If you tire of answering the same question repeatedly then
don't. Don't say anything at all. There are other helpful people out
there. This is what people are suppose to do, help each other. The
world sure would be a much better place if people helped each other in
any aspect of life.

I just thought this point should also be made. Have a great day
everyone
Catdoodler

You know, this is sort of funny. Among others here, I was one of the
people who was here when this newsgroup was STARTED, when the votes
were taken in the beading newsgroup where we used to talk about the
medium, and when "polymer clay" was still only a SUGGESTION for the
generic name of the stuff we all have so much fun with.

Everybody was helpful. Nobody was demanding with some kind of sense of
entitlement. If you came up with a new technique, you shared it,
because everybody got so excited and came up with new ways to enhance
it. It was all new, it was all exciting. But then things started to go
downhill.

Newbies came in who had no idea of the culture of the group, who
somehow believed that the founders of techniques who worked hard to
come up with something new because they try to do this for a living,
OWED them detailed explanations, over and over. Some patient souls
tried to comply, including me for a long time.

I once wrote an article for a magazine reporting on one of the big
events -- I described a new technique taught by another artist
(assuming wrongly that the magazine would contact her for
authorization -- we all make mistakes) and she was extremely upset. In
the end, I don't think she lost any students, the technique is one you
learn best by seeing done, but it was a very bad experience. People
who couldn't attend the events started harrassing those who spent a
ton of money to go to give (for free) everything they learned. Then
the newsgroup started being a coffee-klatch where people simply made
inane compliments (NEVER, god forbid, constructive criticism, even
when it was desperately needed) and talked about their children and
pets. So I went away, as you suggested. (I only drift in occasionally,
even now.)

All of this is, in my opinion, why the moderated groups got started
and why this one is a ghost town. Unfortunately (again, in my opinion)
the moderated groups are also now *too* warm and fuzzy at the expense
of actually being useful, and talk way too much about unrelated
things. (What ever happened to using e-mail for the friendly side
chats? Why do people feel the need to POST "Wow, that was beautiful!",
especially when it frankly was an adequate but amateurish first try?
Why is it better to lie to make somebody feel good than to honestly
tell them how they might improve to BE good? Obviously not people who
attended a serious art school, where the critiques would send them
into a coma!)

Well, thankfully polymer clay has come far enough that the development
of new techniques no longer is quite so dependant on newsgroups. I
fear no new "Skinner blend" techniques (named within this group, by
the way, for the person who taught it so selflessly, much to the
chagrin of some co-discoverers who wanted to keep it for themselves)
will be happening.

And just so you know, I can tell by who posts that most of the
"elders" of the polymer clay community (in the sense of years of
knowledge and experience) do exactly as you say -- they don't comment
at all. BECAUSE of the atmosphere among other reasons.

There are lots of sources from which to learn techniques without even
asking somebody to type to you -- I again mention Polymer Clay Central
and Glass Attic. ( www.polymerclaycentral.com has links to many sites,
a Google search will give more.) Then there are books, to buy or
borrow from you library. If people can't be bothered to do a little
research, why should other people bother to make a special effort to
answer on demand, when they could instead be actually working with the
clay?

(By the way, I have nothing against Newbies in any context EXCEPT when
they fail to try to figure out what's going on BEFORE they start
making waves. And I have nothing personal to contribute on the
specific egg question because I seldom do eggs OR canes -- not my
techniques of choice. Sarajane and some others, however, DO have a lot
to say, and I definitely suggest looking at her book/s, even if you
spend an hour in Barnes & Noble withOUT buying.)

Best of luck

Sherry Bailey