A suggestion

[sanjuro]

Reinhard.

 

Despite the implication that the NMB should set itself up to be the Nihonto Police for newbies, the statement of your own altruism begs the question 'Which one of the required articles detailed above can Brian expect you to submit?'

 

Can you as eloquently provide some basic information and contribute to the solution, as you so vehemently argue the problem?

[Lee Bray]

Here we go again...

 

 

Edit - Sorry, that wasn't meant to be a glib comment, I just don't want to see another thread/idea run down because of personal differences.

Perhaps some thicker skin (I need some myself) and some allowance for cultural differences?

[sanjuro]

Lee

 

Not my choice..... I'm just damned sick of doomsayers and negativity. Its a worthy project and all too easily criticised by those who merely stand and watch. Personal differences dont even come into it. My response would be the same regardless of who made the statement.

[Lee Bray]

You say tomato, I say tomato.

I see his comments as blunt, certainly not sugar coated but truthful and to the point.

 

I'm not trying to start a fan club here but I've had help from Reinhard via PM which I found concise and accurate.

 

I honestly don't see the point on jumping on him every time he posts.

He's always posted with the same attitude, that's his way.

If he offends, don't read him.

 

Anyway, said my bit.

Apologies to all for the derail.

[Brian]

Those that know me, will know that I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for Reinhard. When I do make it to Japan, he is the first person I seek out at the DTI to show me some great stuff and teach me new things. He's also a genuinely pleasant guy and soft spoken. The fact that I think some people don't translate well to online forums is a different matter, and doesn't detract from this repect.

I do have my own strong feelings about newcommers and don't have that anti-commercialism that perhaps comes from being in this game so long. But he has stuck it out here for much longer than most, and stayed when others ran. And therefore in spite of differences, I do value his presence here. Not everyone feels that way, but then that is the nature of forums.

I wish the input was more of a helpful nature instead of warning about the perils constantly.

But I can live with that, and would like us to continue talking about the FAQ and not personal issues.

I am going to do the FAQ regardless, and it will be very basic. If some of it proves to be incorrect, we will change it. That is going to rely on input from members. Everyone has a choice to assist or not. It's called freedom of choice, and I don't plan on changing that.

 

Brian

[Ford Hallam]

Well I think it's a good idea, so it obviously must be . I'll be quite happy to provide some FAQ's on some of the repeat queries I get privately as well as some general pointers tosogu care and assessment.

 

In fact, I'd suggest that any of the more experienced members who have a particular "gem" in terms of a FAQ could write up a paragraph and submit it for general discussion and refinement befo9re being voted into the "official FAQ section" How much fairer can we be?

 

regards to all,

 

ford

[Justin Grant]

As a "newbie" , let me put my 2 cents into this.

 

Most new comers find this site or any informative site after the fact or in the last minutes of the final decision of a purchase. Most have "longed" for a purchase and have let the desire simmer on the back burner until some point in life when an opportunity presents its self and the purchase is made.

 

I realize that the first thing any new comer will need to do is purchase a collection of reading material, and start the basic education. To someone that has never studied nihonto, the terms can be off-putting. Nakago, Tusba, Sori, Mei, etc.

 

Lets face it, people jump off buildings and hope they sprout wings on the way down, few, if any, sprout wings first.

 

The FAQ section is a great idea. When I purchased my blade, I did so without the benefit of advise before hand. If I had this information, would I have made my purchase, maybe.. But I did use the information after the fact to ensure I did not have a fake, but I was lucky..

 

I also would like to see a FAQ that is balanced and equal. Some collect for the pristine, some for the history, some the militaria aspect, so I would like to see all reasons to collect represented in a FAQ. Telling someone that a battle scared koto era blade is not worth collecting is passing your beliefs and style onto them. Allow enough information so they can decide what they want to collect.

 

Make the information easy. The "Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How Come". A book listing is also a good thing, but realize, people usually find this place after a purchase in the course of researching what they already own. Be kind, be understanding, and be welcoming. There are a million ways of telling someone they purchased a fake, or "junk" that can be educational without making them feel bad. They will have that feeling by themselves, and need your support to keep them interested and moving forward.

 

Telling people not to buy off Ebay when there is a sub-forum with Ebay in the title is also confusing. Maybe the FAQ about Ebay purchases should read, "Ebay Nihonto Purchases for Advanced Collectors". I have seen a lot of "don't do's" about Ebay, and then see where other "experienced" collectors talk of purchases and the one that go away.

 

I guess this boils down to this, a lot of the new people find this site after a purchase is made, so make the FAQ easy to find, easy to navigate and informative.

 

Justin

[sanjuro]

An observation.... And I guess I'm talking to Brian primarily.

 

I was coasting through some recent posts and questions from newbies and the answers that were being given by reputable and knowledgable members of the board. It occurred to me to ask if anyone is capturing some of this stuff for the FAQ section? (Probably a silly question). What prompted this thought was the general high quality of advice that some of these questions attract. For instance, and I am not singling anyone in particular out, except by chance. The recent and current thread on habaki has drawn some interesting information from Chris Bowen. Other threads also have wrung some interesting and relevant basics out of other esteemed members, quite by chance. All this 'stuff' could be edited into the FAQ section.

 

This has probably been thought of already, right?

 

OK........ Time for me to shut up again.

[Jamie]

I'd like to take a second and Thank you guys not only for this suggestion, but for also for sharing so much information freely. I have learned much from the wealth of knowledge shared here.