Although I, and many others, have no interest in the fantasy forum, we do appreciate your many really good photographs.
Things That Irritate You on the Forum
- Thread starter Great Argus
- Start date
littleRedPanda
Well-Known Member
People who refer to animals by names given by keepers, without identifying the species, such as in this thread
Chester Zoo Discussion and Questions 2021 [Chester Zoo]
Then, a staff member comes on to remind them ... but still leaves us guessing what species the OP was referring to
Chester Zoo Discussion and Questions 2021 [Chester Zoo]
Then, a staff member comes on to remind them ... but still leaves us guessing what species the OP was referring to
I just want to chime in as a former immature child on this website, I am annoyed by them, but I can't help but sympathize with them, as I did not have the luxury of being able to join this website at a relatively mature age, so I would post in rather silly language and make references that literally no one would understand. I feel bad about my past here but the only thing I CAN do is apologize, and I am sorry for anyone who had to put up with my silliness in the past.
Young members have a duty to be immature, so long as they don’t take offence when us grumpy old sods respond! Mind you, don’t call me a boomer unless you are making a specific comparison to an large adult Macropodid Marsupial!
That's the spirit!
Then, a staff member comes on to remind them ... but still leaves us guessing what species the OP was referring to
Given the fact @Crowthorne hasn't visited Chester IIRC she may not have known herself
Given the fact @Crowthorne hasn't visited Chester IIRC she may not have known herself
Yep, never been. I also find it annoying when animals are discussed using their given names without also giving their species.
This has been something I have been trying to work on in the past months and still now, And I admit without a doubt I was a highly annoying little F***. Lots of members were and now the complete opposite. This includes users like Thylo for god's sake!
The Nonsense Thread
I really, REALLY hope I'm accepted by at least 45% of the ZC community at this point because I honestly wish everything prior to like a few months ago was deleted!!
Nile Hippo Expert
Well-Known Member
*Sorry to bump this 3-year-old sub-thread, but I came across this thread and I think it's best to place this here.*
One thing I absolutely really hate is when members ask the same question that has already been asked in that news thread before, and also when members reply to the questions with the fact that they don't know and they want to know too.
When zoo news threads are updated, many of us are expecting news or some sort of visit updates, but recently, there have been many instances where it is just a question that has already been asked on that thread multiple times, many times it was the same member who asked it. I don't understand why you wouldn't just contact the zoo for the answer because first of all, it doesn't clog up the news threads, but also, contacting the zoo directly can give you a more formal and clear answer/understanding of your question. I can understand the first time a certain question is asked on this forum, it is totally fine, and it would also be okay if awhile has passed since the question was asked, but I just don't get that some members don't realize that if nobody has responded, then that should be your cue that nobody knows, and you should contact the zoo about your question. Alternatively, zoos very frequently post their news on their social media pages, which let's say you want to know if a new exhibit has been opened, you can check their social media pages, and if you see something stating it is open, your answer is yes, and if you don't see anything there about it, then it is pretty likely that it has not opened yet, which most major zoos don't usually forget to mention. If you believe the opening date has been posted somewhere and you can't find anything about it on their pages, then once again, you can contract the zoo to get the best response rather than posting the question it on here. It is, however, 100% worth mentioning in news threads if you have received information from the zoo on a question asked by anyone that nobody had answered yet, as it is relevant news for the zoo. Also, another big reason is that other members can also cause much more unnecessary confusion on the threads. I have also seen and been annoyed by several replies to questions on ZooChat news threads that only say what is essentially "yeah I want to know too" or plainly "I don't know", which is annoying to all of us because:
1. News threads are for news or updates from the zoo, not asking the same questions over and over until you get a response.
2. Many people, members and non-members who follow these threads get irritated, particularly those who don't know the answer and want to know too but most of all to the person who first asked the question on as they think they are getting an answer to their question but it is just someone else who doesn't know.
3. I feel that those responses that only say "I don't know" add little to no value to the community and are very unnecessary to post on these forums. I don't like it when members don't know the answer, then proceed to post what literally equates to the same question that another member just posted, it just clogs up news threads even more.
4. Problems like these have been a major impact on many members decisions to leave the forum, which is a very bad thing, considering there are some very knowledgeable contributors on ZooChat that would be a shame to lose because of this.
Overall I still really love this community and I won't be leaving anytime soon, but this is something that really irritates me on the forum.
One thing I absolutely really hate is when members ask the same question that has already been asked in that news thread before, and also when members reply to the questions with the fact that they don't know and they want to know too.
