Reptile & Amphibian Forums

You can't seem to grasp the point. The fact that you will automatically say someone will lack in effort because the ad is not to your standards shows that you are not willing to consider any factors. You just pretty much said that if an ad is not properly written that a person has not made any effort; not once did I see you consider the possibility that the ad you saw or may see is a person’s best effort at presenting information or an animal. That my friend is genuine ignorance you’re displaying. So before you make a poor attempt of insinuating that I expect people to accept poor service, please think. My words go nowhere in the direction you state. I'll write my attempt in words plain and simple, just because someone does not write an ad to your expectations does not mean they did not make their best effort!

Now in regards to dirty carpet pictures, that of course is a turn off to me too. But unlike you I won't automatically say this person did not make an effort. I work, go to school, take care of 2 sons and my boas, while our home is generally clean; a day or 2 may pass when we are unable to vacuum. If I need to get an ad up and am running late to class, the last thing I'm concerned with is taking out the vacuum cleaner. So taking a picture of a snake on a carpet that has not been vacuumed in only 1 or 2 days means I did not make an effort or maybe it means that I’m a dirty person? So when I see an ad of that caliber I have to consider other factors and not base my decision on just one minor piece of information. Who really is the ignorant person here, the one that drew immediate conclusions or the one that made an effort to find out if his initial thought was correct / incorrect? Better not apply to be a forensic scientist; you definitely won't pass the psyc. interview.

So you can go ahead and build your own conclusions and automatically label people. I won’t label anyone except for you. I see a person that will not hesitate to label a person/s on initial contact or on minor information while making numerous errors himself. I also see a person who very much lacks in managing interpersonal communications skills and has difficulty seeing anywhere outside his own paradigm. I think someone needs work before they can label them-selves as an effective business man and /or manager. I recommend reading how-to-manage books and effective communication readings. If you are unsure on where to start, I will be more ten happy to refer a few. You will more then likely not be happy with this post so I might as well recommend a book on accepting criticism and how to utilize it to benefit yourself.

Before I go I want to let people know of something I read in a Covey book. Covey was riding in a New York subway, when a man and 2 children entered. The man sat down and looked dazed while his children were loud and could not keep still. Covey was getting annoyed at the active and noisy children and the fact that the father did not seem to care of what was going on. Covey told the man that the kids were acting in an inconvenient manner and made an assumption that these children were not properly raised and watched. Well, them man looked at Covey and stated that he (Covey) was correct but did not know how to act himself as well as to how his children should act especially since their wife/mother had died an hour before they got on the subway. How do you think Covey felt? Ask yourself if this would have been you too!

Thanks for reading,
www.VazquezFamilyReptiles.com

n/p

Well, I will attempt to set some things straight to VFR because I believe this has been blown out of porportion.
First off, I never tried to take the stand on this issue of it being a personal "pet peave" . Although I try to be honest in saying that an ad so poorly written , can act negatively to their sale. I don't go over ads with a fine tooth comb looking for flaws, and I overlook much mispellings as one should. It was an obvious failure on my part to not be able to get across the point that I was trying to make. And here it is in a nutshell --- If you have troubles with grammar (grammer?) , or spelling, or typing , and you place an ad that is going to be hard to comprehend, then their will be those who decide to keep looking instead of jumping on the sale. I also was trying to say that if you are one of these people, and want to not have this problem hinder your sales, then some methods are the spell-check,re-reading, have someone else write it, look at other ads for ideas . I've asked this forum before how to spell correctly Hog or Hogg / Columbian or Colombian because I might get the answer, and it may help out others who didn't know either. And that's what my original goal was to do - to help those who may not realize the effect of a poorly written ad.
I am NOT saying that these people are bad, unloving keepers.

