Thread: Vintage Camera Unboxing 1967

Originally Posted by Swoopie

The web is the last place I would go to for advice like that.

In the same way as you'd disagree with Rollins, I disagree with you about the above - to an extent, anyway.

I think the web and forums are an excellent source of advice, so long as you remember to treat that advice in exactly the same way as you'd treat advice from "the man down the pub".
No one in their right mind would walk into a bar and hear a completre stranger singing the praises of such and such a camera, ask a coupe of questions, get glowing responses and then go and buy one (OK maybe one or two would but there's no hope for some people) . In the same way, one shouldn't simply scour forums/websites for half an hour and make a decisions based on that.

I've been a member here for a number of years and I've come to know who's opinions I trust and value, and the level of knowledge of many of the contributors. Similarly I'm a member of a forum deicated to our town. I'm much newer there (about a year) but am beginning to know there whos opinions I'd trust and value.

This is really no different from real life - except that geography does not prevent.

It takes time for people to develop reputations, and while the bots are getting very clever at faking it, they'd have to be not only persistant, but very longstanding to manage to get that sort of reputation.

Of course if our site admin, Midnight Blue, enc, Grazie et al turn out to be the same person building up to a massive scam, I'll eat my hat

Toward that end Tim, the only people I trust on the web are people that I've not only known a long time, but whom I've interacted with in the real world to some degree, whether by exchanging parcels through the mail, talking on the phone or what have you. Once I know someone's real name, address, and/or land-line phone number, then I feel that I can trust them to a degree. I have a theology blog that I've met several people through, and we exchange books all the time. The majority of them are involved in academia. I know exactly who most of them are. That goes a long way toward building trust. Some of us have known one another for over ten years. I don't trust anyone who buries him/herself in privacy. That includes websites that have private registrations for their domain names and that sort of thing. It's nice if people have some kind of website with their real name and contact info on it. There are obvious red flags to watch out for too. But I've always been fairly open about who I am even though I might use a fun made up user name in a forum. Anyone with common sense can backtrack links I've left to websites and blogs I own where they can see my real name. I find that if you're upfront about who you are, then people are more likely to be upfront with you.

Originally Posted by Swoopie

I find that if you're upfront about who you are, then people are more likely to be upfront with you.

Indeed. There's a clue in my username as to my true identity

The Devil you say.

wow, my parents photo album has exactly that. The Black and White photos then the faded colour photos, I though I saw a child that resembles slightly like myself too.... scary.... amazing how life is simular to many folk then and now.