StillSmart

With regard to another post in Distillation/Tate & Lyle.
It hasn't turned into anything else but the "Friendly home distillation site", Perhaps it's me, probably is, so I'll have one more rant before I leave.

There are now certain members who post for the sake of racking up post numbers, they either from NO knowledge to a little, give a suggestion without knowing anything about the subject that's being discussed, whereas all they have to do is ask a question. A typical post is a reply such as "I don't know, but someone will be along who does". WHY ?

I've been posting on this site for 3 years now and as you can see I don't have thousands of posts simply because I either ask a question or answer one with advice, if I don't know I either ask or do nothing. I sometimes spend hours working out an answer to someones question, just to be of help.

Like all of us I sometimes go off at a tangent with my replies as I follow others chatting, but not often, some might think I'm a grumpy old fart, but those who have met me know otherwise.

Anyway rant over, see you guys around sometime. VT

Firstly...I do hope you get to read this Vino.

I joined this forum a month after you, and the last thing I want to see is you leave.
I followed your build of the pothead, and then did the same....I know you enjoy wine making from another forum.

You are one of the "Old Un's", on here and we can't afford to loose you.

I agree with everything you say about these post numbers...if I had my way they would disappear.

I see posts that start off...then that's followed by another post which is the 2nd sentence of the same post...why not hit the edit button and add the rest of what you wish to say to the original post???.

Please, once again I ask you to reconsider your decision..and I ask everyone on here to respect the experience that you've brought to the forum

I'm in full agreement with you on this Ice. VT has been a godsend on this site and we don't want to lose him.

Would be a real shame to lose VT from this site.

I feel I have learnt a lot from reading VT's posts.

As one of the newbies and prone to posting rubbish, I'm sorry if I've contributed to the reasons for his departure.

It's a wake up call for me to think more before I post.

You have helped me already mate and I need to pick your brains on wine making.....would like you to stay.

I too have valued V.T.'s contributions very very much. Always well thought out, informative, considered and usually encouraging.

It is never 'the final straw' which breaks a camel's back, rather it is the repetitive accumulation. The final straw is simply that in place at the moment of trauma.


Should you be reading these V.T. take heart, take time out, take a drink, anything, then come back home.

I think this is a friendly forum but we are all different ages, experience and walks of life and sometimes things can easily be misunderstood.
Sometimes a sharp answer is needed sometimes not, VT hang in mate we need your knowledge

I am very new here (only joined today) so please feel free to tell me to wind my neck in, BUT....

Firstly I'd like to say that although I'm new here I've already received some friendly advice and be made to feel very welcome on this forum. Secondly, I don't know anyone to start backing one side or the other or getting involved in the argument. I'm totally neutral. However, from experience what you describe VT, this is nothing new on forums. I am a professional at my job and I am a member of 2 forums related to what I do as are several other professionals. We are happy to give advice to beginners/hobbyists/improvers but it used to drive me insane at the number of people who had racked up hundreds of posts in a short amount of time giving advice or telling newbies how great their work was when they had no experience whatsoever of our craft. It becomes like 'the blind leading the blind'. And it doesn't actually help anyone.

I find it really sad when this sort of thing irritates someone with experience so much they feel they must leave a forum. All I can ask (as a distilling virgin) is please try to rise above this and see through it as people like me really need experienced guys like you to point us in the right direction and to call out when you see something wrong. It's the only way we'll learn. Personally, I hope you'll change your mind and stay.

sorry, messed up and double posted - can't work out how to delete a post. Told you I was a novice

Thunderbird, firstly welcome. That's all I'm going to say on that topic though.

I've been on several forums (fora?) talking beer, wine and spirit making. Have followed them pretty assiduously for long periods - while I was getting enjoyment from the experience that is.
Go away for a while, come back. Lots of new participants, always. Some of them with heaps of posts....Hang about, when did that one join and that one?

Look at the profile and find recent joiners with heaps of posts, have risen pretty rapidly up the experience scale from, say, newbie, to cellarhand, experienced winemaker, cellermaster - that sort of thing. And how did they progress? From the 'Welcome' thread.
Scores of posts saying something that I personally don't find important but it sure as hell massages the ego of the newbie who wants titular progression.

Now, to be fair, I can't draw any parallel on this board, have had no cause to go looking and I really really hope it stays that way.
Am aware this is not germane to topic for discussion here.....

I'll say my two pence worth, as we are being gritty and honest, and I would hate to see VT disappear.
I have thousands of posts.
As the currently most active mod. here it would be hard not to.
I don't see any of mine as being vanity posts.
But hey, feel free to call me on that
Check out my profile, I donate to this site (and continue to do so yearly,and with happy heart, and then run AdBlocker+), that precludes me being a Master Distiller, or any of the other Titles that Jimmy dreamed up.
Equally, and not dissing any that use the Signature option here, I don't, every time I post here, I take the time to tap out my own name after posting.
I guess that we all live our lives for different reasons.
And we all have our own values.
And we may all be here, on this board for different reasons.
It's curious and timely, it was only yesterday, that I considered giving up here.
It would make my days longer.
I think the reason that I continue here is because I feel that I have not yet given enough back to balance what I have taken away.
And I mean that most sincerely.

Robert.

Just because someone has a lot of posts means in most cases that they like to talk on the subject they enjoy. Cannot understand why some people think it's a bad thing.

Well said Robert. Here is my tuppence.

I would hate to see you go VT. You are a pillar of this forum.

I will admit sometimes I interpret things differently to how they were written. So I will by definition miss the point when that happens. I know I offended you about T&L sugar. I read your post differently.

I will admit to sometimes double posting. Sometimes this is to make a point or contextually relevant. With close inspection you will see this does not increase your points, which quite frankly, I don't give a fig about or the titles. Why peeps on this site seems to get upset about my do not know.

You can call me on any of these items. Robert has in the past. I have heeded some of his advice, learn from some of his advice, challenged some of it and completely ignored some.
So while on being a big pussy :-). Robert, don't you dare go either this forum needs you.

We are all different folks, in different lives, times, skills and ages, but surely the great thing is we all come together on this forum. But we all come as human - and everything that involves.

Well guys, I’m quite overwhelmed by your responses, I would never in a hundred years think I was appreciated like this.

Perhaps I went a bit far with my rant, one thing I would never do is name anyone for doing it, if this were to happen it might split this forum.

With so many asking me to stay how can I leave, so I'll kick off with a idea I have.

See "LOW TEMP STRIPPING" in Distillation (and it doesn't mean pole dancing in the Antarctic).

Hi ya....your back.....that's made my day... Mrs Ice fetch a bottle of grog I'm having a drink tonight... .