on opinions in the hobby...

there are some people in this hobby i wish i could slap with a salmon...and then a frying pan...seriously, you are not an expert nor is your opinion the be all, end all. i respect your opinion, but stop preaching it like it is the only opinion people can have. if someone asks a question and people give answers, don't outright discount them because they aren't what you agree with. or don't jump in and tell someone how wrong they are because you think something is some way. most of all, don't speak as if you are an authority on what a company should do because they owe it to their customers.

disagree with me all you like, but check your facts, admit when you are wrong, and don't act like a jerk to someone because they are not 100% in line with what you have to say. because of people like that, there are more and more lurkers, there are confessions that can be pretty nasty or express being afraid to get into the hobby. there are people who are scared to step into discussions or go to meets, people who have had a bad experience and see this behavior and then assume that the rest of the people in the hobby are the same.

yes, i have my own opinions on things, but i try to be open to other opinions. i have had my mind changed about things i felt strongly on because i didn't immediately attack someone for having a difference of opinion. i let them speak and heard their argument; i learned and reformed my own opinion with that new knowledge. yes, i have participated in discussions and had my facts slightly off, but i have admitted i was wrong or apologized as needed and corrected my knowledge. i have watched as so much opined misinformation gets spouted as fact and my cautions and corrections are attacked that i mostly bite my tongue and don't comment anymore because saying things has done no good. i only offer my opinion publicly on most things anymore when asked and do not volunteer it freely.

all of this being said, think before you speak. if you are posting something about a company as a fact, check your facts first instead of posting conjecture as truth. don't brush someone's opinion off as wrong just because it is different, maybe they have greater experience or more facts about something than you.

if any of my followers or anyone reading this would like to engage in a discussion or has questions about anything, please feel free to contact me. if i don't know about something and can't answer a question, i'll try to point you in the right direction. if you simply wish to discuss something, i'm open to it. i like to share what small knowledge i have, meet people in the hobby, and learn from others' knowledge about things.