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Originally Posted by Enterprize
I see no problems with ANYONE offering opinions or advice. They are just that, opinions and advice from their perspective. It doesnt require you to listen to or follow their advice, instead it offers a learning potential. If you dont follow their advice (because its flawed) and instead of slamming them for being a newbie and trying to help, tell them why it wouldnt work very well. After all, the newbie WAS just more than likely just trying to help.
They reserve the right to express their opinions and advice just as much as some mentor that's been on the forum for years. I think anyone who says otherwise is just being silly.
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Opinions and advice about certain issues is always welcome and A Good Thing. However, these forums harbor quite a bit of technical discussion, dealing with potentially lethal forces (pneumatics, electronics, mechanical, etc), and in such circumstances it's best not to offer advice or help unless you really know what you are talking about.
The last thing this community needs is for someone to be seriously injured because of some bad advice given on a public forum. I think that's where John's mind was when he made that post, and his concern is well founded.
With regards to the original topic, I've been registered on ChiefDelphi since January of 2002, and had read the forums regularly since the start of the 2001 season. The one thing that has always jumped out at/impressed me about this community (compared to other large sites like Slashdot) is the overall quality of the forums, in posts, topics, members, etc. Trolls are virtually nonexistent around here, and spam is kept to a minimum thanks to the herculean efforts of the moderator crew.
As the community grows (and it has been, almost exponentially it seems), it's important to maintain the quality that keeps people coming back. The content on this site is second to none in terms of technical documents, community discussion, and overall friendship. The reputation system is one of the methods of identifying people who have in one way or another contributed something to the community, whether it be technical insight, a fresh perspective on a subject, or providing valuable input to a discussion. It's not meant to ward off would-be John-V-Neuns or Andy Bakers or Dave Laverys, and people shouldn't use it as such. But again, quality is important. It takes a lot for me to give out negative reputation, and I usually wouldn't unless I felt a post obviously detracts from a discussion.
My best recommendation for new users is to absorb as much as you can. Read the forums for a few days to get a general feeling for the types of discussions taking place. This is a community, and all communities are governed by commonly known unwritten rules (in addition to the written rules that were agreed to by becoming a registered user). Things like searching before posting and spelling and grammar are common new member mistakes.
Take in the scenery, learn how things work, then take the plunge and join the community.