Perhaps, A Better Way

[ancient11]

Perhaps I have the wrong idea entirely, but somehow I don't think so. There has to be a better way to show beginners without endorsing any one product and yet warning them of the bad ones. It also has to be separated somehow from all the rest of the information.


While I still consider myself the newest of the new, I have been down an expensive learning curve. To say I have over purchased would be the understatement of the year. This board has some people that are really wonderful in how far they will go to help someone else out – but even with that, it is really confusing to learn about E cigarettes.


You start out thinking that you will just buy a small Ecig, then you learn about constantly having to buy Cartomizers, then extra batteries, then Chargers – snicker. Then you learn those small batteries don't last long, so you go for the next larger size and all of a sudden you realize, you should have bought something bigger. Snicker – is this sounding familiar?


We have Steel Jen, Grimm Green and others making videos and yet no one making a video saying "welcome to the wonderful world of E cigarettes – let me explain the basics to you"!

I am now the proud owner of four mods that I will probably hardly ever use, plus battery and Chargers. All of these are great mods but they are really not for me. I am still stumbling when it comes to E juice and especially the suppliers.


Perhaps someone could convince Steel Jen or Grimm Green to make the most basic video there is! I know Grimm Green has two that touch on the very beginning but not really in the depth that it needs to be and a sticky pointing toward the videos here.

 

[dchest02]

I agree, I spent a lot of money in the beginning trying to find my sweet spot without knowing what the heck I was doing. Luckily I have a local vape shop that led me in the right direction from the beginning.

 

[minitater]

Good idea! Although all this information is strewn here and there on the various FAQ's, it is
unreasonable to expect most to wade through this heap just to get educated. We are all guilty of
asking rather than researching... at least I am. A basic 101 video would be a great tool and it would be easy
to link to from anywhere on this forum.

 

[StratCat]

Whew, I guess I am not alone after all....

 

[andyman97]

You make an interesting proposition. My videos don't have anywhere close to the reach that grim or jen's do, but I could definitely make a video that shows different models, threads, etc. I'll put that on my list of videos to make...if it helps at least one person out, I figure it is worth my time.

 

[sailorman]

There IS basic info out there. You just need to find it. Problem is that most of us are eager to get started with something and we don't spend enough time before we make our first purchase, which always seems reasonably priced. That is, until we start adding up all the extras.

In my case I was lucky. I was referred by a coffee-bean sellers website to a page with basic generic info on e-cigs. I wish I still had the link. It wasn't all encompassing, but there was enough info there that I avoided common traps and ended up starting with a 510 kit that was good enough to instantly end my 35 year 3PAD habit. It was a couple months before I found this place and learned enough to intelligently upgrade. Even with the advantage of a good intro, I still made a lot of worthless purchases at first. It's an unavoidable learning curve. So, there is info out there. The problem is for someone to find it before they get taken in by the sales sites disguised as info or review sites.

That said, it's impossible to make a definitive guide for everyone. How many members have honestly read every one of the stickies at the top of this section before they made their first purchase? I didn't.

The problem is that most people go into it before they're aware of the options and complexities that might be involved. It's truly a case of "what you don't know you don't know". Most people get intimidated by the avalanche of info they think they have to wade through. So they just jump in and hope for the best. It's human nature.

Look how many members discover ECF only after they've gotten their first kit. Many people don't have a local shop with a patient and honest tutor. Making the right choice right off the bat is a very personalized thing. That's something it takes a while to realize. You could offer personalized coaching for the e-cig newbie and probably no one would avail themselves of it before they already started and learned that it's not as simple as picking up a Blu at Walgreens.

Juice is a whole 'nother issue. Might as well have a guide on the best BBQ. That's something far too subjective for any but the most rudimentary advice to have any value. You're going to be pretty much on your own with juice, no matter what anybody tells you.

