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[rcpilotacro]

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There are so many members on RC India but very few posters. Is this because people are unsure of their posting skills or perhaps unwilling to risk getting bashed, flamed, corrected, or lectured? Some senior aeromodellors are amongst them, who too are guilty as charged (And some wannabes too).

Some real cheap ones only surface here for selling stuff. if you look at their posts, 90% (More than that probably) of the time it is to sell something. even though these guys have the kowledge and expertise, they dont want to share or find time to share. (Give it a try, 'Predominant Sellers' you will find time)


Then there are these guests, who visit as guests take the knowledge/read the post (They don't care about pics probably, that's why the first pics is most hit (Cos they cant see subsequent pics i guess)

Obviously it helps to be a good writer, or to be an expert, but I actually think that internet posting is a skill that can be learned.

So my question is: (a) Can the average person learn to write better posts? (b) Can these Predominant Sellers contribute ?

(Like Sanjay Thumma says in Vahrehvah.com) RCI is all about teaching and learning, so I wonder if some of the more frequent posters would we willing to share their secrets, Tricks and Tips, Experiences?

Should there be a Cap on the percentage of 'For Sale' threads so that these 'Predominant Sellers' don't show up only to palm off their New/Used/Refurbished stuff?

PS
Have i stirred the Hornet's Nest

[VC]

Good one Gusty! Yes I've noticed that many veterans have drastically cut down their contributions and have left us much the poorer. Just last evening I missed Izmile a lot.

Btw, I am a HUGE fan of Sanjay Thumma!

[rcpilotacro]

In these years, I have gone through a lot of different phases. There are some topics I avoid because I have been through them all too often, in spite of Anwar Bhai's intervention on telling them to use search function, I know nothing is going to change.

I think I can offer the following tips to the general population that will be helpful.

1. If you see that a newbie has asked a question. You may find that your very accurate response was already offered 10 times, and the thread has moved on, in which case your response will come across as being foolishly redundant. Worse, your response might not have been as accurate as you thought, and you might see that it has already been thoroughly refuted, in which case you will look like a jackass if you post it.

2. Please check the date of an old thread before responding.

3. Read carefully to see what a poster has said. Dont embarrass yourself by skimming a post and responding to something thought was said rather than what was actually said.

4. If someone asks a question that is in the gray area of your knowledge, read the posts from knowledgeable people before jumping in. You might learn something valuable in that process that you will miss out on otherwise, and you might save yourself from an embarrassing post.

5. OK, you did respond to a post with what you thought was accurate information, but other posts responded to yours by telling you that you were wrong. There's nothing wrong with that, unless you don't handle it well. The right thing to do is to read those responses carefully. If you don't understand them, ask for clarification. If you think you are still right, be very careful and make sure you present firm evidence in your next response. If you realize you were wrong and say so, you will get major respect from everyone. in the same breath i would say, euphemistically put take criticism (Constructive or otherwise) (Blatantly ? Develop Thick Skin). The mistake would be digging a hole by insisting you are right when you really don't have anything to go on.

6. There is nothing wrong with being unaware of something, and there is nothing wrong with asking the most basic questions. people will generally be happy to respond to you in the manner in which you post. I for one enjoy helping out in those situations, and there are many more people like that. The rare "any idiot should know this already" poster is not worthy of you and should be ignored.

7. Please don't join mindless bandwagons.

8. English isn't our mother tongue, it is OK if there are some grammatical errors and regional English, as long as it is not SMS language, it is fine as long as you are communicating clearly to all and sundry. I think just about everyone overlooks obvious typos. I depend heavily upon such forgiveness because my typing skills are so very poor. I think just about everyone overlooks it when someone is struggling with English as a second language. if your message is riddled with errors, especially to the point that it becomes difficult to understand what you are saying, that is another thing altogether. At the very least it tells your readers that you don't care. When it appears that those error-riddled, confusing sentences are the very best you can do, it suggests(Unfortunately) that you are less educated, and it casts doubt on the quality of your overall understanding of any issue on which you may be commenting.

[rcpilotacro]

In this regard Please read this wonderful article passed on by a buddy
 
Participation Inequality: Encouraging More Users to Contribute

and this Wiki Entry on Who a Lurker is

[iamahuman]

I would love to see a cap on 'For sale' threads. On one of the car forums I'm active on, you can't sell unless you're 6 months old to the forum.

My posting activity has gone down since there aren't many car threads and I know I'll make a fool out of myself if I try to say anything on the aero modelling threads.

Reply #2 spoke what was in my mind. Especially point #8....

