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I agree gfx. I enjoy reading the blogs here on iHerp. I learn stuff from what others do. I don't comment most of the time because I am more of a lurker. I too have posted questions in a blog oops. I was made aware of my mistake but flaming people for it will not correct it just stops people from asking. I hope the new people continue to blog and ask questions so we can grow ass a community.

Amen Julie !!  .. We all started somewhere .. My First herp was a Burmese python in a fishtank  with corn cob bedding and a light  bulb on top of the tank .. thats  what i was told to do .. Now keeping  has levolved to a higher level , but back in the day  it  was medeival to todays standards .. Hell I can't spell either ..so what ??  This  is a family no one is better then the next person .. excepy  maybe Nate  becouse he was the first Pope ..  But he isn't better then me of course !!  Welcome the newbies  and show  some love  dont be jerks  or i will kick you in da Nutz !!!!!!!!

Well said, I see the wolf pack mentality on other fourms, where a certin group feels oh so superior and will attack  anyone who "offends" them. Often the person has no clue that he/she did something to offend anyone in the first place. Dont put somone off of this hobby before they have a chance to fully embrace it.

All I got to say is Thanks

This is by far the most tolerant group of herpers I've met. I think this is a pretty damn nice community we have here. I also think that if we want more people to take their husbandry to the next level, we need to be welcoming enough that they stick around to pick up some good info. Herpers, in my experience, tend to be a very "straight to the point" group. iHerpers take that to another level, as most of us have seen the proverbial anaconda in a 20 gallon fish tank in more scenarios than we like to recall. To most of the people on here animals are more than just things we put in a tank to watch for our amusement. They are our friends, our constant companions, they never get mad at us, never call us names, never argue, and offer us what we perceive as friendship. I can understand wanting someone to correct their husbandry so that their animals can live a happy, healthy, long life with them, but Julie is absolutely right. You can't just smack people in the face with facts, it's just as much how you say things and what you are saying. I can say that this community has been accepting of me and my loony tune of a wife, and I hope it stays like that for more people to come and get some knowledge on our scaley buddies.

Justin, I was about to ask who was posting under your name, but the loony wife comment nailed it for me. Nice ass, btw.

Julie hit it right on the head. And it's some of the more seasoned iHerpers doing this. Maybe even me? Someone tell me if it's me. It isn't tolerable, people. That isn't what why we're here.

Pull your heads out of your asses.

Today's reminder (as if I needed one) of why I love Julie. Endorsed.

Great post. Well timed. I can remember several years ago, I was offering advice to someone on forum and verbally castigated for what I was saying. At that time, I had much book and published care sheet knowledge but not much hands on experience. I was regurgitating what I had learned, which was technically correct, but the admonishment I received made me no longer want to participate and doubt myself. But this site is a community that love for their helpfulness.

I think I need to cut back on my FB groups. They've been right there in my face with the apps & alerts. The amount of stupid, not newbies just coming into the hobby or people have that fallen in the wrong crowds to be educated by, but "well educated" & thus "experts" by their own standards is making me a bitch. Those cheapening the hobby, scoffing actual vet care, etc etc. Trying to express what i'm thinking is leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Recently a question came up about thermostats. 100+ members, only 3 of us responded. On here everyone & their brothers uncle (*in a GOOD way!*) would have an opinion! pudding, I recently got mice from a member & even that has turned into a fiasco.

Maybe there are others seeing similar stuff & it's carrying over here?

Actually, I think I feel a lot better now.

There is no like button on iHerp, so here' a bunch of bacon! This post was great!

Great post, I love the qoute " these animals will humble you the very second you think you know it all"

Micheal - You gave me a flash back. I remember when I was younger & had ball pythons, being told the same thing about the corn cob from the owner of a pet store. I didn't know anyone & had no idea about the available info on-line etc so sadly I took his word on everything.

You are right on. I have found that there are a lot of unfriendly people in this hobby.  Obviously there are the friendly people too, who are exceptionally awesome in this hobby.  We need to support eachother and spread our friendship and knowledge to everyone. Especially people new ro the hobby. As Will Ferrell said "ELE! EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY!".

"Great post, I love the qoute " these animals will humble you the very second you think you know it all""

SOOOO True!

I try hard to be open and friendly, but I have a very small amount of patience, and do sometimes react very irrationally X_x   

Thank you so much for this post. I really appreciate it. I have been getting some seriously rude comments from people lately and I haven't even been on this site for a month... Thank you so much. 

This is TRUE wisdom!

"these animals will humble you the very second you think you know it all"

^^^ That is the truth of this hobby, and many people forget it. Just the same as everyone else, I was a newb to reptile keeping/breeding. I came searching for answers, and now I consider myself lucky enough to be able to be among that can help inform. But, like GFX, I am still learning. Every day my snakes teach me something I never saw coming. But it doesn't make me an idiot. 

