need for sticky threads supporting asking for/giving advice? -- some questions to ask someone (or yourself) before giving (or asking) recommendation? (1 Viewer)

[mbb]

Sorry for the very long post! ...
It started from just a thought (probably already raised by other, longer and more knowledgeable members than me):

Shouldn't we have a few 'sticky threads' at the top of this binocular or overarching optics forum, a.o. on the following different(!) topics about binoculars or optics in general:

1. general, technical knowledge, including nomenclature (what does "8x42", magnifiction, FOV, AFOV, DOF, exit pupil, ... mean and what is it important for?)
2. general tips & tricks (how to hold them steady, setting the diopter correctly and the distance between the barrels, star testing...)
3. what questions to ask someone (or yourself) before giving (or asking) recommendation?

These, especially the first two, might also consist of references to good, existing threads or other web pages that already exist.
These three sticky threads, would preferably be without any specific advice towards any specific brand or model at all, nor against any brand of model. Unless really necessary, it would preferably be without even mentioning brands or models or shops etc. This in order to avoid the sticky-post to get side-tracked into "which is the best binocular/brand (for me)" etc., which is quite personal and might thus require a dedicated, more focused thread, and which might be outdated quicker according to some etc.
It would allow everyone to reference those three more 'simple' and 'neutral' threads in any new thread where someone, experienced or not, is looking for info or advice or wanting to give info or advice.
I propose this because I often see (very relevant but personal) new threads that get started to get or give advice for new binoculars (either first ones or upgrading), but that lack the basic info needed to base sound and tailored advice on (but still we tend to quickly give specific brand/model suggestions), or redundancy of information.
Not wanting to just comment on this without giving a try at helping to solve this, I have tried below to give a 'first shot' for the third topic.
(Please feel free to add or correct anything! I am no expert at all myself, and there are some other forum members who really know a lot(!) more than I do about binoculars (about optics theory, manufacturing etc., and also from hands-on experience using many different models, and/or about servicing them etc.). )

 

[mbb]

What questions to ask someone (or yourself) before giving (or asking) recommendation on which binocular to buy?
(first attempt)

First steps:
When helping a friend/relative looking for binoculars, I first ask 'simple' questions without jargon. I think these could be relevant also for someone to briefly think about when asking for advice on new binoculars.
See the most important ones below in bold, with next to them (not in bold) the kind of direction it helps me go into, without the need to bother them with the technical explanation if that annoys them or makes them run away. 😉 (But some do want the technical explanation! )
Of course, the interpretation is simplified and exemplary! The actual interpretation might depend on the person (you might e.g. know them quite well, which might help). Ideally, I would also still give them more than one single suggestion at the end (e.g. 2 or 3 options (usually not more) with some indication on what to consider when choosing between them (e.g. ergonomics personally, after sale service)), recommend them to check those options 'hands on' (e.g. in a store), and/or let them 'experience' what I mean with handing them over 1 or 2 of my binoculars to see their reaction and ask their feedback...)

