A mentor raises a question!

[Craftydan]

Having read through this thread as it's expanded, and held my peace, one thing has repeatedly troubled me about this . . .

The title of mentor whilst a recognition means little.

I couldn't disagree more.


This is a discussion point I've hammered a few times in past -- Why are we here? Why are YOU here?

It's a personal question (seriously, I'm not asking to hear the answer) I have wondered about many of the people who have wandered through our forum -- some to stay, others to drift away -- and while I've never asked directly, I keep asking others to ask themselves:


Why do I spend my time helping others?


Personally, when I have the time to spend, and I see someone struggling with something I have the knowledge to help with, I find Joy in helping them succeed. I help for the 1-out-of-10 people who'll come back with a "Thanks! That worked!". An ego boost? Sure that's in there, but again, not why I do it. I believe I have been granted a precious resource of time -- as we all have -- to be spent wisely. If I've just made someone else better, it was time well invested. Recognition isn't the pay for the work, but the feedback to know my time wasn't wasted. The pay was in the investment in someone else.


For all who hang out among the mentors, I'd ask you to ask yourself the same question -- Why do you lend a hand?

I will caution, It's easy for us to shift our motives from a "desire to help" to a "want for more" and turn something we get joy from into a drudgery we must do to get paid when something of value is demanded for the time. The quality suffers, the "customers" suffer and we suffer for it.


If you still feel your time is undervalued and poorly invested here, I'd ask you to go back and read your old threads, and consider if those people were worth your time.

It's OK to say they weren't, but perhaps you'll be happier spending your time elsewhere if that's how you feel.

If it's not how you feel . . . don't steal the joy from your work. The green bar alone means your work is appreciated by the community, and again, the 1-out-of-10 who say "thanks" are clearly flying or flying better because of you.

Don't cheapen that.

 

[sprzout]

For all who hang out among the mentors, I'd ask you to ask yourself the same question -- Why do you lend a hand?

I want people to have the same fun I do with flying. End of story. Whether it's the 7 year old kid who's learning to fly for the first time, or the dad who used to fly glow and is trying to remember what to do when he comes back to the hobby, seeing the smile of success or hearing that things worked out is awesome, even if it wasn't something I helped or suggested on. Maybe I'm weird in that that's all it takes for me, but it's great hearing someone succeed.

Then there's the "Your hands are shaky, you're nervous, but you're having fun!" feelings that we all have when we first start flying successfully, right? I love that feeling!

 

[Hai-Lee]

Having read through this thread as it's expanded, and held my peace, one thing has repeatedly troubled me about this . . .



I couldn't disagree more.


This is a discussion point I've hammered a few times in past -- Why are we here? Why are YOU here?

It's a personal question (seriously, I'm not asking to hear the answer) I have wondered about many of the people who have wandered through our forum -- some to stay, others to drift away -- and while I've never asked directly, I keep asking others to ask themselves:


Why do I spend my time helping others?


Personally, when I have the time to spend, and I see someone struggling with something I have the knowledge to help with, I find Joy in helping them succeed. I help for the 1-out-of-10 people who'll come back with a "Thanks! That worked!". An ego boost? Sure that's in there, but again, not why I do it. I believe I have been granted a precious resource of time -- as we all have -- to be spent wisely. If I've just made someone else better, it was time well invested. Recognition isn't the pay for the work, but the feedback to know my time wasn't wasted. The pay was in the investment in someone else.


For all who hang out among the mentors, I'd ask you to ask yourself the same question -- Why do you lend a hand?

I will caution, It's easy for us to shift our motives from a "desire to help" to a "want for more" and turn something we get joy from into a drudgery we must do to get paid when something of value is demanded for the time. The quality suffers, the "customers" suffer and we suffer for it.


If you still feel your time is undervalued and poorly invested here, I'd ask you to go back and read your old threads, and consider if those people were worth your time.

It's OK to say they weren't, but perhaps you'll be happier spending your time elsewhere if that's how you feel.

If it's not how you feel . . . don't steal the joy from your work. The green bar alone means your work is appreciated by the community, and again, the 1-out-of-10 who say "thanks" are clearly flying or flying better because of you.

Don't cheapen that.

I hear you and apologize if my comments have offended you or others. My curse is that at times I tend to express myself with the belief that the audience understands my train of thought and already has a basic knowledge of the topic. I often find myself glossing over an explanation initially only to later realize that a more in depth explanation is required. This sometimes even results in my not posting at all if the simple words fail me.

The comment that raised your ire was made from the point of view of the FT crew themselves and not from the view of fellow mentors or forum users. Each mentor has his or her own personal reasons for mentoring on the forum. Some reasons are quite simple and some have an extremely complex mix of various needs and desires.

All this thread was started for was to try and give new releases a slightly better start by being able to test build and fly a new release before the questions start rolling in. The latest release, (the FT Goblin), is a fantastic flying model but can be difficult for a newbie to getting flying properly first time and there are a few gotchas for the scratch builder. I have a very similar model which I have been building and flying for over a year. Whilst it is still early days the post release rush seems to be missing and no where near as fervent as the release of the FT Simple Cub.

The previous posts better handle my request and the reasons behind it. I thank FT for their efforts and their business model.

Have fun!

 

[JimCR120]

My curse is that at times I tend to express myself with the belief that the audience understands my train of thought and already has a basic knowledge of the topic.

This is an inherent problem in this format. This form of communication is heavily verbal dependent when in real life people get so much more from the non-verbals that communicate nuances that heavily impact communication. We have some text conventions that serve in a similar way such as ALL CAPS, underlining, and being able to communicate a feeling through context. Nevertheless there are limitations in communications and we often see in the forum postings how we can be more susceptible still.

I would say tact, patience, and looking to de-escalate issues are key in minimizing this. I am very pleased with who we have as mentors. Each of you lead the forum with those important qualities.

I just wanted to chime in on a point that is likely already understood but is good to remember and be encouraged.