Candidate FAQ or Sticky topic topics

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I've noticed that there are a bunch of topics that come up over and over. The FAQ is really a technical FAQ not a bird FAQ. The only one of the bunch that really has a sticky topic for it, is the basic Taming question. I wonder if it would be worth either finding and promoting to sticky status relevant threads or starting a sticky thread on the following topics:

* How to convert a bird to a pellet diet

* What makes for a good pellet/diet?

* My bird won't play with toys

* When should I take my bird to the vet?

* What size cage does my bird need?

I'm sure there are others. I'm often too lazy to look up the earlier threads, others are better citizens than I am about that... but I will refer to a sticky if it is there.

Thoughts anyone?

[Michael]

Just so you know there are two levels of "recursive" topics, stickies and announcements. We don't use announcements for announcing things but instead as separated permanent references. If you refer to the parrot species section for instance, you will notice that the Budgerigar and Senegal FAQs are announcements. The Poicephalus Owner Survey is a sticky. It sticks on top of the other discussions. There is no absolute rule on this but generally I treated long informative articles/faqs as announcements and highly popular discussions as stickys. The announcements are more so meant to be read whereas stickies are meant for participation. In both cases we try to limit it so it is not overwhelming and so that it continues to be relevant to new members joining.

Now as for your FAQ suggestions, I have at one point considered making (with help) the most comprehensive parrot FAQ on the net. I originally only tried to get moderators involved but it never happened so I suppose I might as well post the request to here.

Ok, I'm looking for a volunteer to put together a new complete FAQ of theparrotforum features, etiquette, and common problems. Basically the FAQ should be two parts:

1) Forum-wide issues like avatars, embedding youtube, fonts, links, images, rules, etiquette, etc.
2) Common parrot questions/problems

The FAQ doesn't have to answer all questions in detail and can link to the sources of the answers. But it should provide the minimal answer with link to the detailed source. As we get more and more members and they are unfamiliar with older discussions or forum basics, I'm hoping to have a unified FAQ that answers all that and replace the generic FAQ in the top navigation menu with our own forum specific one. So who will volunteer to put this together?

Here are some FAQ questions to help you get started:

1) Common Forum Questions

How do I join the forum?
I am having trouble joining, what can I do? (check spam box for activation, etc)
I can't post anything or see members details. (need to log in or register first)
What are the forum rules?
Why does it say parakeet under my name? (talk about rank system)
How do I put an image in my post? (talk about attaching, photobucket type linking, size recommendations)
How do I put a link in my post?
Can I embed a youtube video?
How to use private message system?
How do I edit my profile?
How do I make a signature?
What kinds of signatures are recommended? (basically that we don't like signatures that are bigger than the post or really heavy)
What kind of images are recommended for avatars? (you + parrot)
How do I upload my avatar?
It says my avatar file size is too big, how do I shrink it to fit?
What values does the parrot forum community uphold? (basically place to talk about etiquette)
Where do you draw the line between an honest link and spam? (long term members can post links but don't like someone coming and posting links to themselves off the bat)

2) Common Parrot Questions

What kinds of parrots are there? (explain types, link to species list)
How much does a parrot cost?
What is the difference between a parakeet and a parrot?
Do all parrots talk?
Is a parrot right for me?
Should I buy a parrot as a gift?
What kind of parrot should I get?
Should I get a parrot at a store or from a breeder? (Present pros/cons of each)
What are good reasons to buy a parrot? (seeking this kind of companion, want to spend time, etc)
What are bad reasons to buy a parrot? (gift, temporary, available, cheap, someone offering for free)
Do I need to buy two parrots together as a pair?
What kinds of parrot toys should I get?
What do parrots eat?
Should I feed seeds or pellets?
What kind of cage should I buy?
How do I get my parrot out of the cage?
Why does my parrot try to bite me?
How can I teach my parrot not to bite?
How do I teach my parrot to step up?
What kinds of tricks can I teach my parrot?
How do I find out how to train tricks? (http://trainedparrot.com)
How can I get my parrot to stop screaming?
Should I use a water dish or bottle?
What kinds of things are toxic/poisonous to parrots?
Can I breed parrots myself? (basically discourage

Well that's all I can think of for now but a quick browse through some of the forum topics I'm sure will yield many more. Even if you cannot write the FAQ, if you'd like to propose some more questions to the list or contribute answers to some of them, feel free to reply here. This needs to get done but I'm pretty busy managing the forum and preparing the blog. In just a few weeks I'll be even more busy with the new parrot so I really hope I can find one of you guys to write this up. If not, I'll have to open it to the general membership to write but honestly I'd prefer it be written by one of our long standing members so I ask here first. So who's gonna be the one to write the (probably) most popular post on the entire forum? We'll probably all end up editing/contributing to it over time, but who will set the foundation of the most complete parrot FAQ on the internet???

I can contribute to this but I really don't have the time now to write or lead this project. If someone wants to step up and organize it, I'm all for replacing the forum FAQ with a custom one.

Back to the original post, we can have expanded announcements/sticky discussions pertaining to the aforementioned topics pending sufficient interest and of course that someone volunteers to write/start them. For an "announcement" type post, it's ok for multiple people to contribute extensive information to make a bigger article such as the Senegal FAQ. If anyone believes a post/topic they wrote/started deserves announcement/sticky status, you should PM me about it and the reasons you believe this. Generally the more substantial/accurate the post, the better the chance it will "stick"

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I'd be willing to help with a FAQ or similar, although I guess ideally you'd want several eyes on such a thing before it went up on the site.

[mrstweet]

I would be willing to edit or proofread; I would also like to suggest an addition: rescue birds and what it takes to own them and/or retrain them.