1. When/where do you plan to take/use the binoculars? (Potentially giving some examples/options: on challenging and long mountain hikes? family walks? cycling? dedicated birding excursion of a few hours? stationary at a observation point?)
   • (=> see the two next questions, but someone might raise a use case that you didn't expect. A theater or sport fan? Or one might say the binoculars will be stationed at the window sill, always remaining inside the house but always 'ready to use' (=>a.o. little reason to be waterproof, potentially different weight considerations...). )
2. Do the binoculars need to fold compactly and be very light to be stowed away? (e.g. in a small bag, or while already carrying a lot of other stuff (e.g. camera gear, camping material) or during long hikes, with other stuff in the glove compartment of the car...)
   • (=> if yes, we might have to consider compact binoculars with 20-25mm objectives and double hinges. Otherwise, little chance we'll end up smaller than 30-32mm.)
3. Do you usually use them during normal daytime or also at darker hours (early morning, late evening)?
   • (=> many people seem to use their binoculars 99% of the time during normal daytime, mainly when going out for a walk when the weather is good, which will often result in 30-32mm objectives or 3 to 4mm exit pupil being enough. Of course there are some other reasons to go larger and to not yet remove those options(!), like viewing comfort etc., but realizing that that will be at a weight penalty and not really help have a brighter view, though potentially a little better.)
4. Specific types or areas where the binoculars will be mainly used? (openness, climatic condition, ...)
   • (=> E.g. mainly/only in the woods, at the shore, from a boat, other 'open terrain'... Dry or wet climate? Dusty? See air and sand? Potentially helping to choose magnification, waterproofness, need for rainguards and objective covers ...)
5. Do you want to share the binoculars with the kids (e.g. when walking together with the whole family, they might want to ask "can I see!?", do you expect the kids to be running with them (... 😏))?
   • (=> often a reason to not go beyond 8x (maybe even rather 6-7x), in order to avoid small exit pupils, have less shake, have a wider field of view (to 'find' the bird), but also not to go beyond 32mm for weight reasons, ... It might also be a reason to skip the most expensive "alpha" brands/models.)
6. Do you (or the people who you will share your binoculars with) wear glasses? => if so, try to find out if they look through their binoculars with or without glasses...
   • (=> that's a more difficult one for me personally, as I do not wear glasses myself and because there are different reasons to wear glasses (astigmatism, being near/far-sighted, ...). Thus any help is welcome here! A typical consideration is avoiding binoculars with (very) small eye relief if someone wears glasses and uses them with the binoculars, but I would the more so recommend to try the binoculars first, and explain that they have to try with eye cups retracted and extended at the different positions, with and without glasses, to see what suits them... Also, if the binoculars will be shared between people with and without glasses, e.g. family walks, I'll probably not recommend binoculars with rubber folding eye cups, especially if older/second hand, .)
7. Do you mainly consider them as 'just useful tools' or do their 'looks'/design also matter for you (apart from ergonomics)?
8. Will you be cautious with them, rather 'abusive', or utilitarian?
9. How reliable and robust should they be?
10. When observing, what's most important: correct identification of the bird (e.g. also at large distance) or mainly 'just' enjoying to observe the birds (whatever they are) doing what they do
    • (=> the above 4 questions are rarely 'clear cut', are often very subjective, but can help select brands, models or price brackets because of design, robustness, after-sale servicing/warranty, accessories, optical quality... E.g. 'enjoying watching' might actually put more emphasis on some optical quality like (A)FOV than correct identification does. Also, there in nothing wrong per sé in enjoying using binoculars for their intrinsic design/beauty/engineering prowess/... It's just another motivation. Some people care, others don't.)
11. Are there other specific, personal considerations? (any. e.g. tremor/shaking, specific eye/viewing condition, ...)
    • (=> e.g. thinking of (electronically) stabilized binoculars in case of tremor. Any other examples of specific situations?)
12. Do you already own/use binoculars? => which ones?, what do you (not) like about them? (+in which situation/occasion)... (and thus why(!?) are you looking further)
    • This is the part where it gets more interesting, but also even more complicated => see below...
13. ...then I would hand them over one or two of my binoculars based on the previous questions, ask them to point at something (e.g. a flower in the garden if there is no bird) and see their reaction (one will say "wow , that's big and heavy" when having a 42mm in their hands etc.) and maybe already explain one or two things (e.g. focusing, eye cups position... Ideally, we might reference the second 'sticky thread' here 😉)
    • (e.g. I handed over to my brother and father both my good 8x30 and my alpha 8x25. My brother directly noted a small(!) but noticeable step up in optical quality in the smaller alpha while my father didn't say anything about it, but both directly said the 8x30 was easier to use and certainly would also be for my nephew and niece when on family walks together. They saw my (older) 10x42 and before even bringing it to their eyes they said it was too heavy and big for them.)
    • => in just 5 minutes, there was little need to talk about <=25mm, about >=42m or about >=10x magnification...it was going to be about 6,5-8x30-32mm (what I already suspected before the chat, but still, I'm biased by definition and thus had to check 😊)
14. Do you have a budget in mind?
    • (=> that is usually not(!) my first question: the previous ones are crucial anyway, in any price category...)
    • (=> combined with all the other info, this might lead to recommendations for specific models, but might also lead to the conclusion that it would be more sensible to save a little bit more first, or that the potential improvement compared to what you already have would be very limited (in extent or in number of advantages))
15. ... any other type of info or questions?

These are quite a few questions, but much can be said reflecting on this in just a few sentences in total!
(Just an example: "I'm looking for some binocular to take when walking with the kids and the dog in the nature park a few blocks from here, on sunny weekends and holidays in Belgium, making also the kids discover the beauty of birds/nature. They are kids but know to handle things with care when asked for (they start learning to use my old reflex camera). We do not wear glasses. I don't want to spend a fortune but would still like the view to be enjoyable and the binoculars to last for many years. We have only had a rubish toy/kids binocular some years ago that were blurry and some old heavy binoculars, which we thus never used. Any recommendation is welcome.")
If it's someone I know well and trust, I might then first lend them a binocular for their next walk/weekend/holiday and wait for their feedback before recommending them any for buying...

