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Why are "what's the best subs?", "best datejust?" "best AP?" etc. the wrong questions to ask

Tobel

Put Some Respect On My Name
6/7/17
5,424
3,616
113
Why are "what's the best subs?", "best datejust?" "best AP?" etc. the wrong questions to ask

Hi


if you're landing on this post it is likely that you are a new member. If so then welcome to RWI!

If you found this post while looking into the new member section then you are doing the right thing and trying to understand how the forum works which can, let's be honest, be a little complex at first. If someone pointed you out to this post, then it's likely that you created a thread a little too early, without having that understanding of our habits and customs. But don't worry, this post is meant to provide you with the right guidance and context for you to fully enjoy RWI.

First of all you need to understand the dynamic between factories who produce reps, and TDs that sell you these reps. I won't get into too much details as there's other better threads covering this, but in a nutshell there is no point asking about the TD who's got the best watch, as they all source the same watches from the same factories such as ARF, Noob, ZF etc. (F stands for Factory in these acronyms). The question therefore is which is the best rep for you (i.e the one from which factory), not the TD.

Now as a new member looking for a nice Rolex, AP, Patek etc, it can be tempting to just ask to the community "which one is the best out there?". This is however not the right question to ask, and members who do this tend to be frowned upon by more senior members, even if they asked politely and with the best intentions in mind. This can create some frustration for everyone. Let me take a moment to explain why that is.

First of all, there is no such thing as a perfect rep. Every single rep has its flaws and if you compare a submariner from factory A to a submariner from factory B, they will both have strengths and weaknesses. This means that only the buyer can make the decision of which flaws they can live with, and which ones they can't. Therefore nobody else than you can make the decision of which one is the best for you. However, for you to make that decision requires that you spend the time to read, use the search engine and learn about the various models and their respective flaws. This takes time, but believe me, this is the best advice that you will receive. Educate yourself and really understand what you are about to spend 100's of dollars on.

Secondly, the issue with that kind of threads is that every single week we see new members showing up, asking the same question over and over again, and then are never heard of again. So while the initial behavior for members is to help each other, after repeating the same thing to many people, many of them who don't even come back to the forum again, it is natural to become less patient and understanding of such behaviors. Therefore, the expectation is that everyone should do their homework and, as explained above, takes the time to read and leverage the content that is already available before creating a thread on a question that has already been asked and answered a thousand times. It is also quite disrespectful to create a new thread and just disregard the content that is available, which members took the time to write to explain their perspectives to help others.

Finally, this ends up creating a lot of unnecessary threads, which pollute the forum and pulls the quality of the conversations down. You will see that there are watch amateurs and watch makers of outstanding caliber, knowledge and experience here, and you'll get the chance to benefit from their help. But that requires a little bit of respect and, which starts with doing one's homework.

All in all, it seems that it is just common courtesy and education to try to understand and respect every community that you just joined before you start talking. This is personally a principle that I apply both on internet and in real life. This community is very active and everyone tries to help everyone. But there should not be an expectation that someone else takes on their time to spoon feed someone else who doesn't want to take the time themselves.

So welcome again, I hope that this was useful. If you made one of the mistakes mentioned in this post don't worry, just learn from that mistake, move on and leverage the amazing content that is at your disposal. Once you have gone through it, and if you still have questions, everyone will be happy to help you, even if some seemed a little harsh a first for the reasons I explained ;)
 
Last edited:

enduser

Renowned Member
Patron
Certified
29/7/20
559
414
63
UK
Great post. When I first joined the forum I thought the flaming of new members for asking "what's the best rep" and similar questions was a little harsh, but after only a month on the forum I'm coming round to the view that capital punishment is probably the only appropriate solution. Ditto the posting of QC pictures. It really is the scourge of the forum.

Would it be possible (technically) to prevent new members posting until they have at least confirmed they have read all the key introductory stickies and learnt the basics?
 

tripdog

Super Moderator
Staff member
Global Moderator
Certified
9/7/12
22,486
17,776
113
Would it be possible (technically) to prevent new members posting until they have at least confirmed they have read all the key introductory stickies and learnt the basics?


You mean like checking a box at the bottom of the page to confirm you've read everything ?

Doesn't work, people just check the box without reading - like in M2M for instance.
 
