Question member location

[Vince]

I saw a partial discussion on this.. as to how many members are in AK.. but i know not what thread it was...


WHY? isn't it a prerequisite to have your home state on the profile. given the many members and the comment i saw that APX 50% of the members are in Alaska.

given a few things... that many folks give advice about hunting and fishing up here... and spend limited time.

given the rep system that allows credibility to the posting memeber...

given the many myths( especially about bears) perpetrated by members. would it not create a more credible post if the new members KNEW where the advice was coming from... granted many folks living out side have many years in AK and use the forum as a way to stay in touch. however, there is still a lot of well intentioned poor information given out that is constantly being corrected by the more experienced members.


we hear a lot about maintaining the credibility of the site and the advice given. i feel having your home state in your location would be a valuable part of that. and IP addresses are easy to check.. also limiting one log in per address would alleviate some of the different monikers... unless requested for multiple family members.

[kingfisherktn]

+1 if I had it to give.

[hotcity2]

Hi guys,
I have no problem letting peeps know I am in Delta and I do agree I would love to know where the posts come from..

[AGL4now]

This would not be FAIR to the ankle'biters........

[Vince]

This would not be FAIR to the ankle'biters........

HOW so? by knowing where a young person is. will give the poster a better understanding of the youth as well... not to mention that youth would know that the adivce given to them was from where they are asking about.

as for the IP address? it is EASY enough to allow a sing in n the same IP with a simple PM to the the administrator.. there are other sites out there that do this with great success,

i am not saying folks should put their address down, but at least the state of residence.

[JOAT]

Fully agree here. The "location" field of the user profile should be a mandatory entry. Leaving it blank, as so many do, shouldn't even be an option.

[AGL4now]

Sorry, By "Ankle'biter's" I did NOT mean youth, or young adults. Think more along the line of annoying little pest. They bring very little to the discussion, but feel the need to snip at someones comment. This should not be confused with flat out disagreement, and open dialog. They are more of a distraction, an annoyance, they need to snip at, or ankle'bite about some small thing in some Else's post. Kind'a like white'socks, or mosquitos..........

[SoggyMountain]

It is not a solution in and of itself, but, I do think it would help in promoting the authenticity of the site.

There are outsiders who spend a great deal of time in Alaska, and, are huge assets to this community.

The first one to come to mind for me is fishinphysician (or whatever his name is) .... it won't be long before I am asking him to repost his fileting techniques as spring kings are right around the corner and I absolutely loved his cuts.

Should this become a requisite, I think people like this ought to really work on their profiles to demonstrate their knowledge so they are not dismissed simply based on where they choose to live.

[akfishnut]

How Many Times

Has a person asked about where to get something done or where to purchase something - and the 1st post
says "Where are You" // It should definitely be a requirement to have the location field filled in.
Besides there are lots of subjects a person can give very sound advice on without being in ALASKA!

[danattherock]

An outsiders view....

On the surface, this post is a bit offensive. But don't blast me yet...

Reason I say, you can't make an assumption that because someone lives in Alaska, they know anything about what you are trying to learn about. Obviously, local knowledge and insight is very valuable, but it is irrational to assume that just because you live in Alaska, that you know more about the wilds of Alaska than everyone else. Time in the bush gives you that right, but Alaskans, like North Carolinians, like... well, everyone else, have people that take the beauty around them for granted. I have seen places in Alaska that many people living there have never and will never see.

Example, float trips, my passion and primary motivation for visiting Alaska. A good bit of information on remote rivers I have researched has come from people living outside of Alaska. Many are hunting, some chasing rainbows in SW, some (like me) looking for trophy dollies and solitude in NW Alaska. Long story short, they offer very accurate information on places in Alaska that very few of its own residents visit. I have received info from Arizona, Alabama, North Carolina, Oregon, and many other states. Heck, I have recently talked with folks in Spain and Germany about float trips in Gates of the Arctic and ANWR. Obviously, I have got some great info from people living in Alaska as well. Walt, "Northwestalaska" , AlaskaChuck, and Mike Strahan come to mind. But this is not always the case unfortunately.

My case may be the exception, but I can read a post and determine the worth of it. Having spent two years in Nome and Kotz, I admittingly have a little more insight than most outsiders here on the forum. Anyone can BS you a little bit here and there when talking about something with which you are not familiar, but it is only a matter of time when they give themselves away. The more detailed the info, the more obvious the value (good or bad) of the forum member.

There are lots of experienced outdoorsman in the lower 48 and lots of armchair outdoorsman in Alaska. And vice versa of course. Point is, living in Alaska should not be a prequisite for being a valuable forum member, experiencing the bounty of Alaska should give that right. Irregardless of where you call home.

I think it is this very combination of people sharing a common interest, even with the geographical boundaries, that makes this forum such a special place.

Decided to marry my now wife while floating around Chena Hot Springs in Nov 2004 sipping muscadine wine (a southern thing).

Wife cried this past Sept on a arctic float trip. It was our last night on the river and as we stumbled from the fire to the tent (100 proof peppemint schnapps) we saw the lights for the first time in two years. Brighter than ever. I still see it when I close my eyes.

Shot a ptarmigan in flight with a 40 S&W once. Ate it minutes later of course.

Helped save a life or two in Nome and Kotz working in the ER.

Carried some gas to some village elders coming down the Noatak River to Kotz in a storm and were blown up against the banks and nearly capsized.

Pulled a body out of the sound near Kotz. Poor old fellow fell through the ice the winter prior.

Just this week, I was talking with some dude in Georgia who is planning his first trip to Alaska.

I also talked with a guy in Maryland about grilling salmon.

I talked with Max in Sterling about my dutch oven pineapple upside down cake and read where you mentioned using dutch ovens to cook a moose roast.

I talked with a guy in Palmer about fly fishing for dollies. Something I did in NW Alaska for two years and on three float trips since. Got a 14 pounder this past Sept.

This forum is a special meeting place for people like us. Our passion for the outdoors is the tie that binds, not our place of residence.

With all that said, after reading a post that catches my attention, the first thing I do is look to see where the member is located

So.....maybe I don't take offense to this post afterall. Hmmm...