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GeneralSimply My Opinion

24th Jul 2017 18:46 UTCFrank Festa

Hi,

MinDat, simply by virtue of its ease of membership, is made up of people of many nationalities, different backgrounds, different opinions, points of view, professional, layman, regular ordinary people. For some “rocks” are their livelihood, some have spent years in schools and colleges, some are experts, doctors, professors, hobbyists, younger people in high school researching. Simply put, the membership is an extremely diverse soup, a melting pot, of those “in the know” to those “who would like to know”.

We are all not experts in “rockology”, geology, photography, etc., many of us are simply hobbyists. Though different, we all share a common bond. We have the passion within our souls to find pleasure, excitement, fulfillment, seeing the pure beauty of nature dug from the soil beneath our feet.

MinDat could be an exclusive website for professionals only. But it is not. Here experts rub elbows with laymen. This is a key point for all members to recognize. We all are here because we wish to be. This is not a private club for a select few, it is not a place for rudeness, an argumentative attitude, nor a “better than thou” attitude.

Picture a colony of ants or a hive of bees ……each individual’s goal is not for a personal gain but it is for the betterment of the whole.

Thank you

24th Jul 2017 20:49 UTCGeorge Creighton

Where is the thank you button?

Great and true post

Regards

24th Jul 2017 22:01 UTCSteven Kuitems Expert

Second that thought

24th Jul 2017 22:49 UTCBill Cordua 🌟 Manager

Well said Frank. We are here because of a common love of minerals. And it is still true that finds by "amateur" collectors, even those less experienced, can lead to new knowledge. Some of my best research items have come from leads from hobbyists haunting quarries and road cuts us pros haven't had a chance or time to visit.

24th Jul 2017 23:14 UTCMatt Neuzil Expert

Something that I can agree.

25th Jul 2017 01:21 UTCDoug Daniels

Great post, Frank. As you hinted, this hobby (as well as fossil collecting) is one of the few where amateurs can contribute to the knowledge base - and, the amateurs are many times critical for new finds. At least, until the Feds and other authorities finally make it impossible for the amateur to do anything.

25th Jul 2017 01:48 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager

I couldn't agree more, Frank!

Mindat is a site where the total amateur can learn from the professionals, and vice-versa; hopefully that never changes.

25th Jul 2017 01:51 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Right on Frank

25th Jul 2017 02:36 UTCDonald B Peck Expert

Well said, Frank!

25th Jul 2017 09:05 UTCJoel Dyer

Good posting, Frank!

One of Mindat's greatest values are that it serves such a diversity of people, and that so many of its members help people with their problems and questions, regardless of the level of expertise or social / educational standing of the persons at each end.

I've been trying to "push" Mindat here in Finland a lot via presentations, articles and emails, but I guess some people are still scared of the language (hey, English shouldn't be a problem nowadays, with Google Translate as well ;-) ), or that they might post "stupid" questions and make a fool of themselves somehow. But as we know, there really aren't stupid questions, are there..?

Cheers,

Joel

25th Jul 2017 16:03 UTCTony Albini

Frank, you are absolutely right. When I collected in Connecticut, I had minerals analyzed by Dr. Petr Cerny and others and found several species new to Connecticut including a member of the Davidite series and helvite. Recently, an amateur collector found a specimen which had bismutotantalite in it, new to CT. Amateur collectors working with professionals does enhance the hobby. When I needed help translating a German label, Alfredo Petrov and a number of our German colleagues gave me all the information on the specimen and Rolf Luetcke uploaded the photos for me.. This is what makes Mindat work! People who enjoy sharing information and helping each other. Thank you to all members of Mindat and of course the creator, Jolyon.

26th Jul 2017 04:12 UTCRalph S Bottrill 🌟 Manager

Agreed, we all have something we can teach others.

26th Jul 2017 13:47 UTCRolf Luetcke Expert

Frank and everyone else,

Yes, this had been a thought that has crossed my mind often.

Frank said it quite well and I had not added my own comments but Tony called yesterday and said he had added a few things.

The Mindat site is a superb site and I love the help that everyone has been willing to give to people all over looking for information.

I have to remember when I see something rockhoundy posted with a question, we all started somewhere and the help from mindat has been a huge learning experience.

Keep up the great work all and especially the many friends we have made through this great site.

I learn something new just about every day from mindat.

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