Learning Center What is a mineral?The most common minerals on earth Information for Educators Mindat Articles The Elements The Rock H. Currier Digital Library Geologic Time

Minerals by Properties Minerals by Chemistry Advanced Locality Search Random Mineral Random Locality Search by minID Localities Near Me Search Articles Search Glossary More Search Options

The Mindat Manual Add a New Photo Rate Photos Locality Edit Report Coordinate Completion Report Add Glossary Item

Mining Companies Statistics Users Mineral Museums Clubs & Organizations Mineral Shows & Events The Mindat Directory Device Settings The Mineral Quiz

Photo Search Photo Galleries Search by Color New Photos Today New Photos Yesterday Members' Photo Galleries Past Photo of the Day Gallery Photography

Discussions

💬 Home 🔎 Search 📅 Latest

╳Discussions

💬 Home 🔎 Search 📅 Latest

Groups

Recent Images in Discussions

GeneralPublic apology - and whether to be or not to be

6th Jan 2018 06:31 UTCJoel Dyer

Hi All,

I've been wondering lately if I bring anything positive or useful to Mindat, or am just wasting this fine institutions resources and page space. I am again considering if it may be wise to shup up & resign my Mindat membership... (Do I hear some sighs or relief here..? ;-) )

I have been thinking that one's odd, persistent, unintentionally irritating style in messaging chains might annoy other Mindaters. No one I think has complained much, but my style is exceedingly irritating to myself sometimes, so...

Long-term circumstancial difficulties and many challenges seem to have warped one's style and thinking, and this is not good at all. It has been frustrating to oneself that despite all the battling agaist windmills & desperate attempt to learn more & more and achieve things, one's boots are still "stuck in the mud" on many fronts. But that should not be allowed to be the cause of annoyance to others, intentionally or unintentionally, especially as we all have our burdens.

So, I publicly apologize to any and all co-Mindaters that may have been be frustrated by one's postings or comments to any postings over the years. Mineralogy & things related to it have been a flickering candle in a dark, windy tunnel for oneself the last years.

All this is too important to risk messing up and I want to do the right thing. I kindly ask anyone who has been annoyed by silly or improper messaging, or whom I may have insulted, to privately send me a PM or email, so I'm aware of these blunders.

Many Mindat resources can still be used even if one's not a registered member, so that's not a deciding factor for oneself. But any outstanding issues should of course be dealt with before a possible resignation.

thanks,

Joel

6th Jan 2018 08:39 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

Joel, I would say many of your questions have started some quite enlightening threads, and I've learned from them. I could make a list of people who post annoying comments, but your name would not be on it!

6th Jan 2018 09:02 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder

My comments are far more annoying than yours, Joel!

6th Jan 2018 09:09 UTCBecky Coulson 🌟 Expert

Joel,

It sounds like you are passing through a very challenging time in life, but why resign from Mindat? I have not found your comments and questions annoying or a waste of time; as Alfredo points out, they have led to interesting discussions. I certainly hope that you will not withdraw from a community that shares your interest and values your contributions. Sometimes having our "boots stuck in the mud" can make us feel trapped, or we can take that moment to slow down and have a better look at the beauty around us. Wait a while before making this decision - if your mineral interests and being part of the Mindat community have been a candle in the dark, it sounds like a very good thing. Best wishes - and I hope to see more of your messages!

Kind regards, Becky

6th Jan 2018 09:34 UTCUwe Ludwig

Don't worry Joel. In my case mindat is not soo helpfull for the hobby because I collect the Saxonian Erzgebirge und peninsula Kola only. However, I see no reason to quit mindat. I find it interesting to read what problems have the collectors in other parts of the world. Some of these problems are the same as here in Germany and this is becalming. At last I like to read the reports of shows and excursions (thank you all for these efforts!).

If you get no answer to your questions you may consider that, may be, nobody has a right answer or is an expert for this. I for example like to give my comments to few threads and I'm not annoying if nobody find it right or wrong.

Rgds.

Uwe Ludwig

6th Jan 2018 09:38 UTCKeith Compton 🌟 Manager

Hi Joel

No problems from me.

