Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- opinion:frater_secessus:beginner_mistakes [2019/11/01 13:53]
frater_secessus [relationships]
+++ opinion:frater_secessus:beginner_mistakes [2019/11/02 16:51]
frater_secessus
@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 ====== Common beginner mistakes ======
 There are many blessings and victories in van life;  this article is not about that.  It's about the various ways to fail, to skin our knees, to waste money, time, and resources.
-===== advice =====
-Good advice can save time, money, and heartbreak. But getting good advice is not simple or even natural. We have to slow down and force ourselves to think about the issues, our questions, the existing body of knowledge, the answers we receive.
-The most important thing is no matter what advice you get or take, **it's your life and you have final responsibility for it**.  Your decisions are your own.  Make them wisely.
-==== failure to ask good questions ====
-The first step in getting good advice is to **ask good questions**.  It's harder than it sounds, and it is a learnable skill.
-  * get a handle on what it is you want to understand
-  * [[opinion:frater_secessus:beginner_mistakes#research|do your homework]]:  read, browse, watch youtube videos, google, **use the ding-dang search function** of the forum, subreddit, etc.
-  * when you hit a wall //then// ask for help.  No one likes leeches, princesses, helpless snowflakes, or the lazy who expect others to do the work for them.
-  * express your request as clearly and simply as possible
-  * indicate what you do know, [[opinion:frater_secessus:beginner_mistakes#research|what you have already read]] or tried, and any important details like what you are trying to accomplish, the make/model of any components you are using.  "My van don't go.  Help." is unlikely to generate usable advice.
-  * use human-readable style.  Avoid run-on sentences, "wall of text" word vomit with no organization, punctuation, or paragraph breaks.
-  * write a concise and specific title.  "Configuring a Morningstar TS-45 MPPT" is good.  "don't understand solar!!!!!!!!" is not so good. "Can anyone answer this??!?" is annoying and manipulative.  Also, any title that includes the word "anyone" indicates a low-effort question.  Why should //we// care if //you// don't?
-==== failure to judge advice ====
-When advice comes in, consider the source:
-  * is the responder a salescritter with a vested interest?
-  * is the responder a partisan of some kind:  anti-Renogy, pro-Renogy, etc
-  * is the responder an idiot, a zero-experience dreamer, a poorly-informed blowhard, a black/white thinker?
-  * did the responder read and address your questions?
-  * is the advice upvoted/downvoted/liked by onlookers?
-  * does the responder have experience and/or training in the area?
-  * does the responder expect you to believe him/her as gospel?
-  * does the responder use absolute language like "you should", "what you need is", "junk", "nothing but problems", "crap", etc?
-  * does the responder seem irrationally emotional or invested in your decision?
-Does the advice pass a sanity test?  Does it seem possible and worth of follow-up research or questions?
-None of these preclude the advice from being correct, but do take these factors into consideration.
-==== failure to take good advice ====
-There are folks who come up with foolish ideas then want others to give them support and encouragement.  They receive instruction on why it doesn't work, why it historically hasn't worked, and why OP is unlikely to make it work.  These interactions follow a pattern:
-  - OP posts a harebrained idea with the unhelpful title of "will this work??????????"
-  - experienced 'dwellers point out the many errors in thinking
-  - OP gets mad -- they'll make it work and everyone will be sorry they ever doubted!
-  - 'dwellers get popcorn and say "let us know how it works out"
-  - OP is never heard from again
-This behavior is expected from 7th grade boys who have fantasies of building the best, fastest, most epic fast/furious streetracer with 100% premium components.  All without money, experience, or understanding of the issues.  It's less charming in adults and wastes everyone's time.
 ===== research =====
@@ Line 316: / Line 282: @@
   * **overpaying for "unlimited" data plans** when you could [[communication:bandwidth_conservation|use less bandwidth]], use [[communication:internet#mobile_data|an MVNO]] instead of a major carrier, etc.
+===== advice =====
+Good advice can save time, money, and heartbreak. But getting good advice is not simple or even natural. We have to slow down and force ourselves to think about the issues, our questions, the existing body of knowledge, the answers we receive.
+The most important thing is no matter what advice you get or take, **it's your life and you have final responsibility for it**.  Your decisions are your own.  Make them wisely.
+==== failure to ask good questions ====
+The first step in getting good advice is to **ask good questions**.  It's harder than it sounds, and it is a learnable skill.
+  * get a handle on what it is you want to understand
+  * [[opinion:frater_secessus:beginner_mistakes#research|do your homework]]:  read, browse, watch youtube videos, google, **use the ding-dang search function** of the forum, subreddit, etc.
+  * when you hit a wall //then// ask for help.  No one likes leeches, princesses, helpless snowflakes, or the lazy who expect others to do the work for them.
+  * express your request as clearly and simply as possible
+  * indicate what you do know, [[opinion:frater_secessus:beginner_mistakes#research|what you have already read]] or tried, and any important details like what you are trying to accomplish, the make/model of any components you are using.  "My van don't go.  Help." is unlikely to generate usable advice.
+  * use human-readable style.  Avoid run-on sentences, "wall of text" word vomit with no organization, punctuation, or paragraph breaks.
+  * write a concise and specific title.  "Configuring a Morningstar TS-45 MPPT" is good.  "don't understand solar!!!!!!!!" is not so good. "Can anyone answer this??!?" is annoying and manipulative.  Also, any title that includes the word "anyone" indicates a low-effort question.  Why should //we// care if //you// don't?
+==== failure to judge advice ====
+When advice comes in, consider the source:
+  * is the responder a salescritter with a vested interest?
+  * is the responder a partisan of some kind:  anti-Renogy, pro-Renogy, etc
+  * is the responder an idiot, a zero-experience dreamer, a poorly-informed blowhard, a black/white thinker?
+  * did the responder read and address your questions?
+  * is the advice upvoted/downvoted/liked by onlookers?
+  * does the responder have experience and/or training in the area?
+  * does the responder expect you to believe him/her as gospel?
+  * does the responder use absolute language like "you should", "what you need is", "junk", "nothing but problems", "crap", etc?
+  * does the responder seem irrationally emotional or invested in your decision?
+Does the advice pass a sanity test?  Does it seem possible and worth of follow-up research or questions?
+None of these preclude the advice from being correct, but do take these factors into consideration.
+==== failure to take good advice ====
+There are folks who come up with foolish ideas then want others to give them support and encouragement.  They receive instruction on why it doesn't work, why it historically hasn't worked, and why OP is unlikely to make it work.  These interactions follow a pattern:
+  - OP posts a harebrained idea with the unhelpful title of "will this work??????????"
+  - experienced 'dwellers point out the many errors in thinking
+  - OP gets mad -- they'll make it work and everyone will be sorry they ever doubted!
+  - 'dwellers get popcorn and say "let us know how it works out"
+  - OP is never heard from again
+This behavior is expected from 7th grade boys who have fantasies of building the best, fastest, most epic fast/furious streetracer with 100% premium components.  All without money, experience, or understanding of the issues.  It's less charming in adults and wastes everyone's time.

RV and vandwellers wiki

User Tools

Site Tools

Differences

Page Tools