An MFK-er's dream...
- Thread starter thebiggerthebetter
- Start date
Thanks, guys. The way I am proposing it, everyone does it on their own scale and to their own ability, never mind Wolfgang's article which I used as a (formidable) example of what we could strive for.
These threads I am proposing would be no different in this regard from what we already have now - a variety of threads from people of all kinds of experience, skills, $$ means, etc.
The main differences would be (1) follow-through for the entire life of a fish and (2) concentration of the info as these would be a one-author threads from OP to the end.
They can still be built over time, post by post, over years, or made into lengthy write-ups from the giddy-up as we frequently have in the DIY section - many thanks to all those folks thoroughly documenting their builds for our sake.
Anyone who just got a fish today can start such a thread (just as they do now "Look yall, what I got!"), as can anyone with any level of experience. But the thread would only be about that fish (and maybe including some interaction with kin and tank mates) and only by that author.
The q&a about the fish "yall has just looked at" or about the set-up, etc. originating both from the OP and from the readers can be placed ... as simply as in another thread and the link is provided in both threads to the other thread.
These threads I am proposing would be no different in this regard from what we already have now - a variety of threads from people of all kinds of experience, skills, $$ means, etc.
The main differences would be (1) follow-through for the entire life of a fish and (2) concentration of the info as these would be a one-author threads from OP to the end.
They can still be built over time, post by post, over years, or made into lengthy write-ups from the giddy-up as we frequently have in the DIY section - many thanks to all those folks thoroughly documenting their builds for our sake.
Anyone who just got a fish today can start such a thread (just as they do now "Look yall, what I got!"), as can anyone with any level of experience. But the thread would only be about that fish (and maybe including some interaction with kin and tank mates) and only by that author.
The q&a about the fish "yall has just looked at" or about the set-up, etc. originating both from the OP and from the readers can be placed ... as simply as in another thread and the link is provided in both threads to the other thread.
The most interesting part to me, would be cross referencing posts, particularly with species that can have wildly different mannerisms. It might be interesting to see what we can do to influence the behavior, or curb aggression. I am in favor of the idea, I however will not be first haha.
So, would there be a special section of the forum for these "blogs" or just in the section pertaining to the species? On another forum I'm a member of, we have a "journals" section which members use to blog about their tank as a whole. It's somewhat similar in that info is continuously posted about what's going on in the tank but doesn't single out one fish.
Thanks, guys and gals.
I cannot propose any format because it may be moot. If the MFK staff took this on and asked for our input, we could provide suggestions. But it's time and money for someone to program the site, which, AFAIK, is never easy with bugs, etc. Plus the site has just been updated.
Proposing is easy, doing it is the hard part.
I'll wait it out a bit longer then talk it over with Koltsixx in private.
I cannot propose any format because it may be moot. If the MFK staff took this on and asked for our input, we could provide suggestions. But it's time and money for someone to program the site, which, AFAIK, is never easy with bugs, etc. Plus the site has just been updated.
Proposing is easy, doing it is the hard part.
I'll wait it out a bit longer then talk it over with Koltsixx in private.
I think the reason you are getting so little feedback is because if you look under certain sub-sections, such as the Channa Sub Category (which is really well organized), you will see there is a lot of information about the different types of Snake Heads available around the world... There are a few other sub sections that i think also have similar info for that sections species...
What might be good is to have an area where people can go into and find information on all the fish they need kinda like FishBase but on a forum... So maybe break that one forum section into sub sections for different types of fish. i.e. Puffers / Catfish / Snakeheads etc, and then fill the information in as we go along, that way people won't have to look all over the site for information on a certain fish and may help cut back on people asking some of the basic questions over and over because a small bit of info is jumbled up inside a mass of posts and information...
What might be good is to have an area where people can go into and find information on all the fish they need kinda like FishBase but on a forum... So maybe break that one forum section into sub sections for different types of fish. i.e. Puffers / Catfish / Snakeheads etc, and then fill the information in as we go along, that way people won't have to look all over the site for information on a certain fish and may help cut back on people asking some of the basic questions over and over because a small bit of info is jumbled up inside a mass of posts and information...
Thanks, Homer. I don't fret over little response because I don't place much value on my thread and proposal. I try not to be full of myself... But yours is another way of doing the same thing, if I see it right. I like it too.
