ExRx.net

The percentage of new members here who just want to spam vs those that actually want to learn or contribute is dissapointing.
I read several "weight training" boards but so far have only joined this one. I like the community smaller environment.
I imagine the larger boards just have more activity because it becomes the place to be and get more opinions. I suppose we get less spammers than they do as well, but it just sticks out due to the lack of quality.

/grumbling

I disagree Oscar. Pound for pound, I bet we have better contributors on this board than any other site. Where else would you go find a doctor who posts regularly? You have professionals (not just posers who passed an online course)- Nunn, Kp, etc. - who post. TimD's experience under the bar in unmeasurable. HalfBreed's freakish strength is jaw dropping. What is lacking is the ego filled ramble that you find on a lot of other sites.

Look at it this way. I know you don't lift in a commercial gym. In one, you'll see a group of regulars who all know each other. You'll also see a multitude of people coming in and leaving a short time later. Every now and then one sticks around and they soon assimilate into the group of regulars.

exrx is, in my opinion, a more mature and professional site (myself excluded of course). Most regular posters have spent the time reading and understand the science, and more importantly, as gmen put so well, have spent the time under the bar. The bro-science guys don't last long here. We actually like newbies. Diane, for instance, has been a breath of fresh air. The problem is that most last about as long and a typical gym membership.

I used to spend about as much time on t-nation. It too is a great site, but you have to put up with so much BS and ego to get the good information. I got tired of it and virtually stopped visiting it (nothing against the site and I'd recommend it to just about anyone)exrx, if you want a good discussion, the debate will, for the most part, be mature and objective (once again, myself excluded). Chances are someone here has lived a program, problem, or whatever.

In a nutshell, I think you will get better information here than just about any other site - at least from the forums.

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Thanks TimD.

I can personally testify that this site's quality (however it may be qualified) by far exceeds the forum i visited previously. If you werent UGE, repping powerlifting loads, the only advice i ever got was 'get bigger'. Very little encouragement and conflicting information from other experienced lifters. It didnt seem to matter that i kept reiterating that i dont lift for a meet/competition but for my own strength goals. My training experience--which is only just over a year now--didnt matter either. When I asked for advice i was met with 'eat more, lift more' which is fine, i guess. But i get quite a bit more from this site and its members, their perspective, their experience, encouragement for EVERYONE who is willing to work hard, follow the basic tenets, and have an open mind to suggestion.

The site I'm referring to is all but dead now. No new members, sometimes nothing posted for weeks at a time. From what i can tell its really just a chat site for two regular members talking about ATV's and their jobs now. If youre curious, feel free to checkout weightliftingforum.net

This site doesn't get a lot of new members but the ones we do get care about what they do. On the other hand, we get the same random trolls and spammers that everyone else gets, it just seems like more due to the low legitimate members. What we don't get a lot of are the half hearted, not really interested types. They're over on the fad sites.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

Well first I'd like to say:

PLEASE PLEASE can we change the label of a new poster from "Unconfirmed Spammer" to "First timer"?? It might help if we did not insult people on their first post. The bots and spammers don't care, so it only affects real potential new members and makes us look kind of snotty.

But otherwise I'm reminded of a sci-fi story by Larry Niven. The premise was that the only reliable IQ test was other people. If you wanted to know the IQ of a given group, put them into a social setting, and they will, regardless of background or education self-organize into groups based on IQ, even polarizing so the smartest and dumbest are as far from each other as possible.

I don't think exrx is about intelligence per se though we have our share, this is where I go to get the X-factor, the raw dedication to doing better than you did yesterday. I cannot imagine I would have the numbers I have today without exrx, not because people had to encourage me or baby me, but just because the X-factor rubs off.

Personally I think it's really gone down hill since that troll Oscar_Actuary started gumming things up.

Just kidding!

(no I'm not!)

Yes, I'm just kidding.

Seriously though posting has slowed down a bit, but all the regulars that I count on still show up...well... regularly. And there's always the rare shooting star (Jason Nunn, Hoosegow, Ironman). Actually if you graph frequency of posting and quality, vs time, and group by Initial poster/repeat poster the real drop off happened ... when somebody named Khronos8 started posting. Wait, that cant be right...