[rcpilotacro]

i sent a SMS to one guy to read and may be contribute to a particular post, he had the cheek to tell me. "i only visit the forum to sell my old stuff, like an online garage sale," that's when it occurred to me blokes like him are plenty, they all can be requested to contribute, help out guys

[iamahuman]

Human nature, isn't it?

[vineet]

nice topic

i never forget when i joined this forum for the first time a got lots of information about the things which i think suits me best

the moment i fed up from breaking props i try to sell my all stuff and then i got a blasting counseling from 100 of members with there views when they started rc and that encouraged me a lot , many of them offer me free goods  , that was the last time i saw members of the forum came out in large  for any topic i have posted after that .as i thing that was the common topic and people are very sure about it .

the reason i think the people not post is

1 bad writing skills ( i am one of them).and some times i scared to make fool of myself by positing some things on a x thread in front of some english expert (some time i have to use google translate to understand the meaning of there posted words )

2 may be they are interested in some particular topics , i can tell the name of guys who are posting on car thread only , or plane thread  only or diy thread  only etc etc

3 people are lazy i think the do not want to use  search , and one more thing when i tried to search for the first time i was not getting the things i want ,rather similar thing , like suppose i want to connect an esc with a motor that can be easily understood by viewing a video rather than reading a text , and realized that our forum should have a separate tab for videos also .

4 yes i saw people come here only for a specific purpose , i even know some guys who have an experience of more then 10 years in rc but there is only an average of post is very poor

[sushil_anand]

Here is a good link to forum etiquette.

I find suggestion #22 very relevant to our forum and have said so more than once.

http://forum-services-review.toptenreviews.com/25-forum-posting-etiquette-tips.html/

Everyone needs to be encouraged to contribute, but do keep the guidelines in mind.

[rcpilotacro]

nice one sir, since the site takes time to open and with lot of ads, posting those 'Golden 25' verbatim. Point #25 is most neglected i guess.

1.   Read the forums rules and guidelines before posting for the first time.

2.   Search the other posts to see if your topic is already covered.

3.   Use a meaningful title for your thread.

4.   Do not use a forum to promote your product, service or business. (this you could in our forum, there is  place for this)

5.   Be civil. Personal differences should be handled through email or PM and not through posts displayed to everyone.

6.   Stay on the topic.

7.   Ignore spammers, respond to them personally and not through the board, or report them.

8.   Do not submit a post that requires readers to download a large attachment. Either explain the attachment or, better yet, provide a link to the information.

9.   Use plain text over HTML if you want your post to be readable by everyone.

10.   In order to be understood by most people, use correct spelling, grammar and avoid slang unless you know the word or phrase will be understood by other members.

11.   Do not double post (post the same message twice in one thread) or cross post.

12.   Act in a give and take manner; help others as often as or more than you ask for help.

13.   Do not use all caps or SHOUT in your posts. In addition, one exclamation point is enough.

14.   When replying to a post, do not quote more from the previous post than you have to.

15.   Do not post new problems on someone else's thread and interrupt a topic of discussion. (Loosely called Hijacking)

16.   Do not use someone else’s thread for a private conversation.

17.   Most forums prohibit warez, cracks, torrents or illegal downloading of software and similar topics.

18.   Watch your sense of humor, posts may be read by people from a variety of backgrounds and ages.

19.   Do not use a huge and annoying signature, a modest signature is fine, moderators may remove large ones anyway.

20.   Do not post any information that you want private. Posts should not contain personal, identifiable information or content embarrassing to others.

21.   Do not post content that violates a copyright.

22.   Do not post ”empty” or useless responses, such as just ”lol” or ”cool.” Only post responses when you have something to contribute.

23.   Write concisely and do not ramble.

24.   Do not use words like ”urgent” or ”important” in your subject line, be patient.

25.   Do not chastise newbies.

[amit_delhi]

unwilling to risk getting bashed, flamed

I sincerely believe this might be one of the main reasons. I have seen bashing of members just because they are associated to one particular member.

Have I stirred the Hornet's Nest

Yes Sir! but for the sake of forum's good.

Can we have some directives about how to address another members? Address by First Name does not work here. A newcomer to the forum can not judge seniority or age of another member.

[sushil_anand]

There is no need to "judge" age if one's public profile is complete and up to date.

[VC]

I guess it is alright to refer to everyone by their handle (adopted name on the forum) without adding prefixes or suffixes such as 'Sir' etc. I know it is a bit awkward to refer to someone as simply 'rcpilotacro' once his credentials have been established.

