Look it up on Google FNG....How not to grow your community.

There are no stupid question....Only stupid answers......Getting into any new hobby can be a bit intimidating and comes with a plethora of unanswered questions running around in your head. The internet has made even the smallest niche interest, hobby or sport available to everyone though BB and Website Forums and has allowed us to gather up information from around the world that we may never have known about before. They put us in touch with others with similar interests and who want to share those with others.  Let me share a personal aside for an example. 

Most of you think I do nothing but blab on about double hose regulators and old scuba gear 24/7....and to an extent you are correct.  But I do have a few other interests and hobbies that I like to pursue with the limited time I have. Recently I rekindled an interests in a particular type of car that I owned years ago and thought it might be nice to get another one so I could have another source of endless frustration and expense other than you guys and my 10yr old. ......I joined what I looked to be the largest community of folks working with these types of cars.....After joining I asked/posted a couple of questions I could not find the answer for and was amazed at the responses I got.....NOOOB....Look it up on Google.....Use the SEARCH FEATURE.....FNG....etc etc......This took me back for a bit and I was a little P.O'd till I realized that on OUR OWN FORUM many of us are guilty of doing the same thing.....Yes my eyes bleed every time I get a question about "Can you fix my double hose"  or "does anyone still make parts for double hose" etc etc...BUT to many people these are important questions.....YES they should have read the FAQ and or used the SEARCH feature but if we slam the door to the club after the 1st knock they may not choose to knock again!

So, what I have done on the forum is put a space for New Vintage Equipment Divers to ask even the most mundane and rudimentary question in a 100% flame free zone.  With absolute certainty I will guarantee that a knowledgeable forum member will answer ALL questions in a polite and thorough manner. 

No one likes to be the new kid and it can be intimidating but I hope with the addition of this area of the forum more people thinking about diving with our type of gear will feel more at ease asking questions and getting the answers they are looking for.  We only grow our area of diving by sharing it and I want the website and message forum to be a welcome and inviting place to learn.

Now I know all of you reading this know everything there is to know from SPACO to Argonaut...:<wink>  BUT you may know a friend or a family member that doesn't yet so I ask that you share the website forum and particularly the new place so they can jump in with the team for the big win.

Take this with you and share it with anyone who might be interested please. 

When you first look at diving with vintage gear, discard all pre conceived notions, urban legends and related BS told to you by well meaning but ill informed divers you might have talked with on the subject.....Instead ask what can I learn or what new adventures could I have diving this gear?  Why does it appeal to so many divers after most of it stopped being made 40 years ago?  Take the time to read and research and find your own place in the community.  The divers on the VDH website message forum are there to help and I guarantee you will get no better advice on vintage equipment diving than they have to offer.