When zoo news threads are updated, many of us are expecting news or some sort of visit updates, but recently, there have been many instances where it is just a question that has already been asked on that thread multiple times, many times it was the same member who asked it. I don't understand why you wouldn't just contact the zoo for the answer because first of all, it doesn't clog up the news threads, but also, contacting the zoo directly can give you a more formal and clear answer/understanding of your question. I can understand the first time a certain question is asked on this forum, it is totally fine, and it would also be okay if awhile has passed since the question was asked, but I just don't get that some members don't realize that if nobody has responded, then that should be your cue that nobody knows, and you should contact the zoo about your question. Alternatively, zoos very frequently post their news on their social media pages, which let's say you want to know if a new exhibit has been opened, you can check their social media pages, and if you see something stating it is open, your answer is yes, and if you don't see anything there about it, then it is pretty likely that it has not opened yet, which most major zoos don't usually forget to mention. If you believe the opening date has been posted somewhere and you can't find anything about it on their pages, then once again, you can contract the zoo to get the best response rather than posting the question it on here. It is, however, 100% worth mentioning in news threads if you have received information from the zoo on a question asked by anyone that nobody had answered yet, as it is relevant news for the zoo. Also, another big reason is that other members can also cause much more unnecessary confusion on the threads. I have also seen and been annoyed by several replies to questions on ZooChat news threads that only say what is essentially "yeah I want to know too" or plainly "I don't know", which is annoying to all of us because:
1. News threads are for news or updates from the zoo, not asking the same questions over and over until you get a response.
2. Many people, members and non-members who follow these threads get irritated, particularly those who don't know the answer and want to know too but most of all to the person who first asked the question on as they think they are getting an answer to their question but it is just someone else who doesn't know.
3. I feel that those responses that only say "I don't know" add little to no value to the community and are very unnecessary to post on these forums. I don't like it when members don't know the answer, then proceed to post what literally equates to the same question that another member just posted, it just clogs up news threads even more.
4. Problems like these have been a major impact on many members decisions to leave the forum, which is a very bad thing, considering there are some very knowledgeable contributors on ZooChat that would be a shame to lose because of this.
Overall I still really love this community and I won't be leaving anytime soon, but this is something that really irritates me on the forum.
In summary, when the Cape griffon vulture aviary at LA opens, it will open...
Nile Hippo Expert
Well-Known Member
Yep, just the L.A Zoo 2024 news thread for you in a nutshell. There was also a similar case in that exact thread with their Tasmanian Devils by the same two members and I am really glad that in only 10 days, it will be 2025 with a new yearly thread so we can hopefully forget this nonsense. If you read the full thread, you’ll probably see how irritating I have gotten with it.
Los Angeles Zoo News 2024 [Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens]
USZOOfan42
Well-Known Member
Totally agree, spreading false information is a big no too. At first I thought everyone was nagging on him for repeating a question no one answered (I saw just the question twice and no response) which when I read the whole thread I realized how it was just two people yapping about the vultures.
Sounds like someone is starting to understand why some of us knowledgeable members get irritated.
In all fairness, zoos can be rather hit and miss in terms of seeking information. Unless your question is very general or re a high profile animal, it's not uncommon to not get a informative answer. I've had multiple queries go unanswered in the past, and gotten unhelpful replies too. Personally it's been rare that a zoo actually responds with the information I was hoping to receive.
Now mind you that's no excuse for posting the same question on a thread over and over - if nobody answered you, chances are nobody knows.
It annoys us, yes - but feels like you're throwing some assumptions with that sentence.
Nile Hippo Expert
Well-Known Member
This is my own personal experience, but when I contact zoos directly for questions I have, I get responses maybe 75% of the time within a week, most of which are good, informative responses, so now that you say this, I will consider myself to be very lucky when it comes to this. I have never directly contacted the L.A Zoo, but based on my experience, I will say it is definitely not a bad idea either to contact them because Los Angeles would be considered a major zoo and major zoos tend to reply more and give better and more clear responses than less-major or roadside zoos, particularly for simple questions like if the vulture habitat has opened yet. As with everything, there is obviously still the chance of them not responding, a delayed response, or they tell you that it is private information, but in my mind, contacting a zoo like the Los Angeles Zoo for a simple question like that is 100% not bad of an idea.
As for asking a question in a thread, that is totally fine, but when the same question is asked NINE times in a single thread *cough* by the same two members in an eight-month span *cough*, it is definitely on the borderline of intentionally spamming or baiting rather than just a question. When you have asked a question nine times without a clear enough answer, it should make you think that nobody on the forum knows the answer and that asking that on here is probably not the best choice, in which case you should maybe consider contacting the zoo directly for your concerns.
In my personal experience the opposite is true, the smaller a facility is the more likely you are to get a response. For example Sacramento and Sylvan Heights were quick on the response and helpful, whereas Fresno and SeaWorld never responded to me at all. It's always a gamble in my experience.
I did say a response for the zoo is no excuse for spamming the same question. Equally the same can be said for posting when you don't know the answer and have nothing useful to add to the conversation.
Nile Hippo Expert
Well-Known Member
Very fair, everyone has their own experiences! Some bigger "major" zoos I have gotten potentially lucky with some fast responses from were Toledo, Columbus, Woodland Park, and Dallas, while less major zoos like Greenville, Great Plains, Henry Vilas, and Como Park have taken awhile to respond to my questions. One recent example of mine where a smaller zoo not being that quick responding is that a few days ago, I emailed African Wildlife Safari in Ohio to ask about information on their Giant Eland and I haven't heard back from them yet.
Going to touch this again too - the overpersistent speculation of what people think could/should happen can be nearly as bad. While not inherently false, it can be very confusing in some circumstances, especially to people who don't know much about the situation being discussed.
