The difficulties of engaging experts in two way exchanges with non-experts on the web has been recognised pretty much since day one. In addition, the relationship of many currently active audiophiles with established mainstream knowledge on sound, sound perception and how audio equipment functions is not always one of agreement or a wish to understand the basis of disagreement. Do the posters here consider the expert forums to be successful and the main asset of the site?
Are the expert forums successful?
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As probably the least technical of all members here, I personally find the expert forums to be an extremely valuable asset. I may not personally post in all of their threads, but I do read through many of them and have learned a lot. When I have posted, all of them have been very understanding of my limited knowledge and have always treated me with respect. That to me says a lot about the quality of our experts.
All of us, from members to experts, come here to learn, socialize and express opinions, which makes us all collectively its most important asset.
All of us, from members to experts, come here to learn, socialize and express opinions, which makes us all collectively its most important asset.
Yes. They are. Their posting become a repository. Resources to come back to from time to time to hone one's perspective and derive (hopefully) more enjoyment from the hobby.
While it's absolutely great to have a "social-meeting-place" function in a forum, one of the most valuable aspects is when the forum matures to the point that it could become a "read-only" reference source for information. We are amassing thoughts and ideas from some of the greatest minds in audio, and reading questions/answer discussions from some of the brightest private consumer users. When someone new comes onto the forum for the first time, they don't know many of the members, so it's the quality of the information presented that urges them to register.
I've made many new friends here (which I deeply appreciate) but the forum wouldn't be the same without the expert sections.
Lee
I've made many new friends here (which I deeply appreciate) but the forum wouldn't be the same without the expert sections.
Lee
Hi Andy
Welcome to WBF. Interesting first post.
I would be interested in what you feel to be some of the shortcomings and how you see improvement
We are always looking for ways to improve the site
Welcome to WBF. Interesting first post.
I would be interested in what you feel to be some of the shortcomings and how you see improvement
We are always looking for ways to improve the site
No with regards to being the main asset of the site. Not for me at least. I enjoy some of the expert forums and really didn't care for two of them. Thankfully those experts have moved on. My main reason for being here is the interaction among the *normal* audiophiles and not to read what the experts have to say. And having said that, I do think the majority of the expert forums are successful if you define success as having people interested in what they have to say and learning from them. There are some incredibly smart people here outside of the resident experts.
i'm not a fan of the concept of 'Expert' forums myself. adding credibility to someone with commercial interests by crowning them an expert is flawed in the context of a high end forum. as we have observed, it can give some people a false sense of credibility. other times the 'expert' is not really involved with the WBF. i think before one is considered for an expert forum they need some time in the WBF community so their level of commitment and sense of propriety can be established. i do respect the forum for ultimately dealing with some of these type issues. there is a learning curve to anything.
the tough part is that i can see the other side too, where it could be a place to go for information. even though i've not particpated in Gary and Bruce's forums much i do see the value of those, although they are not on my radar so i miss much of what goes on there. in that light, i'd say that expert forums water down the value of the other boards here as they spread out the information so discussions have less attention from members......too much real estate to keep track of.
i applaud the forum for trying new things and ways to make it better; so even though i have negative opinions about some things i do enjoy the WBF. it is only a year old but has become something special. and i only speak for myself.
the tough part is that i can see the other side too, where it could be a place to go for information. even though i've not particpated in Gary and Bruce's forums much i do see the value of those, although they are not on my radar so i miss much of what goes on there. in that light, i'd say that expert forums water down the value of the other boards here as they spread out the information so discussions have less attention from members......too much real estate to keep track of.
i applaud the forum for trying new things and ways to make it better; so even though i have negative opinions about some things i do enjoy the WBF. it is only a year old but has become something special. and i only speak for myself.
Thanks for the kudos Mike
What we forget is that these "Experts" are all gainfully employed in the field in which they have a dedicated forum and so it is often difficult for them to participate on a daily basis as many of us here do. I do understand your thoughts however. As the forum matures it is my hope that all of these issues will be easily remedied
What we forget is that these "Experts" are all gainfully employed in the field in which they have a dedicated forum and so it is often difficult for them to participate on a daily basis as many of us here do. I do understand your thoughts however. As the forum matures it is my hope that all of these issues will be easily remedied
Hope it's not too off-topic, but I personally would love to see WBF bring in an expert from the recording industry (the music side, not the technical side). Just a thought.