The part previously posted >>> "Now in regards to dirty carpet pictures, that of course is a turn off to me too. But unlike you I won't automatically say this person did not make an effort. I work, go to school, take care of 2 sons and my boas, while our home is generally clean; a day or 2 may pass when we are unable to vacuum. If I need to get an ad up and am running late to class, the last thing I'm concerned with is taking out the vacuum cleaner. So taking a picture of a snake on a carpet that has not been vacuumed in only 1 or 2 days means I did not make an effort or maybe it means that I’m a dirty person? So when I see an ad of that caliber I have to consider other factors and not base my decision on just one minor piece of information. Who really is the ignorant person here, the one that drew immediate conclusions or the one that made an effort to find out if his initial thought was correct / incorrect? Better not apply to be a forensic scientist; you definitely won't pass the psyc. interview.">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
How I see it - if you have the time to take a pic, download it onto the computer, type up an ad and download the photo, then it would help greatly to spend an extra 5 minutes and vaccuum part of the carpet for the pic, or find a sheet to place it on. That's all.
Apparently this is a more sensitive subject than I realized. I didn't feel that I was being ignorant as I was claimed to be. That's a good Buzz-word when two folks don't share the same point of view. VFR, I don't want to bicker over this, I'd rather compliment, support, and learn. Maybe I have learned to keep my thoughts more to myself. You really do have a nice collection from what I've seen. I'd sure like to have some of your stock. I hope we can be on better terms next time. Take care, David
-----
--aka DMOG68

.
-----
--aka DMOG68

David,

Sometimes those extra 5 minutes are not an option. Anyways, you are correct; I'd rather invest my time in building good business relationships then to sit here and down one another. I do apologize for my targetting remarks. Maybe we can work on something in the near future.

Thanks,
www.VazquezFamilyReptiles.com

VFR,
...I did not participate in the earlier discussion. It does seem to me that when someone writes a post with 50 or more worda and they have a few words spelled incorrectly or they have a couple puntuation errors it is no big deal. There are often short posts on these forums that contain loads of spelling and punctuation errors. In some cases it is impossible to tell what someone is trying to say because of spelling and punctuation errors and poor grammar. The entire purpose of these forums is to exchange information and ideas. If the writing is so poor that people cannot understand what someone is saying in their post it defeats the purpose of the post.
...I do realize that these are international forums and that many people posting here do not speak English as their primary language. In many cases the people who do not use English as their primary language write their posts here extremely well.
...When I see an ad and the ad poster does not know how to spell the name of the animal they are trying to sell I form the opinion that they are not smart enough to maintain their animals at what I consider an acceptable level. We are all entitled to form whatever opinions we want. We can also post those opinions so long as we do it respectfully. I would think that people trying to sell animals might want to consider that with incorrectly spelled names for their animals they may be costing themselves some sales.
Jeff Clark

