Pumpkin Beer and Obama Threads
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I always search first. Sometimes you find what you want, and sometimes you get pointed to a thread with 24,000 responses going back to 1983.
Trying to maneuver through that many responses is really difficult.
Trying to get to a specific piece of information in that thread is nearly impossible. You will find 32 different opinions that will point you in 47 different directions and 12 flame wars will break out before you get 10 pages into the topic.
In that case it is usually easier to ask a simple question.
I agree though - search first, then ask a well-formed question that will result in a good response.
Trying to maneuver through that many responses is really difficult.
Trying to get to a specific piece of information in that thread is nearly impossible. You will find 32 different opinions that will point you in 47 different directions and 12 flame wars will break out before you get 10 pages into the topic.
In that case it is usually easier to ask a simple question.
I agree though - search first, then ask a well-formed question that will result in a good response.
A large part of the aggravation comes from the fact that lately new Obama beer threads are being posted when the previous one (or two or three) are still on the first page. It doesn't even require using the search to take a cursory glance down the first page of General Beer Discussion and see the topic is already being discussed.
I think it comes down to people thinking they are special and hence they require an answer addressed directly to them.
TyTanium
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This forum did not exist in 1983.
But can't you see that maybe it's because there ARE 47 different answers? That's usually the case in this hobby, there are no single right answers, and multiple ways to do things.
There's no one way in this hobby. You ultimately have to choose one and go with it. Usually it's the one that makes the most sense to you. If you don't like the outcome, then the next time, try another one.
There is pretty much no answer on here that will RUIN YOUR BEER (or whatever you're making) if there's some crappy piece of info or advice on here, it will usually immediately get shot down and the poster will get called on it.... all you then have left is very valid, and often very different ways of achieving the same goal.
I learn a ton on here every day, and usually it's from looking at all the different answers to whatever the question is, looking at which pieces of info seem to over lap (if 5 people are saying the same thing or something similar out of x different answers, then I take it to mean that there gotta be something to it.) If there's overlap there must be some validity to that part of it. But ultimately too there's a certain amount of trusting your instincts and experiences, even if those experiences aren't brewing related.
What people don't seem to realize, is often the greatest wisdom and insights are in the older threads, especially the huge ones....not the most recent ones. Why?
Because, for example if you decide that you don't want to wade through the huge "should I secondary?" thread where hundreds of folks weighed in, and still weigh in, and start a new thread....The only folks you are going to get answering it are folks who haven't gotten tired of answering it, or who haven't gotten a lot of experience with the topic....But all the folks who are ignoring the thread are usually the ones' with the most insights and experience with it.....but they got tired of repeating themselves.....
If you choose to ignore what's already out there, because you're too overwhelmed, or plain too lazy to skim a big thread (don't people know how to skim anymore, you don't read every world you just kinda scroll through information only paying attention to that which leaps out at you) then are you REALLY getting the best wisdom/information? Or are you just getting 3rd or 4th generation hand me down info with little substance or experience behind it?
There have been some great brewing minds that have contributed here in the past Kai Troester for instance...SO does their info and wisdom not benefit someone on here if they can read it? It's not going to be found in the 20th "Do I rack to a secondary" thread of the day, but it might damn well have been in the first thread on the topic....
doctorRobert
Well-Known Member
Everything has already been discussed before. We should shut the forum down to new threads. And if something new comes us, you can email a mod to get permission to start a thread.
Maybe that would make people happy.
Maybe that would make people happy.
TyTanium
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Straw man.
The forum is a community. Most communities operate happily between the extremes. When people approach the extremes, the community pushes back.
This is always thrown up when someone talks about searching or something else like this.
So how are 30 Obama brews beer threads making YOU happy?
Why start a new thread when you can join an existing one? Look at the Mr Beer thread, or the Jamil Secondarying thread or the various ongoing recipe threads like Biermuncher's threads or the Tap room. Or the Corona Grainmill thread, or the 1 gallon brewers unite thread.
Plenty of ongoing and fresh conversations, and experiences being shared all in one place.....Those are the ones that (except the tap room) that we refer people to when they have certain questions that we know have been covered in depth or where lots of people are contributing to the knowlegebase in them. Those are great threads. "Regulars" in the treads answer questions, post links to other things, share their experiences. I've noticed in the MR beer thread for example that folks who I helped 5 years ago in there, are now the ones taking over my role and sharing THEIR wisdom in there.
Maybe we'd get more fresher threads and discussions of new things, or could find them even, if we didn't have to wade through 50 repeated threads on the same day.....