The internet has become a place for people to hide behind, and to act out their "true" nature without actually having to deal with the consequences. I'd be bold enough to say that these people, at times, are the reason behind a lot of the scrutiny this hobby receives. You can't go around with a bad attitude, and expect people to respect you.   

I haven't been on much lately other than to enter tracking so missed seeing these blogs. I absolutely agree though. Pouncing on others is definitely NOT what iHerp is about. Very well written Julie!

well said

Nice post. The friendly community style of iherp isn't what it used to be a year or two ago and it's kind of depressing. 

Much needed post, Julie...

Reactions from other members is why I stopped blogging or asking questions.  I was helped (more, my animals were helped) tremendously by things I learned here.  But, the attitudes of several have hushed me...
And, I'm not a hushing type.

+1 Lauren

Instead of letting the dicks get to you, why don't we call them out? You shouldn't have to stop blogging because someone is a jerk. There is ALWAYS someone who is a jerk. They can't win.

Even Jeff is working on becoming a decent member here. That means there is hope for everyone!

Nice blog, Julie.   Just to ride your coat tails and add a little bit to what you said, just because you (as in the reader, not Julie) do something one way doesn't mean it is the ONLY way... and it might not even be the correct way.  There are a lot of things considered status quo in the herp world that are based on unsubstantiated opinion and often not what makes best sense for the animal's health.    And just because you are in academia or have some sort of degree doesn't make you any more knowledgeable or correct than someone who a garbage man who has been observing and caring for herps for many years.   To be honest, from what I've seen of academia over the last 10 years, I'm not even sure touting you are a "scientist" is not an automatic positive, at least in my opinon.   Much of what is being taught is more political and personal opinion than science.   And I agree with Julie on *unsolicited* advice.  Please consider just answering peoples' questions without all the general lectures and assumptions!!  

Thanks to Julie for the ballsy post!

Yes, that is exactly why I came here. I have made some GREAT friends...WE need to keep it the friendly, welcoming place WE have made it.

Can I just give this entire blog/thread a giant "THIS. ALL OF THIS." sticker?

Every animal-keeping community I've ever been involved in has had this sort of problem running rampant, some worse that others (fancy rat folks, anyone?). I think if any place has a chance of stomping it out, it has to be iHerp. Look at all this magical communication going on! Everybody here rocks, even if sometimes we forget ourselves or our manners a bit, or didn't know enough to get a second opinion on some animal-related advice, or maybe don't actually like bacon. But we're all here to learn about our animals and help each other with them, and thats awesome.

No, that isn't right.

If you don't like bacon then you can go right ahead and muckluck yourself. Seriously.

(not seriously ;))

I see what you did there.

Only aliens hate bacon :P

We steal phones too.

OK buddy, I've had it up to here (points to hair) with your phone thievery!

I'm glad to see such a positive response, but also saddened to hear additional stories of people feeling uncomfortable about posting. I think the best approach is to try and reel in the nastiness when you see it. Again, a public beating may not always be appropriate and finger pointing rarely works, but you can gently steer a topic without too much thought and we should all try to do just that when we see snarky behavior. I am absolutely not innocent of being a jerk from time to time, and I understand all too well how bad days can translate through comments on someone's post. Aaron allows us to police ourselves here, and for the most part we've done a pretty good job I think. Maybe lately we've gone a little off course from time to time, but overall I think we're a good lot and it won't be too much effort to be a little more welcoming to the people who are both new to iHerp and new to our wonderful hobby. 

That was a great and much needed post Julie! 

I also support this post.

A lot.

I really don't want to be "that guy" who polices and constricts and limits people. At the same token, I've poured my heart and soul into this site, and to see people rockin' the condescending and superiorty attitudes breaks my heart. It sucks. That's not at all what were about.

Mostly, and I think most of you know this about me, I'm a very laid back, easy to get along with guy. Until I hit my limit, and it's getting close on this topic. I don't care if you're new, or an admin on this site, or anywhere inbetween, that attitude does not belong here. There are plenty of other places to go to be ridiculed, feel like you're beaten down, and feel like you're not one of the crowd.

The whole principle of iHerp is good husbandry, giving our captives the best care possible, fostering learning, and just generally helping people.

If you don't subscribe to that, then either just use the tracking and shut up, or leave. If you need to get your rocks off talking down to people, go to the BOI or Kingsnake. Or hang out on Facebook for three minutes, you're bound to find something to fight about.

One of the reasons I haven't been on lateley. I'm not perfect by any means, but I got tired of it. 

I love this post, I missed what happened in one of the blogs and only saw bits and pieces of what happened in the other while I was in NY over the weekend, but I am very happy you said this.  It needed to be said.

