Identification threads  

Personally..
I think the best policy is to ignore anything that bothers you, but that said it's sometimes easy to forget that people are newcomers, probably haven't bothered to read the posting guide and probably won't revisit.
The posts on threads several years old indicate that.
I don't know if Patrick & Alix take potentially unkind sounding comments aimed at newcomers personally, I should imagine they have a sense of some sort of community like the regular posters do?
I've always thought a good way forward is a contribution to the site for a poitive ID, especially when it's for commercial purposes, but it's a difficult thing to police.

It's the internet...
Of course interactions are different. But it goes both ways. I rather doubt anyone would ask an appraiser or dealer for a free drive by valuation in person. Or here's a better example...
Would anyone stroll into their nearest financial or realtor's office expecting free investment consultation?
That said, some ID requests are very earnest and even interesting at times. But most are selfish... cheap gleaning and advertising. And more frustrating, most could be avoided by a quick Google search.

glassartist
glassartist, I dont think its a matter of people here opposing ID threads for some philosophical reason, It's really just a case of people here not really knowing anything.
With the exception of maybe 2-3 posters who actually know what theyre talking about, most here are full of shit and are equally as useful as a simple google search. You can always spot them in ID threads, theyre usually the first to respond with some smartass comment.

So true, virtueaudio. http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/th...
http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/th...
http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/th...
http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/th...
etc...

Atleast I admit im slagging...
Atleast I admit im slagging off on here.
Dealing with people like you, who know as much as I do but wont admit it, is worth it for the chance to learn something from the few that do. I'm serious, there are literally 3 people on here who know what theyre talking about.

Virtueaudio
The first link fastforward put up is a good example of what I am trying in my incompetent way to express. The PBS thing is clever and funny on it's own, but to me comes off as mean in the context of an ID thread. Also the issue of who knows what has nothing to do with my OP. Feel free to ignore what may just be over sensitivity on my part.

virtueaudio
You're the most pointless poster to come along since the Ark showed up, although that niceguy seems to be a nice guy. You should probably think about posting less, or maybe never.

I would normally agree with...
I would normally agree with your comment about meeting people for the first time. Where I differentiate, is that they care nothing about this site or design outside their immediate need (ID this, how much, where to sell). It's analogous to locals being annoyed of tourist repeatedly asking for directions...while signs point to intended destination.
To repeat what has already been made clear by various DA's, there's nothing wrong with commerce. Specifically speaking about the forum, it's the fact that commerce has overshadowed design.

Hello
I'm a noob here but if I could make a suggestion (at least to posting). Perhaps when a new member signs up to use the forum they are asked (or required) to introduce themselves to the forum before they ask a question. It might help weed out the pure valuation threads from people that appreciate design and are here to benefit from the wealth of knowledge that everyone has to share.

Hello everyone,
We are...
Hello everyone,
We are aware of the potential problem caused by ID threads since a long time.
We are not opposed in principle to these requests for identification, as these are sometimes the opportunity to discover amazing items and thus enrich the knowledge of everyone, even the most knowledgeable among us.
We asked quite a while ago to our web developer to create a separate section for these threads as well as other improvements that will allow to better organize the huge content of this forum.
Unfortunately, he is behind schedule with his work. He recently completed an urgent improvement on the Radar (search engine, etc..) and as soon as he is back from holidays at the end of this month, he should finally work on the forum.
Thank you for your patience. Believe us, we read all your comments and we want to include your views and suggestions.
Achieving changes unfortunately often takes more time than we would expect because we are dependent on external suppliers.

P an A
Sorry. I had no intention on laying this at your feet. I thought maybe it was possible for members to stop demeaning ID posters. It is certainly not your fault in any way.