[hallway]

From another thread: Ben said


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Quote

You are correct, of course, Maureen, that material in this thread has wildly gone off course for beginners or novices. However, I would like to say in defense of myself (leaping michaels) and the others who dragged other concepts into this thread that...

1) Osh asked "I play SAYC with some gadgets, but your suggestion will be welcome with any system." This sort of opens the door to the suggestions being made, and

2) Concepts being discussed should be in at least the vocabulary of most of the intermediates who read this thread. Heck a few interrmediate players brought some of these ideas up. 

I had a dream- a Forum for Beginners - you know those people young and old who have never played bridge before and have just discovered it and WANT to LEARN how to play it.

Along came the Forums - The Beginner Intermediate Discussion Forum - hooray said I . oh drat said I , I do not understand a word all these Expert posters are talking about . I cajoled you into posting your Beginners Guides To series . They were good. I even learned to count hands instead of sheep

Then the BIL - now I can look after my Beginners - so I thought !!! After all there are Private Forums - yellows have one, stars had one for a time and then there are others with restricted postings - ideal ! But no my entreaties were in vain the old Forum could cope with no more.

And then one glorious day I logged in and wow we had a NEW Forum site and in one thread there was the INVITATION to the Private Club owners to apply for their very own Forum. Well I can tell you the keyboard positively 'smoked' - did not know I could type so fast!

Beginners this will be for you !! - but noooooooo

One week later I am in the store buying a new keyboard - tears and electronics do not mix The BIL could not have a Forum .

SO you see Ben the Beginners are in your hands. - I have a work-around for you - You should tag every thread that is opened in this Forum BEG or INT - I promise you I will not even read the INT ones so then there will be no comments from me about Leaping WhatsIts or WhatEvers.

BE WARNED : Woe betide those who would speak of such things should you tag a thread - BEG

[inquiry]

Alas, a power I do not have. If a new discussion forum is to be started it has to be by the system administrator (or maybe uday), not a lowly moderator.

But you have to realize that with the NEW FORUM, most all regulars click on the "VIEW NEW POSTS" button and then read each one. This makes it very easy not to realize waht thread you are in. And when doing so, and someone ask for "how would you bid this using SAYC, or your favotire gadgets", well, you will get all the favorite gadgets listed, eventually. Also, remember that a polish beginner will have been exposed to concepts that a US beginner will not have been so they will not necessarily have the same background. But I do agree that a novice/beginner forum would have some advantages. Because there is a large difference between them and intermediates. Intermediates are ready to learn all the convention in the world (or at least it seems), while novices and beginners are just trying to get the basics down.

Ben