Doing a study on Forums

Hey Guys

Im a big fan of canreef, and I use it on a dailey basis. Some of you may know me and some of you may not :P. Im not to active in answering questions and what not, but i have bought a few things of here.

Umm a little about me, I have a 90 gallon bowfront reef filled with corals and I have another 90 gallon bowfront across it with my turtles :P. Im a full time student at SFU, and im studying criminology.

I spend about an hour a day on this site an I absolutley love it.That is why I would like it to be the basis of my research project.Im performing a study for one of my university classes and I would like to post a question to the lounge board.

The study is for my senior sociological anthropology class. And we are required to partake in an online CMC (computer mediated communication), and research a topic that we would like to uncover.For my ethnographic project I chose to examine on a closer level a public forum that I have been a part of for quite some time.

My thesis:
Canreef is intended for aquarium reef hobbyist’s who warrant discussion on a daily basis from the most customary of questions in the aquarium hobby, to in-depth analysis of invertebrate, coral husbandry and fish care techniques. Individuals are able to find great sources in the discussion forums, avid hobbyists share interesting ideas with other individuals. The membership allows you to ask questions, discuss issues, share your experiences, and submit photos in the gallery. Events take place daily; people will post polls on the many issues they are contemplating. Hundreds of people take part during the polls and anticipate the results.
However, the main question that I would like to ask is in what ways has Canreef aided to their reefing hobby as well as created problems and issues in there every day life. Either it be issues regarding time expenditure, family and friend issues or problems of any kind attributed to directly using a forum of this kind?

I have been takeing notes for the last 2 months on my own, and now this is the final step. If anyone wants to msg me privatley to convey there answers please do so. Everything will stay anonymous in the paper, even though it already is with the use of usernames :P

any comment will be a good commrnt guys

Hopefully we can get a good healthy discussion

I appreciate everyones help, than you

I have msged the staff on this website for permission however I did not recieve a response to go ahead.If the staff has any questions,they can pm me

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by -LMAO_

I have msged the staff on this website for permission however I did not recieve a response to go ahead.If the staff has any questions,they can pm me

The staff are mostly lazy and/or busy. However, even given that, I didn't get any message. If I had, I would have said have fun

ohhh sorry i msged two people off the staff bar, i think it was titus and chritsf. But i appreciate your approval. thank you

A conversation i had with a fellow member recently:

I don't think the site is the problem, it's a place to help people, some of the members have been on for a long time some take breaks and reemerge every few months and some are avid and live search religiously.

For the most part for me I am the same, been on the forums long enough. At one point I walked away for 8 months. There wasn't much difference when I revisited. Times change and so does the hobby.

I feel overwhelmed sometimes with so much coral. While I do enjoy looking at corals sometimes I need a break

The problems is self inflictedWhen you get so consumed into a product then you are reliant on the next quick fix, which is for most of us corals.

They are like gardens, some can keep it lush others not so much, it's the coral thumb.

All the problems caused is self error

do you think due to the hobby some people want to go out and travel but can't?

As the weather gets better we find ourselves packing the lawn chairs and camping gear to get some of the wonderful outdoors we pay so dearly for*

Yes as the weather is nice people don't visit the forums as much

Forsure man, I don't want to go for vacation because 12k in corals need to be tended to

But there comes a time when we all need to fly, the menautiny (not sure if I spelled it correct) of same same gets boring, we as humans need challenge that is what keeps us ticking so vacations or changing things up becomes second natureSent from Samsung Mobile

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by -LMAO_

However, the main question that I would like to ask is in what ways has Canreef aided to their reefing hobby as well as created problems and issues in there every day life. Either it be issues regarding time expenditure, family and friend issues or problems of any kind attributed to directly using a forum of this kind?

Haha, do you really want to open this can of worms?... Forums can be very helpful by tapping the experience, breadth and depth of knowledge of the members. And for getting quick answers to pressing questions or problems. But forums can also be misleading and confusing with often opposing views and opinions. And is popular opinion always correct?

I've only been in the hobby a few years, and got to experience first hand some of the bad advice that is often doled out to newbies. Fortunately, I was able to sift out much of the bad information, and who to trust and who not to, and eventually learned from my own experiences. But I have also seen a lot of frustrated new hobbyists call it quits after a couple years (or less) because of various problems and unfulfilled expectations due to bad advice.