However, a PM to the person requesting him for his approval for the acceptable salutation should solve the issue. Just because someone is twice your age doesn't make the salutation 'Sir' mandatory. Here again is a paradox, if you really, really, really respect a person from your heart go ahead and call him 'Sir' by all means. I couldn't refer to Ashta Sir by any other name.

Someone talked about promoting equality on the forum and I think none of the seniors would object to being referred to / addressed by their handles. I have personally requested members to stop calling me VC Sir. Some refrained, most continue. I find it claustrophobic. It creates boundaries and hierarchies and, as a Trainer, I get enough of that in my professional life. Further, I am truly a novice RC'er and/or flyer and don't deserve that epithet. At the same time I wouldn't like to be called Vikram (that is NOT my name), or Dude or Bro.

I do agree that with our society and system of education yet being British oriented and not American, we feel more comfortable by referring to elders in an exalted manner. It has been ingrained in us. Wake up guys, smell the coffee. Our education may have been in 'British' schools, but most of our careers are going to be modelled on the American system - unless you choose to spend your life in the archaic Government services. That too is changing s-l-o-w-l-y. Just because you call someone by his first name doesn't mean that you disrespect him or take liberties with the person. Ah then, there's the rub - who will draw the line and where? That will happen with experience and learn we shall, in time.

IMHO it would be a GREAT idea to make this topic one of the forum rules.

[rcpilotacro]

Can we have some directives about how to address another members?

IMHO

we all are equals in cyberspace. to me, there are no directives, only guidelines, which anwar bhai has clearly specified, we need to try to follow that, Admins, Mods and Members ensure we follow it.

 me particularly, Gusty is just fine, will i do that to seniors members? absolutely not, i guess 25 years of indoctrination won't go away ! bottom line, i guess whatever you are comfortable with

[Hellyflyer]

I think one more reason for many people to not post anymore can be  because of people not acknowledgeing if the solution worked for them and not even thanking the person who made an effort to type the huge answer.

Hellyflyer

[sushil_anand]

What you have said is very true. On a personal level, I have experienced "being used" often enough, in a more direct way.

But, albeit slightly more wary, I would not hesitate to be of help, despite the above. And that includes posts.

What is much more "putting off" are the absolutely empty, frivolous, posts.  And, I repeat what I have said often enough, that the moderators DO need to act on these. See #22 in the guidelines of which I sent the link and Gusty has, sensibly, posted the actual content. I would also add that a  limit to one one emoticon be added to the  exclamation mark suggestion.

Less is often more!

[VC]

If empty, frivolous posts are pointed out directly or indirectly, they can sometimes be 'sickening' for the poster as well.

[rcpilotacro]

in this regard VC, developing thick skin helps. irksome posts does annoy you, then thick skin, if developed, takes care of it

[VC]

I suffer from an affliction called sensiderma and I'm trying to procure a bottle of 'Rhinoderm' lotion from FK. Exorbitant prices and what they are actually selling is a 1ml tester bottle, whilst the picture is that of a 1 litre crystal decanter. You wouldn't have any used Kevlar suits that you want to dispose off, do you?

[sushil_anand]

If empty, frivolous posts are pointed out directly or indirectly, they can sometimes be 'sickening' for the poster as well.

Been there, done that.  Blow one horn or two, impossible to penetrate rhinoceros hide.

[rcpilotacro]

Sushil Sir, in aerial communication we follow 4Cs, clear concise crisp and correct , your one liners are so crisp that sometimes i wonder whom is it directed to

[VC]

Rhinos sometimes go into hibernation. They surface yet again.

L'esprit de l'escalier : Sushil Sir, that's where you are going wrong ......err going right. You don't have to blow horns, whistles do a better job at stopping rhinos dead on their tracks.......temporarily. I think we all need to be whistleblowers.

[sushil_anand]

The "one horn or two" was a pun w.r.t the rhino part.

And Gusty, I think it was concise, crisp, correct, but the "point" got a bit blunted. Am I clear on that?

[amit_delhi]

How do we figure out "absolutely empty, frivolous, posts."

A newbie has just posted his newly made scratch built first model, and another member posted on his thread "well made, great going !".  Though it is not adding any value whatsoever to the thread but for that newbie it is a great motivation and encouragement getting a comment from a senior member.

I am really not able to understand what are "absolutely empty, frivolous, posts."

[SideWinder]

Amit may be a pm would accomplish the same purpose of motivation and encouragement.