>>You can't seem to grasp the point. The fact that you will automatically say someone will lack in effort because the ad is not to your standards shows that you are not willing to consider any factors. You just pretty much said that if an ad is not properly written that a person has not made any effort; not once did I see you consider the possibility that the ad you saw or may see is a person’s best effort at presenting information or an animal. That my friend is genuine ignorance you’re displaying. So before you make a poor attempt of insinuating that I expect people to accept poor service, please think. My words go nowhere in the direction you state. I'll write my attempt in words plain and simple, just because someone does not write an ad to your expectations does not mean they did not make their best effort!
>>
>>Now in regards to dirty carpet pictures, that of course is a turn off to me too. But unlike you I won't automatically say this person did not make an effort. I work, go to school, take care of 2 sons and my boas, while our home is generally clean; a day or 2 may pass when we are unable to vacuum. If I need to get an ad up and am running late to class, the last thing I'm concerned with is taking out the vacuum cleaner. So taking a picture of a snake on a carpet that has not been vacuumed in only 1 or 2 days means I did not make an effort or maybe it means that I’m a dirty person? So when I see an ad of that caliber I have to consider other factors and not base my decision on just one minor piece of information. Who really is the ignorant person here, the one that drew immediate conclusions or the one that made an effort to find out if his initial thought was correct / incorrect? Better not apply to be a forensic scientist; you definitely won't pass the psyc. interview.
>>
>>So you can go ahead and build your own conclusions and automatically label people. I won’t label anyone except for you. I see a person that will not hesitate to label a person/s on initial contact or on minor information while making numerous errors himself. I also see a person who very much lacks in managing interpersonal communications skills and has difficulty seeing anywhere outside his own paradigm. I think someone needs work before they can label them-selves as an effective business man and /or manager. I recommend reading how-to-manage books and effective communication readings. If you are unsure on where to start, I will be more ten happy to refer a few. You will more then likely not be happy with this post so I might as well recommend a book on accepting criticism and how to utilize it to benefit yourself.
>>
>>Before I go I want to let people know of something I read in a Covey book. Covey was riding in a New York subway, when a man and 2 children entered. The man sat down and looked dazed while his children were loud and could not keep still. Covey was getting annoyed at the active and noisy children and the fact that the father did not seem to care of what was going on. Covey told the man that the kids were acting in an inconvenient manner and made an assumption that these children were not properly raised and watched. Well, them man looked at Covey and stated that he (Covey) was correct but did not know how to act himself as well as to how his children should act especially since their wife/mother had died an hour before they got on the subway. How do you think Covey felt? Ask yourself if this would have been you too!
>>
>>Thanks for reading,
>>www.VazquezFamilyReptiles.com
>>
>>

hi vfr and jeff clark

i,m toine from holland and i agree with you saying that if someone (like me)not use the basic english every day and still wants to post on the forum,they could make some mistakes with the writing (myself included)
and that it doesnt have anything to do with how i keep and breed my animals (god knows i do my very best to provide my boa,s the best care i can give them)
so if people can understand that some of us (non americans)
sometimes WILL make a writing or spelling mistake it will be great,
thats all i wanted to say

best off luck TO ALL OF YOU

REGARDS TOINE PLOMPEN
HOLLAND

TOINE,
...You write English very well. Many of the advances in herpetoculture were made in Europe before we were keeping many reptiles here in the United States. I feel pretty stupid because I do not speak your language and I do not have a clue how you pronounce your name.
Jeff

>>hi vfr and jeff clark
>>
>>i,m toine from holland and i agree with you saying that if someone (like me)not use the basic english every day and still wants to post on the forum,they could make some mistakes with the writing (myself included)
>>and that it doesnt have anything to do with how i keep and breed my animals (god knows i do my very best to provide my boa,s the best care i can give them)
>>so if people can understand that some of us (non americans)
>>sometimes WILL make a writing or spelling mistake it will be great,
>> thats all i wanted to say
>>
>>
>>best off luck TO ALL OF YOU
>>
>>REGARDS TOINE PLOMPEN
>>HOLLAND
>>

Helemaal mee eens mooie boa trouwens wat is dat er voor een?

Thats all fine and good but does it really make any sense. It seems to me that if someone, regardless of there grammer, is posting on this or any forum they are trying to share and gain knowledge and be part of the community that we all share (unless there just in it for the pics like me lol). I am in the automotive field and I have seen many people that could not read at all, but could fix a car like you wouldn't believe. While that is becoming a thing of the past now due to how advanced vehicles have become, I think it is more than possible for someone with less than stelar reading and writing skills to take proper care of their animals. Lets face it people its not rocket science we are doing here, clean the poop, change the water and bedding, keep the proper temp and humidity, and defrost and feed rats. I know its not as simple as I made it sound, but its not all that much harder either. If you choose to not buy from someone because of the spelling and grammer in the add that is your choice. I tend to look at it this way, it takes much more intelligence to scam someone than it does to tell them the truth. Just keep in mind that even Albert Einstein could not spell!!!

