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Originally Posted by MyFairLacy  And what criteria would there be to make a closed forum? How do you truly know what experience a person has or hasn't had? We only know a person by what they choose to post on this forum. Some people claim to have more experience than they have actually had, and other may actually have more experience than they appear to have. Assumptions should not be made as we don't truly know a person based soley on what they have chosen to post or not post.
Second, a closed forum will only hinder breeders. Many people that are knowledgeable about the breed but choose to not currently breed won't be able to give any valuable information they do have. I think it is close-minded to assume that only those actively breeding have any knowledge when it comes to this breed or breeding in general. Also, those who are not currently breeding but trying to learn would be shut off from information in which to learn from. By selecting who can and can't post, you are basically creating a group of close-minded individuals who do not want to hear anything differering from their opinions and experience. All experiences and opinions should be welcome, read, and considered. If someone is open-minded, I think they will see that there is potential to learn from everyone. |
This is a very good point you have made about how assumptions should not be made, as we can't know a person based on what they have chosen to post or not to post. This is a wonderful principle to keep in mind, and will help us all to be respectful in our posts.
It is true that many who do not breed have a great deal of knowledge. The fact remains, however, that knowledge is not the same as experience. It's like learning to drive (or learning another thing I won't mention here...lol) You can read all you want, but until you're behind the wheel you really don't have a clue.
I don't see the problem in having two forums...one for breeders and the other just on the subject of breeding. As far as educating others....It could be that everyone can VIEW the breeders forum, and only breeders can post. Or questions can be submitted through a moderator for breeders to respond to. There are a variety of ways it could work. It is true that some will not accurately represent their qualifications. But that's no different than it is now, so I don't see how that really represents a roadblock. And not all breeders share the same views, they differ greatly.