I also think there is a way to give advice, but we also do run into people who don't take good advice, but I think it's important that we present advice in the best, most friendly way possible.  I know I'm guilty of being blunt when I say stuff because in my line of work I have to be blunt and it's also part of my personality, so if I ever offend anyone by doing that I'm sorry, it's meant with all the love and friendliness in the world, but sometimes I can see how it might not come across that way here on the interwebs.

Again, great post Julie!

A-freaking-men. This post is so on point.

Beautiful, thank you! I've tried to steer a lot of friends to this site but they're still wary of it for one reason or another. No need for it to be that way!

I agree and thanks for saying.

This is for the "old-timers" that are still lurking around, or those staying at bay for whatever reason: Get your ass back here and contribute!

The best way to change this tide is by example. Come back, and BE that positive person at iHerp. We're always going to have people who come in who are off personalities, but the core of iHerp is still VERY solid. Say we have 90% of the people with the attitudes we want, and 10% who aren't a fit. If you step back due to that 10%, then that 10% grows. And the 90% shrinks.

It's almost simple, if you believe in the site, the principles here, and want to spread the rare glimmers of GOOD in the hobby, then participate. I designed and started the site, but many years ago this stopped being the Aaron show and became an entity of its own. For the most part, that ship steered the right direction on its own. It's a little off course, but not much, and very rightable. But that's something that everyone who gives a bacon has to participate in.

As the site moves forward, and I suppose this is as good a place as any for leaking some information, the focus will be far more on responsible keeping, content, and information warehousing. One of the big failures of Facebook is data retention: try to find something you saw two days ago on your feed but can't remember who posted it. It's impossible. With the largest database of reptiles on planet earth, we are positioned to be THE information source for people who want to learn about these animals, buy them, etc. I've been working my ass off on code that is going to bring all of this together, and as we build an amazing, responsible, intelligent, caring site, people with attitudes can shout as loud as they want but won't be heard because of the wealth of good we have.

It's funny you mention the "old timers" because I was thinking about this last night. There are only a handful of users I still see active here when I joined in 2009. This was even more apparent when trolling through old questions and answers. I found myself going "I remember that person. And that person. And that person" etc...

And that’s the thing, any community is going to have that constant, rolling turnover. People join for different reasons, people leave for different reasons. How many people do you know that have just entered the hobby, or quit keeping reptiles, over the past five years? It’ll be a constant ebb and flow here. Which is why it is so important for the people who are what I would call “core people” to keep our culture above everything else you see out there.

I’m one of them, and I need to do more AT the site as opposed to IN the site. When I’ve got several hours free, I’m writing code to add features that are going to make the site better. I almost always elect to work on code, and I need to be more present in the day to day. Thanks, btw, to the people who are doing that job for me, but I need to get more involved, and that will happen significantly when I get this next version up. It’s actually going to be a really fun time for iHerp and any of the people who are serious about this industry and the animals within.

George, I think he's talking about the "thing" and didn't I just say we should start bringing back up the "thing."

Very well said Aaron and we thank you for all you do both at and in this site   Also there are more faces!    These please me greatly!

Aaron for president! I wholeheartedly endorse your stated mission, as well as your approach to realizing it. Because I don't have as much time to spend scrolling through blog comments as I would like, I have nothing concrete to contribute with regard to the consensus that iHerp has veered slightly off-course. But I AM confident that the negative trend(s) will be reversed, and that this site will remain a bastion of good-natured herp-thusiasm (with a pinch of mostly harmless ribaldry added to the mix).

I'll close by acknowledging that there are a great many care-sheet commandos in our hobby, peopling the various online communities from which we get to choose. If enough right-minded folks embrace Julie's philosophy (i.e. the animals are the only experts , and school is in session every day that you practice animal husbandry), they can easily and quickly change the tone of these teaching monents gone-awry.

I'm not saying anything new, but I wanted to add my voice to the chorus of those backing Julie's state-of-the-community address and Aaron's reflections on the direction of our beloved site.

This place has great value. Let's not take it for granted. I'll do my part by participating a bit more actively when I can.

Wishing you all the best,

D.D.

I don't read enough blogs anymore. Rock on, Julie. I've made some cool friends here, for real - interwebz and "real life" - and every day I'm on here is another day I'm not schooling uppity know-it-alls on Fauna or Kingsnake (or...ugh...Facebook). I've been a member for a while, and I go into random spells of being a total hermit, but, I gotta say, I love the iHerp family, and I'm happy to bust the knuckles of anyone who was a big jerk to the newcomers. Seriously, everyone has to start somewhere - and if they're coming HERE, they already know enough to avoid other less welcoming places. Pfft. Gimme a ferret! 

very nice and well said!