Many have asked for it; others have been dreading it. The time has come.
Due to the influx of new users and the seeming inability of many of them to use common sense, common courtesy, and spend a few minutes poking around before posting, the mod team spends more time removing posts than mixing these days. I personally delete 5-10 posts a day and other mods are doing similar cleanup work. Obviously our gentle reminders and passive-aggressive language is not enough.
##The penalty for posting in violation of sub rules is a three day ban. Second offense is a month, and third is permanent.
So: loyal subscribers, rule followers, and sidebar-readers, here's what you can do to help (both the mods and the noobs). If you see a post which is going to get pulled, (a) please DON'T answer the question (b) direct the poster to the appropriate thread and (c) advise them to delete their post.
Like any other sub rules, this is subject to modification if it's not working as intended. Thanks for your help and understanding.
As a new mixer, I have never posted here before. To be honest, the rules here are draconian, to put it mildly. Even using the search bar, even using Google to search the site, I've always been too worried of incurring the wrath of the mods here to ask questions or to comment or contribute here.
I don't even know if this post is going to get me banned or what, but this is the only topic I feel slightly safe in commenting on.
That being said, those of you who do post here, thank you. I'll just read and lurk and if I can't find the answer, I'll ask elsewhere.
Edit: thank you for the replies and the clarifications. If I end up stumped on a question, I'll post in the new mixer thread. There's a lot of good info, and good people here, but it can be intimidating for new mixers. Thanks again everyone.
I agree, it can be intimidating. As long as you either post in the correct area, or have done basic research (sidebar, search etc...), I can't imagine any mod action being taken. It's not so much about people not wanting to see or answer your questions, it's about consolidating all of the information to the correct areas so that the information is easy to find.
I can't remember if it was skiddlz or someone from the BB podcast or someone else, but their analogy was:
If you wanted to get some info on dinosaurs, you wouldn't just go in to a library and shout, "WHAT'S THE BEST DINOSAUR?!?" Would you? Probably not. Proper etiquette leads us to doing some research first, and if we're not able to find the answer we're looking for, you would then go up to the librarian and say something like, "Hey, I was looking for some information on dinosaurs, and although I was able to find some information on their anatomy and diets, I was hoping to find something that would have information on their hunting skills and techniques. Do you think you could point me in the right direction?"
In regards to the librarian analogy, I like to think of it as the New Mixer's Thread as the Librarian, and general posts as the books.
These rules are here to (hopefully) be the difference between having to sift through countless "Why is my juice harsh?" questions to find the well written article on how to troubleshoot harsh juice, or being able to just find that article straight-away. Which would you prefer?
I completely understand your fear to post here. It's something that I address often when working on new rules. That being said, if there is ever ANYTHING, honest-to-god ANYTHING, you want to ask, feel free to put it into the most recent new mixer's questions thread.(linked in the floating "monthly threads" bar at the top of the page.) People check that thread throughout the week to grab any and all questions that they can.
And just know that this rule isn't so much for people that have been here a while. It's for the people that show up and immediately ask for a clone of "XXXXXX", or the ones that post 15 minutes after making a reddit account asking "where do I start?" And perhaps the best thing to come of this is the ability for the mods to ban the habitual rule-breakers. You'd be surprised, but there are 4 or 5 users that have a >75% post removal rate, with about 20 posts each that I've had to take off the front page.
##TL;DR: This rule isn't for beginners, it's for ignorant beginners.
Moral of the Story: use the New Mixer's thread until you're confident enough to post to the front page.
Ask anything you want in the weekly New Mixers thread- if it warrants it's own post people will tell you. Unless it's blatantly in the sidebar people will answer honestly and helpfully. And even if it is in the sidebar, people will answer the question and also recommend rereading the sidebar.
It's not new mixers posting that makes people upset- it's people not posting it in the right spot. And that's speaking as a pretty new mixer myself.
Yea I agree. I like joining subs to discuss. I get that some super obvious stuff should be deleted if it's literally right in front of your eyes on the sidebar but sometimes I just wanna ask a question and see what the pros think but I haven't posted here after y first post cause I don't wanna end up in trouble.
Then can we at least have a better place to put all these flavor reviews?
I'm with you on this. As much as I like all the flavor reviews, they're seriously taking over the sub.
They have to be posts (so they can be commented on) before they are added to the wiki. Otherwise the wiki entries would seem like canon.
