new members welcome/unwelcome?

[njineermike]

And to add, when we do use the search function, and find a thread - we can no longer post on it due to how old it is. Maybe, I want to add or say thanks. But, "Thread is too old" b.s. keeps old searchable threads archived

I got locked put of a thread I started because it was too old. And yeah, the search function here is pretty craptacular. I've had problems finding a thread using the exact phrase in the title. I get zero returns, then find it on one of the pages as a current thread. I dont jump on people because the search function is bad.

[user120312]

There is a forum easily found for new members....

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/forumdisplay.php?f=63

My suggestion would be, as a moderator of other forums, to have a 'flame free' question thread for newbies pinned so members who can offer flame-free advice and direction can assist new members with their questions and becoming productive older members.

Another suggestion would be to keep that forum spam-free (It has two spam threads currently)

[TRICKSTER]

I truly believe calguns has run it's course. Back in 2011 some portions of the site were useful.

But 95% of the nonsense posted here is wrong, bad legal advice, fud, bragging or 40 year old gun store hangarounds posting online.


There are plenty of other resources around and this site has too little useful information to deal with all the bull****.

Like YouTube bow has a start to finish ar-15 tutorial and laws over view in a 2 hour playlist.....we didn't have that back in the day and we had to sift through **** like this

I don't think that it comes close to 95% nonsense, but there are some fine examples of nonsense here.

Your mods are banning hundreds of new users a day. Calguns has decided it's going to be a specfic website, law enforcement, or law enforcement worshipers/wannabes, largely white middle aged and living in rural areas. I've seen other people on here mention they're Latino and get attacked simply for that reason.

If you argue against the narriative, then you get shut up forcibly by temp bans or permanent bans. Calguns decided that it's only a website for a certain type of people.

Which is fine. But don't complain when it starts losing support from the centrists or conservative non-racists. There are more people open to ethnic diversity than there are people who agree with some white nationalist non-sense calguns has been about for the last 6 years

[user120312]

I got locked put of a thread I started because it was too old.

That's easy for admin to adjust. We set the database to close threads after two months of no responses; however, after that point, even years after, the OP can post to the thread by the method below to reopen it. Of course, moderation can open it.

If the thread seems closed but not with a hard lock (lower left), try quoting another member's post in the advanced reply box and then deleting the quoted content and submitting your own content and publishing the post.

Also, another option is to hit the triangle/exclamation button and request moderation open a thread for an update. They don't have to but IME we're pretty responsive to that kind of stuff.

[Lex Talionis]

In every forum there is always a small contingent of people who enjoy finding fault with new people. Usually they are the types who lose most of the arguments/debates with veteran members who are more informed than them and are then looking for easy targets in order to build up their egos.

[A-J]

I seriously dislike people using the wrong words to describe anything. You cannot, for example, use the words clip and magazine interchangeably because they are two very different things. I do not, however, get on my high horse and trample over fellow gunners that believe firmly that the words are synonymous. I may politely (it's hard to get "tone" from written communication though) point out that they are indeed two different things if the person is a newb, but I'm not going to hammer at them. For non-newbs, or newbs who want to belabor the point and argue that they're right, I simply walk away. People have the absolute right to be ignorant, and I am not my brother's keeper.

[M60A1Rise]

They can be replaced.

I've thought about that but it would cost too much , this is California after all lmao ! JK

[ABR]

I love this place!

[Bansh88]

Big difference between noob and just dumb. It's usually pretty obvious in a post

[readysetgo]

It's a good reminder. Same time, newbies need to throw on the flame suit.

This is an open board, means anybody with internet access and an email can post. Think about that for 5 seconds. ANYBODY. There is gold here but the nature of the beast is you do have to sift through some doo doo. Don't be uppity.

You wanna blame a group? Blame loser trolls. They, more than any other factor, ruin it for newbies.

And this 951 cat isn't a newbie so...yeah, kick rocks ya sad sad suckafish.

[tundraboomer]

The other thing I really hate is the "this has been discussed before. Use the search function." The search function here sucks.

I disagree. I first came here looking for answers about transporting handguns in California as a visitor, magazine laws, and whatever I needed to know to be a responsible gun owner while passing through. I found everything I needed within archived forum posts and the Calguns Wiki, much of which I found using the Search feature. Try "Advanced Search", it works well. Granted, it takes time, but in the process I uncovered all sorts of interesting reading and factoids I was unaware of after being away from California for so long.

It wasn't until after I lurked here for awhile and kind of understood the vibe that I realized I was among a lot of like-minded folks. Then (and only then) I started to participate in the community. A forum is, for all intents and purposes, a community. Seems like a lot of newbs don't take the time to lurk first to understand the culture of the community, where things are, who the players are, and what is considered by the community as acceptable and unacceptable behavior. They just join up and impulsively start posting smack or questions that have already been asked a thousand times without even looking to see if the question has been addressed before. If you like that sort of thing, join the Calguns Facebook group. That's pretty much all it is, which is why I "unjoined" it.

FWIW, I see bad forum behavior in a lot of forums covering all sorts of subjects. It's not just gun forums. At least this one is pretty well moderated and doesn't seem to attract too many azzclowns.

[readysetgo]

It wasn't until after I lurked here for awhile and kind of understood the vibe that I realized I was among a lot of like-minded folks.

This x10. AND, even the guys who I don't agree on much, we do just fine. It's when you are super contrarian about EVERYTHING that you start to get ostracized.

[user120312]

Also, the visible (to visitors and search robots) threads on CG can be searched by using "site:calguns.net" after search parameters in Google. I find that useful with web forums where the owners have set the database search to reject short or common words.

Until the most recent election cycle, I mostly read and searched CG for relevant gun and legislative information and rarely posted. I found the searches, and content, here to be quite informative. Then again, I've lived and owned forums since the late 90's. Some users who are new to forums or never learned the nuances may have difficulties. Perhaps CG needs 'ambassadors' who help grow the community as its popularity attracts new users. It is a very popular forum.

[Librarian]

And to add, when we do use the search function, and find a thread - we can no longer post on it due to how old it is. Maybe, I want to add or say thanks. But, "Thread is too old" b.s. keeps old searchable threads archived

I got locked put of a thread I started because it was too old.

Unless the thread is actually locked, you CAN post in older threads.

The popup with 'this thread is nnn days old' also has a checkbox with the approximate label 'I know this is old but I want to post here anyway'; check the box, and the software will allow you to post.

Most of the time a new thread is a better idea.

Yes, the search function is bad. It's worse for people who read/post from their phones.

[Redpenny]

I don't post that often and I read a ton of what others have to say.

I have learned a lot and yeah, I get blasted sometimes for what I post but that is part of the time it is just that people will say things here that they would never say to your face. You have to just let it roll off and take away the good info.

All in all I have found this to be a fantastic way to learn about something that I care deeply for.