It was, really! I was offline for a few days because Lily, our lady-in-waiting doe, decided to chew through our cable!
No internet, no t.v., no phone. (We have that magic jack phone)
Lily STILL hasn't kidded, but she has now been confined to one of the goat pens to await the event.
*************
The baby goats are all fine and frisky. I have already made a deal to sell Yin and Yang to a neighbor and I am pretty sure I have buyers for the rest of the males. That's a good thing!
The two girl kids we hope to add to our herd, Nikki and Ginny, are doing well, although Nikki seems a little thin. I have tried giving her supplemental bottles, but she turned up her cute little nose at them.
Since the does had all their kids within such a short time span, I plan on starting their milking on the same day....well, except for slowpoke Lily!
Lily was the last one to kid last time, so I guess she likes the special anxiety she causes me by being so far behind the others!
*************
I am looking forward to milking. Fresh goats milk, cheese, cajeta, butter, cream....wonderful!
I am currently scouring craigslist and ebay and everywhere else to find a manual cream separator at a reasonable price. I have ordered my cheese cultures.Gotten a new milk bucket.
I am so ready to be milking again!
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Friday, February 22, 2013
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Online Forums, Part 2...Finding a Forum That Fits!
Okay, yesterday I told you why I leave forums.Today I will write about how I pick a forum!
I like participating in forums...really, I do! They are a fun way to learn, share, discuss, make friends,and network with others that have similar mindsets and goals.
First things first:
How To Find a Forum
Google is your friend. In the search bar, lets put in a topic that interests you....say you are real big on camping, primitive living and wilderness survival.
In the search bar, put Wilderness Survival Forums. I just did that and got 348,000 results! Many are duplicates, but there are many that I could check out if that was what I was looking for.
Check with friends...if they have a forum they enjoy, maybe you will enjoy it as well!
Invitations...there are some forums that are "by invitation only". I have been invited to a few and some were fine, others were not.
Assessing a Forum
Okay, you found a few forums that look interesting.What you need to do now is read, read, READ. Do not join just yet. Read recent posts, read older ones. You especially want to pay attention to posts from forum moderators and administrators. Do they swing the "ban hammer" too enthusiastically? Or do they allow insults, threats, excess profanity and flagrant violations of their own rules?
Look at the very bottom of the forum home page. They usually post the number of forum members and active members, i.e., those members that post on a regular basis...or at least within the last 6 months or year. I have seen forums with over 8,000 members BUT only 600 active members.That gives you a real clue right there.A forum with, say, 450 members and 350 active members is probably a better bet.
You really want to consider the size of the forum as well. The bigger the forum, the less likely that you will find any *friends* there, also there will probably not be much real information. Under 100 members and there won't be a lot, either.(Under 50 members...why don't ya just meet in a chat room?)
As you read, look for *cliques*. Frequently the *old timers* (long term members) of a forum band together and this can be frustrating for the new member. You may ask a question and be told "We talked about that last year, N00B! Search for it!" Or there may be opposing cliques that battle on threads and derail the topic.
Watch out for "Queen Bees" and "War Lords" on forums.
Like I said, read, read, READ!
Joining a Forum
Okay, you found a forum you like.
Follow the procedures to register and join. Some forums have a short waiting period and require you to respond to an email to complete registering.
Try to pick a forum name that shows a little personality. "Dave123" says nothing about you. "SwampDave" or " BeagleGuy" says a lot more!
Fill out your profile BEFORE you make your first post. You do not have to reveal everything about yourself...keep it simple! You may want to list your interests so that other members can find and connect with you. If you have valuable experience in areas that concern the forum, you may want to list those.
If the forum has an introductions thread POST your FIRST time there to introduce yourself. It's the polite thing to do, okay?
You can take it from there!
So, have fun and find an *internet home*!
I like participating in forums...really, I do! They are a fun way to learn, share, discuss, make friends,and network with others that have similar mindsets and goals.
First things first:
How To Find a Forum
Google is your friend. In the search bar, lets put in a topic that interests you....say you are real big on camping, primitive living and wilderness survival.
In the search bar, put Wilderness Survival Forums. I just did that and got 348,000 results! Many are duplicates, but there are many that I could check out if that was what I was looking for.
Check with friends...if they have a forum they enjoy, maybe you will enjoy it as well!
Invitations...there are some forums that are "by invitation only". I have been invited to a few and some were fine, others were not.
Assessing a Forum
Okay, you found a few forums that look interesting.What you need to do now is read, read, READ. Do not join just yet. Read recent posts, read older ones. You especially want to pay attention to posts from forum moderators and administrators. Do they swing the "ban hammer" too enthusiastically? Or do they allow insults, threats, excess profanity and flagrant violations of their own rules?
