Repetition?

[JayW]

Ha ha ha ha...you have an excellent point. The only thing I would say in defense of topics being re=posted is that there wuite a quick turn around with posts and it allows for everyone to stay up to date. If people just searched the archives there would hardly be a need for another post except for upcomming events. I do agree however that certain topics (e.g. rotor vs piston) seem to get a little old.

Hetmans all the way! (check the archives for a relatively recent poll on valve oils.....hetmans was winning by a much larger margain than GWB won with) Sorry if my humour offends anyone

[ai698]

I vote for CC and F, but I like playing on an Eb and I'd buy a BBb if I had to play one instrument and didn't have lot of $$ to spend. A name brand would be nice. I prefer pistons or rotors over a natural tuba.

What was the question

[Mark]

I'm looking for some educated guesses on how long it takes for an average topic to be reposted as something new.

For example, I have been following Tubenet for 8 months. In that time period I remember no less than three new threads discussing whether rotors are better than pistons - with the consensus of opinion being that bananas are best.

Should there be a manadatory search of the archives before posting a question or should I just go ahead and ask what is the best valve oil?

I undertand your point, but there are new members joining the forum daily and though they may ask questions that are old to many of us; they may also have new answers to those questons. And long-time members may change their minds and wish to express a revisd opinion.

[WoodSheddin]

Should there be a manadatory search of the archives before posting a question or should I just go ahead and ask what is the best valve oil?

Frequent readers of ANY publication, whether it be PC Magazine, Field and Stream, Mountain Bike, or TubeNet will realize that topics get repeated many times and the content generally appeals to the largest subset of readers.

With Internet forums those who have the most to gain are those who have little knowledge to an average working knowledge of the subjects discussed. Those with the most experience will have the most difficulty finding answers because they seek an even smaller subset of individuals who have even more experience. Those with the least experience can benefit from the input of nearly everyone taking part in the discussions.

Those who have already absorbed the majority of the knowledge of the base, or I suppose bass on TubeNet , are hungry for even more obscure facts.

Because of the continuing lifecycle of a nearly 10 year old forum, the same questions WILL come up from time to time. New enthusiasts are born every day and they are newbies in not only this clique but also in the use of TubeNet itself.

"Rotary vs Piston" is a brand new, never before discussed topic for many people who are just now stumbling into TubeNet from Google. Those who have seen the topic before can either choose to offer their perhaps finely tuned opinions or lay out of the topic altogether if they feel like they have nothing to offer or gain by taking part.

If there is a truly excellent concise answer in the archives, such as "Who won the XXXX Symphony audition 3 weeks ago", then feel free to refer them to the previous answer. Most of the time, however, previous discussions are little more than opinions expressed by a snapshot of individuals at a moment in time. Telling someone to "search the archives" will put them in a discussion which could very well be out of context.

If the frequent readers of TubeNet are no longer gaining new insights from TubeNet then it may be time to step away from the keyboard and go to the zoo with the family.

[Captain Sousie]

What measure are we on?

Fourty-two

[Captain Sousie]

You forgot gold brass and solid bronze

[Adam C.]

I agree with jonathan and Sean on this one.

Common questions are generally asked by newcomers to the forum. If those common questions are shot down with a cursory "search the archives" response, then there's a good chance those newcomers will get put off and not come back. One reason is that a human response is always more enjoyable than merely googling the Tubenet archive.