"peeing on the electric fence"
Humorous until you actually do it!!!
Getting GOOD advice
- Thread starter mickr
- Start date
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jeffnreno
Member
I don't know about peeing on the electric fence!!!
But I do know that the advice you get on any website is just that advice.
You have to take it all in and then give it a go.
That way you figure out what works for you.
And what works for you may not work for the next guy.
And I'm sure the next guy will take your advice and come up with what works for them.
But I do know that the advice you get on any website is just that advice.
You have to take it all in and then give it a go.
That way you figure out what works for you.
And what works for you may not work for the next guy.
And I'm sure the next guy will take your advice and come up with what works for them.
ldubia
Member
As was stated in another reply to this post, some people may not have a way with words. This is certainly true of a great many people.
I am a fairly new turner and take to heart many of the things I read here and in other places as I research my material. Just because there are no pictures means nothing to me. Pictures are nice but the understanding is best accomplished through reflection on what you are reading and seeing. If a person thinks they understand something and try it and it fails for them, it may not be the right way to do it for them. There are many ways to do things as is evidenced by the products people put out. Experience is best gained by trial and error. I have tried several things that I have read about and not seen pictures of and they have worked out just fine. I have also tried and failed at things I have seen pictures of and read about. Therefor, pictures do not necessarily make it the best judge.
This is my opinion.
Happy holidays and thanks for looking out for us.
Texatdurango
Member
I don't know if photos of completed pens are a good criteria to judge someones value or not. I used to have photos on the IAP but they are all gone so I guess they fall off after a while. I think photos along with the advice shows the reader that you at least know how to do what you are talking about.
I'm glad to see this thread as I would like some honest advice because I'm doing something terribly WRONG and coming across as smug or "know it all" lately and I think it's just the way I write and come across.
When I share the way I do something I pretend the audience has never done what I am showing so I don't overlook any "basic steps" for the newbies. I always try to include photos since in pen turning we have a dozen names for the same thing and a lot of new folks don't know what we're talking about especially when we start using our "home made" acronyms or cyber abbreviations! I also try to state that what I am sharing is not the only way of doing something, just "my way".
That last phrase has caused me a lot of grief lately because I think people are taking it the wrong way and I've received some doozy emails asking things like "who died and made me pen God?" or "None of this was MY idea, I only copy from others". It got so carried away that I changed the phrase from "my way" to "another way".
What I mean to convey is that what I am showing is how I do something and there are other ways so don't get hung up trying to follow every tiny detail to the letter.
At first I thought it would be easy sharing ideas with others but it is actually very hard! You have to watch every word you use because you never know how someone will take it.
It would be nice to know if there were some "middle of the road" phrases to use so folks don't think you're talking down to them. Any ideas or suggestions? Perhaps this is why some turners don't even bother with giving advice!
mickr
Member
It's a bummer isn't it?..you say one thing & 3 people agree and 56 choose to put words in your mouth you never said nor intended..that's the way it works I guess...I have always enjoyed and learned something from your posts George...please keep posting & sharing
mickr
Member
Thanks for your opinion..I don't know how many times people have tried to explain things on this forum and supplied no pictures..everyone who responded, said PLEASE include pictures, we are confused and don't understand your post...so some of us need/would like pictures and some do not...Happy holidays to you & yours
dustmaker
Member
Hey George,
I know there has been some excitement here in recent days, but seriously, do we really need to walk on eggshells? I mean, come on, so long as we are posting our experiences and ideas and trying to share information for the good of others, is there really any reason to take things personal? I think we sometimes are reading things in that weren't intended in the first place. I suppose it is a weakness of the written word. I don't know the answer except that I have been posting online for many years and the problem is not unique to this forum. While I think it is important to phrase things carefully so as not to purposely insult or belittle another, I think we should have free reign to express our methods and ideas. They are our ideas and methods and if they work for us, then they are what they are. There should be no reason folks should think that a way is the only way, or that this particular way is somehow the best way. Just because it works for me doesn't mean it will work for you. We all have our styles, skills and biases that interfere sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. Others have said it better than I, the best way to learn is to collect knowledge and ideas and then go try it for yourself. That is how I am learning. But you know, without experienced folk like you taking the time and courage to post, there is not going to be much knowledge shared and the art suffers. Post On!
dogcatcher
Member
The answer needs to looked at based on the how experienced the turner is that asked the question and the experience of the person that wrote the answer. What a person that has been turning for 40 years does is not necessarily safe for the person that finally knows where the on and off switch is. In the same context the turner with 40 years of experince may not know half of what he/she thinks they know. The pictures are just part of the answer.
TellicoTurning
Member
Hi George,
I'm sorry you feel the way you do... I for one find your tutorials very helpful and have copied a number of them to my reference files for future use... some of the ideas don't or won't work for me, doesn't change the merit of the ideas... I can't see why you would have to be "politically correct" when you are presenting an idea and have stated in plain English that this is your method, not THE method of doing a particular task.
As for showing the 'basic' steps of a procedure... that is the mark of a good teacher, assume your student is a novice, and bring him to your level or at least to his own next level... I get pretty wordy myself when I'm showing someone something and as a student, I don't take offense if my instructor assumes I have no knowledge...
At any rate, I haven't taken any offense to any of your posts, and or anyone's post... if I don't like what's said, I have the option to leave the thread and go to another that suits me....
My vote is keep on doing what you are doing.