It's not about NEW threads, it's about REDUNDANT threads......
lebucheron
Well-Known Member
I grew up on the hard streets of teamliquid.net, a forum that discusses the video game "Starcraft 2" and the professional gaming scene surrounding it. It is run by super anal mods. But here's the thing, they are the reason it's the go-to site. Trying to read the immature, trolling, spamming, flaming, whining etc. of other sites is like trying to dig through the landfill for brewing equipment.
Anyways, the thing I learned from TL.net was good forum etiquette. I came here with a billion questions about brewing, but since I know how to work the search bar I found literally everything I was wondering about (and some stuff I wasn't wondering about - like pumpkin ale and Obama.) Search bar FTW!
Anyways, the thing I learned from TL.net was good forum etiquette. I came here with a billion questions about brewing, but since I know how to work the search bar I found literally everything I was wondering about (and some stuff I wasn't wondering about - like pumpkin ale and Obama.) Search bar FTW!
I agree. I enjoy reading the large threads. I've read many of them. I've learned a lot from them. I even enjoy the flame wars that break out. I understand there are many, many different viewpoints and I respect them all.
But
If I'm looking for a simple answer to a very specific question, and it's buried in a huge thread somewhere, I'd rather ask the question and get the answer. Even if it's been asked before.
The question wouldn't be 'Can someone teach me all about water chemistry?', but more like 'I'm using an inline water filter xyz. How will this impact my water chemistry based on the following...?'
lebucheron
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As long as you've at least tried the search bar...
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There is a "search this thread" button.
doctorRobert
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Somtimes I think this place is a wine forum, get it?!?!?!?!
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Subsailor
Life is Tough, Stupid makes it Tougher
Personally, I like going through the old, long threads. I enjoy the way ideas develop and grow and take on a life of their own. Being in the Information Technology Field, I like the amount of information preserved and added to here. I appreciate all the work, experimentation that others have done before me. These are threads I refer to most often.
For me, if I find some of the conversations becoming repetitive or redundant, I can blast through them and get to the items that will hold my interest more. At the same time, just because the topic is repetitive/redundant doesn't mean someone else on this path hasn't had an orginal thought or idea.
I come from an old school of skimmers, read, let your eyes pick out the relevant information and move on.
For me, if I find some of the conversations becoming repetitive or redundant, I can blast through them and get to the items that will hold my interest more. At the same time, just because the topic is repetitive/redundant doesn't mean someone else on this path hasn't had an orginal thought or idea.
I come from an old school of skimmers, read, let your eyes pick out the relevant information and move on.
This ^^^^^^:rockin:
How old are you, maybe it's an age thing? When I was in elementary school in the 70's they had people from the Evelyn Wood Speed Reading school teach us how to speed read. And it was nothing but glorified skimming, and chunking of info.
Forums are great for skimming, you just use the mouse wheel, and breeze through posts until something jumps out.
MisterTipsy
Well-Known Member
Google says there are 14,200 links with the keyword pumpkin on this forum.
293 HBT pumpkin links were created in the past 30 days.
This does not include Jolly Pumpkin.
edit...a lot of them are because people have pumpkin beers in their sig.
293 HBT pumpkin links were created in the past 30 days.
This does not include Jolly Pumpkin.
edit...a lot of them are because people have pumpkin beers in their sig.
Subsailor
Life is Tough, Stupid makes it Tougher
53 and I remember the Evelyn Woods Speed Reading classes. After qualifying my senior watch stations on Submarines, I had a lot of time to read and learned study and pull information better.
I really do appreciate the information gathered on this site and the vast majority of members here. I have a couple other forums that I particulary attend for hunting, fishing and especially Alaska Outdoors. I gather excellent information from those sites as well.
I am just getting into starting to add my two cents to some of the conversations in any of the forums I belong to, I have watched and listened for some time, it is what I do best: Watch, Listen and Learn!
Thanks
I really do appreciate the information gathered on this site and the vast majority of members here. I have a couple other forums that I particulary attend for hunting, fishing and especially Alaska Outdoors. I gather excellent information from those sites as well.
I am just getting into starting to add my two cents to some of the conversations in any of the forums I belong to, I have watched and listened for some time, it is what I do best: Watch, Listen and Learn!
Thanks
Whoa... weird... we had this reading machine that they would use to test comprehension and increase speed. I skim a lot, some days i think I'm gonna wear out the scroll wheel.
And there will be a TON more before Halloween. This is the time folks who know better start making theirs to have it ready, and folks will be talking about them and doing them til turkey day.
