Our Snarkiness……………
ambro51
Posts: 13,901 ✭✭✭✭✭
……..is getting a bit out of hand. Yes, it’s all good natured, but it’s getting rather old, this game we play batting down low post count members who “ask something” we mostly know is incorrect. Their opinion and our opinions often end up in snarky little wars. We make them feel like morons and they fight back, frequently with a well thought out and to them plausible line of reasoning (complete with pictures)……. and it’s gotta stop. It’s kind of fun……..but it’s going to give this group a bad name which it probably doesn’t deserve. On the same note , low number posters with DDo etc. questions need to accept the facts, learn from it and Move forward. Don’t argue back and we won’t be snarky.
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Comments
chopmarkedtradedollars.com
Fair point but he only liked some of it.
I agree that we should consider our answer carefully before posting, when our first reaction is "Is he/she/they kidding?" A gentle, friendly explanation of where the poster went wrong is more helpful.
That said, when the poster doubles down on a questionable first question, insisting that he/she/they are correctd after being told in a nice way that he/she/they are not correct, and that the person trying to help is stupid, I have no sympathy for the resulting fallout.
it would be better to lighten up
i will also cite "troll fatigue." we've had so many in recent years. people are on guard, some seem to be over-vigilant
We've also been getting an influx of this over the last several months:
peacockcoins
Strategy - Don’t feed the trolls.
they could search. we know they don't because they'd say the search doesn't work. so there's all that.
recent uncirc/circ threads would find that photograde was attempted. a thread search would need to turn up a thread on the specific type coin and include descriptions of the differing aspects of the coin's state such that a new person could learn from it. i guess for a washie or barber and kennedy half we might find one eventually if someone knew to include "slider" or "AU58(+)" as search terms.
does anyone here use the search feature to find threads for wear patterns on a barber half or do they just open a new thread?
I agree that we should treat newcomers with respect and answer their questions respectfully. I try to do that and add some interesting facts to my responses when possible.
There are some posters who get on my nerves however. The worst are those who find damaged coins, often in parking lots, who post them multiple times asking if they are errors. After a couple of times, they should get the message.
Another group are those who insist in pushing something as rare when it is well known that the item is not even scarce. To me, making money in this hobby became secondary after I retired as a dealer. To others, it’s the main thing on their mind.
If making money is your primary goal, I don’t think that you will last as a collector. I find making money as a collector to be a challenge if you are looking for quick turnovers. Holding truly scarce and desirable items for a number of years can be profitable, although not always.
The other group is more legitimate. These are questions about doubled die coins. To me, if you need a 10X glass to see it, it doesn’t amount to much, but I think I’m in the minority. I’ll leave the conformation of new double die discoveries to others.
Some people are obvious trolls right out of the gate. Those people get the level of seriousness they deserve.
They purposely misspell common words like: Eagel, unculated, halve dolers, etc.
Or they purposely act obtuse about obvious things like: Posting a picture of a half dollar and claiming it's a dime etc.
Another way to tell if you're dealing with someone not acting in good faith: Check their post-to-comments ratio. If they have more posts than comments, it's obvious they just drop in here to create troll threads, or at best they're abusing the goodwill of the forum by having the experts constantly check their coins for "doubling".
What makes it worse is that over the years there is a continued worry about the "state of the Hobby" and newcomers. Then when they show up they get denigrated. The strange part of this phenomenon is the arrival factor. Once a new member reaches a certain post count or feels accepted as a member here they begin get nasty. Very strange, indeed. I have also noticed of late that some senior members, guys I've been here with for maybe 20 years, have joined in.
I have seen responses over time that yes, could have been more productive for newbies. I also think people should remember that the majority of people coming here and asking about coins know nothing about coins. They also know nothing about numismatic terms such as RPM, Die Cap, etc... that are mostly beneficial to using the search function. And unless they know the terms or diagnostics, giving them links to specialized sites is probably only going to confuse them more. I think it's easier to reply to a parking lot coin question with "damaged" or "Post Mint Damage" instead of asking the OP numerous questions as to why they think they have an error or rare coin. If they knew what they have, they wouldn't be asking.
BUT, if a newbie doesn't accept the knowledgeable answers that were given, then they are on their own for getting snarkie responses.
My Original Song Written to my late wife-"Plus other original music by me"
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8A11CC8CC6093D80
https://n1m.com/bobbysmith1
And we have our share of board nannies around here, people taking themselves far more seriously than they should. Don't want to discuss someone's parking lot piece, don't comment in the thread. Let LOL be your friend but don't overuse it. Keep it simple and be happy with reading and making posts.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
I'm a forum newb who is a very casual collector and I collect for the fun of it, not to make money. I would never sell any of my coins unless I needed food.
I found this forum a couple months ago and started reading here instead of the forum I used to read (I will not give names) but I left that forum for the very reason you folks are discussing. Almost every post in the other forum was met with one of two answers: (1) learn how to post a coin pic (and they provided a link with 100 paragraphs of directions); or (2) snark about how the poster should learn to read a book before asking such a question. Because of that, I stopped visiting the forum.