There are some common debate topics, though, including managing water parameters, nutrients, pest control, disease, lighting, and coral growth. Even seemingly simple tasks such as what test kits to use and how, can bring out a lot of opposing opinions. Of course there is more than one way to be successful, and there is always opportunity to experiment and learn about new methods. And some things are just personal preference. But quite often, too, old myths live on, and the same mistakes are made over and over.

So how does one try to decipher all these various opinions, and decide what is best for you? Well, you can go with popular opinion, but is that always the best? Forums (not just this one) are full of people that want to help. But often much of that advice is based on 2nd or 3rd hand information from other posts or articles, and not necessarily fact.

With myself, I look at the experience and success of the one giving advice. Are they just spouting popular opinion, or are they describing the facts of their own experience with respect to a particular topic or question? I think this is very important. It's certainly OK to quote others and reference articles. But how do they apply that knowledge to their own experiences?

I think the best way to do that is look at hobbyist's tank journals, or their posting history. What problems or issues have they dealt with? What were their successes and failures? Are they speaking from direct experience, or are they just quick to express their opinions? To me, that is most telling.

Unfortunately, though, I have found that many of the most successful hobbyists are also the least quick to give advice or express their opinions. I am not sure if that is just their nature, or if they have just gotten tired of giving the same advice, and being ignored or not being appreciated. I suspect some of the latter may be the case.

I should mention, too, that I also participate in aircraft building and flying forums, which is another hobby of mine. And there, too, I often see bad advice, which sometimes can even be downright dangerous. But in the end, success can be determined by the end product and performance of the completed aircraft. So, I think the same criteria to evaluate advice can be applied to many hobbies and forums, or indeed to many decisions in everyday life.

And popular opinion is not always correct,... IMHO,...LOL.

[H2o2]

And that my friend is just good advice ,well done Walter

[MitchM]

Originally Posted by -LMAO_

...
any comment will be a good comment guys

...

LMAO,

Since you asked,...

Your username tells me that you are not very serious here.
Your posts are mainly for buy and sell purposes.

If people did tell you what they were thinking, why would people think you really understood where they were coming from?

You asked some questions to get the ball rolling, which is a good idea but you seem to be making a lot of assumptions in your questions.
You seem to think forum members are male, married with a family and have employment with co-workers - and that we spend too much...lol.

Maybe some of us live in denial as well...lol.


For the record, I hope this forum (or any other out there) has not created problems for anyone's participation in the hobby. I don't see how it could.
If forums do create problems for the individual, there are probably larger issues for that individual that need to be dealt with.

I have absolutely benefited from forums like this because they have offered me educational programs and materials that I would not have access to otherwise.

I would like to see forums for our hobby succeed but a lot of the scientists that contributed early on have left. That's too bad.
We are only left with the research papers they have left behind.

I understand what Reef Pilot is saying about seeing is believing as far as what to use for guidance for getting the best out of your aquarium, but short term glamor is not an indicator of long term success.
I see a lot of anecdotal evidence creeping back in and being taken for as fact. That will set our hobby back again.

Thank you for your input, the first half of your response will aid me in writting about peer to peer communication. It will help me explain what can be infered from the most miniscule of things.

I appreciate your comment

[MitchM]

Originally Posted by -LMAO_

It will help me explain what can be infered from the most miniscule of things....

right....

"LMAO,Since you asked,...Your username tells me that you are not very serious here.Your posts are mainly for buy and sell purposes."

No, honestly i was serious. You stated that you read my name LMAO, and im assuming you thought it meant Laugh My Ass Off. And due to my username being that I would not take seriously what users on this forum have to say, correct?

However, what you dont know is my name stands for Live My life Against Odds. I had a few health complications when i was a child. But i understand why you would make the inference that you did.

Thats why I said it would help me understand peer to peer communication, because its fascinating how you took something so little like my name and applied such a over arching statement to my behaviour and personality on this forum. Regardless if its right or wrong.

Who knows how many people do what you just did. Hence a issue or problem that may be present on this site or sites like this. Essentially what my paper is about.

So thank you sir