There are also those who seem to think they know everything or are misinformed.
Kitt
Active Member
I feel as though bigger zoos have a lot more staff, and have more of whom are dedicated to guest/public outreach and relations, as compared to smaller zoos who have either less staff or a lesser focus on this. I would agree with you that bigger zoos typically respond faster!
Lori Patton
Well-Known Member
@Nile Hippo Expert -- I totally get where you're coming from with the whole Cape vulture fiasco (asking the same question numerous times, clogging up the thread, etc.), but I often wonder about the age/experience of some members who are asking these questions. It seems to me that when I read through the various threads, there is a huge variance in the background and knowledge of different ZooChat members. While it should be obvious to most people not to ask the same questions over and over, I sometimes think that it could be just a lack of common sense and not necessarily an intentional act to overpost.
While you are completely correct that the L.A. Zoo would give a straightforward "yes or no" response to whether the vulture habitat has already opened, I've found that management has been very cagey about when the exhibit will open. For example, it was originally scheduled to open early this year (likely February) and that statement is still on the signage at the zoo and on the digital map. During multiple zoo visits last winter/spring, I asked employees when it would open and was always told "in a few weeks or a month." When my zoo membership expired in June, I pretty much gave up on it and vowed not to return until it opened. Then months went by and finally in the October newsletter published online (dated September 24), the zoo director said the exhibit would open "in the coming weeks." Then after a half-year of not going to the zoo, I finally gave in and went last week when much to my surprise I saw a Cape vulture in its existing behind-the-scenes habitat, which means that at least some of them had not even been moved over to the new exhibit yet. So long story short, I have no confidence of when the exhibit will open. If it does open sometime in 2025, that will be great, but I'm not holding my breath in the meantime.
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Rizz Carlton
Well-Known Member
Like the first post say, some users seems to not distinguish their posts as either speculation or actual facts/news. Atleast when posting about news, you need to point out wether you're speculating or you have given actual news that are confirmed by the zoo or other places. At one point, they're even so convinced of their own speculation or sometimes some very innacurate/poorly researched information that they mostly remained hold on to that information as their headcanon.
This one point is probably nitpicky, but it's irritating that some people tend to take innacurate signages or informations given by staffs/others and took it for granted, especially when that informations look to good to be true. For example, a zoo signed one of their bird-of-paradise as Victoria's riflebird (Ptiloris victoriae), but turns out it was actually another species (Say a magnificent riflebird/Ptiloris magnificus). For either actually not knowing or, in some cases, too excited to find or knew that some facility "have" that very rare species that they try to stick to that information regardless and most likely never do their own research.
Another thing that I'm tired of dealing with, especially in the forum that I focused on, is when the discussions always turned into speculations, wishes/hopes, and generally trivial stuffs that aren't relevant in that discussion (It's as if we don't have the fantasy zoos forum). You don't fix an chicken coop by adding an maleo in there. There's even a certain fixations on past collections, especially if they're considered to be the rare stuffs. While it's a interesting footnote in zoo history, I never get always talking about it in every discussions when sometimes it's not even relevant with the current issues or news.
Though I don't really see this as necessarily a bad stuff and actually found it quite funny, some users tend to get very fixated on only certain part of some zoos/aquarias or even only on some facilities. From my experience, some users tend to get very excited on fishes and aquariums that some zoo can have Siberut macaques and most of the conversations are about the koi tank inside the visitor center. I think this is due to how generally accesible fishes and aquarium fish store/markets are too a lot of people from a young age as well as fishkeeping being very popular and also cheaper (Good maintenance aside), especially in where I came from.
This one point is probably nitpicky, but it's irritating that some people tend to take innacurate signages or informations given by staffs/others and took it for granted, especially when that informations look to good to be true. For example, a zoo signed one of their bird-of-paradise as Victoria's riflebird (Ptiloris victoriae), but turns out it was actually another species (Say a magnificent riflebird/Ptiloris magnificus). For either actually not knowing or, in some cases, too excited to find or knew that some facility "have" that very rare species that they try to stick to that information regardless and most likely never do their own research.
Another thing that I'm tired of dealing with, especially in the forum that I focused on, is when the discussions always turned into speculations, wishes/hopes, and generally trivial stuffs that aren't relevant in that discussion (It's as if we don't have the fantasy zoos forum). You don't fix an chicken coop by adding an maleo in there. There's even a certain fixations on past collections, especially if they're considered to be the rare stuffs. While it's a interesting footnote in zoo history, I never get always talking about it in every discussions when sometimes it's not even relevant with the current issues or news.
Though I don't really see this as necessarily a bad stuff and actually found it quite funny, some users tend to get very fixated on only certain part of some zoos/aquarias or even only on some facilities. From my experience, some users tend to get very excited on fishes and aquariums that some zoo can have Siberut macaques and most of the conversations are about the koi tank inside the visitor center. I think this is due to how generally accesible fishes and aquarium fish store/markets are too a lot of people from a young age as well as fishkeeping being very popular and also cheaper (Good maintenance aside), especially in where I came from.
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