Although the FAQ for newbies is a good idea, the above quote says it all for me.
Getting involved,and breaking the ice so to say was all part of the fun of the forum for my-self,when first i joined.Do not know if that is the way the majority find it, but in my case it was a good craic.
Even when Traprain told me to Pi** off, ( in Jest I THINK )

TK..............

FAQs like....

"How many is enough?"

"Which is better, wild brownies or stockie bashing?"

"Are bungs really fly fishing?"

"Are expensive rods really worth it?"

.....sorry, I'll get me coat..

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Speaking as a new comer myself,i would agree with some of the above.

1.Its away of breaking the ice(how many have asked a question,without even introducing themselves).WHAT ABOUT AN INTRODUCE YOURSELF HEADING near the top where it will be seen first.

2. What about when WHAT ROD and REEL,is asked,the market is always changing.So upto date is more personel.and dependent on where their fishing.

3.How about,on your first post you have to fill in a Introduce yourself thread before,your access is open to other threads.??which in turn will mean someone local to them might make themselves more known and perhaps take them under their wing .
4. Also you tend to build up your own feelings about someone by reading their threads and the sort of content they put,IE could be a well seasoned pro and only got 2 post counts,OR 2 post counts and sparks a thread war.

So i would say its more welcoming and new members feel a little more relaxed by getting response to their threads,by asking questions,than looking for the answer,it might be their first forum so dont know where to look,and it becomes more interactive than reading pre selected posts.

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No matter how many fish are in the lake.....I can miss them all!!!

Personally as a new fly fisher I would welcome a FAQ for beginners. Especially if it was aimed at the techniques required for fishing and using various flys, as this would prove very useful. I am finding the search facility on the forum very limiting, so I must try searching with google. If like me, you are not lucky enough to have a friend to 'teach you the ropes' it would probably be one of your main sources of information.

Well put. Keep the interaction - keep it personal and welcoming.

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"The sun was so delightfully warm, and the stone, which had been sitting in it for a long time, was so warm, too, that Pooh had almost decided to go on being Pooh in the middle of the stream for the rest of the morning."

www.monnow.org

Any newbie that comes on here and gets put down by some braying idiot for asking something answered umpteen times (before they were ever here or picked up a rod) is probably not going to return, thereby making the forum a poorer place. Members responsible for such discourtesy should be ashamed of themselves.

A FAQ section IMHO is little more than a static web site and defeats the idea of an interactive forum.

Also, where do you draw the line? How do we define experience? Even some more technical questions from experienced fly fishers have all been asked and answered before haven't they? Why not make the whole thing a massive database and lose the interactivity? I'd rather not.

There have been many threads on here slagging off the angling publications for being repetitive which is a bit of a liberty seeing as it happens here as well. The thing is, it's not a problem; it helps people and I find it a bit much when a new post is dismissed with "we've had all that before". Just answer the questions posed by new members in good faith and put up with the repeats or the forum will eventually die.

Well said Sir,you have hit the nail on the head there.
Dont understand how scrolling a mouse over a web page,seeing a similar post that has been posted many times, can be annoying.
I guess some people are easily annoyed
Im sure is i was an experienced angler it wouldnt bother me at all.Maybe the experienced anglers are turning into experienced forum critics

A great idea, would have helped me hugely when I started (still would). Telling people to use the search function is unhelpful when it's so ****. I've pm'd admin about adding a google search function like some other forums have which is much better, they replied to say its being done soon. In the interim here's a google FFforum search, originally posted by T1Viper

http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=01...13:rlnezcal-f4

Steve

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Steve


"There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process." Paul O'Neil