M.D. Vaden
vadenphotography.com
My wife and I were talking tonight about advice moochers and also leaks in the pay that arborists deserve for consulting. We talked the most about forums.
I've concluded that the up-and-up arborist industry would be wise to shut the door on free advice forums where homeowners can seek free consulting.
That to the degree that forums provide a direction on:
1. How to find a qualified arborisit to do a professional on-site evaluation.
2. How to contact the right licensing agencies.
3. Where to buy materials for reading and studying - general knowledge.
I think there is a huge difference between an on-line archive of information, such as a correct diagram showing a pruning cut, versus an arborist trying to give free advice about incomplete information posted on a site - not to mention the possibility for incorrect tree ID.
I have a second site separate from site below. The second one still has a forum that we will strip from it. It's barely used because after dealing with it for about 1 month, I decided not to promote or advertiise it's existence. The forum really sucked time. I noticed, not just there, how how many people go to the internet to mooch free information.
Right now, there are only a tiny handful of tree sites people can go to. One sells stuff and is geared almost exclusively to answering to homeowners. But I think their goal is not to the industry but to selling stuff - MONEY.
Arborist Site is geared heavily to professionals.
There is barely anything else out there.
My suggestion and request, is that all sites with professional integrity, quit undermining the consulting trade of arborists, by removing free advice forums to homeowners or by not adding such kind of forums to their web sites.
That way people can get better quality and also the arborists will get paid for their investment in books, training, certifications, etc..
So I'm dropping my residential forum from my site. That means they can get some general tips, but not specific advice on individual trees in unknown environments where the homeownere can't convey the 30 factors they don't know to look for.
I think sites - even this - should terminate residential forums. I believe that any homeowner forums should have PRE-SET forum categories that funnel them to choice of seeking a person on an agency like:
a. forum - I need an arborist, how do I find one?
b. forum - my tree is falling, how do I get an arborist?
c. forum - what are titles of books that will help me?
In other words, almost every forum is premade, prenamed and likely a STICKY TOPIC.
I've concluded that the up-and-up arborist industry would be wise to shut the door on free advice forums where homeowners can seek free consulting.
That to the degree that forums provide a direction on:
1. How to find a qualified arborisit to do a professional on-site evaluation.
2. How to contact the right licensing agencies.
3. Where to buy materials for reading and studying - general knowledge.
I think there is a huge difference between an on-line archive of information, such as a correct diagram showing a pruning cut, versus an arborist trying to give free advice about incomplete information posted on a site - not to mention the possibility for incorrect tree ID.
I have a second site separate from site below. The second one still has a forum that we will strip from it. It's barely used because after dealing with it for about 1 month, I decided not to promote or advertiise it's existence. The forum really sucked time. I noticed, not just there, how how many people go to the internet to mooch free information.
Right now, there are only a tiny handful of tree sites people can go to. One sells stuff and is geared almost exclusively to answering to homeowners. But I think their goal is not to the industry but to selling stuff - MONEY.
Arborist Site is geared heavily to professionals.
There is barely anything else out there.
My suggestion and request, is that all sites with professional integrity, quit undermining the consulting trade of arborists, by removing free advice forums to homeowners or by not adding such kind of forums to their web sites.
That way people can get better quality and also the arborists will get paid for their investment in books, training, certifications, etc..
So I'm dropping my residential forum from my site. That means they can get some general tips, but not specific advice on individual trees in unknown environments where the homeownere can't convey the 30 factors they don't know to look for.
I think sites - even this - should terminate residential forums. I believe that any homeowner forums should have PRE-SET forum categories that funnel them to choice of seeking a person on an agency like:
a. forum - I need an arborist, how do I find one?
b. forum - my tree is falling, how do I get an arborist?
c. forum - what are titles of books that will help me?
In other words, almost every forum is premade, prenamed and likely a STICKY TOPIC.