 

[TomCatt]

Don put this together quite a while ago; but it is still very relevant:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ping-illustrated-guide-e-cigs-part-1-6-a.html

This is located in the ECF-Library - The ECF Library

 

[ancient11]

Good idea! Although all this information is strewn here and there on the various FAQ's, it is
unreasonable to expect most to wade through this heap just to get educated. We are all guilty of
asking rather than researching... at least I am. A basic 101 video would be a great tool and it would be easy
to link to from anywhere on this forum.

I will agree that it is all here-well more scattered than not – smile. But there is nothing that is – Step – one, Step – 2 and nothing that is really compiled in such a fashion that makes any sense -well – not to an old goat that is no longer the sharpest tack in the box anyway – smile.

With all the trials and tribulations of upcoming events – our politicians – we really need to band together and stand together. I feel our first responsibility is to the newcomers and trying to save them from going down the road we came.

 

[TomCatt]

There is also the ECF Infopages ECF Forum

 

[sailorman]

Mabye instead of a 5 post requirement, new members should have to read a page or two of basic info and pass a quiz.

 

[Mud Stuffin]

Probably the best source of info regarding PV types can be found here: E-Cigarette Reviews

One thing to remember is that, while the reviews are mostly objective, each reviewer has his/her own expectations from a PV. You may not like all of the features and you may not find certain things to be problematic. To put it simply, you need to do your own analysis of the facts presented and make an informed decision on what may be the best PV for YOU. Because there are so many PV variants (analog types, eGo types, Leo types, mods, etc.), it would be impossible to do a comparison review of everything out there.

Sailorman also has presented a very valid point. Most new vapers only discover ECF after they've made their first purchase. If only the URL for this site could be provided on the packaging for - yes, sailorman, I'm going to use that awful term - ecigs so that people can be directed here first. Would make things easier for the new vaper, but would wreak havoc on ecig manufacturers...

 

[sailorman]

HaHa. We're among friends here. You can use that odious term.

I seriously doubt any of the e-cig manufacturers that sell e-cigs through normal retail channels would ever want people to come here first.
The newbie's lack of information is their bread and butter.
OTOH, e-cig stores might be a bit more receptive to that idea, but they would have the worry of being undercut by all the online vendors to be found here.

So, it would take a law to implement your idea. That ain't happening either, for a variety of reason, not the least of which is that the gov't doesn't want people to have info that runs contrary to their propaganda campign.

 

[ancient11]

Don put this together quite a while ago; but it is still very relevant:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ping-illustrated-guide-e-cigs-part-1-6-a.html

This is located in the ECF-Library - The ECF Library

Yes, I saw this before I made my first purchase I did a lot of reading before jumping in but the more i read, the more confused i got – there-in is the problem. it also makes more sense now that i have more experience. A video is something that the mind will accept and it will do it in a chronological order. I am not saying that i am correct, i am just saying it might be easier on most.

 

[ctourtelot]

There actually have been some ecig basic videos out there. Someone had done a series of them, though I have no idea what the links are. The problem is that they are no longer relevant as the technology continues to change. The ECF Library link posted about talks about the 2 basic and most used threading options and how they work. Everything beyond that is personal needs and preferences.

This is why when someone new posts for suggestions, they get 100 completely different responses.

We discussed in another thread about setting up some sort of mentor program on the forum where new people could sign up for 1 on 1 help sessions with a vet to get them going. Unfortunately, as it has been pointed out, most people find this forum AFTER they've already made their initial purchase(s).

I'd still be more than willing to volunteer for a mentoring program. I worked in a retail ecig store for more than a year and have plenty of experience helping new vapers find what works for them.

 

[ancient11]

Hmmmmm,perhaps I am wrong – smile.

 

[Cheechako]

Mabye instead of a 5 post requirement, new members should have to read a page or two of basic info and pass a quiz.

This cracked me up as I read tons and tons of the stickies and haunted the forums soaking up info so that I could zero in on questions not already asked...
I'll chalk it up to new folks being very excited about vaping and what it has to offer when the first questions are what's the best e-cig, juice, carto, tank, ect.
I'm a newbie and I imagine it must crack the Vets up
And yes, I got ripped off at the Mall Kiosk because of lack of due diligence.