And with resp. to topic, Im a noob n Im really hesitant to reply to any posts, even if i have an idea on whats been talked about, just so that i dont tick of anyone. Not just the seniors but some juniors too as far as i have seen on this forum.

I dont even ask my own doubts just becoz the first reply i expect would be "search the forum" (which i did and couldnt understand or was not exactly related to issues faced by me)

lol been following this thread since the beginning but couldnt respond till now.

[rcpilotacro]

there is no question which is stupid, if absolute newbie posts, if you notice, i can talk for me,  i post the answer, search on behalf and post the thread. be bold and ask comment and participate.

PS
i remember russel peters says often in his stand up comedy "Be a ..."

[amit_delhi]

Thats the motive behind this thread to figure out reasons why people hesitate to post.

Amit may be a pm would accomplish the same purpose of motivation and encouragement.

Dont you think a public applause is better mode of encouragement than a private PM.

[rcforall]

Frankly being one of the early members  I  agree with gusty the forum has become more of a flee market , the quality of meaningful posts have dropped drastically I guess that is also the possible reason for members like Izmile ( my original inspiration for SPADS ) , Saju ( scientifically and technically one of the best I have come across : btw I dont know how many know here that he is the chief of R & D at an L&T Machines factory ) , Ashta ( not much needs to be said here  about him etc ) are conspicuous by their  absence or marginal presence .
I remember the early days of RCI where we used to have interesting discussions especially the long battle between myself and Anwar on the merits of 2.4 G Vs Mhz radios ( BTW Anwar I must admit 2.4 G is more or less wiped out Mhz radio's ).

I think the turning points as per my observations were :
1) Conversion of the forum into a flee market
2) Excessive discussions on HK the products , the services , postage etc etc (In case of these discussions I have found nothing that was not said or experienced before : but all the same HK related posts will possibly be the highest in terms of %  of all posts )

This is my opinion and I know I can be accused by some one of having vested interest due to these comments  as I also happen to be a seller , but all the same I think these two points were the ones that actually diluted the quality posts on the forum.

Sai

PS. : RIGHT AT MOMENT OF THIS POST  13/20 posts are related to Sales

PS. Anwar : It might be a good Idea to start a separate RC FLEE MARKET and automatically give access to all members of RCI there to trade , Charge a fee for sales made through the forum and use that to run RCI  and put a full stop to the flee market here .

[SideWinder]

Im not sure, but think the site reputation or statuses, upgrade as the count of posts increases or something like that
If thats the case, then a question arises on honesty of those words of encouragement?

Public encouragement is anytime better than Pm, but as far as i have experienced passion and willingness helps more to stick to this or any hobby than encouragement. Applause and encouragement stops after a certain point, but passion doesnt.

And there is a very thin line between "Being a man" and "being a foolish" when your a newbie, but patience helps a lot i must say, did my maiden yesterday 6-7 months after i got everything, but didnt go well.
And it made me more determined to follow RC flying

Will try my best to participate

[hyd_quads]

2) Excessive discussions on HK the products , the services , postage etc etc

@rcforall aka Mr.Sai
I don't agree with you on this completely. Because most people who get into RC have a minimum background in Tech. or basic logic, etc., most can solve their basic doubts and some other problems themselves either by reading or experimenting. Most problems which arise are already answered here and on zillions of sites on the web. If it doesn't get solved, it can be asked on the forum.
On the other hand, doubts and/or problems regarding shipping, customs, RC sites, etc are mostly unique. Almost every guy has something new to complain, ask and tell.
No offence here, I do agree that posts like '2.4GHz vs MHz' are more informative (and relevant too) than sales-shipping-customs threads.

Vineet

[rcforall]

@rcforall aka Mr.Sai
I don't agree with you on this completely. Because most people who get into RC have a minimum background in Tech. or basic logic, etc., most can solve their basic doubts and some other problems themselves either by reading or experimenting. Most problems which arise are already answered here and on zillions of sites on the web. If it doesn't get solved, it can be asked on the forum.
On the other hand, doubts and/or problems regarding shipping, customs, RC sites, etc are mostly unique. Almost every guy has something new to complain, ask and tell.
No offence here, I do agree that posts like '2.4GHz vs MHz' are more informative (and relevant too) than sales-shipping-customs threads.

Vineet

The Point I am saying is that  95 % of  info regarding HK's products or services or customs would have been  discussed within the first 100 posts all further posts is only repeat of the same thing .
What I mean to say is that HK/Import related matters would possibly have been beaten to death within the first 3-5000 post on the forum but they still keep being discussed at 1,00,000 post level.

sai

[rcpilotacro]

Absolutely with Mr Sai on HK bashing and praising, just the other day we had one on piracy and HK. in fact it is the story in most of the forums, HK figures predominantly in most discussions.