Steve,
with all due respect; yes, they are 'gainfully employed in the field'......but......they are also selling their wares and services and have agendas......as they should. so every day they tell their perspective customers why their products are best and why they know best. which is also what they do here.
if we want to label their forums with their company names and recognize that they are commercial entities then i'm fine with that. but pretending that they leave their commercial priorites at the door when they post on WBF is not too realistic. OTOH if they have an established history of neutrality established here on WBF that's a whole different issue (Gary and Bruce).
i'm just one guy with an opinion.......
Mike,
You make some very valid points, but some of our experts (such as Vincent Kars) are not trying to sell anything at all. I also think that Ethan has been relatively neutral, and have not personally seen him promote his wares. So let me add both Vincent and Ethan to your list of Gary and Bruce (selections I quite agree with).
You make some very valid points, but some of our experts (such as Vincent Kars) are not trying to sell anything at all. I also think that Ethan has been relatively neutral, and have not personally seen him promote his wares. So let me add both Vincent and Ethan to your list of Gary and Bruce (selections I quite agree with).
Amazingly enough, some of the experts in the field have become recognized as experts by selling things they have become expert about. I have no problem with that. In my day job, the experts are making a good living doing what they do because they are expert at it. As for watering down the rest of the site, I prefer more focused areas so appreciate the expert forums.
I don't know how you define "success" but certainly by view count there are some very successful expert fora. I would not say they are the primary focus of WBF by any means; a quick look will show a very broad range of fora from which to choose. WBF offers more expert fora than most other sites, but my gut says they are not dominate in terms of view or post count (Steve et. al. could speak to that). I appreciate the breadth and depth WBF offers.
There have been other comments about how WBF is "too technical"; I just don't see that. I see a more balanced site than some others where it is all subjective and objective/techie folk are shouted down. Maybe we should move the expert fora nearer the bottom of the opening page?
Of course, my bias is clear... - Don
I don't know how you define "success" but certainly by view count there are some very successful expert fora. I would not say they are the primary focus of WBF by any means; a quick look will show a very broad range of fora from which to choose. WBF offers more expert fora than most other sites, but my gut says they are not dominate in terms of view or post count (Steve et. al. could speak to that). I appreciate the breadth and depth WBF offers.
There have been other comments about how WBF is "too technical"; I just don't see that. I see a more balanced site than some others where it is all subjective and objective/techie folk are shouted down. Maybe we should move the expert fora nearer the bottom of the opening page?
Of course, my bias is clear... - Don
Hi Andy and Welcome to What's Best!
Me think that the forum's experts are very valuable in their giving of informations as I often learn new things or they established standard confirmations which is always a good thing in this hobby of ours.
They are part of our foundations. And we build from their set of informations.
Andy, fascinating post!!!!
Begs several questions:
- Is it even possible to be an expert (or is it all a matter of opinion)?
- If so, in what areas of the audio hobby is it possible to be an expert?
- How does one become an expert?
- How frequently is the expert correct?
- How frequently is the expert wrong?
- What are the blind spots of the expert?
I wonder how the other members here would answer these questions.
Begs several questions:
- Is it even possible to be an expert (or is it all a matter of opinion)?
- If so, in what areas of the audio hobby is it possible to be an expert?
- How does one become an expert?
- How frequently is the expert correct?
- How frequently is the expert wrong?
- What are the blind spots of the expert?
I wonder how the other members here would answer these questions.
I just learned something new again last night from one of the experts. Yeah, I'd say it's successful.
I think that with anything in life you have to be open and flexible at balancing facts and theories.
Yeah it's a balancing act.
1. Yes it's possible to be an expert for someone that is not only passionate but also open to new stuff.
2. In any categories; from sound dispersion in your room, to audio signals through speaker cables and interconnects, to speaker drivers and crossovers, to boxes designs, to parts implementation in our electronics, to DSP chips and DACs, to lasers, cartridges, motors, transformers, current, electrical properties, to front projectors, to plasma TV sets, to 3D cameras, to whatever touches our ears and eyes...
3. By a degree after studies, and real life practices.
4. A true expert is always in the research of perfectionism, so it is never absolute. It constantly evolves.
5. It is by our mistakes that we learn more solidly; so nobody's perfect and you have to be simply honest with yourself first.
6. He's the one that should answer these first. ...After all he's the expert!
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