TOINE
HOLLAND

vcaruso,
...You and I agree on some things and on some things we disagree.
...You write relatively well. Your posts are well thought out and your spelling is reasonably good. Like me you make some mistakes in punctuation. Most importantly people can read your posts and understand exactly what you are saying. There are many posts on this forum that are so poorly written that it is difficult to tell exactly what message the writer is trying to convey.
...I agree that KEEPING Boas is not rocket science. However, there are many people who still have problems with what seems pretty simple to you and I. They have difficulty keeping their snakes healthy because they do not understand the basic concepts of boid husbandry. They sometimes come here asking questions that make me think they are not very smart and that they do not provide good care for their animals. People sometimes post very bad advice on this forum. Oftentimes the bad advice is not well thought out and the post is written poorly. Perhaps the writer knows the right answer but their writing is so bad that they convey the wrong message.
...I think that BREEDING reptiles is not particularly easy. The people who can consistently produce babies are nearly all very literate. You can tell reading their very well written posts that they are intelligent and that they also pay very close attention to small details of husbandry which go far beyond just cleaning the poop and defrosting the rats. At shows I talk to a lot of breeders and the level of complication of the husbandry they practice to produce babies of some species is astounding.
Life is good,
Jeff Clark

New baby Campina Grande Rainbow Boas, Epicrates cenchria asissi born here this morning.

I'm glad to see people be a bit more understanding and I'm more able to relate to these previous posts. I'm glad you brought up the following "...I think that BREEDING reptiles is not particularly easy. The people who can consistently produce babies are nearly all very literate. You can tell reading their very well written posts that they are intelligent and that they also pay very close attention to small details of husbandry which go far beyond just cleaning the poop and defrosting the rats. At shows I talk to a lot of breeders and the level of complication of the husbandry they practice to produce babies of some species is astounding." With that in mind let me state this, I have a 17 year old brother-in-law who is autistic, he has difficulties in grasping and comprehending numerous things, however, there are certain things that he can comprehend and perform much better then what you would expect from an above average person. We can sit here and say that person will most likely not be able to take care or breed boas because of their spelling, however, if the person built you an accurate thermostat would you still think the same?
I manually control my thermostats and like my temperatures dropped at a specific time, I get amazed when my brother-in-law is at our home and somehow know it’s time to drop my temperatures (without looking at a clock) and know to what degree. There are many people in this world with handicaps that can function as efficiently, a handicap in one area does not mean that a person can’t be efficient in another. I’m terrible at math and sometimes misspell and use improper composition, sometimes I focus too much on the details of a project without taking time to focus on the general scope of what I want to accomplish. I sometimes rush and leave something out. Wow, I just realized that I could be an inconsistent person. But regardless of my flaws, I still feel that I’m a good human being and have the best interest of my boas in mind. While I may misspell words on this response, it does not mean that I’ll forget to change the water in my enclosures.
.
We all have little prejudices within our selves, except for me (LOL, okay, including me), however, I have been making a big effort to try and be more open minded as to why things may be the way they are. I know that on numerous occasions I have jumped to make a judgment or build a conclusion on certain information to later find that I went about the wrong way in dealing with the situation all because I did not consider other possibilities. All I’m saying that if you see something misspelled don’t just jump to a conclusion, why not email the person and show him/her the proper spelling. What wrong can come of this, you will either teach your fellow human being something new or you will find solid information to prove your initial thought? I think I’m just re-wording all my previous post so I’ll stop now, but good post. : )

Sorry for all the long posts, my mind just goes crazy. IT'S MY FLAW. LOL

Thanks,
www.VazquezFamilyReptiles.com

I totally agree that breeding husbandry is much more difficult than basic pet husbandry, and I hate to see people giving advice on the forum that obviously have no clue. I just try not to put to much stock in spelling and grammer errors (unless the post is senseless) and would rather focus on the content. Great post Jeff, I look forward to talking more soon. Vinnie Caruso