Further steps...
But, than there is the above question "12", after having borrowed some binocular or where you already own or use some binoculars, but want to "upgrade", or try something new...
Still, the previous questions are valid, but one might become more specific...

1. are there moments you curse your binoculars or you don't bring them along while you would have liked to? Why? (=> too heavy? not waterproof?, too dim? bad view due to reflections? ... This might help find a 'better' binocular to upgrade to, but might lo lead to the recommendation to rather by a complementary, second binocular instead, not necessarily of 'higher grade'.)
2. are there other binoculars (e.g. from friends) that you have tried and that you really (dis)liked? => which binoculars ànd(!) when/in which situation was that?
3. Do you feel the view is steady enough, not too shaky?
4. how long do you watch (or would you like to watch) through your binoculars? (e.g. is it just quick glances/peaks, just seeing 'which animal is there?', or longer scanning and observing, for several minutes, what the birds are doing. I feel this might explain requirements or experiences regarding stability, magnification, weight...)
5. ...

For the more experienced users, these questions might become even more specific, loving or hating or not caring about e.g. (A)FOV, chromatic abberation, glare... of this or that binocular.
But I (personally) think that is a totally different story, far beyond what most people who are looking for some first/second binoculars (including but not only new members) need to be troubled with, unless they(!) want to and are interested to know more about optics rather than just use and enjoy them. In that case one might reference that other sticky thread? And/or dive into the treasure of (objective and subjective) and very informative posts around this huge forum... 🥳

 

[Mono]

Speaking with my moderator hat on.

Whilst a great sounding idea, most new members don't seem to read the stickies. One look at the bird id thread will provide plenty of evidence of that.

 

[Maljunulo]

That reads like something written up by a government bureau.

 

[Roadbike]

I've moderated a non-birding forum for several years. We've stickied seemingly important items like helpful hints for beginners, faq's, posting tips for new members and even forum rules. New members frequently have a specific question so they just post it without checking faqs. Same with posting tips. And forum rules... I think most entry level guides will go largely unused.

The sticked articles that do get used and updated deal mostly with more narrowly focused historical and technical topics.

 

[Rob from Texas]

I see both sides of this suggestion and understand.
Still, when I was first exploring binoculars, it took a bit to learn the benefits and disadvantages of each binocular size, in particular.
Maybe at least something like that could be captured in a quick read.

 

[Maljunulo]

In other fields with which I am more familiar, there are indeed two kinds, the first are those who are willing, able, and eager to learn, in order that they may make an informed and intelligent buying decision.

The second are those who say "I don't understand why I have learn all this stuff just so I can ................."

There is no real way to help the second group, and the first group will learn despite obstacles, going on to be happy practitioners of whatever art the second group was unwilling to learn.

(Yust my opinion)

 

[Troubador]

Take a look at the top of the page, at the left-hand side underneath the birdforum logo, there is a list of pages starting with Whats New and ending with Zeiss.
Open Zeiss which is a permanent 'Sticky' and go to their page on Optical Parameters The Most Important Optical Parameters

Here you will find explanations of a number of technical terms.

Lee

 

[mbb]

Speaking with my moderator hat on.

Whilst a great sounding idea, most new members don't seem to read the stickies. One look at the bird id thread will provide plenty of evidence of that.

probably true.
I might have been too optimistic and zealous
😊

That reads like something written up by a government bureau.

😅 now that I read it again myself….

Take a look at the top of the page, at the left-hand side underneath the birdforum logo, there is a list of pages starting with Whats New and ending with Zeiss.
Open Zeiss which is a permanent 'Sticky' and go to their page on Optical Parameters The Most Important Optical Parameters

Here you will find explanations of a number of technical terms.

Lee

Thank you for showing me the way back to those items!
I had seen and read (some of) them already some time ago, and really liked it as well written pieces of basic info!
It’s only a bit of a pitty that this information is kind of “hidden“ away in a sponsor part of the forum, where probably few people will find their way to if looking for such info.

 

[Ted Y.]