Look at the very bottom of the forum home page. They usually post the number of forum members and active members, i.e., those members that post on a regular basis...or at least within the last 6 months or year. I have seen forums with over 8,000 members BUT only 600 active members.That gives you a real clue right there.A forum with, say, 450 members and 350 active members is probably a better bet.
You really want to consider the size of the forum as well. The bigger the forum, the less likely that you will find any *friends* there, also there will probably not be much real information. Under 100 members and there won't be a lot, either.(Under 50 members...why don't ya just meet in a chat room?)
As you read, look for *cliques*. Frequently the *old timers* (long term members) of a forum band together and this can be frustrating for the new member. You may ask a question and be told "We talked about that last year, N00B! Search for it!" Or there may be opposing cliques that battle on threads and derail the topic.
Like I said, read, read, READ!
Joining a Forum
Okay, you found a forum you like.
Follow the procedures to register and join. Some forums have a short waiting period and require you to respond to an email to complete registering.
Try to pick a forum name that shows a little personality. "Dave123" says nothing about you. "SwampDave" or " BeagleGuy" says a lot more!
Fill out your profile BEFORE you make your first post. You do not have to reveal everything about yourself...keep it simple! You may want to list your interests so that other members can find and connect with you. If you have valuable experience in areas that concern the forum, you may want to list those.
If the forum has an introductions thread POST your FIRST time there to introduce yourself. It's the polite thing to do, okay?
You can take it from there!
So, have fun and find an *internet home*!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Online Forums
I have belonged to a lot of online forums in the past. Most were concerned with preparedness, homesteading, gardening, survival, freedom/liberty or other topics I am interested i.
I have left several of those forums over the years for various reasons.
Some of the reasons:
1) They no longer met my needs or interested me. Same people posting about the same things over and over to the point that I got bored.
2) Too much DRAMA! Oh yes, we have all experienced forum drama, I am sure!
I just hate Drama Llamas, but the species pops up all the time on internet forums. The ones that ALWAYS have some of crisis going on and totally unloads to their "internet family". The ones that insist their factoids are THE end all and be all and if you disagree you are attacking them personally! Yeah...that is the fastest way for me to *exit--stage left* when a forum attracts too many of the drama llama species.That is why I left homesteadingtoday. The drama there was overwhelming!
3) Poorly moderated forums. This can run the gamut from non-existent moderation to overly moderated forums. I have seen it all...mass bannings of members because they mildly disagreed with a mod, not banning *trolls* even when it was painfully obvious they were trolls, etc. Bad moderation was why I left frugalsquirrels forum.
4) Too many trolls!!! They derail every discussion, frustrate those that are there for serious discussion and just generally annoy all. If the mods don't get a handle on it quick, it can destroy a forum community. (Backwoodshome used to have a huge troll problem, but they seem to have a handle on it now. I go there once in a great while)
5) When the *tone* of a forum becomes very uncomfortable....examples of this are when members or mods begin pointedly attacking people that belong to a *group* they don't like.I left survivalistboards when a mod (now a former mod, so I have heard...haven't been back there in more than a year) began making fun of mentally challenged/mentally retarded people. I am currently withdrawing from another forum as they constantly attack gays/lesbians by members making statements that "all faggots are going to hell", "all sodomites should die", etc. Yes, that is their opinion and they are welcome to it, I just won't be a party to encouraging such crap. (Since I am currently slowly leaving said site, I won't name it)
6) Forums that charge money for various things....wanna be a *gold* member? It'll cost you to read posts on threads in the *gold* section! Want an avatar pic? It'll cost you! Want to see the members list or our super secret section of pdf files? It'll cost you! Also forums that constantly scream at their members about how much it costs to run the site, how they pay for everything out of their own pocket and it is bankrupting them, etc., etc.Also, group buys constantly being offered and the site owner or mods haranguing members that do not participate.(Another reason I left frugalsquirrels)
7) Finding out that forum admin. is not what/who they purport to be. I left one forum not only because of some of the above reasons (like #6), but also because I found out that the admin's character was not what they presented it to be.(Goodbye pioneerliving)
8) Sometimes I leave a forum simply because of one individual. I had an individual stalk me online and follow me to a forum I frequented. They caused me a lot of grief and hassles in my offline life as well. So, I quietly exited that forum and went on with my life.
9) Sometimes it is a combination of several of the above reasons. Life is far too short to deal with a lot of crap that you invite into your home by switching on your computer!
How to exit a forum (AHA! Now for the practical aspect of this post!)
