well I guess it depends. I got enough English learning under my belt to write these messages on my own, but I have to use spell check. It is more the tone or emotion that I struggle to get across sometimes if you know what I mean.

I wonder if there was a way for non English speakers to indicate their level of English (like a stamp or something one could use if they wanted). There are some with lower English skills who would probably benefit from members answering their thread acknowledging that.

I speak english and have a problem with "Tone" or "Emotion" getting across correctly. There really is an Art to communication, @Tom told me so...Ha Ha. In my opinion it should be said somehow that "The answers you will get are going to be fact based not a personality issue, be ready for answers not some form of personality grooming."
I also think this will help and allow members with less experience to learn and be part of answering real questions. This may be a way to get more members involved.

 

[Cathie G]

Well I guess it depends. I got enough English learning under my belt to write these messages on my own, but I have to use spell check. It is more the tone or emotion that I struggle to get across sometimes if you know what I mean.

I wonder if there was a way for non English speakers to indicate their level of English (like a stamp or something one could use if they wanted). There are some with lower English skills who would probably benefit from members answering their thread acknowledging that.

I think we all struggle with trying to get our true messages to others even with the written word. Even in our own language. It takes the right adjectives etc to describe the emotion. The right word 😄 it's hard 😊