quote:

ORIGINAL: njlauren

Expertise in anything is always a relative term, even in a court of law you can have competing experts saying two different things about something in a court case. Plus there are levels of expertise, someone might be an expert at basic rope bondage but a rank amateur at suspension bondage, you get the idea. The way I judge expertise is multi faceted, one of the first things I look for in someone claiming expertise is when they tell me what the limits of that expertise are. If someone tells me they are an expert in something and know all about it, I am a lot more dubious then someone who tells me the experience they have had and says what they don't know, because as Dirty Harry said, man has to know his limits:). Secondly, if they can talk about plainly and cleanly to someone like myself who may not have done it, that is a good sign. Time also is a factor, a young person could very well be an expert on Shibari if they have been intensely doing it for several years, and there are plenty of 'older' experts my age or older I consider to be posers,but someone who I know has been active, who has played with a lot of people, is going to be a lot more credible then some guy on the internet claiming expertise.....and the final key rule is I filter what they are saying through my bullshit detector, and see if it notices anything odd in what the person is saying.

As far as the Old Guard leather protocols and such, a young person could claim expertise in that, though it is likely they were not taught by someone who was 'there' (it is possible, of course, but probably not likely), while there are leather communities out there maintaining the old guard protocols (which is kind of a misnomer in of itself, because there were a variety of leather protocols even back then,and that continues on to those doing it today IME).

One other thing, there is this idea out there that someone can only be an expert in 1 or maybe a handful of things, and that is hogwash, in the BD/SM community, as in life, there are true polymaths, who know a lot about a lot of things. In the BD/SM world I have met people like that, was fortunate to be mentored/friends with some, and it is possible to know a lot about a lot of different things. The interesting part is most of the people I am talking about, to whom BD/SM is really a lifestyle, is as much as they know, they constantly not just teach workshops, but attend them as well, because there is something always knew to learn, one person who mentored me is well known nationally and internationally in BD/SM circles, has taught more classes and workshops in a variety of topics, yet is always going to things herself, and she loves to go to beginners classes, because she said she often finds new approaches to things in there,especially when newbies ask questions about something they thought of......

quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyPact

Fast reply......

This thread has now left Me with the ridiculous image of tops everywhere starting a time clock at the beginning of every scene so they can get an exact amount of time in hours, days, months, years, etc that they've spent engaging in BDSM.

quote:

ORIGINAL: AWingedGuardian

quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyPact

Fast reply......

This thread has now left Me with the ridiculous image of tops everywhere starting a time clock at the beginning of every scene so they can get an exact amount of time in hours, days, months, years, etc that they've spent engaging in BDSM.

Well don't you know? They have an App for that. After all, nothing is more satisfactory than a sense of validation -- with proof no less! Hah! Though you're right, this imagery couldn't help but make me chuckle.

quote:

ORIGINAL: goodgirlmary

quote:

ORIGINAL: AWingedGuardian

quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyPact

Fast reply......

This thread has now left Me with the ridiculous image of tops everywhere starting a time clock at the beginning of every scene so they can get an exact amount of time in hours, days, months, years, etc that they've spent engaging in BDSM.

Well don't you know? They have an App for that. After all, nothing is more satisfactory than a sense of validation -- with proof no less! Hah! Though you're right, this imagery couldn't help but make me chuckle.

Ooh thank god.When I hit my hourly quota, I dont want to miss the chance to post about it. Hope its android friendly

quote:

ORIGINAL: DaddySatyr

Ya know, This thread made me go back and look at my profile and there are some things on there that are just No-Brainers.

Newspapers: Either you read newspapers or you don't. If you read them often and proficiently, what's wrong with "expert"?

Comedy Shows: Performing or watching/listening? I took it to mean going to them to watch/listen so, I'm expert at that, also.

There's a bunch of them ...

I've been divorced for 18 years. I lived on my own for 5 years before I was married. I'm pretty "expert" at housework.

I'm guessing the main idea of the thread is about lifestyle issues. Well, I think there are some activities that might be unbalance, dependent upon which side of the kneel one is on. I consider myself expert at mental bondage but, to be fair, I certainly have an easier time of it than my partners.

If the main thrust of the thread is lifestyle stuff, I guess I get the point but after looking through the list, again ...

I mean, come on, if you've been to or watched 50 movies, aren't you expert at "taking in a movie"?



Peace and comfort,



Michael

quote:

ORIGINAL: AWingedGuardian

Ah yes, expertise in mindless drivel has become one of my specialties. Much like trivia. Or spelling corrections. Or math above Calculus II.

I am not quite sure where I was going with that one. Such as it was, it leads me to reveal my true expertise: Tangenting.

quote:

ORIGINAL: ResidentSadist

It's a damn good thing I don't have 30 years experience . . . I have 41. And no BDSM in our sleep? Seriously? Then what do you call sleeping with them tied, chained, cuffed, blindfolded or caged . . . is that vanilla?

<in my best Foghorn Leghorn voice>
Listen here sonny, I get more BDSM experience in my sleep than you can ever imagine. I'll have you know I am BDSM while I sleep, M/s when I wake and sadist when aroused . . . and sometimes I get aroused in my sleep sonny! So stop talkin' all that foolishness, you just make yourself look silly every time you post like that and show us how little you know. I think it's time you stop teachin' boy and do some learnin'. In the meantime, I'm gonna put you back on ignore 'till you grows up some and start speaking things worth hearing.
</end of voice>

Speaking of BDSM in your sleep, a while ago I posted that info about the remote control padlock so us lazy Doms can let you slaves out in the morning to make coffee while we do BDSM from our sleepy beds.

Just sayin'

quote:

ORIGINAL: goodgirlmary

quote:

ORIGINAL: AWingedGuardian

Ah yes, expertise in mindless drivel has become one of my specialties. Much like trivia. Or spelling corrections. Or math above Calculus II.

I am not quite sure where I was going with that one. Such as it was, it leads me to reveal my true expertise: Tangenting.

Holy crap!
you are an expert on being an expert.
Mind blown.

quote:

ORIGINAL: goodgirlmary

Some experience, sure,not expertise though