A potential hiccup I see with your way is ownership, that is, we all together won't be able to fill in the info into a FishBase-like Profile for each species X because when something's owned and can be edited by all, it usually ends up being owned by nobody.
I am proposing a self-organizing database, where the responsibility for each thread lies with one person, the OP, as well as placing the thread in the right forum, sub forum, etc., and the right species.
No need for mods or anyone to dedicate much effort to police and correct this. All that could be minimally needed is a Forum, for instance, "Individual Fish Profiles", divided into subforums named after one fish species, which in turn contain the new type of single-author threads / blogs, I am suggesting.
IDK all the sections. You may be right that for some this may be unneeded, repetitive. I just don't know yet. I have no expectations either. "Failure to launch" will probably be on my tomb stone
A potential hiccup I see with your way is ownership, that is, we all together won't be able to fill in the info into a FishBase-like Profile for each species X because when something's owned and can be edited by all, it usually ends up being owned by nobody.
I am proposing a self-organizing database, where the responsibility for each thread lies with one person, the OP, as well as placing the thread in the right forum, sub forum, etc., and the right species.
No need for mods or anyone to dedicate much effort to police and correct this. All that could be minimally needed is a Forum, for instance, "Individual Fish Profiles", divided into subforums named after one fish species, which in turn contain the new type of single-author threads / blogs, I am suggesting.
IDK all the sections. You may be right that for some this may be unneeded, repetitive. I just don't know yet. I have no expectations either. "Failure to launch" will probably be on my tomb stone
One problem I see is many new arrivals die, so they will be harder to create super legit threads for. It's obviously possible but it would be a bit depressing to see someone start a thread share some info and then the fish die to whatever. That said it would be super freakin cool to see someone pick up a fish, do a bit of a prologue with whatever information they know, and then fill the rest in with experience while also gaining some evidence against some myths in the hobby. It's a great, but hard to execute, idea that could make for some formidable reading material. Lord knows I'd spend a lot more time (and probably money) if I could find a few guides on fish I don't have any experience with, right now it's spread out among many sites with so much conflicting data that it becomes difficult to figure it all out, and I am the kind of person who will scour the internet before ever making a thread so it would be great for me. I think some sort of initial format should be required, something that makes you write about your knowledge/experience beforehand because it will make a better article and allows you to expect a certain level of expertise. If I open up two delhezi articles and one is by
Dr.B
and another by joe blow there should be a noteworthy difference, and if it doesn't clearly state it I believe it might suffer quality wise. These are just some random thoughts, but I find value is both threads.
Dr.B
and another by joe blow there should be a noteworthy difference, and if it doesn't clearly state it I believe it might suffer quality wise. These are just some random thoughts, but I find value is both threads.
These are valid, agreeable points on my end. Yes, for efficient research anyone wants to spend their precious time reading trustworthy accounts.
As for a fish dying soon into the thread -
-- first it is the author's responsibility to relay what happened in a way that helps others to avoid it,
-- second, it would teach the author and readers to be more serious about it - keep the fish for some time, take notes, photos, then lay them out in a thread.
Again, the place for a quick "Look what I am getting or just got", "I have such and such problem", etc. is there and it is very important to have that...
... but it seems often that this is all we got when doing homework, when one searches for an hour and ends up reading uninformative posts (for one's purpose), general remarks made in passing, compliments, basic questions and basic answers, off-topic stuff, arguments, unsubstantiated suppositions and guesses, baseless claims (which may be valid but made unsupported or by someone you don't know - one just does not know if they are trustworthy), repetitive info, etc. for 55 min on the hour.
As for a fish dying soon into the thread -
-- first it is the author's responsibility to relay what happened in a way that helps others to avoid it,
-- second, it would teach the author and readers to be more serious about it - keep the fish for some time, take notes, photos, then lay them out in a thread.
Again, the place for a quick "Look what I am getting or just got", "I have such and such problem", etc. is there and it is very important to have that...
... but it seems often that this is all we got when doing homework, when one searches for an hour and ends up reading uninformative posts (for one's purpose), general remarks made in passing, compliments, basic questions and basic answers, off-topic stuff, arguments, unsubstantiated suppositions and guesses, baseless claims (which may be valid but made unsupported or by someone you don't know - one just does not know if they are trustworthy), repetitive info, etc. for 55 min on the hour.