What questions to ask someone (or yourself) before giving (or asking) recommendation on which binocular to buy?
(first attempt)

First steps:
When helping a friend/relative looking for binoculars, I first ask 'simple' questions without jargon. I think these could be relevant also for someone to briefly think about when asking for advice on new binoculars.
See the most important ones below in bold, with next to them (not in bold) the kind of direction it helps me go into, without the need to bother them with the technical explanation if that annoys them or makes them run away. 😉 (But some do want the technical explanation! )
Of course, the interpretation is simplified and exemplary! The actual interpretation might depend on the person (you might e.g. know them quite well, which might help). Ideally, I would also still give them more than one single suggestion at the end (e.g. 2 or 3 options (usually not more) with some indication on what to consider when choosing between them (e.g. ergonomics personally, after sale service)), recommend them to check those options 'hands on' (e.g. in a store), and/or let them 'experience' what I mean with handing them over 1 or 2 of my binoculars to see their reaction and ask their feedback...)

1. When/where do you plan to take/use the binoculars? (Potentially giving some examples/options: on challenging and long mountain hikes? family walks? cycling? dedicated birding excursion of a few hours? stationary at a observation point?)
   • (=> see the two next questions, but someone might raise a use case that you didn't expect. A theater or sport fan? Or one might say the binoculars will be stationed at the window sill, always remaining inside the house but always 'ready to use' (=>a.o. little reason to be waterproof, potentially different weight considerations...). )
2. Do the binoculars need to fold compactly and be very light to be stowed away? (e.g. in a small bag, or while already carrying a lot of other stuff (e.g. camera gear, camping material) or during long hikes, with other stuff in the glove compartment of the car...)
   • (=> if yes, we might have to consider compact binoculars with 20-25mm objectives and double hinges. Otherwise, little chance we'll end up smaller than 30-32mm.)
3. Do you usually use them during normal daytime or also at darker hours (early morning, late evening)?
   • (=> many people seem to use their binoculars 99% of the time during normal daytime, mainly when going out for a walk when the weather is good, which will often result in 30-32mm objectives or 3 to 4mm exit pupil being enough. Of course there are some other reasons to go larger and to not yet remove those options(!), like viewing comfort etc., but realizing that that will be at a weight penalty and not really help have a brighter view, though potentially a little better.)
4. Specific types or areas where the binoculars will be mainly used? (openness, climatic condition, ...)
   • (=> E.g. mainly/only in the woods, at the shore, from a boat, other 'open terrain'... Dry or wet climate? Dusty? See air and sand? Potentially helping to choose magnification, waterproofness, need for rainguards and objective covers ...)
5. Do you want to share the binoculars with the kids (e.g. when walking together with the whole family, they might want to ask "can I see!?", do you expect the kids to be running with them (... 😏))?
   • (=> often a reason to not go beyond 8x (maybe even rather 6-7x), in order to avoid small exit pupils, have less shake, have a wider field of view (to 'find' the bird), but also not to go beyond 32mm for weight reasons, ... It might also be a reason to skip the most expensive "alpha" brands/models.)
6. Do you (or the people who you will share your binoculars with) wear glasses? => if so, try to find out if they look through their binoculars with or without glasses...
   • (=> that's a more difficult one for me personally, as I do not wear glasses myself and because there are different reasons to wear glasses (astigmatism, being near/far-sighted, ...). Thus any help is welcome here! A typical consideration is avoiding binoculars with (very) small eye relief if someone wears glasses and uses them with the binoculars, but I would the more so recommend to try the binoculars first, and explain that they have to try with eye cups retracted and extended at the different positions, with and without glasses, to see what suits them... Also, if the binoculars will be shared between people with and without glasses, e.g. family walks, I'll probably not recommend binoculars with rubber folding eye cups, especially if older/second hand, .)
7. Do you mainly consider them as 'just useful tools' or do their 'looks'/design also matter for you (apart from ergonomics)?
8. Will you be cautious with them, rather 'abusive', or utilitarian?
9. How reliable and robust should they be?
10. When observing, what's most important: correct identification of the bird (e.g. also at large distance) or mainly 'just' enjoying to observe the birds (whatever they are) doing what they do
    • (=> the above 4 questions are rarely 'clear cut', are often very subjective, but can help select brands, models or price brackets because of design, robustness, after-sale servicing/warranty, accessories, optical quality... E.g. 'enjoying watching' might actually put more emphasis on some optical quality like (A)FOV than correct identification does. Also, there in nothing wrong per sé in enjoying using binoculars for their intrinsic design/beauty/engineering prowess/... It's just another motivation. Some people care, others don't.)
11. Are there other specific, personal considerations? (any. e.g. tremor/shaking, specific eye/viewing condition, ...)
    • (=> e.g. thinking of (electronically) stabilized binoculars in case of tremor. Any other examples of specific situations?)
12. Do you already own/use binoculars? => which ones?, what do you (not) like about them? (+in which situation/occasion)... (and thus why(!?) are you looking further)
    • This is the part where it gets more interesting, but also even more complicated => see below...
13. ...then I would hand them over one or two of my binoculars based on the previous questions, ask them to point at something (e.g. a flower in the garden if there is no bird) and see their reaction (one will say "wow , that's big and heavy" when having a 42mm in their hands etc.) and maybe already explain one or two things (e.g. focusing, eye cups position... Ideally, we might reference the second 'sticky thread' here 😉)
    • (e.g. I handed over to my brother and father both my good 8x30 and my alpha 8x25. My brother directly noted a small(!) but noticeable step up in optical quality in the smaller alpha while my father didn't say anything about it, but both directly said the 8x30 was easier to use and certainly would also be for my nephew and niece when on family walks together. They saw my (older) 10x42 and before even bringing it to their eyes they said it was too heavy and big for them.)
    • => in just 5 minutes, there was little need to talk about <=25mm, about >=42m or about >=10x magnification...it was going to be about 6,5-8x30-32mm (what I already suspected before the chat, but still, I'm biased by definition and thus had to check 😊)
14. Do you have a budget in mind?
    • (=> that is usually not(!) my first question: the previous ones are crucial anyway, in any price category...)
    • (=> combined with all the other info, this might lead to recommendations for specific models, but might also lead to the conclusion that it would be more sensible to save a little bit more first, or that the potential improvement compared to what you already have would be very limited (in extent or in number of advantages))
15. ... any other type of info or questions?