For sure. Often they're like /r/LifeProTips where the best tips are actually found in the comments. But if nobody put in the work to do the review, there'd be nowhere to comment.
Agreed. They're interesting, but seriously.
Push this to the top. Everyone's taste is subjective so putting flavor reviews is almost pointless. I mean.....I can't stand any custard at all. None of em. So to see multiple reviews on a flavor I'll never use is pretty useless to me.
Perception of taste is subjective, the actual taste of compounds within flavourings is objective & reviewing them is absolutely not pointless. You know whats pointless? Complaining about your lack of love for custard when you probably haven't tried FLV Vanilla Custard + DIYFS Holy Vanilla.
If you experience something different from a flavoring, feel free to reply in the comments about your experience. You're absolutely correct that flavor is subjective; the flavor reviews give everyone an opportunity to give their 2 cents on a particular flavoring and organize them in a way that makes them easy to find.
I have a feeling I should just create a word document and start copying and pasting responses like, "This belongs in the New Mixer's Thread, and if you want to avoid a ban I advise deleting the post".
Just like the other rule change earlier this week I think this is justified and necessary, I'm sure most of the community will agree.
I'm not gonna lie, this is a for the best really. I agree with what butteringtoast said, I hardly ever have to say much on this reddit because all my answers are found by searching. If I find mixes that look interesting I just adjust to what I feel would be good to me and honestly I haven't ever made a mix that's been posted to the TV because I know my taste buds and I know my flavors. I hate seeing the same post over and over again. Like one that was recently posted about cheap labels. That's such a stupid question because everybody knows that you can print Avery labels and by them at walmart for like 3 bucks. I hate when people ask questions that can be easily answered by searching Google or reddit or just by having common sense.
Removing 5 posts really takes you longer than mixing some juice...?
Sarcasm, but I do spend more time modding than mixing. I'm on this sub 3-5 times a day. I open every post, see what's going on, then usually move on. I'll stop when it's no longer fun. Really, though, if you saw my modqueue you'd understand.
How about starting new threads for reviews based on other users posted recipes? I feel like the sub if flooded with single flavor reviews, but nobody creates their own thread to show their own opinion on other mixers recipes unless it's in a "best of" thread. I feel like promoting this will allow more content for users to understand how flavors work when combined, especially on different palates.
I rarely post or comment here. It's never a necessity. I've learned a lot from you gents, and will continue to. One day I may have something to add. Until that day i just want to say I think this is an excellent way of going about it.
I have no idea what "hand-checks", "DIY Vape mail", or "review my order" posts are to be honest. New posters probably don't either.
Hand Check: Picture of you holding your latest creation, normally in the same hand as your mod.
DIY Vape Mail: "Look at all these flavors that the mailman brought me today!
Review my Order: "Here's what I have in my cart... Am I missing anything?"
I think the fact that this post only has 42 comments should tell you something.
Over-regulation makes people walk away.
If that's what you want, fine-you've achieved it.
I've moderated many vape-related groups and pages, been called every name under the sun and found at the end of the day, you can't control opinions, and you can't regulate questions that haven't been asked.
FWIW, I mixed for 4 years before accidentally tripping into a reddit DIY discussion. This isn't the only place to get info, and if someone truly wants to learn to mix they will, regardless of where.
I JUST woke up. I already deleted 6 posts and banned 1 user for 3 days. The BS in this sub is over the top, and needs to be reduced somehow. If you want to walk away, don't let the door hit you in the ass. Plenty of people have been begging for more moderation.
Correct me if I'm wrong but what is the point of banning someone considering they can just sign out and still browse anyways? I'm all for rules but I never understood the whole Reddit ban.
IS there any way that a newly made act could be directed to the general rules and etiquette of this sub by default before they can make a post? Kind of make it a must read before you join. Just a thought.
Yeah. Okay. Getting on it now.
Why don't you just get a bot for common phrases? That way everyone can be lazy. Here.
"Hey reddit, I think I want to start a making juice blah blah is this right blah blah. " you got a 30 minute posting ban to read the side bar. Please post specific questions that aren't covered there.
> a bot for common phrases
Good Idea, but too subjective. Often a post that might normally be removed has a unique angle that may not have been covered in depth before. It takes a lot of time, but IMO it's better if mods review iffy posts and judge each on its merit.