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enduser

Renowned Member
Patron
Certified
29/7/20
559
414
63
UK
Yes, I guess that's inevitable. How about still having the newbie landing page with the rules and checkboxes (which appears when the member tries to post for the first time) and then nuking the first "what's the best" type post that breaks the rules and banning any further posts by that member for 30 days? Freedom to post could then be reinstated in return for becoming a Supporter. Shows penance and some commitment.
 

vortex4me

You're Saying I Can Sell?
19/7/20
38
5
0
Hi


if you're landing on this post it is likely that you are a new member. If so then welcome to RWI!

If you found this post while looking into the new member section then you are doing the right thing and trying to understand how the forum works which can, let's be honest, be a little complex at first. If someone pointed you out to this post, then it's likely that you created a thread a little too early, without having that understanding of our habits and customs. But don't worry, this post is meant to provide you with the right guidance and context for you to fully enjoy RWI.

First of all you need to understand the dynamic between factories who produce reps, and TDs that sell you these reps. I won't get into too much details as there's other better threads covering this, but in a nutshell there is no point asking about the TD who's got the best watch, as they all source the same watches from the same factories such as ARF, Noob, ZF etc. (F stands for Factory in these acronyms). The question therefore is which is the best rep for you (i.e the one from which factory), not the TD.

Now as a new member looking for a nice Rolex, AP, Patek etc, it can be tempting to just ask to the community "which one is the best out there?". This is however not the right question to ask, and members who do this tend to be frowned upon by more senior members, even if they asked politely and with the best intentions in mind. This can create some frustration for everyone. Let me take a moment to explain why that is.

First of all, there is no such thing as a perfect rep. Every single rep has its flaws and if you compare a submariner from factory A to a submariner from factory B, they will both have strengths and weaknesses. This means that only the buyer can make the decision of which flaws they can live with, and which ones they can't. Therefore nobody else than you can make the decision of which one is the best for you. However, for you to make that decision requires that you spend the time to read, use the search engine and learn about the various models and their respective flaws. This takes time, but believe me, this is the best advice that you will receive. Educate yourself and really understand what you are about to spend 100's of dollars on.

Secondly, the issue with that kind of threads is that every single week we see new members showing up, asking the same question over and over again, and then are never heard of again. So while the initial behavior for members is to help each other, after repeating the same thing to many people, many of them who don't even come back to the forum again, it is natural to become less patient and understanding of such behaviors. Therefore, the expectation is that everyone should do their homework and, as explained above, takes the time to read and leverage the content that is already available before creating a thread on a question that has already been asked and answered a thousand times. It is also quite disrespectful to create a new thread and just disregard the content that is available, which members took the time to write to explain their perspectives to help others.

Finally, this ends up creating a lot of unnecessary threads, which pollute the forum and pulls the quality of the conversations down. You will see that there are watch amateurs and watch makers of outstanding caliber, knowledge and experience here, and you'll get the chance to benefit from their help. But that requires a little bit of respect and, which starts with doing one's homework.

All in all, it seems that it is just common courtesy and education to try to understand and respect every community that you just joined before you start talking. This is personally a principle that I apply both on internet and in real life. This community is very active and everyone tries to help everyone. But there should not be an expectation that someone else takes on their time to spoon feed someone else who doesn't want to take the time themselves.

So welcome again, I hope that this was useful. If you made one of the mistakes mentioned in this post don't worry, just learn from that mistake, move on and leverage the amazing content that is at your disposal. Once you have gone through it, and if you still have questions, everyone will be happy to help you, even if some seemed a little harsh a first for the reasons I explained ;)

I made this mistake, but I’m glad the majority were helpful and steered me in the right direction politely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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vortex4me

You're Saying I Can Sell?
19/7/20
38
5
0
Yes, I guess that's inevitable. How about still having the newbie landing page with the rules and checkboxes (which appears when the member tries to post for the first time) and then nuking the first "what's the best" type post that breaks the rules and banning any further posts by that member for 30 days? Freedom to post could then be reinstated in return for becoming a Supporter. Shows penance and some commitment.

I think it’s more about educating new comers and guiding them through the wealth of information. We were all new once. When I first joined, I was overwhelmed with all the stickies and how deep they go on each page. Because I was new, I found a few things to be contradictory. It’s just a lot of information.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DrHack

Active Member
10/8/20
345
240
43
SoCal
I nominate this post for a Sticky in the Replica - FAQ forum. Really valuable info for the newcomer (includes me).
 
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