I ain't no expert

[foggysail]

I believe there are many experts who post in these forums. Sure, not experts in all fields but certainly experts in various areas determined by their educational studies, profession and actual experience in particular topics.

Nobody at least in a public forum needs anointment by an overseer.

Foggy

[foggysail]

DON---- PLEASE!!!! GO BACK TO ANCHORS!!!!

[GordMay]

Known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect*, it’s been suggested that: “the less you know, the more you think you know”, and conversely.

People tend to hold overly favourable views of their abilities in many social and intellectual domains. The authors suggest that this overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it. Across 4 studies, the authors found that participants scoring in the bottom quartile on tests of humour, grammar, and logic grossly overestimated their test performance and ability. Although their test scores put them in the 12th percentile, they estimated themselves to be in the 62nd. Several analyses linked this miscalibration to deficits in metacognitive skill, or the capacity to distinguish accuracy from error.

Paradoxically, improving the skills of participants, and thus increasing their metacognitive competence, helped them recognize the limitations of their abilities. A sign of an intelligent person is knowing there are things you don’t know; but a sign of an even more intelligent person may be knowing there are things that you don’t know you don’t know.

* "Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments".
➥ http://www.psoriasissociety.ttsg.org...r%20Effect.pdf

"As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it." ~ ALBERT EINSTEIN

[Nikolina]

I was wrong once, but that was when I thought I was wrong, does that mean I'm not an expert anymore?

[boatman61]

Gord... how could you....
I've started to doubt my 'Expertese'...

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by foggysail

DON---- PLEASE!!!! GO BACK TO ANCHORS!!!!

since anchors have been mentioned a couple of times; the only thing I think I really know about anchors is that there are different makes, sizes, and materials

the rest is all all hope, prayers, and voodoo

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

I recently let myself get in too deep in a thread yesterday. I wish to make it clear, I ain't no expert! And I mean I'm not an expert in anything or any topic!

I'm just someone with a boat who went down the normal learning curve. Have no special training, haven't read a bunch of technical books, haven't crossed the ocean 6 times in a storm, only been sailing 5 years, etc etc.

I have a whole thread admitting this if you search for it.

I'm just someone with my own opinions and beliefs formed from my own experiences and either reinforced or dispelled by things I read on places like Cruisers Forum. I may be correct and then I may be wrong. I may toe the line of the group position or I may believe it is just outdated crap. I don't accept the "everybody knows that" type of things as given true boat facts.

I'm sure most people understand this about me, but I suddenly feel the need to protect a few from me! So please beware.

There are a few CF people that I believe are pretty good experts in a given topic., but I could even be wrong about this. But I don't feel there are as many as you may believe and a lot of "experts" will try to trick you with a long technical posting that they just read somewhere else.

So for any other "non-experts" here that feel like outing yourself feel free to post as such.

I usually like your down to earth and/or funny opinions. There really are no experts, too many variables that apply to each person and situation specifically. Just opinions developed thru experience. Gleaning the things to investigate further yourself is what's important on a forum like this.

[Rocketman]

Don I have always enjoyed reading your posts, and you have been helpful to me personally, so Thank you.

Now, to your topic, there are a lot of us here that seem to do nothing all day but read and reply to people on the CF. Maybe it is there goal in life to contrubute to something before they die, who knows. When I see that someone who has thousands of posts, it makes me wonder, when do they do anything, but post on CF. Do they actually sail, eat, or sleep?
I do see your point however, there are times when subtle humor is used to make a point that may be taken as fact by a person who is trying to learn. Hopefully they will not take such information and use it to harm themselfs.

[Kettlewell]

The real "experts" are the anonymous posters pointing out why I am wrong.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Rocketman

Don I have always enjoyed reading your posts, and you have been helpful to me personally, so Thank you.

Now, to your topic, there are a lot of us here that seem to do nothing all day but read and reply to people on the CF. Maybe it is there goal in life to contrubute to something before they die, who knows. When I see that someone who has thousands of posts, it makes me wonder, when do they do anything, but post on CF. Do they actually sail, eat, or sleep?
I do see your point however, there are times when subtle humor is used to make a point that may be taken as fact by a person who is trying to learn. Hopefully they will not take such information and use it to harm themselfs.

Yeah, I'm guilty as charged. But 7000 posts in 7 years is less than 3 a day.... it adds up I guess!

[Wavewacker]

I thought an expert was someone more than fifty miles away from home. Don, I'd consider you an expert having more experience than I, your avatar screams expertise.....

You all need to allow us newbies not to feel stupid, asking questions of those with no knowledge or expierence seems pretty stupid to me, so please, allow me to live my fantasies....

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Rocketman

When I see that someone who has thousands of posts, it makes me wonder, when do they do anything, but post on CF. Do they actually sail, eat, or sleep?

I too wonder that. Trust me I really do .

Oh look, another post for my collection .

[rubberfish]

I defiantly ain't no expert.
I don't even own my own frickin' boat yet.
So don't believe nothing that comes out of my mouth.

[Pelagic]

Don, you have given me great advice in the past, but never thought of you as an expert.
To put not too fine a point on it… the only people I consider ‘real’ experts are those whose special knowledge or abilities, make them envied by their self-proclaimed peers in certain profession of disinformation.

Some are ‘real’ experts at being:
Conmen and Thieves
Sales person and Marketers
Dreamers and Complainers
Political and Religious Leaders

For the rest of us mere mortals, we work hard at our chosen craft, make lots of mistakes and hope to keep learning from all the good people around us.

From this Forum, I get much more than I could ever afford to pay for.

Since no money is being exchanged, if we happen to disagree, it should always be with a smile on our faces

[MarkJ]

I must be an expert. I've been round the world. But this morning I was doing one of my least favorite tasks, changing the oil with a hand pump (I can't afford the $95 lickerty-split one from West marine) and I found an easier way! Leave the engine on for half an hour instead of 15 minutes. Get the oil real hot and it comes out easier! I saved 3/4 of the time I normally spend on sucking that crap out.


At school the mantra was you're not learning it unless you write it down. So when an opinon pops out of me (rarely!) I am usually doing it in some learning, or discussing type of way. Or just trying to help out so others don't make the same mistakes I've already made there's a continuing stream of them.

So Don, keep it going! After a while you will know you can never win an argument on an Internet forum no matter how right you are. But sometimes the discussions can help you learn even more.


Mark
PS I think a Manatee farted in my sea strainer