These are quite a few questions, but much can be said reflecting on this in just a few sentences in total!
(Just an example: "I'm looking for some binocular to take when walking with the kids and the dog in the nature park a few blocks from here, on sunny weekends and holidays in Belgium, making also the kids discover the beauty of birds/nature. They are kids but know to handle things with care when asked for (they start learning to use my old reflex camera). We do not wear glasses. I don't want to spend a fortune but would still like the view to be enjoyable and the binoculars to last for many years. We have only had a rubish toy/kids binocular some years ago that were blurry and some old heavy binoculars, which we thus never used. Any recommendation is welcome.")
If it's someone I know well and trust, I might then first lend them a binocular for their next walk/weekend/holiday and wait for their feedback before recommending them any for buying...

Further steps...
But, than there is the above question "12", after having borrowed some binocular or where you already own or use some binoculars, but want to "upgrade", or try something new...
Still, the previous questions are valid, but one might become more specific...

1. are there moments you curse your binoculars or you don't bring them along while you would have liked to? Why? (=> too heavy? not waterproof?, too dim? bad view due to reflections? ... This might help find a 'better' binocular to upgrade to, but might lo lead to the recommendation to rather by a complementary, second binocular instead, not necessarily of 'higher grade'.)
2. are there other binoculars (e.g. from friends) that you have tried and that you really (dis)liked? => which binoculars ànd(!) when/in which situation was that?
3. Do you feel the view is steady enough, not too shaky?
4. how long do you watch (or would you like to watch) through your binoculars? (e.g. is it just quick glances/peaks, just seeing 'which animal is there?', or longer scanning and observing, for several minutes, what the birds are doing. I feel this might explain requirements or experiences regarding stability, magnification, weight...)
5. ...

For the more experienced users, these questions might become even more specific, loving or hating or not caring about e.g. (A)FOV, chromatic abberation, glare... of this or that binocular.
But I (personally) think that is a totally different story, far beyond what most people who are looking for some first/second binoculars (including but not only new members) need to be troubled with, unless they(!) want to and are interested to know more about optics rather than just use and enjoy them. In that case one might reference that other sticky thread? And/or dive into the treasure of (objective and subjective) and very informative posts around this huge forum... 🥳

I find these ideas important and relevant.

Some thoughts:

Indeed, the presentation is not entertaining, but why refuse to buy the binocular of choice because the marketing is judged not good enough?

I am sure some people use BF for learning also, not only to have some dialog. Or enjoy discussions at another level. I do not have statistics and I am not in a position of having experience to share, but I am attracted to "take".
The first thing I read and appreciated on BF was The Most Important Optical Parameters
Yes, one "will learn despite obstacles", it is not a survival level. Again, it is about sharing.
I think some valuable experience is lost or diluted in BF because it cannot be easily retrieved, hence the utility to put it in some accessible and immediately visible place.

mbb, thank you for posts #1 and #2.

