I'm with Ontario, Hobob. And, since I'm not quite one of the old farts, I think I can safely speak as one of the "kids" on here. That is, if a high school senior is still a kid...

...anyway, yes, interaction should be encouraged, but not senseless interaction. The adults shouldn't be coming down to the kids level and thoughtfully responding to every stupid question, it is the kids who should be maturing and getting to the point where they know the difference between a legitimate question that other people can benefit from and a fluff question that helps no one. If they want to ask stupid questions and conduct stupid polls and give stupid answers, they should log onto Facebook. If they want real answers to real questions involving the outdoors, they should get on here. It's that simple.

Hobob - I am a teenager, and I see senseless interaction as senseless interaction. Granted, the younger members may ask less-intelligent questions, which is not a bad thing at all and is to be expected, but when they ask a question like "i like guns. who else likes guns?", that is not exactly the kind of query that should be encouraged. (For the record, I avoided using an actual question so that I wouldn't single anyone out.) Social interaction should be encouraged, but not all interaction.

Maybe most teenagers don't ask "respectful questions"...and maybe it's time that we need to set the bar higher.

While I'm venting... Gentlemen you miss the entire focus of this marketing exercise. Everyone wants something free. The whole point of this web format is to attract hits and increase exposure to advertising thus an increase in profitabiliy.

Your viewing and user comfort is of minor concern. In fact this format thrives on stupid comments which in turn provoke corrective or defensive responses which end up stirring the collective pot even more...

Amen to that!

Ha, I was wondering who would snap first...+1

Maybe F&S should create a "next generation" area with answers to some of the more mundane questions, OR maybe some of these "posters" could SEARCH THE ARCHIVES....

maybe F&S Online can set a limit....if your under the age of 16 you can only post 2 questions per 24 hour span.

Some things I'd like to see addressed on this site, or maybe look at things that other sites have:

-Being able to rate or report a question without having to answer it.

-having an 'edit' function to an answer you are posting or have posted.

-have a way to PM another user within the site.

-maybe set up a chat section for the folks that want to get their jollies yakking and txting and and stuff....

-have a way to post a picture with an answer or a question

-maybe reevaluate this whole 'points' thing. If that's your only motivation for being here......

I see that the people who have responded to this thread are the ones who have the most to offer and always have the best info and most insight. I'm in complete agreement. I also try and ignore the fluff and trivia but it can be like trying to ignore mosquitoes---irritatingly hard to do. You would think that the young people raised with computers would be more familiar with Google and would use it more. Thanks, everyone for affirming my point of view.

I don't think advertisers want illiterate people txting each other. The 'fluff' is driving some users away, as is IMO the loading/ glitchiness issues of the site.

Quality content, both editorial and user, along with the traffic I would think is what they really want. If it descends into expletives, attacks, pettiness, I'll go elsewhere eventually.

Dukkillr,
Folks like you are an asset to the site. +1 for excellent well-spoken comments.

Hobob,
I have seen senseless interaction and I have seen thoughtful discourse from younger folks on here. dukkillr's remark about setting the bar higher is to me what it's all about. So the question would be, do you want a 'youngster-friendly site with high standards' or do you want an 'everybody rides for free - no rules -do whatever blows your skirt up site'?

If there was ever an example of someone being a mentor on this site, it's without a doubt Del. One of the boys wrote me a thank-you letter and it flat made me tear up. It was very sincere and heartfelt. So I have no doubt that there are youngsters out there who have the right priorities and the right motivations. Note: it was not written in txt-ese. I didn't need my decoder ring to understand it.

We might keep in mind that when the outsiders that don't want us to have some of our freedoms(i.e. PETA) see ANY weakness, including grammar in poor form as lack of intelligence, it therefore possibly emboldens them. What then are the benefits of speaking in twitter dialect or text language?

I see no reason for it. That doesn't make me like young folks any less. It only makes me to want them to be better than I ever was.

The server that F&S is using could use a new carburetor or something. I have a fast connection and a decent computer.....

Looks like with the all the big-time paid advertisers they'd want something that was more 426 hemi than slant six for server speed and bandwidth..

FRUSTRATING is not even close to the right word sometimes.

I bet some of it stems from iphones with internet access and kids that are not interacting in class with other students in class or during breaks hence the jacked up sentence structure..I don't have a phd butmost of us at least try and a little error here or there is embarrassing but ok......Kenton finally found your post buried in bs...eye had a gud laf....unfortunately I saw some good questions buried in bs

I could get over it and just ignore the posts I can see are not for me, but the threads get lost in all this fluff. I'm sure I've missed some good stuff ... sometimes I pick up a good tip, I've missed some of those too no doubt

Damn honker, folks must be getting tired of this peach fuzz laden point mongering drivel. The last time I offered this question for discussion I got pounded for not being sensitive to individual needs.

Excellent suggetions all around.

Amen brother, Not only has this become a kids chat room, but now it is in that strange language of "text" and my decoder ring is in my other pants. Either they fix it or we fix it, or I find a better use of my time.

Dear Hobob,

We are not talking about individuals which ask sincere questions here. Those questions are apparant and are answered by the crowd with aplomb. The issue at hand is the tossing of large quantities of fluff and repeated postings just to gain points. Yes, I know your response will be, "Why don't you just ignore it." I do until I have to wade through 2 pages of point mongering to find a sincere question.

It is a rare forum indeed where young people and adults can mix and share advice and wisdom. The old format (sans points) provided that environment. Constructive conversations were held and quality advise was given. Participation was strong and constant.

I recognize the fact that I was raised under rules totally unfamiliar to many of todays youth. I was taught to be respectful not only by my parents but also by my teachers. Thoughtful questions were always entertained and answered. I was also taught to utilize available resources to seek out and research the answers to my questions. Doing so provided an intelligent approach to the discussions that were pursued. Krass remarks and smart-alecky questions and behavior were not tolerated and the resultant response ranged from minor admonishment to a trip to the wood shed for an intense violation.

Perhaps we must all agree to disagree. However, if such behavior is tolerated it will continue to proliferate until those that do provide steady and quality advice on the forum go elsewhere.

dkklillr, not only do you have a quick wit, you seem to be pretty mature... I actually thought you were older than a hs senior. Your responses are well thought out and composed. Wish we had more pups like you on here.

Good post, I have almost stopped visiting the site because of this.

I thought the world had bigger problems. Honestly, the part about limiting kids contributions is especially brich. Maybe you would rather they stop bothering all together. Then you could go around telling everybody who could care less all your great ideas and brilliant advice. As an educator I can tell you its rare for kids to mix with adults on-line, much less seek advice. Its an opportunity not an annoyance and your wasting it.

Sorry I deal with kids all the time and the fact that they even respond and ask questions to adults on here amazes me. Its the one thing that separates hunting from other pursuits. Senseless interaction to you is seen differently to a teenager and their stupid questions were our stupid questions once. Its just in writing now for every arrogant person over 20 to attack.I'm sorry also but I don't remember teenagers in the 60's and seventies oozing respect and only asking respectful questions but maybe thats middle age kicking in.

So many of the questions could be answered by experts by googling them on the internet. The internet contains a wealth of information at your fingertips. Always evaluate what you read; not all information in print is true.

i can agree with you we need to put a age limit 15+ on this website and you will get rid of the stupid questions