I generally send a private message to the forum administration informing them that I am leaving the forum and would they please be so kind as to remove my name from the member roles. Surprisingly, even this polite request can be met with aggression and a combative attitude! Be prepared for that! Many forums will keep your name and info on the board, not allow you to delete posts you may wish to delete, etc. Especially if you have posted information they consider valuable/informative.Also, the more members they have, the more money they can get from their advertisers.
If it appears that exiting the forum politely with cooperation from the administration is impossible, then I simply just quit going to the forum. If the forum sends me emails "Hey, you haven't posted in a while, what's up?", I mark them as spam so all future emails from them will be dumped in my spam folder (which I empty without even looking at it)
Once, and ONLY once, I pulled the *Flounce*.
I threw a screaming fit that even bled over into the chat room the forum had.
Not proud of it, and not the way you should leave a forum. A quiet exit where you just make fewer and fewer posts until you are completely gone is best.
It invites few comments except maybe "What-ever happened to Lamby?"
Much classier than a screaming flounce!
I have left several of those forums over the years for various reasons.
Some of the reasons:
1) They no longer met my needs or interested me. Same people posting about the same things over and over to the point that I got bored.
2) Too much DRAMA! Oh yes, we have all experienced forum drama, I am sure!
I just hate Drama Llamas, but the species pops up all the time on internet forums. The ones that ALWAYS have some of crisis going on and totally unloads to their "internet family". The ones that insist their factoids are THE end all and be all and if you disagree you are attacking them personally! Yeah...that is the fastest way for me to *exit--stage left* when a forum attracts too many of the drama llama species.That is why I left homesteadingtoday. The drama there was overwhelming!
3) Poorly moderated forums. This can run the gamut from non-existent moderation to overly moderated forums. I have seen it all...mass bannings of members because they mildly disagreed with a mod, not banning *trolls* even when it was painfully obvious they were trolls, etc. Bad moderation was why I left frugalsquirrels forum.
4) Too many trolls!!! They derail every discussion, frustrate those that are there for serious discussion and just generally annoy all. If the mods don't get a handle on it quick, it can destroy a forum community. (Backwoodshome used to have a huge troll problem, but they seem to have a handle on it now. I go there once in a great while)
5) When the *tone* of a forum becomes very uncomfortable....examples of this are when members or mods begin pointedly attacking people that belong to a *group* they don't like.I left survivalistboards when a mod (now a former mod, so I have heard...haven't been back there in more than a year) began making fun of mentally challenged/mentally retarded people. I am currently withdrawing from another forum as they constantly attack gays/lesbians by members making statements that "all faggots are going to hell", "all sodomites should die", etc. Yes, that is their opinion and they are welcome to it, I just won't be a party to encouraging such crap. (Since I am currently slowly leaving said site, I won't name it)
6) Forums that charge money for various things....wanna be a *gold* member? It'll cost you to read posts on threads in the *gold* section! Want an avatar pic? It'll cost you! Want to see the members list or our super secret section of pdf files? It'll cost you! Also forums that constantly scream at their members about how much it costs to run the site, how they pay for everything out of their own pocket and it is bankrupting them, etc., etc.Also, group buys constantly being offered and the site owner or mods haranguing members that do not participate.(Another reason I left frugalsquirrels)
7) Finding out that forum admin. is not what/who they purport to be. I left one forum not only because of some of the above reasons (like #6), but also because I found out that the admin's character was not what they presented it to be.(Goodbye pioneerliving)
8) Sometimes I leave a forum simply because of one individual. I had an individual stalk me online and follow me to a forum I frequented. They caused me a lot of grief and hassles in my offline life as well. So, I quietly exited that forum and went on with my life.
9) Sometimes it is a combination of several of the above reasons. Life is far too short to deal with a lot of crap that you invite into your home by switching on your computer!
How to exit a forum (AHA! Now for the practical aspect of this post!)
I generally send a private message to the forum administration informing them that I am leaving the forum and would they please be so kind as to remove my name from the member roles. Surprisingly, even this polite request can be met with aggression and a combative attitude! Be prepared for that! Many forums will keep your name and info on the board, not allow you to delete posts you may wish to delete, etc. Especially if you have posted information they consider valuable/informative.Also, the more members they have, the more money they can get from their advertisers.
If it appears that exiting the forum politely with cooperation from the administration is impossible, then I simply just quit going to the forum. If the forum sends me emails "Hey, you haven't posted in a while, what's up?", I mark them as spam so all future emails from them will be dumped in my spam folder (which I empty without even looking at it)
Once, and ONLY once, I pulled the *Flounce*.
I threw a screaming fit that even bled over into the chat room the forum had.
Not proud of it, and not the way you should leave a forum. A quiet exit where you just make fewer and fewer posts until you are completely gone is best.
It invites few comments except maybe "What-ever happened to Lamby?"
Much classier than a screaming flounce!
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