My point is entirely different, just now Karthik (Rcdhamaka) and i were having a discussion. Few points that emerged are:-

(a) say if a buildlog or something on the engine is posted, not praises but participation encourages the 'Poster' (Sorry VC, stealing your thunder more prominently).

(b) say i f a meaningful posts comes up and they are bashed with half baked knowledge, then the 'Poster' gets sort of pissed off.

(c) Apart from the fact that you are Forum Hero, Veteran etc, one could be classified about his RC Skills/ Building Skills etc as known in the small RC community. This could help someone who is starting off as to who's view is more important (though every view is as important, as long as it is view and not lol, awesome, cool and Bhendi (Mumbaikars would know)

Aim is to have more buildlogs, reviews, deeper discussion on products, skills etc basically this Indian RC Community has to become big, really big, have our own SEFF, Joe Nall, Top Gun equivalent such posts will kindle interest and hopefully more people will join/take up this hobby

[rcforall]

Aim is to have more buildlogs, reviews, deeper discussion on products, skills basically this Indian RC Community has to become big, really big, have our own SEFF, Joe Nall, Top Gun equivalent such posts will kindle interest and hopefully ore people will join/take up this hobby

Gusty ,

The two points identified by me above if you notice have nothing to do with what you have mentioned .
Nither do these points matter as far as serious discussion on technicality or skills are concerned .
So the more they dominate the discussions here  the more likely hood of those wanting serious discussions being put off.

I can tell you that this is the case at least  with 1/2  a dozen  persons I know who are members here .

Sai

[rcpilotacro]

Mr Sai

in the same breath, what i propose is, why dont all LHS converge and come together and have a real big meet with some good players participating, in all four corners of India, Real Big Event. i will provide all possible help, incl clearances, place etc

[rcforall]

Ready any time should be a good initiative , count me in on such and effort , first lets get down to a meeting , actually should not be tooooo much of a problem as RCB, RCD, Rotor,JRH and a few others re from south
sai

[essaargee]

"in the same breath, what i propose is, why dont all LHS converge and come together and have a real big meet with some good players participating, in all four corners of India, Real Big Event. i will provide all possible help, incl clearances, place etc"


Gusty, that is called the initiative and spirit !!
 VC, 

[RcBazaar]

good initiative... we are in from RCB.

Sujju

[izmile]

the quality of meaningful posts have dropped drastically I guess that is also the possible reason for members like Izmile ( my original inspiration for SPADS )

I do visit the forum occasionally. However, due to my limited time I just skim through the discussions here. Further, I am out of the hobby. So, I am taking a back seat and watching the happenings. I do agree that the noise floor has gone a bit higher but then I also see many members posting creative ideas. We need more of build logs - be it models, engines, electronics or something out of the ordinary.

[rcpilotacro]

LHS have a leading role to play, afterall, more people take up this hobby, more they will grow. Fragmented initiatives have been there, but then the initiatives needs to be supported by participation. here is one example,

http://www.rcindia.org/deals-and-special-offers/make-a-multiplex-build-log-win-free-multiplex-merchandise/

http://www.rcindia.org/free-donations-and-sweepstakes/tell-us-why-you-like-multiplex-win-free-merchandise/

where are the takers, where was any buildlog

[tg]

Lack of local events means we only get to hear what some one did once in a great while. We don't need one big event, but a yearly calendar of events however small in each of the cities where at least LHSes operate. Much like how any club associated with the AMA would do in the US.  But frankly we could take our attention off this thread and instead contribute what ever we do/have done in the hobby recently.

[rcpilotacro]

..but a yearly calendar of events however small in each of the cities where at least LHSes operate. Much like how any club associated with the AMA would do in the US.

LHS have to take the lead, more members more it will benefit the hobby and the LHS

[PankajC]

Personally, I have two issues.
Whenever I login to the forum, most of the time I am only seeing for sale posts. While I personally do not have any problem with this, but the point is maybe I am missing out rc related posts among all these trading posts. So best would be to have a separate tab/heading for all trading activities.

Secondly, I am also facing time crunch for visiting field so not much to update....

[gauravag]

rcpilotacro,
Wonderful and thought provoking post, and I have been wanting to post ever since this thread started, but been waiting ever since to find some time away from work to write and share my thoughts here.
 I particularly found this interesting,  because I would term myself as "guilty" here, perfectly fitting in the description you posted above as being one of the old members on the forum, and not really  contributing to it, except for on the ‘For Sale’ threads. Below are some of the thoughts I have on this.

