When first getting into reptiles, it may be an idea to use social networking to connect with other reptile keepers. I myself have done this and found that using social media to connect with other reptile keepers is not always a positive thing.
The reptile community online is full of passionate people and this can quickly escalate into anger. Everything can turn nasty from keeping your animals in different set ups to what bedding you use and even what disinfectant you use. Furthermore you could be drawn into 'shop vs breeder wars'. I have witnessed this quite a few times and don't understand what the issue is.
Frankly all the negative and personal attacks on people is giving the reptile community a bad name. If people accepted that there are various ways to keep the animals and as long as they are healthy and properly cared for, then there are no problems. Different things work for different people, whether it's using a rack system or vivarium. If you can't contribute in a polite manner then say nothing at all.
The bigger the group, the more chance of arguments breaking out is significantly higher. Admin cannot always control it due to the amount of people involved and admin are not always online to deal with these issues. In some cases, I have seen personal attacks on individuals that have been extremely heated and became very personal to those involved. Everything from the price you sell them for to where you buy your reptiles from could potentially start an argument.
Another thing that angers me is trolling on the groups. For those of you who are unaware of what 'trolling' means, it is the process of deliberately angering someone to provoke a response. For example, in a pro-snake group, someone posted a video of a beheaded rattlesnake. In my opinion, this is simply sick and uncalled for. Most trolls tend to delete their posts after they have succeeded in upsetting people.
If you are an admin of a group and find yourself with people arguing/trolling, the best thing to do is;
The bigger the group, the more chance of arguments breaking out is significantly higher. Admin cannot always control it due to the amount of people involved and admin are not always online to deal with these issues. In some cases, I have seen personal attacks on individuals that have been extremely heated and became very personal to those involved. Everything from the price you sell them for to where you buy your reptiles from could potentially start an argument.
Another thing that angers me is trolling on the groups. For those of you who are unaware of what 'trolling' means, it is the process of deliberately angering someone to provoke a response. For example, in a pro-snake group, someone posted a video of a beheaded rattlesnake. In my opinion, this is simply sick and uncalled for. Most trolls tend to delete their posts after they have succeeded in upsetting people.
If you are an admin of a group and find yourself with people arguing/trolling, the best thing to do is;
- Check who you are adding before you add them.
- Remove any posts that causes arguments or if possible, try to defuse the situation.
- Repeat offenders should be removed from the group.
With all these new acts being enforced to take away our reptiles, we need to stick together and not unleash personal attacks on each other.