I like this forum because in general it is fun and one gets to see some amazing coins that people have. I particularly like the threads where we get to share what we have in photos. That said, there have been a couple of obvious trolls creating a little havoc. Maybe the answer is to not follow-up once the troll reveals themselves. If they argue, just ignore them. Then they will get bored and not argue anymore.
I appreciate all the knowledge this forum collectively holds and hope that looking forward, it is a productive and enjoyable experience.
Thanks!
Norm
I suspect all forums, on whatever topic, are much the same. There will be new posters who pose sincere questions, and others who just want a quick answer, with no desire to search past posts. Likewise, there will be experienced posters who respond with assistance and kindness, as well as a minority who prefer to respond with snarkiness, or with an air of self-declared superiority.
By all means, let’s all try to be better. But we’re dealing with human nature, not numismatics.
On the money.
It's the full moon I tell ya! Brings out the werewolves in all of us!
What about a new poster not accepting some facts and being the accusatory one. Below is my comment and their response. I wasn't mocking them or being sarcastic, just trying to state some obvious facts . I could have been after their continued responses to all, but dropped out after 1st post after realizing where this was going. That is my solution because it just throws gasoline on the fire.
It is because it is the reverse if you look at the 21 the lines are thicker because it is the once again reverse meaning that it fits inside of the 21 die. They are concave and convex structures so if you do not understand, I can explain it but once again they are supposed to be thinner because it is the reverse my friend.
I will wait for your snarky comments. Trust me I know they’re coming.
I just have to say that I was a lurker for many years and decided to finally join 3 years ago. And believe me when I made some observations about how some 20,000 comment members were doing things I was berated by them. Sure, I wasn’t a Newby to collecting as I have 60 years experience in numismatics and have been in coin clubs and an ANA member, but when I only had a few posts and likes, some arrogant members were downright condescending in their responses. 99% of the people here are so helpful, it’s those 1 per centers that give a bad name. I understand about being inundated with parking lot finds, but today it’s a way of life. We just need to acknowledge that and move on.
Sometimes it's just irritating, a newbie posts too many duplicate photos, they're blurry, it's a common coin with damage, they ask if it's a valuable error, the same newbie opens up ten more threads with more ridiculous queries.
Since the Coin Swaps and Giveaways are all being moved to the Giveaway Category, shouldn't all the questions be moved to the Q & A Forum??
I'm always cordial towards newbs...But trolls are another story. I simply ignore them or laugh at them. Sometimes, it's tricky to tell them apart.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Confession time: For many months, Walkerfan, I thought you were trolling the boards.
I can see now I was mostly wrong and for that I do sincerely apologize.
Wow, what ever gave you that impression?
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
He might have you confused with @Walkerlover who has a bit of a checkered background.
chopmarkedtradedollars.com
Thanks. That's a good point. I never thought of that!
There are at least 3 other Walker guys besides myself, so I can understand the confusion.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Exactly. Until a ignored him, I got him confused as well!
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
Yes! Sorry. That was a regrettable mistake on my part.
"Fan" VS "Lover"
A bit confusing.
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1112172/is-this-1961-a-full-step
Good example. Seems like obvious trolling to me. Here's a few more.
I would say that courtesy would be a better word. Respect generally has to be earned. Someone asking if a parking lot coin is a condition rarity hasn't earned any respect and doesn't really deserve any, however a courteous no it isn't should suffice as an answer.
We need to assign a smart/gentle group of souls here with lots of time available to be our unofficial greeters… like receptionists of sorts…while the rest of us more experienced just be discreet, kind and watch if you want.
i'm too stupid to do either!
Good idea but who would be some gentle souls you would recommend?
trolls are trolls. if i had the power pcgs wouldn't like me deleting accounts on my authorized opinion... which would definitely not include a confession
Most of those guys are not asking about condition census. Their questions are about mint errors. They need to spend little time learning about how coins are made before they ask us if gravel tracks are mint errors more than two or three times.
I don’t know…maybe someone could post requesting interested applicants 🤓
Actually that seemed one of the least troll-y examples. The OP in that thread asked a reasonable follow-up question, and hasn't yet said that they know better than everyone else.
Maybe some of our older members would like to do it? Kind of like Walmart greeters. 🤣🤣 We could get them a little blue CU vest. 👍
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
I agree about the 1961 thread if it were a stand alone. Adding up the whole package, it seems like intentional trolling to me.
"Full Bells" is kind of funny. Maybe that will end up in a meme in the future.
I nominate @291fifth he’s a smart gentle soul who cuts to the chase straightaway no BS gets past this guy.
That's really funny; I had exactly the same experience!
I was just using a for instance. I'm sure there are lots of "rookie" type situations that have popped up over the years?
The issue is how many times do they continue to post pictures of damaged coins before they get the message? Most of these guys have no interest in collecting or becoming collectors. They want to make money.
Don't respond to their post/s then.