Seperate new beekeepers forum section ?

[BKF Admin]

I thought Admin had removed the UK option? If not then it might be a good idea to do so.

PH

I have just removed it mr PH..

 

[Poly Hive]

I know dear Admin... lol

PH

 

[For want of a better word]

hope the"no to this" and "not bothered"do not form a coalition...

 

[psafloyd]

I think the strength is that all rub shoulders together.

I am new and I rarely go into the fora, rather just look up the new posts and follow the threads. It's been invaluable.

However, may I suggest the following which I have seen elsewhere. When there are any particularly sage utterances from the more experienced beeks, they might be placed in an archive/treasury/FAQ/new beeks come here first section and when people sign up, they be directed to that as a basic primer before they start wading into posting.

I wouldn't try and stop posting, but it can offer a flavour of the depth of knowledge they can tap into, particularly if they are here at a time when noone is here to speak to them.

 

[psafloyd]

milkermel do you use "" when you search ?
It makes a massive difference.

abreviations:

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=272

That is the kind of thing that cold be in a FAQ for using the site.

 

[psafloyd]

Maybe we could have a frequently asked questions section?
We could search there to see the answers to common problems/issues. I know that you can just use the search button but if a FAQ section was there all would and could use it and add to it.
Btw. You are all wonderful and I don't think I would still be beekeeping without your support. I look at the forum everyday to see what's new.

Just posted that myself, but we might also take the best of the best answers and place them in there as well.

 

[psafloyd]

As a relative newbie - first year with my own hive but 2 1/2 years working around bees I think an FAQ culled from the common questions posted and answered over the last few months would be better than a dedicated forum.
People can then post -- have you read this thread......
I have a tendency to read more than I post so I always scan sub fora with new posts incase there's something that may prove to interesting or enlightening.
Of course condensing the answers into a FAQ that the experts (x=unknown quantity, spurt=drip under pressure) agrees on is going to be a war unto itself

 

[ElectricBlueBee]

We know one who is both...and has posed in the altogether on top of a beehive for a certain gay magazine...and no we haven't seen the photos.

...sorry admin, OT .

Which magazine and which issue?!

 

[richy]

Maybe we could have a frequently asked questions section?
We could search there to see the answers to common problems/issues. I know that you can just use the search button but if a FAQ section was there all would and could use it and add to it.
Btw. You are all wonderful and I don't think I would still be beekeeping without your support. I look at the forum everyday to see what's new.

i think and FAQ section is a very good idea

 

[Erichalfbee]

Also browsing through a FAQ might give you a better answer to something you might have had an idea about already. Does that make sense?

 

[Poly Hive]

There already is a kind of a FAQ under the "sticky" title.

Problem is so many are so .... dare I say it frankly, lets be polite and say they lead such busy lives they just don't seem to have the time to research, and that blank post form is so inviting, that rather than check first they rattle the keys.

Would a FAQ make any difference? I rather doubt it.

PH

 

[Beezy]

There already is a kind of a FAQ under the "sticky" title.

Problem is so many are so .... dare I say it frankly, lets be polite and say they lead such busy lives they just don't seem to have the time to research, and that blank post form is so inviting, that rather than check first they rattle the keys.

Would a FAQ make any difference? I rather doubt it.

PH

I don't believe that's true at all. I think it's much more likely that the search function on this forum is very tricky and doesn't bring up the relevant data most of the time (I've certainly found this and it seems others have too). Also, the sheer volume of posts mean that even if a subject was only discussed a few days ago, in terms of numbers of posts it might be 7 pages back and not have an obvious title to enable easy location.


In terms of setting up a new beek section, I don't think it's exclusive - it wouldn't be ONLY for new beeks, but it would mean that the simple 1st year stuff is covered mainly there and the more complex stuff like queen rearing etc would be elsewhere. It'd make it much easier to find the relevant info.

Also, experienced beekeepers shouldn't be able to vote 'no' to a new beek section - as it's something that would mainly benefit the newbees, surely it should only be their votes that count? Just like I wouldn't have the right to vote 'no' to adding an experienced section on this forum for people that want to debate more complex stuff.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Also, experienced beekeepers shouldn't be able to vote 'no' to a new beek section - as it's something that would mainly benefit the newbees, surely it should only be their votes that count? Just like I wouldn't have the right to vote 'no' to adding an experienced section on this forum for people that want to debate more complex stuff.