1. First of all I would like to segment the kinds of posts that I see on RCI. This is considering, that I have check the forum nearly twice a day on average for the past three years.

a. RC / Technical know how - This pertains to building, flying skills, setups, electronics and technical questions.
This is where I think 1% of the total posts lie.
b. Knowledge/Information in context of India. ( RC stores, new stock arrivals, availability, postal system, events,  etc ) . This also includes stuff related to the forum, like this very thread.
This is where I think 29% of the total posts lie.
c. News and informational updates. New activities , updates, in the field of full scale or RC aviation.
This is where I think 10% of the total posts lie.
d. Trade listings (For sale/wanted) – Members wanting to sell off some of their stuff.
This is where I think 60% of the total posts lie.

Lets revisit the above. When it comes to sharing RC/Technical know how (as in point (a)  above), I feel  much of what is discussed, talked about, is either information that is already there, or is easily found on the internet .
If not, as in a few cases, then I feel there are many better places to discuss these topics and issues, like on International forums, eg RCG, Flying Gaints, HeliFreak.com and others.
Reason being, I find that there is a much better audience out there, with a better knowledgebase and more experience. In most cases,  I find my time better spent on these sites for reading and sometimes discussing general RC technical topics.

For example, suppose I were to start making a scratch built foamie or a multicopter. I would feel posting the build thread on the forum would not be a productive use of time, as there is hardly anything on this topic which has not been written, discussed and in some cases beaten to death elsewhere on the internet. In more than 99% of the cases, my queries would have been already answered and by using some basic search skills, I can find what I was looking for.
If I did come across something unique, like maybe with the control board, then either I would be much better off posting on say RCG at the KKboard thread or in one of the several build threads.

Likewise, if I were to start writing an article that shares my knowledge or experience, I would really think twice, for the reasons above, unless of course I was looking for self gratification or was wanting to invite a discussion with fellow aeromodellers, and in some of these cases Facebook and blogs have come into the picture.

Allow me to share one such example here. Last weekend,  it rained cats and dogs, and I got this idea to make an RC swamp boat ( something similar sells on HK on their website ) for my 4 year old son.
With some pieces of Depron, a servo, motor, prop  adhesives, and a few hours of work, we were all set to complete this and test run the boat in my backyard, which gets flooded after a strong downpour.
I thought of taking pictures and posting a thread here on RCI, but then who would benefit it ? No one really ! You can go to RCG and find build threads of much better boats, and find many more knowledgeable people on the subject there.

When I say there are only 1% of the total posts on this forum belong under this head, I mean it. Of course, in my opinion this counts only the posts that show true ingenuinity or discussions that hold some real merit in them. Most of the other so-called knowledge based posts are essentially either ‘fluff’ (perfect example of people asking help for multicopter projects) or knowledge/information easily found elsewhere , if someone so desires. Again no harm in posting and sharing, but they do not count towards the knowledgebase.

Lets move on to the second classification of posts: Knowledge/Information in context of India
This is the place, where I feel the forum plays an extremely important role. Excellent place to talk about the events and happenings in India, talk about people, talk about new stores or stocks coming in, or about the laws and regulations in general.  

I wish I could really contribute to here Unfortunately RC in India is not so easy. I stay in a city where there are only two other aeromodellers, out of them one is passive, and thus we have hardly anything to share in public. Its an effort to take out the time to visit the airfield, manage the public crowds that often come along, then often get into trouble with local police and in some cases defence forces as well ! With nothing over me to protect, I feel sometimes its best not to share much !

Lets look into the third classification I made. News and informational updates.
Again, though Facebook and other channels often provide me with quicker news feeds, Often I like to read about new happenings in the aviation domain on RCI. Thanks to Anwar for posting out new videos and articles, Unless I have read them out before, I definitely take the time to read through them.

Coming to the most debated topic For Sale threads.
One of the very big limitations, in this hobby is for sourcing stuff . And this is specially true in India ) .
In the last few years HK and LHS has offered some respite, but still more time and energy of an aeromodeller gets spent in waiting for and collecting the gear, spares and accessories than in actual building and flying.
I have been into RC since 1993. Tower Hobbies  ruled at that time.  Those days we had to keep a huge stockpile of everything. I remember ordering 5 extra sets for anything I needed, as it could be months before I could get any replacement, in the event I needed.
There is no denial, that things have changed now, but even today we need to stock a lot of things. Agreed that today the LHS has cut down the wait time to less than a week, but what about their own stock status ?

