First off, we all know that you never know how much you appreciate something until you lose it but it also brings up the fact that you should probably be more thankful for it anyway...

I really appreciate the people here at the Esterbrook Forum. Questions are answered and advice is given whether to noob or long time member. I have not seen "stupid" questions flamed or ignored. Generally people go above and beyond. (I'm thinking here of some of my recent experiences in particular.) For those of you who make Esterbrook forum what it is thank you!!

This comes as a response to the realization that most of the brand focus forums do not work this way. I have posted questions concerning ID and repair in a couple other focus forums in the past couple weeks of the same sort that are asked around here constantly and always answered quickly. Both have few views and no replies. I can only assume that either no one knows which is unlikely or no one is willing to answer such "stupid" questions...

I don't know what makes Esterbrook different. I can postulate that it's because there is no room for snobbery when you love a pen considered my most to be "less than." Or I can guess that my name is not familiar enough in those other forums and here I have friends but for whatever reason... keep it up gang. You are the cream of the crop or may I say the "heart" of FPN.

THANK YOU!!!!

Adam

That is saying a lot, since the FPN in general has IMHO better manners and a more supportive attitude than some others I have encountered.
Best,
Mars

As a newcomer, I'll add my thanks as well. All the questions make me better informed about my pens and encourage me not to be afraid to ask some questions. It does seem to me that System of Adam is one who is always ready to participate--that influences the quality of the forum.

A tip of the hat!

I feel the same way. My poorly worded posts were answered in a kind way. Didn't make me feel stoopid at all.Thank you.

I'd like to join in on this one too. I only joined a few months ago and have learned an awful lot. Thanks to all.

Hi Adam,

I think that I can venture a guess as to why your posts are not answered as extensively as you would like. Please keep in mind that this in no way reflects any kind of judgment, but is just an observation about the culture here.

Most of the questions concerning ID and repair that you post, are in fact sales-oriented questions: In many, if not most of the posts you refer to, the pen in question will eventually be offered for sale and you are essentially asking for advice that will help you with the sale. Historically, this approach has been known to irk some FPNers, who may feel that it is not "worth it" to donate their time answering questions that are consistently motivated commercially, rather than by collector's interest.

So it is not about whether a question is "stupid", but rather about what motivates the question. If people feel that the post arises out of genuine interest and a desire to learn about this hobby we all love, they are amazingly helpful on all the sub-forums. But if they feel that you essentially want help making a profit -- well, then they may not be so willing to answer, especially if they see a pattern of it in your posts. This has been a repeated issue of heated debate here in the past, and I feel that it may apply to what you are experiencing.

Thanks for your info QM2! This does put the question in a different light...

While I can respect peoples desire to help expand the hobby rather than help someone turn a profit, it is in my opinion a bit short sighted to withhold help from a fellow collector. Everyone hates it when they see a pen grossly misidentified or seriously overpriced and some feel themselves quite justified in shouting down the ebay lister or classifieds poster. However, in many cases I can only assume that they would not feel inclined to let a seller know that their prices were far too low because of their mis-ID.

Valuation question help to get prices into line with the going rate and let others know what similar pens in their collections might be worth. This enhances the community not just helps the individual.

In my case I needed help with identification of a nib, sources for it's purchase and a skilled nibmeister to put it all together. It was not my intent to sell the pen when the work was completed as there would actually be a huge loss when I resold it.

The second case was an identification of a pencil and a valuation. This pencil could potentially be resold at a later date but the current quest was merely information.

I guess my point is this... I have found that people here tend to be more selfless, more giving and more willing to put themselves out. Sometimes this probably means that somebody turns a profit on their knowledge and experience. However many other times it means that the hobby grows just a bit bigger, "common knowledge" becomes a bit more common and all of our pen collections become a little more valued and a little bit more respected.

My deepest apologies to those who feel that my valuation questions were uncouth but I hope this community can see that I try to give more than I take by a long shot...

Thanks for the info and the opinions! It's what makes this forum great!

Adam

Right. That is why I personally do not think it is in good faith to publicly comment that an item is overpriced if one has no involvement in the sale (meaning, is neither considering buying the item, nor offering the same one for less).

As for giving information -- the thing is that, once you give it, you have no control what it will be used for. This is a public board and sellers read it all the time in search for useful tips that are ultimately profit oriented. So it does not make sense to think that answering a post from an "earnest collector" means that the information will serve non-profit purposes. Perhaps some people do not realise that...