I think you're right @wild edges ... I think some newbies don't realise we're not part of the Gardeners' World programme and/or magazine staff ... for that reason I try to remember to keep joshing to folk who've at least posted here a few times or seem to be up for it
It might feel a bit humiliating if you think you're being ridiculed by the likes of MD or any of the other GW 'names'.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
That's a good point, Dove. I'd never thought we might be taken for members of the Gardeners' World team, but you could be right.
If you're not really used to forums and don't know how this one works ... and you've just googled for help and end up at Gardeners' World it might just give some folk that impression ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Oh I don't know. Gardener's question time is often full of good humour and light hearted banter with the people asking the questions. Written text often fails to communicate the intended humour though and if people are looking for offense they find it easily.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Yeah ... but we don’t know what else is going on in other folks’ lives that might be making them feel a bit thin-skinned from time to time. I’m one of the first to tease folk on here once they’re used to us ... but I do try to treat newbies a bit more gently .... not judging other folk who do things differently ... just saying how I do it
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Maybe we should take a slightly judgemental patronising attitude to new members instead?
I challenge anyone to stand up in front of a gardening panel at GQT or Gardener's World Live or whatever and ask what the 3" long, worm-like creature was that you saw in your garden. Then act like your being put out for having to offer up more information and ignore any of them that try to offer suggestions. Maybe take a bad attitude when someone has the audacity to suggest it had legs when you know it clearly didn't! I bet the panel would be disgraceful enough to use humour in that situation as well. I bet some of them might even suggest that it could have been a worm I don't know what the world is coming to.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
There are too many threads that start with a perfectly reasonable question that end up with the member posing the question upset or offended because certain members just can’t resist a smart arse comment and then others following in the same vein. I’ve become very disenchanted with this forum. I have learnt a great deal from it and have benefited from the great advice I have been given or read on other peoples threads. The majority of members on this forum are helpful, knowledgeable and kind also very amusing which is what most gardeners asking a question are looking for. I rarely visit the site these days.
Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.
I agree. People are too easily offended these days. Those who go looking for offense will find it anywhere. Like you say most gardeners like amusing conversation and it's a real shame when people can't take a joke for what it is.
As I said above I'm not sure new posters quite understand the situation that forums are populated by the public giving out free advice and giving up their own time to do so. You wouldn't knock on a neighbour's door ask for free advice because they do a bit of gardening then tell them to shove it when they make an amusing comment that you don't appreciate. The new posters that get offended and flounce off are basically doing just that. It's just as discourteous as the comments that caused them offense. And just as discouteous as trying to dictate how "certain members" should behave on an open forum just because it doesn't match with your perception.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
The ordinal posting inadvertently said something amusing. I picked up on this and made a gentle quip, clearly signalled as such by the use of an exclamation mark. The OP responded with a clarification, plus an exclamation mark which I read to mean she acknowledged the banter. It seems I was wrong and subsequently apologised but I refute the charge that I had “descended into ridicule” or was “smart arse”.
It’s sad that we are seemingly moving to a joke-free world.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I’m one of the first to tease folk on here once they’re used to us ... but I do try to treat newbies a bit more gently .... not judging other folk who do things differently ... just saying how I do it
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It’s sad that we are seemingly moving to a joke-free world.