adapterbitspk t1_je1lmvm wrote
I appreciate trying to lockdown a subreddit to people who are specifically in a trade, employed by a specific company, have a specific engineering degree, etc. Totally get it. The repetitive questions by homeowners asking about “removing a load bearing wall” are not only annoying, but in that case, dangerous.
/r/MechanicAdvice is a really great example of what a subreddit like /r/askalocksmith would be like in a perfect world. /r/askanengineer is decent as well, but mostly for eduction and employment questions.
The reality is that most subreddits like /r/askalocksmith are DOA. There’s a ton of trade specific subreddits that might as well not even exist because they’re also dead. I dont know why /r/MechanicAdvice works so well, maybe just due to the fact that almost everyone has a car in the US.
Growing up in the pre-internet world, I personally think the topic specifc forums were one of the greatest things to ever happen to my world. The knowledge base and being able to bounce ideas off anyone else viewing the forum, whether it be an actual professional, enthusiast, or an absolute idiot who gets told why they’re wrong, has been a life changing experience. I couldn’t do a lot of things I’ve done without access to those people in those forums.
There’s a member in the Mercedes community who has posted for years in response to anyone and everyone who has a question. He’s definitely a Mercedes tech and has access to manufacturer information that most don’t. There aren’t many posts he doesn’t respond to. There’s no incentive for him to do it other than he probably believes in sharing helpful information with others because he can. I think about him every time I see posts like this /r/askalocksmith announcement.
You guys at /r/locksmith are totally within your right to lockdown the subreddit, make it private with proof of being a locksmith, etc. Dumb questions can get annoying. I guess you can just downvote the posts and leave it to the few who may or may not answer it.
I just hope that when it comes time for you or your peers to get involved in a project outside of your trade, you think about this post, and stay far away from any other trade professionals you may want to ask a question to.
Maoman1 OP t1_je1n4qq wrote
Hey, thanks for the thorough response.
>The reality is that most subreddits like /r/askalocksmith are DOA
We discussed this when the subreddit was split, and I made it clear to my users that I expected them to participate in both subreddits unless they were physically incapable of being polite (we're a cantakerous bunch after all), and on the whole, it has worked well. Some posts may only get one or two responses, but they will usually have a fair number of upvotes reinforcing it, indicating that plenty of other locksmiths at least viewed the question and had nothing to add.
I have also made a couple of announcement posts, one just a month after the split and another a few months later, basically saying "Hey guys, AskALocksmith isn't dead or anything, but I just want to be proactive and prevent it from ever getting that way, so here's a reminder to do your part and go answer some questions there. Consider it community service, or fair payment for getting this space to ourselves."
>I just hope that when it comes time for you or your peers to get involved in a project outside of your trade, you think about this post, and stay far away from any other trade professionals you may want to ask a question to.
I can't speak for anyone else of course, but on the occasion I have a question for another trade, I always check the sidebar, read the recommended resources, and search the subreddit for my question before I actually make a post. Usually my question is answered somewhere already, and on the rare occasion it isn't, I'll make sure my post states that I did all of those things first and did not find an answer.
There are plenty of others who do the same thing... you'll just never know they were there because, of course, they never posted. It's only the few who refuse to read anything before posting that you ever get to see, so your vision of newcomers gets skewed in that direction. Try to remember that.
SuperCow1127 t1_je26kxk wrote
>I made it clear to my users that I expected them to
Hahaha, or else what? Will they suffer on their yearly performance reviews?
Maoman1 OP t1_je2bd8u wrote
Or we return to how it was before and they get to suffer through laymen constantly asking inane questions on /r/Locksmith, obviously. It's quite the deterrent.
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