Why do some thread participants find it necessary to put others on blast?

[marinesnow]

Freedom of speech comes with it's pros and cons. At the end of the day we're responsible for the actions we take with the information we're given. Recognizing experts, validating information, and not feeding internet trolls is something we can each control.

 

[Joekovar]

 

[DanyL]

I personally was attacked here multiple times from calling out this kind of people.
They are “religious” about their methods, rude and show tons of narcissistic behavior patterns in their communication.

They’ll also start harassing you in private if you dare to call them out, that’s their thing, they feed on it.

I get it - jerks are everywhere and I shouldn’t pay attention to them, but they misinform others, confuse future viewers and demotivate those who actually do help.

 

[danreef55]

I will say that the best of the best in nearly any walk of life NEVER care how somebody says something and focus on what they say. Not many do this when they are on the receiving end of advice, but they all want it to stick when they are giving the advice. I personally do not care about tone, intention or whatever... I want the meat of the discussion and will still get into it even if the other person is acting in a way that some consider rude.

Some of the best things that anyone can every receive (tough love, hard truths, etc.) often come cold and unapologetic, but they are critical if you want any growth - the are not actually cold and unapologetic since if somebody is taking the time to deliver these thing, then they really care... because real leadership hurts and costs. The weak deny them and do not accept, and usually due to the tone or rudeness, which is dumb. The strong accept these. The super strong might even thank you.

 

[Dom]

Freedom of speech comes with it's pros and cons. At the end of the day we're responsible for the actions we take with the information we're given. Recognizing experts, validating information, and not feeding internet trolls is something we can each control.

I'm talking about simple civility, this has nothing to do with free speech.

And FWIW, none of the users that motivated my OP have participated in this thread.

I just don't have it in me to bite the heads off of people who turn to me for help.

Thank you.

 

[ca1ore]

I personally was attacked here multiple times from calling out this kind of people.
They are “religious” about their methods, rude and show tons of narcissistic behavior patterns in their communication.

They’ll also start harassing you in private if you dare to call them out, that’s their thing, they feed on it.

I get it - jerks are everywhere and I shouldn’t pay attention to them, but they misinform others, confuse future viewers and demotivate those who actually do help.

Really! I have literally never had that happen on any of the boards I participate in. Although, I did have one guy curse me out on FB for not giving him a set of in-wall speakers I'd advertised for free. Generally, i go with Forrest Gump on these things.

 

[MnFish1]

Ah yes, the elusive "straight answer".

And that is an excellent point; I never stopped to consider why there are Nitrite test kits for reef tanks.

Sometimes, it is difficult to filter out the fluff and figure out what is the right answer to multiple perspectives. It is why I maintain connections to the experts that are willing to mentor; it is a way to reduce the "noise".

The nitrite is in the kit because many people utilize it in helping to determine the stage of cycling. You're right, there is no real need for this test on a day to day basis. Of course, there are multiple discussions as to whether using nitrite in cycling is valuable or not.

 

[MnFish1]

Novice reef keeper here, but long time student and expert on many hobby related forums. I'll share a couple of observations that I haven't seen discussed in this thread yet.

It is the nature of these forums for experts to get burned out sharing their knowledge with novices. A well thought out response takes quite a lot of effort, and articles or tutorials take much more. Having to answer the same questions all the time, sometimes with a novice arguing back eventually gets to even the best.

I've always felt it was the role of the intermediate folks on a forum to step up and help with the simpler questions to help should the load caused by the true beginner. Personally, I try to start my responses with some indication of my level of expertise.

One other point is that written communication is difficult. My wife is a speech language pathologist, and tells me that well over 90% of what we communicate in person comes from something other than the words we use. That means we are all trying to discuss complex topics with less than 10% of the bandwidth we are accustomed to. Add on different native languages and customs and we really have the deck stacked against us.

Except - agree - people write differently than they speak. In some languages - there is even a much more formal tone than writing or talking to a 'friend'. I disagree with your 10% of bandwidth - for any number of reasons.