Morning all,

I have been thinking about this idea for a little while and on reading the "To Many Topics" thread i put it into a post in there, but i think that it might not be the right place for it to be as if it is discussed then it will divert the main idea of that thread, so i thought it might be a better idea to give it its own thread (yes i see the irony )

so this is my idea...

i think the "Entheogenic University" needs an entry exam.

it obviously doesnt need to be anything to hard, and im not trying to suggest that we become an elitest forum, but if it was to have questions which were answerable by simply reading through a couple of sections of the forum(FAQ/WIKI) then we would eliminate many commonly repeated questions.

i would suggest that we allow the posting of an introduction essay and then further posting is dependant on taking a short (30min/20 question) multiple choice test on the most common questions that have popped up in the "for FAQs sake" thread.

I think that if someone is going to be a productive contributing member, or an interested anonimous member, they wont mind, or may even enjoy, a quick test on the subject of this forum, i know i would have been more than happy to have spent a little time on something like this.

its quite clear that even though people are asked to read the FAQ/WIKI that many dont, i understand that some people want questions answered quick sharp but i personally feel that there is very little connected to the Nexus that needs answering that quickly.

If someone has an urgent question then there is always the chat section.

I think that the system of flower pot/newbie posting restrictions is a good one and feel that the completion of a quick exam would just be another way to show your commitment to learning about the things that we all hold so dear.

im not talking about advanced chemistry questions that require endless study, just simple things such as.....



Q1- what PH is reached in the acidification stage of an A/B extraction

A1- ph 1
A2- ph 4
A3- ph 7
A4- ph 10

Q2- what is the recommended amount of naptha to use, per pull, for 50g MHRB STB extraction

A1- 10ml
A2- 50ml
A3- 100ml
A4- 200ml



i feel that this would be a good way to keep the boards clean and would make the Nexus a better resource for everyone.

ok, so shoot me down for being a fool if you think its a bad idea, but i think it might not be and it could be helpfull to lots of new comers.

cheers

^^^^ it's a great idea

but I wouldn't want to be Travs' coding fingers on that one...

im not really sure how it would work on a technical basis, i thought there might be some kind of online survey type site that could be used that would do most of the work and that all that would be needed would be the imputting of Q&A's.

Its just an idea i wanted to get out there really to guage peoples opinions

We've been contemplating something like this for a while. There's a good possibility that when the Nexus gets a major facelift, something along these lines will be implemented. More details will come in the future

Maybe "music that you listen to on DMT" needs to be added to the FAQ too then?

always 2 steps ahead, that'll be the pineals

Maybe a system of quizzes and badges as you 'clear' each section could be useful; they could be displayed under your name for instance. since, as a noob, I am not looking to do extractions yet (would fail that section right now prob), but am quite a bit more interested in Aya and could prob pass that subject more easily.

The badges could also let others know what someone's strengths are- chemists, docs, artists, botanists, shaman status if you really have it all covered.

Just a thought

Hmmm, and for those who know how to extract DMT just fine, have been doing it for years, using STB instead of A/B, without pH testing, without measuring amounts of nahptha, etc (how about a test for the CORRECT spelling of the term nahptha and others, LOL!)?

Don't want to be elitist? Then keep the format the way it is - allow folks to express themselves in the best way they can using the format of an Introduction Essay and First Steps in Hyperspace (+ other Welcome Area subfora).

For so long folks have fought here at Nexus in a blatant and a subtle manner to try to keep the riffraff out of their perceived neighborhood. Any legit neighborhood is going to be very diverse, including some ignorants and some riffraff. I believe Traveler controls nicely for this with the Welcome Area and by doing it this way helps to welcome diverse minds into the fold with gentle and subtle education rather than alienating via blatant testing, we are better/smarter than you, you're not worthy, etc. standards . . . .

Irony is...naphtha. <3

Simply put, our neighborhood is changing and its putting a burden on a great number of people who have made significant contributions to this place. While I can understand why people may object, I would rather be perceived as an elitist forum (as we're already viewed by a number of people) than lose the members or the engagement of the members that went great lengths to make this place what it is.

Any "testing" would not be designed to instill feelings of "we are better than you" or "you are not worthy" or other such sentiments, but rather, to ensure that people are taking the time to appropriately engage with the material presented before jumping in.

Pandora, you either have the wrong end of the stick, or you havent taken my words in the way they were meant.



oh the irony !

I like the idea of some kind of exam, particularly if it was broken into parts. Some will maybe not be interested in extracting but moreso in aya as Julz said. Maybe a member comes here for the cactus and fungi info or because they are studying entheogens for academic reasons.

Can i use a calculator?

anyone fluent in google would pass the exam. Good idea but not really worth anything imo.

well this is weird, i had this same exact idea 2 days ago!

i came to the conclusion that its not really necessary with the welcome area and all..but it would be cool to give it a 'test run' and see if it helps/works out good and should be implemented permanently

p.s.
i'm not sure it should contain questions like those examples in the OP..i don't even know the answer to the first one, and i've been here years!..i've just never bothered with measuring PH, or even doing an a/b for that matter. And you'll hear different things from different people in regards to what amount of naph to use for that amount of mhrb. the most important thing if we do this is making sure its a fair test that a lot of people with different backgrounds, who will be a great addition to the forum, can pass

As a new member I like this idea and I would've been perfectly willing to take an 'exam' to belong to this forum. And whether you use stb or a/b or dry teks I believe you should understand the basis/ideas of each. This would eliminate repeated tek related questions from new members.

My $0.02

Like Snozz already pointed out, this has been in the pipeline for some time.

The idea is the following:
* Step 1: The new member is taking the introduction (DMT-Nexus attitude) course
* Step 2: The new member will do the exam.
* Step 3: If passed, the new member will be put on the review list of the moderators to promote the member to full member status.

For a sneak preview take a look at the work in progress: http://learn.dmt-nexus.me

As you can see there will be other courses too, with each completed course you will get a badge/merit in your profile that will show in the forum. This will hopefully motivate people to learn more while at the same time it might be easier to point people at the different courses.

Hey, we did not call it Entheogenic University for nothing.


Kind regards,

The Traveler

This is awesome! Can't wait to see what other courses/exams will be available.

This is a fair point. Perhaps the exams could be coded as such that they can only be taken in full screen mode.

Peace

Macre

I don't think this is such a big deal. As was previously stated, the purpose of the exams is not to exclude people, but rather, to get them to interact with the subject matter (hopefully) in a critical manner.

If people are choosing to use google to find the answers and cut/paste, they are engaging with the subject matter more than they would have otherwise, and I'd imagine at least some of that info would permeate throughout their brains, at least moreso than if they didn't have to seek it out.

Understood this is a good idea.

Peace

Macre

"Cheating" wouldn't be an issue.
Being that the test is a first stage and the welcome area the second.
Attitude/Rules, a quiz that helps familiarize people with the site (ex: Where would you post about...)
And basic knowledge on drugs and psychedelics "what is abuse?" and "general information".