But most of them, are folks asking for critiques of their individual recipes, not usually asking (for the most part) the same basic question.
And then we're going to have our usual onslaught of Christmas or other holiday beers. Just like there were a ton of Saison threads in the spring.
No one seems to complain that there's 50 million Ipa threads on here do they?
To me it's not the same as there being something in the "regular" media about beer and everyone wanting to share the info, without thinking or looking to see that other people, even minutes before, had the same idea.
That's the same thing to me as people going to a baseball game and leaving at the start of the 8th inning, or leaving early on Labor Day from the cottage, to "beat traffic" and getting caught in a jam up on the freeway or at the parking deck. It's thinking they are the only people to have an idea, not realizing that noone's unique....
Sometimes an especially knowledgeable person makes a long and detailed response to a question. They may include photos or charts or links.
You can't expect them to take the time to do that every time the same question is asked.
You are missing out on a lot of great information if you don't use the search function first.
Plus, it clutters up the forums to have lots of repeat threads. And it makes searching harder because there are many threads, and a lot of them are just repeats of earlier similar threads.
I come here to learn. If someone else asked the same question last year (Whats a good grain mill?) chances are the answer is still valid today.
Even worse is when a poster self bumps their thread (already duplicated 27 times) because no one responds.
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How do I make a starter? Simple, take a cup of sugar and add it to 2 liters of water and pour in your yeast.
Don't bother making a starter, my beer always ferments. Its true it may have a high final gravity, but that's unrelated.
If you use dry yeast, just pour it into the wort, don't bother rehydrating. My yeast always ferments, though the final gravity is high.
Help - stuck fermentation. Make a starter (see above) and dump it in.
My sparge is stuck. I drained my wort quickly and have a cheapo false bottom. Oh yeah, I mashed at 160, is that OK?
Should I dump my beer, it doesn't taste so good at bottling time? I aged it 5 days before bottling, should I have waited the full 7 days?
My tap water is 80 degrees how come I can't chill my wort to 65 with a chiller?
I fermented at 80 degrees for a week, and my beer tastes bad. I wonder why?
You can't expect them to take the time to do that every time the same question is asked.
You are missing out on a lot of great information if you don't use the search function first.
Plus, it clutters up the forums to have lots of repeat threads. And it makes searching harder because there are many threads, and a lot of them are just repeats of earlier similar threads.
I come here to learn. If someone else asked the same question last year (Whats a good grain mill?) chances are the answer is still valid today.
Even worse is when a poster self bumps their thread (already duplicated 27 times) because no one responds.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How do I make a starter? Simple, take a cup of sugar and add it to 2 liters of water and pour in your yeast.
Don't bother making a starter, my beer always ferments. Its true it may have a high final gravity, but that's unrelated.
If you use dry yeast, just pour it into the wort, don't bother rehydrating. My yeast always ferments, though the final gravity is high.
Help - stuck fermentation. Make a starter (see above) and dump it in.
My sparge is stuck. I drained my wort quickly and have a cheapo false bottom. Oh yeah, I mashed at 160, is that OK?
Should I dump my beer, it doesn't taste so good at bottling time? I aged it 5 days before bottling, should I have waited the full 7 days?
My tap water is 80 degrees how come I can't chill my wort to 65 with a chiller?
I fermented at 80 degrees for a week, and my beer tastes bad. I wonder why?
It's the eternal question - Which came first the overwelming search results or the duplicated threads? I don't know the answer.
One leads to the other. The inability to find something easily results in a question being asked which results in more duplicate threads.
It's more than information though. There is also a social aspect at work here. People like to interract, and the forum is a way of doing it. Maybe no one else in their lives cares about this hobby. There are people here that do care and like to talk about it. You don't want to take that away. That's kind of the point of a forum. Without the conversation you may as well just read a book or browse a WIKI.
One leads to the other. The inability to find something easily results in a question being asked which results in more duplicate threads.
It's more than information though. There is also a social aspect at work here. People like to interract, and the forum is a way of doing it. Maybe no one else in their lives cares about this hobby. There are people here that do care and like to talk about it. You don't want to take that away. That's kind of the point of a forum. Without the conversation you may as well just read a book or browse a WIKI.
tchamber
Well-Known Member
Damnittohell!! You kids STAY OFF MY LAWN!!
:cross:
:cross:
I've had enough of the "hate." I merged all of the Obama brewing threads and closed the discussion. Please use the report post function and report further "hate."
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