Holiday Wishes

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 2:11 pm

We would like to wish you and your families a wonderful Holiday Season
and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2008!

From all of us at FOR THE LOVE OF PORT

Roy & Dorene, Stewart, Mario and Andy

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 3:05 pm

P.S. > I should have added this above ...

One more holiday wish:

Dear "Lurkers"

Would you please sign up and join us this year. If we had even 20% of those that lurk here, posting regularly ... our discussions would be enormously richer and more educational. You have witnessed first hand how well our new guests are welcomed and treated and I hope that you will feel comfortable coming out from behind the shadows to join us on the Forum!

I promise we won't bite!

Sincerely,

Roy

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:42 pm

Ahhh the familiar term lurkers!!! I'll try to participate more often...I get the feeling that people are a bit gun shy when it comes to publishing their opinions, especially with guys as knowledgeable as you (Roy) on the forums....I have to admit I was as first...I've learned that the only way to progress my taste and knowledge in the right direction is to ask questions and learn lessons (sometimes the hard way) ....good things will happen to those who actively participate in discussions!!! I'm having a 15 year old Madeira with Christmas dinner thanks to inspiration from snooping around the boards....Happy drinking to all and a merry Christmas!!!

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 11:41 pm

I get the feeling that people are a bit gun shy when it comes to publishing their opinions, especially with guys as knowledgeable as you (Roy) on the forums....I have to admit I was as first

David (and Todd too!),

Thank you for your kind posts. I very much appreciate what you've said above.

The quote I have made note of above concerns me. Perception is everything though. David, do you find that the FTLOP is intimidating because of the knowledeable folks here, including me?

I always try to keep this place from becoming "snobby" about Port or other topics here on FTLOP, regardless of our experience or lack of it. It is very important to me ... actually a priority ... that new posters are made to feel welcomed and responded to by me and others early and often. But if as you say, the feeling of lurkers is "intimidating place to post for a newbie" I need to make changes, especially if it something within my control.

I have typically only had debates and challenges with members like Andy V., Frederick B., Alex B., Derek T. and possibly a small number of others ... who I know personally but more importantly, because I know that they know so much about Port that our discussions become educational (esp. when we disagree!). Nonetheless, I'd never have that type of discussion with someone new or fairly new to the Forum.

Thanks again for your post and bringing up this excellent point. I look forward to your response.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 7:40 pm

I'm sorry that my comment came off as a negative side note....that was not my intention at all...I have felt welcomed from the beginning....IN FACT... no one has ever mentioned to me that I was a "newbie" you guys are doing great with this forum....the problem for me was in my head...perhaps because I know so much about wine in general but so little about port and port style wines (probably one of the last areas I'm still a rookie on) so for me getting started was a bit awkward because I was getting started from a more humble place....

I should not have tied in other newbie’s feelings with my own, for that I am sorry. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with family and friends! Happy Drinking

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:48 pm

David,

I appreciate your candor, but there was nothing about your post that was taken as a negative. This was more of a self-inflicted gut check brought on by a new member's touching on a pet peeve.

Thanks for the clarification and welcome to FTLOP. We will enjoy having you with us!

Todd Pettinger · Post by **Todd Pettinger** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 12:46 am

Roy, I can see where David may have come from in his initial hesitation to post. When I first discovered the site, I too was a lurker, for about a month and a half.

I won't try to speak on anyone else's behalf, but I know the real thought process that went through my own mind when I first joined was "these people know SO MUCH about Port, particularly VP, what could I possibly add to any discussion that would be of any value???"

Aside from numerous questions, which being a bit more tech-savvy than the average bear, I learned very quickly I could search on and with some practice, refine my results quite effectively so to find the answers I was looking for.

I am still not sure what my very first post was... I will have to do some back-searching for that to see if I can figure it out (I don't think there is an easy way for ME to see my first post, I suspect there may be a feature that allows Stewart or yourself to search on that quite easily) but I would suspect it was either a question to something I could not readily find or a response to a poll or question asked of the masses.

