How about a "How to" section

[metalmickey]

HOw about a section outlining simple noob FAQ stuff like:

How to use your airstill:
Making cuts, using a spirit hydro, benefits of using a parrot
Setting yourself up with apparatus with suitable recipticals

How to make a simple sugar wash with the pros and cons of using different yeasts.

these are just a few i can think of and to be honest several posters have made me aware of stuff that im doing wrong or indicated that there are more practical ways of doing things.

MM

[Jimmy]

Yeah, the main site is long overdue a rethink - I will take this onboard!

[metalmickey]

Ive seen on some other sites that the topics can only be posted by moderators or users with a certain number of posts thus preventing the topics becoming cluttered.

[Jimmy]

Yeah, the thing is that I'm keen for beginners to have somewhere to ask questions so I'd like to keep it as open as I can for now, if it gets to be a big problem might have to review it.

[lyonacre]

Great idea and hear, hear to the beginner bit

[metalmickey]

Sorry, i dindnt mean that noobs coulndt reply, just not post new topics in the how toos area.

mm

[Jimmy]

Ah, sorry mate - I get ya!

[Icefever]

I've spent some of my holiday time reading loads of the older posts, even going back to 2008 at the start.
On reading this How about a "How to" section it seemed to get off to a good start then now't. I really do believe it would be a great help to all of us newbies on here. I've noticed a number of new members in the short time I've been on here. So how about it Jimmy???

[Almanac]

I think most such subjects are covered in other sections and that's why this thread didn't take off.

If you think about it, say, "How do you make Rum?" is covered in Recipes; "How do you make a Liebig Condenser?" Is covered in Build Your Own; etc.

Experienced members have developed their own way to do things so there are countless and very different ways to make Rum. What ingredients, Pot Still or Reflux, Black or White, etc.. Same thing with making a condenser. Different opinions about whether a Liebig is suitable, what size, length, materials.

The problem is that whatever's posted draws opinion from the great and the good and Uncle Tom Cobley and all. Other sites do have sections where an information piece can be posted for reading with no reply or comment permitted. These are threads that are posted and locked. There are Pro's and Con's to such a system and one of the biggest arguments against is who would make the decision as to who's opinion is worth posting to stand alone as qualitative advice?

We all love to throw in our tuppence worth

Personally I'd like to see just a little more organisation here, but not controlling organisation as you see on other sites. Recipes is one area I'd agree with a Post and No Comment/Opinion rule. This would allow different members to post their recipe for Rum and you'd end up with 10(or more) different recipes for Rum, no opinions, just the recipe. General chat and comment about recipes would continue as it does now just not in the same thread as the actual recipes

Now you have my tuppence worth

AM

BTW: Jimmy is not real, it was a CGC (Computer Generated Character) that was bored and set up this site so it could play with people and pretend to be one of them. A figment of it's own imagination ;D

[chill]

A Welcome! page with a list of links to the most important / best threads in each topic might be of use to get people going.

[Icefever]

I think most such subjects are covered in other sections and that's why this thread didn't take off.

If you think about it, say, "How do you make Rum?" is covered in Recipes; "How do you make a Liebig Condenser?" Is covered in Build Your Own; etc.

Personally I'd like to see just a little more organisation here, but not controlling organisation as you see on other sites. Recipes is one area I'd agree with a Post and No Comment/Opinion rule. This would allow different members to post their recipe for Rum and you'd end up with 10(or more) different recipes for Rum, no opinions, just the recipe. General chat and comment about recipes would continue as it does now just not in the same thread as the actual recipes

Now you have my tuppence worth

AM

BTW: Jimmy is not real, it was a CGC (Computer Generated Character) that was bored and set up this site so it could play with people and pretend to be one of them. A figment of it's own imagination ;D

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You make a very convincing argument AM..I do like your idea about a Recipe section .

I'm appalled to find out that Jimmy is not real and only a CGC...

[Almanac]

I'm appalled to find out that Jimmy is not real and only a CGC...

Yeah! We were all quite surprised, he seemed so real in the beginning I suppose we're all at the mercy of the damn machines

AM