One of the features of being involved in Mindat is that we all learn - novices to experts.

I never fail to learn something about minerals every day. Without asking questions how else can we learn?

The message boards are just that - a series of discussion forums (fora) where questions can be asked.

I certainly hope that Mindat can be a permanent part of your mineral life.

Cheers

6th Jan 2018 10:25 UTCJoel Dyer

Thanks so for the comments everyone, much appreaciated.

Jolyon, please get ready to save any pictures I've uploaded in case they are of any value to you or Mindat. With any of them - within my copyright rights - you can do as you please.

You can keep my account alive for a few days, so people get time to PM or email me & settle any possible issues :-) .
January 10th would be fine with me to close my account, thank you in advance. And that is that.

There come times in life (and I'm now middle-aged) when you have to look at where you've been, where you are and what might be ahead. Twice I tried Facebook, and twice I quit my account, the second time just a few months ago.

I feel myself uncomfortable or out of my element in the social, chatty side of Internet. Also, recently, there has been just too much on my mind. And I certainly don't wish to contribute wrong things, simply due to difficulties that sometimes warp one's words or thoughts. I'm perhaps less clumpsy and much more at home doing lonely research, fiddling with Raman and my microscopes, and writing articles in my little office-lab. I think it is time for me to retreat to my "monk's cell" and listen to (even more) Bach.

Perhaps in the future a friend like Jyrki or sombody else can occasionally upload some stuff for me if it is deemed worthwhile. As always, I am still reachable via email.

Cheers,

Joel

6th Jan 2018 11:19 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Keep on posting Joel. I always learn something from your posts.

6th Jan 2018 11:35 UTCTimothy Greenland

Please Joel, don't go away! I always read your posts, even though I have not been able to contribute usefully myself... You are certainly not 'irritating' to me (neither is Jolyon) and I get a lot of information from your topics that I probably wouldn't get (or even know about) elsewhere.

Happy New Year to you (in France we have till the end of january to make our wishes) and please continue stimulating what few neurones I have left!

Cheers

Tim

6th Jan 2018 12:28 UTCIlkka Mikkola

Hi Joel

No one wants you to leave Mindat. Please, do not go away.

Ilkka

6th Jan 2018 13:10 UTCSteve Federico

Dear Joel,I too have almost quit this site a couple of times for reasons I will not bore anyone with now.A little time and cooler head has stopped me.As a commoner happy to keep it simple and fun I contribute nothing to mindat.You however contribute and make the place better.If someone has been angered by something you have said that is a good contribution because it makes people think and see things from a differant angle.That is how you learn.Just forget about mindat for a while till you get where you are going and come back stronger.Hope you stay.......Steve

6th Jan 2018 13:31 UTCPaul De Bondt Manager

Finn Chaga,

It would be a big loss to Mindat if you should go away.

I learned many things from your posts. And the analysis you post with your pics. Not many members do that.

And your pics are very interesting.

We should have more members like you. Mindat would be even better.

You are right with some annoying responses, they annoy me too. But for me,you never posted annoying things.

And it's worth to stay for the other ones.

As manager, I think sometimes, is it not better to close some topics before they get out off hand or when we feel it becomes annoying.

Probably we should do that sooner.

Joel, you will be missed.

Paul.

6th Jan 2018 15:23 UTCBill Cordua 🌟 Manager

Hi Joel. Diversity makes us stronger, as long as we are respectful to each other. I view the MINDAT folks as friends, and I hate to losing friends. Hope you stay and continue to be part of our community.

6th Jan 2018 15:38 UTCKeith Wood

Hey Joel,

You're fine here. Don't close your account. If you need a break, just don't post for a while. Your stuff will still be here, and we will too, when you come back, and you'll always be welcome.

Keith

6th Jan 2018 16:49 UTCDonald B Peck Expert

Hi Joel,

Hang in here, Joel. I don;t find your posts annoying, and often I learn something from them. Like Keith said. if you don't feel like posting for a while. just don't, but keep coming back and when you feel like it, start commenting again.

Don

6th Jan 2018 17:48 UTCNorman King 🌟 Expert

Joel, I'll be disappointed if you leave. see my PM.