What I want to say is that, availability of RC gear is still a big thing today. Selling out stuff, or using the forum to sell out unused RC gear is not really about “using” the forum in a negative or bad way. It helps at both ends, for the seller  to continually look for a better home for their gear, and for the buyer side, an economical, hassle free and quick way to get the gear.

I consider myself to be an tech-hopper. I love playing with new technologies/gear only to learn how they work, and once I feel I have a fairly good understanding of things I move on to try something new. Unfortunately I am constrained by budget and floor space, so need to regularly cycle out the gear.  In order to get into something new,  I often need to part with some of my current stockpile of RC gear.This is where all my sale threads come into the picture. I figure it’s a similar case with many other members.
I would also like to note that each sale that I make, if looked at from a monetary point of view, is at a loss.

For some sellers who also come to the forum to predominantly sell things, I feel they also do nothing bad, unless they cheat or fail to deliver on their promises.

Re-iterating the above, using the forum to only participate in For Sale threads is not a bad thing at all.

I consider the sale and trade threads to be a very important part in the existence of this forum.

I would also like to mention, that I come to this forum from the days when IRC existed. One of the reasons of the demise of IRC and the transition of several old members ( including myself ) was about the strict and policing attitude of moderators there.
The good thing about this forum here was it was open, free, unlimited and you did not feel there was someone always going to moderate you at all times.

Humble request to all moderators, to keep up the original spirit of freedom here. Lets keep it an open forum and not make too many rules and laws, and let the members feel they own it, and not where they get always judged or commented upon.


Concluding my post, I would like to answer What do I contribute to the forum ? First of all by being there. I check the forum and usually all the posts there at least twice a day. Given the need, I make a post, but usually I find people who know more ahead of me in the queue and thus I hold back my words. Next, I give out some good deals and share my unused inventory to the members.  Lastly, by telling all newcomers and those who express any interest in RC to visit and register at RCI as the very first step before they continue with their adventures in this lovely hobby.


Thank you for your time in reading my post above, and pardon me for anything that I may have said or expressed incorrectly,
Gaurav.

[PankajC]

Gaurav,
Nice thoughts. However, I would still like to only read about the 1st two categories - as listed by you and not really interested in the others. So personally would like their percentage to be more visible. Not saying trading activities is bad, but if there were a provision to personalize the content based on preferences it would be more meaningful for me.

Pankaj

[rcpilotacro]

Gaurav
As regards (a) Very eloquently put, i agree when it comes to tech know how, in the other forums most of it is beaten to death. However over hundreds of posts, there is one worth while info, else, mostly it is one liner kudos, smileys and such things, for a newbie (Or for a impatient guy like me)it could be intimidating, irksome. It is difficult to gather knowledge on two counts (a) in terms of sifting through all the unwanted post (b) the language per se, is not Indian, lot of jargon which is alien to most of us. Few points needs to looked at from a different point of view, those are:-

(i) Our own guys posting things could border on self gratification, agreed, nothing wrong with, non euphemistically put, 'showing off', while self gratifying if he actually learns that it is not afterall worth self gratifying, through discussion he is that much more wise.

(ii) RCG or any other "More Knowledgeable" forums haven't become more knowledgeable overnight, people took pain and effort to post discussions there and members contributed to make it so. Overtime, if we put in effort and post discussions here, there is no reason why we cant be one such RCG, i may sound quixotic. Can you beat an Indian on brains? we may lack the hardware, that will come to india in times to come. see the advances in last two years alone. the graph is upwards, by posting interesting stuff that one did, it will only help this graph.

(iii) Say someone posts how to make a quad (Personally if feel, it is probably the easiest to make and least skill required to fly, be that as it may) with his 'limited Indian knowledge', other complete newbie (to quad, not essentially to RC) from the same town or nearby place knows whom to contact and what to discuss as he already has the original post for reference.

As regards (b)
any small meet that you have at your location could be posted in "what RC activity did you do this week" or your own personal thread. This once again fall in the realms of 'Self Gratification", (a) what's wrong with that ? (b) it serves as motivation to many joining this hobby (c) anyone from that town or nearby place wants to try RC, googles and stumbles upon this thread say for example "Rc activities of Timbaktu", he reaches the field and voila! there, he has a start point for guidance etc.

atleast RC activities of local locations could be posted (While self gratifying), members don't even post that, this 10% could be notched up further, atleast holds the potential to go beyond 10% isn't it ?.