 

[Ted Y.]

I am not sure it I am allowed to recommend two Useful Sites for juniors in birding, like me:
this one
and
this one
I have no dog in the hunt.

 

[dries1]

Mbb,

I appreciate the time and work you put into this, good job...thought - put to pen is not as easy as some believe.

 

[tenex]

I am not sure it I am allowed to recommend two Useful Sites for juniors in birding, like me:
this one
and
this one

Allbinos and Binoculars Today are both excellent sites that many of us consult, and would belong on any recommended list of Internet reading. The real question though is whether a given person is (already) interested in doing that kind of research and learning about binoculars, or (for now) just wants a few recommendations of generally good models which is much simpler.

 

[Ted Y.]

I would like to ask some questions in order to understand more about the feasibility. I do not know who to ask.

Will the person(s) in charge with technical part of this website agree to add a menu / sub menus with articles?
Will the person(s) in charge with the content agree with the publication of such articles?

If the answers are yes and yes ... the post #2 can be the first article.

Do we have a meta-forum? How one can discuss with super-users, admins... I do not know the correct vocabulary in the realm of BF.

 

[Troubador]

I would like to ask some questions in order to understand more about the feasibility. I do not know who to ask.

Will the person(s) in charge with technical part of this website agree to add a menu / sub menus with articles?
Will the person(s) in charge with the content agree with the publication of such articles?

If the answers are yes and yes ... the post #2 can be the first article.

Do we have a meta-forum? How one can discuss with super-users, admins... I do not know the correct vocabulary in the realm of BF.

Leave these questions with us until the New Year and we will try to discuss this over the holiday period.

Lee
MODERATOR

 

[mbb]

.thought - put to pen is not as easy as some believe.

That is true. While I do know from experience the work needed to structure and actually write down thoughts, and while I have to tell that regularly to others, I still underestimated it here myself (once again 😄). What is written above certainly is not perfect at all (neither on style or content), but rather a version « OK enough as a first shareable version », for feedback etc.

Allbinos and Binoculars Today are both excellent sites that many of us consult, and would belong on any recommended list of Internet reading. The real question though is whether a given person is (already) interested in doing that kind of research and learning about binoculars, or (for now) just wants a few recommendations of generally good models which is much simpler.

A recommended list of relevant internet readings sounds like a good idea. Those two well known websites are indeed worth mentioning.

I would like to ask some questions in order to understand more about the feasibility. I do not know who to ask.

Will the person(s) in charge with technical part of this website agree to add a menu / sub menus with articles?
Will the person(s) in charge with the content agree with the publication of such articles?

If the answers are yes and yes ... the post #2 can be the first article.

Do we have a meta-forum? How one can discuss with super-users, admins... I do not know the correct vocabulary in the realm of BF.

Leave these questions with us until the New Year and we will try to discuss this over the holiday period.

Lee
MODERATOR

I certainly don’t want to push more work to the moderators who already do a good job purely voluntarily, and thus I’d say that all ideas on how to do this or pick this up are welcome (or also reasons/decision not to do so at all, of course).

There also is no big rush.

But more importantly in the meantime: to all a happy and healthy new year, 2022!!! (Considering the forum: also a happy birding year of course 😉)



PS: sorry for not answering earlier. Family and birding/outdoor time limited my online time a bit. (I’m not complaining about that! 😃 )

 

[Troubador]

It is going to be mid-late January before we can respond to this due to staff with Covid.

Lee
MODERATOR

 

[Ted Y.]

I certainly don’t want to push more work to the moderators who already do a good job purely voluntarily, and thus I’d say that all ideas on how to do this or pick this up are welcome (or also reasons/decision not to do so at all, of course).

I think asking for such change is asking for more effort from moderators and other people, and for more £££. However, we do not know the availability for changes, and we can suggest some. Suggesting is not a fault. The first important step is done: the suggestion is not rejected on the spot.

It is going to be mid-late January before we can respond to this due to staff with Covid.

We wish you health!

Agreed, in this situation a thoughtful answer is better than a quick one.

 

[dries1]

All triple vaxxed I surmise.

 

[kerrit]

Speaking with my moderator hat on.

Whilst a great sounding idea, most new members don't seem to read the stickies. One look at the bird id thread will provide plenty of evidence of that.

Hi..I’m a new member and don’t know what stickies are. Can you please explain. Thank you.