Norm King

6th Jan 2018 17:58 UTCDean Allum Expert

Joel,

To be honest, I was looking forward to future posts from you showing new optical techniques applied to thin sections.

It is those inquiring posts which make the Mindat messageboard most worthwhile.

-Dean

6th Jan 2018 18:25 UTCJohn R. Montgomery 🌟 Expert

Joel,whatever "dark night of the soul" you may be going through, I think you can see that the folks on Mindat appreciate your contributions to this great database.

Personally speaking,if you had not been on Mindat, I would never had had the opportunity to connect with you and trade specimens specimens with you. For me, that would have been a great loss, as I treasure the specimens from your collection that now sit on my display shelves. Recently a fellow collector dropped by and was asking about the Uvarovite and I told him about how I acquired it...it was a good story.

Please reconsider about closing your account. Maybe take a break from posting, but consider that others like myself may be the worse off if they are not able to "cross paths " with you on Mindat.org

Your friend

John

6th Jan 2018 19:21 UTCJerry Cone 🌟 Expert

Joel,

You were a great help to me recently with your response to a post of mine. If you hadn't, would I be any the wiser?

I vote for you sticking around.

Jerry

6th Jan 2018 19:28 UTCOwen Lewis

Joel,

Now listen carefully because I am only going to say this once.....(joke line from an old UK TV comedy series).

Be a good chap and continue to post here. Should you carry out your intention not to do so - well, I shall miss you and enjoy my participation in the Mindat forum a little less. That said, I'll guess that you may find your life more enjoyable for developing one or two other activities, to which you set aside time to engage in. It really does not matter what these are but, for most people, it seems to work best if at least one requires fairly tiring physical exercise and at least one requires face-to-face (flesh-to-flesh) social interaction with others. Electronic communications are simply no long-term substitute for the second of these. The world is full of wonderful people whose lives enrich one's own largely because their experiences and preferences are so different from one's own. As a wise man once said, "It's a dirty, rotten world - but there are some wonderful people in it".

But you don'r have to throw the baby out with the bathwater and ditch participation in the Mindat forum. Engaging with other patterns of dancing luminescent pixels should never be a mainstay in one's life - but it shrinks the world remarkably and offers insights that would otherwise not be available, These insights may even be life-changing for those young enough to follow up ideas as they present themselves for change.

Whatever you decide to do, my good wishes go with you.

Owen

6th Jan 2018 21:11 UTCŁukasz Kruszewski Expert

Joel, I've never seen any irritating post from you... I've had a single case of misunderstanding of my work here on Mindat, but this happens - we're just people...

7th Jan 2018 00:30 UTCJohn Attard Expert

Joel,

There is nothing that says you better resign from Mindat unless you frequently have valuable discussions to contribute! Months can go without me contributing anything, perfectly fine to take a break from it.

Don't be excessively concerned about what you may have said to others: they have almost certainly long forgotten it.

Owen's comments are very wise, and useful to us all. Joel re-read them every now and then as he is not going it say it again!

John

7th Jan 2018 01:58 UTCBob Harman

JOEL, Lots of folks are pulling for you to stay with us!!!!

If you are feeling down on yourself, depressed, or something like that, I strongly urge you to talk with non-mindat family members or friends or just seek help and counseling.

Hang in there.........! CHEERS.....BOB

7th Jan 2018 02:34 UTCRalph S Bottrill 🌟 Manager

Please stay Joel, I don’t recall any annoying posts from you, I’m sure I send more!

7th Jan 2018 10:10 UTCAlysson Rowan Expert

Joel,

Please stay ... I don't want to be the last of the annoying posters! (Just kidding)

I don't recall any annoying posts on your by-line .... except your original post on THIS thread apologising for something you didn't do.

If you really feel down about mineralogy (or life in general), then that means that it's time to go out on a collecting trip somewhere beautiful. Use your collecting as an excuse to see wonderful scenery (I do!), enjoy the fresh air (weather permitting. Brrrrrr!), and to take a break from everything.

Mindat.org is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2024, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: April 26, 2024 13:37:28

Go to top of page