(iii) Anwar Bhai couldn't have been more clear, when he recently, clearly elucidated, the basis of forming this forum was to have a place where you could sell freely. i dont think there is ever any doubt on that. he said so so long back as well (one of the first posts i read before joining i guess)

Don't know if you can, but I smell freedom here !  
Finally, I see hobby shops openly competing for business in a professional manner, ultimately benefitting the hobbyist.  Links of competing products are being thrown around liberally, and merits and demerits are being discussed !  
We are living in interesting times !  Free times !

I draw you attention to this comment

"i only visit the forum to sell my old stuff, like an online garage sale,"

If you look at what this gentleman said, and since points 'a' to 'c' are logically ruled out (some completely and some to some extent) then Indian Forum exists only 'for sale', for knowledge we go elsewhere ?

my 2c bit, may be i am completely wrong and i am, with an open mind ready to be educated


PS
Gaurav, believe you me, certain points that you have covered, has been taken well and i have chagned my stand point on certain aspects as i have seen things in a new light. It is just that, i thought since brains lie here, there is no reason why we cant be the cradle of it..IF, and IF only we could get people to contribute, doesn't matter if it beaten to death elsewhere and is self gratifying.

[hyd_quads]

I've realised this thread is for discussions among some of the big-shots of Indian RC world who know real RC, but may I say this:

I consider the sale and trade threads to be a very important part in the existence of this forum.

+1 to that.

I feel if it's important that the forum contain knowledgeable and informative threads, then it's equally important to have sales and trades, especially trade of pre-owned items. It really helps beginners to get started in RC at a very low cost.
But ofcourse, it's more important to have threads on info than sale/trade threads.

Vineet

[rcpilotacro]

I've realised this thread is for discussions among some of the big-shots of Indian RC world

Vineet! on the contrary no, most oldies (Incl me ) are mostly dogmatic and have a rigid point of view. young generation's point of view could blow old dogma to smithereens! so ? keep it coming

[shadman_alam]

So who's is hosting the event n where? I know rcforall has been actively promoting such eventz nit trichy n warangal.. Im sure RCB n RCD will be joining the league as well... Unless its not a combined effort, it will be difficult to make it big.. Atlanta hobby in US had taken their entire store to SEFF 2012 in vans.. and many local stores had joined them..

And i totally agree with the seniors.. .Forum is being adultrated with sale threads n HK discussions.. IMHO sale threads n HK reviews should not be highlighted as new posts.. If you want to buy/sell stuff you should visit the sales page.. And u can find items for sale there.. No freedom lost n no rights unruled...pretty simple.. Well thats just a thought..
 
shadman

[anwar]

I have been considering removal of classifieds from the "recent posts" and "recent topics" lists.  Again need a bit of dev, whenever item permits, it will be a first priority item.

[PankajC]

+1 to rcpilotacro.

People need to post regularly to add to the knowledge base. I remember, when I was just starting out about 3 years back, Anwar, Sai and a whole lot of others did provide lot of guidance. Really I did not feel the need to go elsewhere.

I am sure there are lot of guys like me who are in need to friendly advice or otherwise lot of folks posting their experiences etc on the forum. If we could only remove the clutter of the trading threads, maybe the forum would not appear 'less knowledgeable' and folks would not feel the need to go elsewhere

Pankaj

[PankajC]

@Anwar for post #48

A big thank you

[rcpilotacro]

I have been considering removal of classifieds from the "recent posts" and "recent topics" lists.

to that Anwar Bhai, ( How is vacations going !! ? )

Anwar, Sai and a whole lot of others did provide lot of guidance. Really I did not feel the need to go elsewhere. I am sure there are lot of guys like me who are in need to friendly advice ..

+1 to pankaj, that was exactly my point and i missed that in the post completely and thank you Pankaj for putting it so simply, i have taken advice, given advice on many occasions over the mobile/personally with many members of this forum. in fact some of us got together and have become sort of BFFL (Some so senior to me), just yesterday i had a fruitful discussion for 40 minutes + in the middle of the night on nuances of 3D aerobatics with Shadman. All this was possible because WE posted on issues other than sales on this forum, we had a start point for last night's discussion and approximately each of us knew where each of us stand.

This is just one example, there are many others

[hyd_quads]

Anwar sir,

Yes, that's a very good idea, because people who are looking to buy or sell something know their way in the forum and search what they want, so the trade threads can be removed from the recent posts section. But, very few beginners looking for info know where to search and read. So displaying only informative threads in the recent posts section will help.

Vineet

[iamahuman]

You can ignore the For Sale board through your forum profile.