PhilG007, on 2015-June-05, 00:26, said:
FYI these forums are democratic...everyone has the right to air their opinion...you can either agree or disagree.. disagreement is good...the world would be a sad place if only one opinion counted(!)
You are right, anyone can post in these forums.
Two good players named MikeH and Timo are sitting at the bar at a NABC after an event. Maybe they don't have the resumes of, say, Michael Rosenberg and Steve Robinson, but these are solid expert players who just qualified for Day 3 of the LMs. They have good playing records and have proven themselves as good players in real life and on the forums. They are discussing a particular bidding problem on Board 14, or maybe the opening lead on Board 3.
Now, some random who played in the event, or maybe the Gold Rush Pairs who has had a few too many Budweisers strolls over and inserts himself into the conversation without really being invited. Maybe he likes to spout his opinion, and back up his ideas with platitudes and 'rules' that you might learn at the club or a Barbara Seagram class. In a failed attempt to establish credibility and because he's trying to be clever he has a hand diagram scrawled out on a napkin of a holdup play that you might find in an intermediate-level Bill Root book. It takes them about 5 milliseconds to solve the problem because they are experienced players, and they have seen this theme dozens of times, because they are experienced. The conversation would peter out and they'd take their drinks somewhere else.
However, lets say Random Stranger politely asks to enter the conversation and adds something meaningful to the discussion, like an interesting deceptive play he made on another board, or a fascinating ending. Now the RS would be welcome, and has made some new friends. They would continue to laugh and joke and enjoy their Buds (well, not MikeH of course because he hates Bud).
Sure, the forums are democratic, and anyone can post, but that does not mean that everyone's opinion counts the same as everyone else's! It isn't like voting. Once you get into the door, its like the proverbial bar. If you want to gain credibility, you need to say something INTELLIGENT that good players will want to LISTEN to. Except, players don't have the right to walk away here, they have to go to the effort to actively ignore you. However, there are established rules of protocol and you won't read them in the Terms of Service. When I started posting in 2004 (?) a few players knew me, but not everyone. I remember a one-suit squeeze that I posted early on that a few thought was pretty cool and I hope that somewhere along the line I gained some respect, even though I sometimes make idiotic bids or opening leads. Depending on other priorities in my life I have been in and out of the forums, and I have seen many pretenders try to step in and assert themselves as hot sh*t only to be either laughed at or ostracized or both.
PhilG007, on 2015-June-04, 08:08, said:
I warn my students that,when they embark on this strange game,they will not always find the path suffused with sweetness and light.
Here's yet another reason why internet bridge is so dangerous. Maybe you are a good enough player to teach (not that teaching means anything) or maybe you have a charismatic style that people like, or maybe you don't charge for lessons or playing pro. Worse yet, you are a charlatan that lures the unsuspecting since you can coherently explain the Rule of 15 and this gets you people to pay you for speedballs or take lessons on Bergen raises.
Please do me (us) a favor and DONT respond to this post. Read it, read it again, and read it a 3rd time. When you understand the message, come back and try to be a contributing member of the community. Try not to take on the big dogs during the first weeks, and be respectful toward good players. When you post, try to back up your opinion with more than platitudes or pithy sayings.
I hope you can be an active member and have something meaningful to say and have people listen to you. Otherwise, you'll be ignored.
Just like at the bar.
Help
That's the answer,what's the question(?!)
I've also noticed he's decided to make his talent at the game "Private" If you ARE an expert,then why