My 1000th Post (13-APR-2011)

Chit-Chat / Rumor Mill
1

Today, I become the 7th member to enter the hallowed halls of the “1000 post” club! The air sure is thin up here :wink:

This is one of the most amazing web communities I’ve had the privilege to be part of. I’ve had a lot of fun helping out (and being helped) on the Vex forum and wiki over the last few years.

Up till now, I’ve just been a Vex hobbyist. However, next year I may have a chance to help coach a middle school team at my daughter’s school. I feel confident on the technical side of things, but I’m not naturally a competitive type so it’ll be interesting to experience Vex from this (new to me) perspective.

Anyway, best of luck to all the teams about to compete at Worlds!

Have fun!

  • Dean
2

I envy the team that gets you as a coach/mentor! You won’t regret it – it’s a wild ride. Congrats on reaching an impressive milestone, and more importantly, thanks for all your detailed and helpful contributions.

BTW, who are the other 6? I know MarkO marked his passage here a while ago.

3

Welcome to the “Noisy Poster” club. The other members are Corpalchee, MarkO, basicxman, Ricky Torrance, me :), and gblake. Your s/n ratio is a lot higher than mine, though.

4

Thanks guys,

Looks like the middle school team isn’t going to happen, though I may help out with the high school team from the same school.

BTW, if you want to see the post counts, you can look here.

Cheers,

  • Dean
5

Quazar;

Sorry I missed your Big Announcement back when it happened…

I have not upgraded to the Cortex Controller, so most of my contributions are more “peripheral” these days, in addition to I have had other things occupying my time… I am still planning on getting a Cortex Controller and some of those new motors… :wink:

I did not know there was a name, “The Noisy Posters” though… I try to keep my s/n ratio up too, there are so many good topics to assist with and “fluff” is not a benefit to anyone, except the Ego of the Poster. I just hope that posting a lot, does not discourage the more timid poster to keep quiet…

This must be a feature of the Advanced Search… I was wondering who the Top Poster were… And, now I know… ( I’m #2, I’m #2, I’m… DOWN Ego, DOWN!!! )

6

Good job, and good luck to you all!

I only have 263 posts :frowning:

7

I find Quazar (Dean) posts to be valuable because of their high content, quality, and the thought and hard work behind them, not because of the quantity.

Bot-E Builders has 267 posts since 04-24-2011 (172 days)
At this average rate (of mostly content-free “Me too!” “I agree!” posts,
ref https://vexforum.com/search.php?searchid=3204883 )
from the multiple users of Bot-E Builders’ account,
that account will be at 1000 in less than 16 more months.

8

I agree, awesome :slight_smile: I’ve so wanted to comment on this before. Multiple users, that explains a lot.

This also bother me, I want to share the knowledge I have but am concerned that it may discourage others who feel their ideas may be wrong. Any advice ?

9

I want to reiterate… This is not a Contest to see who has the most posts… Read through the Top Posters threads… Their Signal to Noise ratio is quite High, the Content of their Posts are for the most part courteous, relevant, accurate, and Sources are Quoted…

Keep Helping others by Posting Valuable Information, encouragement and support… And you too will reach a higher level… Of Wisdom and Knowledge ( as well as Posts )… :wink:

As Quazar said:

I concur!!!

( In the light of Full Disclosure My 1000th Post thread is here:
My 1000th Post (09-OCT-2008) )

10

I would encourage the individual members of Bot-E Builders to get their own accounts. There is no cost, the Forum can handle it and if certain individuals invoke a negative reaction from the other user of the forum, it would not reflect on the rest of the Bot-E Builders team.

Sure… Here are my 3 favorite quotes…

My Number 2 adage is, “Use the right tool for the job.”
(My number 1 adage is “I don’t know everything.”)

also

“Eschew Obfuscation:To avoid or abstain from things that are Confusing or Misleading.”