Maybe its because it's the fall. I always get a kick out of seeing what Diane is doing, how Oscar has his garage set up, or anything that KenDowns posts on (I just love seeing his avatar, priceless). I like the small group and the high quality discussion I usually see. Plus... I trust the advice I get here (from the names I trust). I've been coming to this group for several years (only recently started posting) and its the only forum where I have developed a real respect for some of the posters.

Well... not that Oscar guy, obviously. But others.

Just kidding!

(no, I'm not)

Yes, I am. Just kidding. Totally.

mostly.

See, now you're wishing I didnt post as much :).

We got you, Oscar. What more could we want?

It may partly depend on what you mean by "quality member". Some posters are valuable for their knowledge and experience. Some are valuable for asking the right questions. Some just stir things up, which is good sometimes. There are also people with awesome knowledge and experience that I wish would post more (Ironman, Stephen, Kenny C, to name a few).

I think we're OK. If one newbie sticks around long enough to become a regular 3 or 4 times a year, and only 1 or 2 fall away, we're growing.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

I agree with KenDowns. It seems like we've got our dukes up from the word go. Why not just change it to "Uncomfirmed @$$h0l3"

I occasionally ask questions on this forum and more often than not it turns into an attack on my ignorance. I'm the most sarcastic bloke you're likely to meet but I only post if I'm really interested in something or want to know if I'm on the right track...
Like how many of the new POWER-FX ANADREX-STACK PROTEIN BARS I SHOULD EAT EVERY DAY! MOST SAY 8! I THINK MORE LIKE 10!

I vote for this also!

There are some other famous related forums which simply dissappoint. This is one is small but much much better in overall quality...if you take out the useless posts of the other sites you get almost nothing,

Many great responses, glad to see this.

Hoose, my meaning may have been lost in reading, rather than speaking. Let me try this: "Why don't we attract more quality members"

I agree, we are the pound for pound champs here. In a way, I'm not even disappointed, just curious, why more ( of any quality ) don't come and stay. Maybe it's true that as a percentage we get more of the quality to stay here.

On the other hand we do tend to be a bit monolithic (see Erick and Nightfall for exceptions), and I wonder if some come and say "Well this board is rules by the few wisemen". Again, this works for me, because I trust them and am capable of doing independent reading.

And where is Nightfall ?

Oscar, you do make a bit of a point. I came over from the old board back in 2002 or there abouts when this board came into this format. We have had a large number of come ins, come outs. In the early days, there was a very wide spectrum, with Chris A, Ryan, Scott I , that had wide varieties of ideas. It encompassed more emphasis on bodybuilding, as well as strength training. They kind of got run out with SS/ SL being the uberalles. Right now, I think this is probably the most civil board around, tks to the mods, and as someone else previously mentioned, civil kind of draws to civil

You haven't taken into consideration people like me, that just lurk from time to time, take in information, and rarely contribute because let's face it, there's more than enough people here that can give great advice, and I've not got the experience/knowledge in order to contribute. But it depends whether you'd consider me as a quality member lol, I doubt.

Carlito,I have no idea where the quality member thing showed up, the idea is just to put out your ideas. No ones judging here, exept maybe for the troll, Oscar, and exchanges of ideas are always a good thing, even if they always don't match. You're always welcome here.

If you look at things from the view of a newcomer, I came here to learn, not to spam. But because I'm just beginning and am on the bottom of the scale, it's a bit harder to contribute. I've tried to take part on the conversation more, and I'm slowly getting there. Right now I'm more observing and asking things rather than providing answers. If I have something to say(Even if it's wrong) I'll say it. I'm not here to spam, that's for sure.

I see this forum better than some other ones, because it has it's own small group that always provides conversation and answers. Usually there is no silly or bad answers given. I'd rather have few good and really helping advices, than a lot of answers where only a fraction is usable material. Whatever you ask here, atleast one good opinion is always given regarding the issue. That's why I stick around and probably will a whole lot longer. And you better get used to it.

As a side note, Oscar you troll, you almost had me insulted here. I need compliments! Tell me I'm not poor quality scum!!!

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Prove the impossible!