There MAY even be a hesitation on the part of some folks, based upon their careers, as strange as that may sound. Let me explain. I work in IT, a field where there definitely are right and wrong ways to do many things. There is a lot more black and white in my field than there is 'gray' or 'how someone feels.' There are many forums on IT-related things and from personal experience, many of these places ARE places where a person will get their head torn off in a figurative sense if he makes a comment that is not of the popular opinion or is flat-out incorrect. Some people seem to take a savage pride out of propagating this type of negative response and they refine it, almost as an art.

The best part of FTLOP and its community is that I sincerely believe that we all make an effort to NOT be that way here. To NOT be the place of snobbery which other forums may be. There is no elitism here. People ARE open, friendly and welcoming. Most are very willing to help and will even go out of their way to do things like perform the searches and post links (as I and so many others have done) rather than just throwing out a "use the search feature" response, which you do see on a lot of forums and boards.

Your own responses are not snobbery or elitist and they certainly do not demean any of the posters (or none that *I* have seen yet!

) and are quite often very detailed and comprehensive. You just don't get that anywhere else.

I learned, and I hope many of the lurkers out there do too, by reading our archives and posts, that they are welcome to ask as many questions and participate in many discussions. All the 'regulars' do welcome new input and encourage those that they do not see often in discussions, so as to encourage them to post again and again. Posting is a very good way to become much more knowledgeable, and quickly!

Ok... dismounting soap box

Maybe I should drink more, post more TNs :!: and blather on less?! :blah: :blah: :blah:

Todd

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 3:54 am

Todd,

Thanks for the well thought out post. It is enlightening as to what may cross a new member's mind before they ever post. I can appreciate that.

There are many forums on IT-related things and from personal experience, many of these places ARE places where a person will get their head torn off in a figurative sense if he makes a comment that is not of the popular opinion or is flat-out incorrect.

I have seen similar behavior on other wine bulletin boards that have been around for years. It just takes a few rotten grapes to spoil the whole bunch. I could easily see being intimidated to death, to post on those sites as a newbie!

but I know the real thought process that went through my own mind when I first joined was "these people know SO MUCH about Port, particularly VP, what could I possibly add to any discussion that would be of any value???"

Er, that was nearly 1,300 posts and 9 months ago, right?

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 6:14 am

Todd,

Here is your very 1st post
http://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopfo ... 0b42#15368

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 1:48 pm

Please everybody, drive carefully tonight and watch out for the other guy. Best off to stay at home or with friends/loved ones and drink great bottles!

Most of all, be safe and have a great time!

See you on the other side of 2008.

Alan C. · Post by **Alan C.** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 3:34 pm

Great Site, Great People.

Have an enriching forthcoming New Year and I hope you all get most of what you wish for.

Alan

Todd Pettinger · Post by **Todd Pettinger** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 3:41 pm

Roy Hersh wrote:Er, that was nearly 1,300 posts and 9 months ago, right?

Hmmm, I think I need to get a life huh?

Well, there are a lot WORSE things I could spend my time doing... like spending the C$15000 on a bottle of '31 Nacional that I dream about all the time!

Yes, the dollar may be a bit better than usualy right now in Canada, but it doesn't mean the prices have come down at all.

Do I get some kind of award for the most posts in a short-period-of-time???

Waitaminute... the hat was it!

In a few posts there was some real thought process going on... perhaps in '08 my focus should be on quality instead of quantity. But I still have a lot of learning to go...

Todd

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 2:19 pm

Do I get some kind of award for the most posts in a short-period-of-time??? Waitaminute... the hat was it!

Nope, actually the bottle of 1980 Dow was for that purpose, the hat was just to keep you warm this winter.

Adam F · Post by **Adam F** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:05 pm

great site guys!

Derek T. · Post by **Derek T.** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:41 pm

A belated Happy New Year to everyone here and all the best for 2008

Derek

Luc Gauthier · Post by **Luc Gauthier** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:10 pm

Bonne et heureuse année , de la Belle Province . . .
(Don't forget to decant as much as possible)

For The Love Of Port

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