First… Be Humble… Explain your “solution”, how you arrived at that Solution, and that there may be a better way to solve the same Issue…

There may be Many Ways to solve an issue, and yours in one of them… Present your solution and leave the Topic open for others to submit their Ideas… This will give the Original Poster a Potential Solution if no one else responds, and lets others feel that they can contribute something you did not try or experience in your analysis of the problem.

Second… Be Considerate… Chose a Friendly, Open Tone of Voice ( yes, even printed words and Emoticons can convey Tone and Voice ) for your responses. If someone is Wrong, blatantly saying it or call them names will not gain you any credibility, let alone people taking your advice seriously.

If someone is mis-using a part, and then is complaining that it does not work right, politely explain that the specific part is intended to be used for some other purpose, and if you have a suggestion for a different part to solve their issue, mention it… Otherwise you can just leave the topic open for others to post their solutions. In the “worst case” scenario, they will chose a different part to try to solve their issue, and in the “best case” scenario you or someone else will provides a Solution for them with a different part.

Third, Section A… Be willing, to be the Student… You can not know everything… Ask for further information from the Original Poster. In their answers to your questions, other posters may have their own questions to ask, or provide Solutions based on a more complete description of the Problem.

Asking for more information will keep open the topic for a Solution, and get the other Members to think through their own Solutions and potentially ask Questions as well.

Third, Section B… Be willing, to be the Student… When asking for Help, if only one person responds, ask if anyone else has a Solution, or Suggestion. This opens the Topic for more that One person to respond. It also shows that You are learning just like others are when it comes time to give advice…

Asking others for assistance and sharing what you learn from them, plus what you learn on your own, will show that are not just a taker, but a giver as well…

The Tone you set with every one of your posts will be examples to all the Members of the Forum… If you take a Hostile or Condescending Tone, others will be reluctant to read through your post, even if you have good information… You First Impression with fellow Vex Enthusiasts is here on the Vex Forum, try to make it a Good Impression…

Analyze the Posting Style of the other Posters… Find which ones you like, and follow their style. I try to follow all the above items I mentioned… You might or might not like my Posting Style, but I would be flattered to have you copy it…

There is much more that can be said, I will leave that for other posters to fill in… :wink:

11

Thanks Mark, words of wisdom we can all learn from.

12

And IF you catch me breaking any of them, I expect to be “called” on it… :wink:

BTW… Do any of my points answer your question?? I am always trying to improve my Communication skills…

13

Mark, your points help reinforce things I should already know being the father of high school and college aged children. I’m still a newbie when it comes to VEX but am enjoying the role of mentor, I’ve worked with this type of technology forever but still have a lot to learn about the culture. I have read several of your posts from the past and find your communication skills need little improvement. Thanks again.

14

It is real hard to know how old every Vex Forum member is… My two oldest Step-Daughters are Post College Age and College Age, my three Kids are High School and Middle School, ages 15, 14, and 11.

Mentoring is “busy”, but rewarding… I have been working with Vex for 5 years now and Embedded Programming and Electronics for 10 years with a focus on Recreational Vehicles…

The Culture is about Everyone helps Everyone else, and the best Teams Win ( the scrimmage, this time ), but ALL teams win in the experences and knowledge…

As a side note, Arizona is a major destination for Full Time RV Owners, thus there is RV support, Shops and Services in the Major Cities like Tuscon. One of the People I know there is having a very hard time finding basic, competent Technicians, ones that know Clock-Wise from Counter Clock-Wise, and that it takes Two Wires to make an electrical circuit… I told him to contact the Local High School Robotic Teams to locate some potential Technicians

Glad to know I am “well read”, even thought I have not had many posts in the last couple years…

What kind technology background do you have???

15

I sent you a PM but the short answer is electronics engineering, software development and digital imaging.

16

That cool!! It sounds like the interests and skills used on a VRC team could lead to a career like yours… Thanks for being a Mentor!!! :wink:

17

Quazar,

Much congrats!!!

You made it to the Superman club.

-Eli