Who do you think would be posting all the answers to our dumb questions? Some experinced beeks may not be overly keen on posting the same thing twice. Personally think it would make searching a lot more complicated as well.

 

[Beezy]

Who do you think would be posting all the answers to our dumb questions? Some experinced beeks may not be overly keen on posting the same thing twice. Personally think it would make searching a lot more complicated as well.

Well, I disagree. This forum has the most random search returns of all the forums I belong to, and I think having the basic info in one place would make things simpler. Anyway, it's not going to happen so not worth me going on about it.

 

[psafloyd]

There already is a kind of a FAQ under the "sticky" title.

Problem is so many are so .... dare I say it frankly, lets be polite and say they lead such busy lives they just don't seem to have the time to research, and that blank post form is so inviting, that rather than check first they rattle the keys.

Would a FAQ make any difference? I rather doubt it.

PH

PH,

I think it is fair to say that until you have used it for a while, the site is not the most intuitive to find your way around.

Perhaps we should look to draw up a sticky with navigation instructions and a MUST READ FIRST sticky giving people the etiquette, rules, etc to cover that off. Then when new members join, they can be instructed to exhaust that resource before posting questions.

I have been instructed to do something similar on joining other groups. People don't mind 'stupid' questions if they haven't been answered umpteen times before and been resolved.

Does that seem reasonable?

 

[Poly Hive]

It's not I you have to convince but Admin.

I must admit I do get a bit fed up with "how do I find the Queen, how many supers do I need, and how do I tell if I am queenless."

However the real point I am making and make again is so many just will not look for themselves.

Whether Admin can improve the search function I have no idea as I suspect it may be out of his hands.

PH

 

[BKF Admin]

Things can always be improved.

I will do a sticky on how to get the best reults using a search.

 

[shonto]

Things can always be improved.

I will do a sticky on how to get the best reults using a search.

Forever the rhe optomist.

Thanks Mark: hurray:

 

[paul]

Things can always be improved.

I will do a sticky on how to get the best reults using a search.

Thanks Admin, I think this could be useful.

 

[Hombre]

Also, experienced beekeepers shouldn't be able to vote 'no' to a new beek section

Who do you think would be posting all the answers to our dumb questions?

Well, I disagree. This forum has the most random search returns of all the forums I belong to

Let me see . . . experienced beeks don't get a vote, so a New Beek section is created and all sorts of questions, good, bad and ugly get asked, but the more experienced beeks decide it is not something that they had a say in and so decide that it doesn't exist and fail to contribute – Who and where is/are the winner/s?

So Mr Breezy, Help Admin out and describe, comprehensively, how the search facilites at these other forums is an improvement over the current model. Give some examples of searches that you feel might be of importance.
What parameters do you feel are important in a search? Original Poster of thread? Date of response?

Does anyone add tags to their posts? I suspect that most of us do not, as it's just too much trouble to remain consistent with ourselves, never mind with each other.

You can always step outside the forum and Google your query if you feel that the search engine here isn't smart enough for you. I suspect however though that Google probably has different priorities than those you might feel appropriate too.

For example, given the limited subject matter, you are likely to be snowed by all the popular terms:
queen, drone, worker, honey, thymol, varroa, TBH etc. So the search really only comes into it's own when you can connect a thread with a user and a date period. Nature of the subject I suspect.

To get a meaningful minimal search result, you actually need to know what you are looking for in the first place. Not the answer perhaps, but certainly elements of the question. It doesn't help that the attitude to meandering threads is one of acceptance and not rigid, which means that indexing some of the real pearls that occur can be difficult because they come up out of context with the original purpose of a thread.

I think that on joining a forum such as this, it's beholden to run back 12 months and at least skim read the posts. The investment in time will answer a lot of questions that hadn't been thought of originally. Instant gratification comes at a cost and I feel that it is not always reasonable to ask others to do all the donkey work. After all the time of each one of us is personally worth the same amount.

No particular opinion, but tend to think that segregation of new and experienced is not a good idea. It has to be expected that there must be a basic level of competence before anyone can meaningfully join in various conversations as anything other than noise. Even if that skill is in finding a published viewpoint and querying the thinking behind it given your other earthly experiences in other areas.