This Chatboard Is Getting Boring , Needs New Focus .

ok I've avoided responding to this thread until now. It's no secret that I'm a staff member elsewhere and that really has nothing to do with my lack of participation. I keep at least 3 sites at a time up on my computer and like them all and SCF is a staple in my stamp collecting lexicon. I however been noticing a lot of "whats this and whats it worth" or the "how do I sell this I'm in financial trouble" posts and it's off putting to me. I also noticed that a bulk of the knowledgeable folks have left. Where they went I don't know? I wish there was a primer or something about the real world stamp values over catalog prices and a limit on the "Hey, I have a pile of junk so how do I sell it for a fast buck?" posts. I've also noticed a lot of very rude posts (lorddenning) towards other members but the thing of it is that I find myself agreeing with them and that's not right is it? I love this site and will always be member I reckon but I hope to see more of the informational posts pop up soon (like the ones ray.mac and Sinclair has been posting lately) and good manners return. Anyway that's my thoughts on it all.

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Or one could just simply not reply to a topic if it bothers them. People that find / inherit collections look for information on line and end up at one of the few forums available to Postal History / Stamp collectors and this happens to be one. Not all People that inherit collections want to take up the hobby, so it doesn't help when they come here looking for answers and get kicked in the junk and told their material is crap and they're wasting members time.

There is a nice way to say "No monetary value". I find it more annoying when someone asks a question and 8 People reply with the exact same answer. This board is not moderated as other boards are and that is the site owners prerogative and therefore you are going to have a lot of
"Hey look what I got" and "What is this Stamp" questions that nobody will ever find in a search due to a uninformative thread / post title, so it is what it is and you are going to get 89 posts about the same stamp.

I'm new to this forum but not to message boards in general. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that it's not my job to correct everyone who's "wrong" on the internet. I don't need the aggravation, plus lord only knows how many things I'm wrong about myself.

I've been here a few years now and I've enjoyed the discusssions, show & tells and other types of threads. I like helping those that I can and thank those who have helped me as well. I wish some of those who have left come back sometime as I enjoyed their contributions.

Overall, I haven't been bored - I can't afford to be as I'm working with stamps and covers full-time now. If you are then you can take action and contribute anything that interests you in which will foster discussion and participation. There's enough diversity here that you'll find others who will take interest.

No your absolutely right stallzer and I'm normally sympathetic to their cause (with the exception of this thread of course) and try to accommodate the poster as best as I can but as has already been pointed out, when there have been six, eight or even ten replies with the same content about the material and the person just don't believe it then I can't help but think to myself "then why did you come here and ask?". I guess it's just frustrating so I do like you suggest and just not reply hence the lul on the forum as I'm betting that's how a lot of others feel as well? I guess it's just part of it and to be expected I suppose?

We should probably create a generic thread for:

I just inherited a collection.

I want to sell my stamps

What's this stamp worth

Sticky these to the top of the forum, and lock them.

I'd agree with you, apastuszak, I'd even agree to some degree with stallzer, not everyone who inherits a stamp collection has any interest in continuing collecting and I'm fine with that. However, the attitude of a lot of people who show up here and don't ask that we give them values, but DEMAND that we do is quite high. There is a difference between "please help me" and "hurry up slave!" I wish that there was a sticky in the appropriate place with the standard information that we give to people about the value of their stamps, with links to the appropriate resources. It would be great if newbies were restricted to those areas until they had made a couple of posts to keep them from just spamming other forums with their value questions. Unfortunately, this forum is hardly moderated, if at all, it's really just a free for all and it's no surprise that lots of our most valuable members have run for the hills. I know I did for a while, although there's so few really active stamp forums that I've come back here to supplement my desire to actually talk about collecting stamps. Most people don't seem to want to do that.

I've been a member of forum boards for over a decade now, even moderated on one a loooong time ago. I'd do the stickied thread intro topics then start deleting inheritance threads, and if the poster keeps posting, inform them and/or remove them completely. Draconian, yes. But effective.

NBSTAMPER, I also sent you my mailing address for those stamps you mentioned above. Thanks!

Lorddenning -----thanks ,if you read the first sentence of my posting at the beginning of this page . I was asking what needs to be done to keep experience collectors like you around ,I think the group here is very civil compare to what I seen on other chat boards .I read many of your postings and found them helpful to the person asking and helpful to anyone reading them . The ideas that others have already express to help inexperience posters and people asking the same old questions ,has given the board owners something to think about . I enjoy reading the many different ideas that came up and give me some ideas for improvement in my postings.

If you liked reading something lorddenning has posted, you might want to copy and paste it, quicklike. Looks like they're all going away.

Sounds like a bunch of school kids arguing at the play ground during recess. I see nothing wrong with newbs asking questions. I mean that is how we learn is it not. Though I don't agree with the what do I have and what is it worth demands of posters. If it is the newbs that irritate you then don't allow newbs or just don't reply to there post and they may leave and you won't have to be irritated with the dumb questions. I hear on here that you want younger people involved with stamps to keep the interest going as we as collectors are not getting younger, but yet complain about newbs. There's a thing you can say" We don't give monetary values on stamps". Why? Everybodys' stamp is always worth more do them anyway correct? I'm a newb myself here but have never ask how much is it worth or what have I got but have noticed that if it is asked of a certain high value stamp people are quick to answer no one has this stamp as there are only x amount of those known and that maybe true but how many collections are there out there that has not seen daylight in 50-100 years and the collectors dies and is inhertited to a newb without being able to tell the newb what is in the collection. I myself inhertited a collection from great great grandparents and it is just now being opened for the first time since 1969. Maybe a forum just for the newbs? The Newbie Stamper Forum! There's still a vast amount of knowledge here people. Lets use it not,loose it! Well time for work.

Newby, I don't think anyone is complaining about newbie Stamp collectors in fact I think this community is fantastic in encouraging newbie collectors. What I think other posters are referring to are the people that find out Grandma left a stamp album and instead of doing their research and footwork, they come here and expect some people to share their knowledge of what they have studied on for years just so they can liquidate their findings.

This is understandable and student to student, People don't mind sharing knowledge but asking a person to share what they have put years and years of their life learning just so this person can financially benefit from the information? Not a real attractive offer for some of our more knowledgeable members (LD)

Your correct Stallzer. It's the nature of the beast I guess.Wanting something for nothing.

I wonder about the Newbie Stamper Forum.

Certainly it would be used profitably by a percentage of enquirers, and we'd probably never hear from them again. They'd get their answers and move on.

The problem posters would be the problem: those who want it, and want it now, and are going throw their rattles out of the pram if they don't get it, and those whom no amount of patient explanation is going to convince (and I name no names). We all want to believe we've stumbled on the pot of gold. None of us like being told it's nickel alloy. But most of know when to give up.