 

[sailorman]

...
We discussed in another thread about setting up some sort of mentor program on the forum where new people could sign up for 1 on 1 help sessions with a vet to get them going. Unfortunately, as it has been pointed out, most people find this forum AFTER they've already made their initial purchase(s).

I'd still be more than willing to volunteer for a mentoring program. I worked in a retail ecig store for more than a year and have plenty of experience helping new vapers find what works for them.

I'd be willing to mentor as well. But I agree that most people would not understand the need for it until it was too late. Buy the time they learned enough to figure out they should have learned more before they made that first purchase.....By that time, their in the realm of subjective opinon. Hopefully, by then they know enough to ask pertinent questions and personalize their "upgrade" in an intelligent manner.

A mentoring system is a good idea. Problem is the only people who will see the value are the people for which it's mostly too late to do much good.

 

[sailorman]

This cracked me up as I read tons and tons of the stickies and haunted the forums soaking up info so that I could zero in on questions not already asked...
I'll chalk it up to new folks being very excited about vaping and what it has to offer when the first questions are what's the best e-cig, juice, carto, tank, ect.
I'm a newbie and I imagine it must crack the Vets up
And yes, I got ripped off at the Mall Kiosk because of lack of due diligence.

Yep. Excitement and eagerness has cost newbs untold amounts of cash. But how could it be any other way?
You almost have to be into it already before it occurs to you that all ecigs aren't the same and that there are any questions to ask in the first place.

Heck, with analogs, the only questions are, how much it costs, is it menthol and where's the lighter. People aren't used to asking questions and learning how to use a cigarette. (Which, IMO, is another reason to call 'em vaporizers. No one assumes they already know enough about vaporizers to make a smart buy)

Learning itself is part of the learning curve. As Rummy would say, "there are knowns, there are unknowns, and there are unknown unknowns." It's the unknown unknowns that get you. It ain't what you don't know. It's what you don't know you don't know.

 

[KaitLynnHt]

There is either not enough information, or too much information. While I agree with others that there is a wealth of information out there (most of it being here on ECF) there is a thing as too much information. It gets very confusing very fast and you don't know where to start. A basic 101 video that summarizes the fundamental "what you absolutely need to know" would be very helpful to start with. The idea of a mentor program sounds even better.

Being on a VERY tight budget, I absolutely had to make the very best choice for me that I could the FIRST time. I can't afford too much trial and error. Hours of scouring the internet brought me here, an almost half a day of digging through the forums, reviews, videos and infopages simply confused me. I knew then what I was looking for, but at the end of the day, I still ended up having the members here hold my hand through the entire process.

 

[ctourtelot]

HaHa. We're among friends here. You can use that odious term.

I seriously doubt any of the e-cig manufacturers that sell e-cigs through normal retail channels would ever want people to come here first.
The newbie's lack of information is their bread and butter.
OTOH, e-cig stores might be a bit more receptive to that idea, but they would have the worry of being undercut by all the online vendors to be found here.

So, it would take a law to implement your idea. That ain't happening either, for a variety of reason, not the least of which is that the gov't doesn't want people to have info that runs contrary to their propaganda campign.

When I first started at the store I was in there were only 2 options, a mini and a super mini 3pc sets. Eventually we expanded the line and they've expanded even more since I worked there.

In the beginning, however, there were quite a few occasions where what we had just wasn't going to cut it for some people and I would recommend online vendors that had more options. Now some would say that I was shooting myself in the foot by doing that, but the way I see it is that if I help this person find what works, they'll tell 20 people to come see me (the majority of our business was word of mouth).

On the other hand, I could have gone ahead and sold them the unit and taken the cash. I feel that if I'd have done that, they would have decided that ecigs sucked and told 20 people not to try them hurting not only the store I worked at, but the industry as a whole.