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A newbies guide to doing a proper first post
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Way back in the day when I first got into UE (slightly after the dinosaurs died out and the invention of electricity) there was no internet, no online list of places to explore, no Google Earth, no Google even. The original search engine was my push bike, my feet, the trams, trains and my curiosity. That's how I found drains to explore. Got out there, looked out windows. Thankfully we lived right up the road from the mighty Anzac drain in Melbourne and we used to go explore that. As I got older we found more drains, abandoned buildings and explored them. I was doing Urban Exploration before it was even called Urban Exploration. Heck it was fun! The stuff every urban kid does, exploring stuff.

But it was hard. You don't cover much ground on a push bike. So we networked. This was before email, Facebook, Twitter and so on. We networked by TALKING face to face with people. Yep. face to face, in real life. Yes, I know, I'm old.

Now days people don't search for drains by getting out there on push bikes or catching a bus and looking out windows. They get online and go straigt to a "search engine" and type in something like "explore drains" or "Mycity drain locations" and call that exploring. Then they come here or similar forums and join up and make a first post that goes much like this:

"Hi, my name is KeenExplorer and I want to explore every drain in your city. I want to photograph and preserve these historical locations. Give me all your locations NOW. All your Urbex are belong to us!"

Now all us Urbexers sit there and read that sort of post and think. "Gee, that's only the 200th plus post we've seen like that." And we can't be stuffed posting a reply half the time because we kind of have posted 200+ replies to posts like that. When you are new, there's a period where it is kind of best to watch, read, listen and learn than to ask a pile of questions everyone else has already asked. Go read other posts from new people and you may find they've already asked the same questions you want to ask, so you can learn faster by reading existing replies instead of waiting on us to answer questions we've already answered several times. As you may realise, we get a bit annoyed with replying to the same questions from people too lazy to go read previous posts. Read before you post.

Also, we kind of EARNED the locations we found by getting out there and finding them. So more often than not we'll either not post a reply to a post asking for locations, or will post a polite reply suggesting you share first, or will post a smart-arse reply. Don't take it personally, which I know is easier said than done. Basically; WE'RE NOT DIAL A DRAIN LOCATION.

I myself have experienced this because way back in the day after exploring stuff I joined a UE group and was like "Hi, I'm Keen-As-Mustard and I want to explore day in and day out and TELL ME WHERE YOUR DRAINS ARE AT! And yeah, I was keen as mustard and did go out and explore but I also located a nice list of drains and ended up exploring 60 of them in my first month of being in that group. I suspect my voracious enthusiasm started to piss people off. I mean it was like;
"Come on, lets go exploring, there's still 400 drains I have not been to and I have to collect them ALL!"
"Don't you work?"
"Nup, come on, time's wasting."

It was probably a bit like the Pokemon Go craze of today, exploring for the sake of seeing everything rather than the joy of seeing everything. It was also kind of cheating, because I had a nice list of where to go, rather than spending weeks to find each drain. Mind you, I found a few nice drains and topside stuff too (Labyrinth / Goulburn drain, The Laminator, Jacks Magazine and Orange Split among them).

So that gives you, the Newbie, an idea to the mentality of many established Urban Explorers. We worked hard to find the places we know of. We put in the hard yards. We worked on friendships and relationships, got to trust people and shared locations with those we trust and more often than not we also keep a few of our favorite locations hidden from anyone.

So bear than in mind when you make your first post. Read other peoples first posts and the About UEGA section first.

Typically your first post should include:
  • Who you are, your nick name, city or state, and rough age.
    What you have done, the sort of UE you are into such as drains, rooftops etc and a few locations (use nicknames not exact locations) you have explored.
    Why you like UE / want to get into UE. What is your motivation? Do you do it for the photography, the sense of wonder or something else?
    How you found us, if anyone referred you here, if it was a Google search
    Why you are here. Do you want to share your adventures? Do you want to find people to explore with? Are you after locations to explore? Do you want to learn techniques?
    Lastly, SHARE.

That is, tell us about a location you have explored and if you have photos, share them. Because to be honest, this is how we get to know you, and like it or not, people will judge you on this. If you come in as a "Captain KeenAsMustard" asking for locations and having nothing to share you will invariably be ignored or joked about.

Finally, be patient. Despite rumors to the contrary, we're not the 24 hour Dial a Urbex Guide call line. Go have a look at some of the other posts. Read viewforum.php?f=2 If needed, edit your post to remove questions you have asked if you find the questions elsewhere.

So there we go. I know it is a bit long, but this will help you Newbies to get more out of UEGA and to share more with us.

Now a basic FAQ:
Q. Can you tell me where X is at?
A. No, read the above.

Q. How do I explore?
A. https://www.google.com.au/?ion=1&espv=2 ... o+Draining
Or http://www.uer.ca/urbanadventure/www.ur ... /guide.doc

Q. Do you have meet ups?
A. Yes, on an irregular basis. Check out the state forums. Typically the aim of these is meet and greet, so typically they will explore a legal publicly accessible site.

Q. Can you tell me the best torch to buy?
A. Yes, it is the CheapAssMatic which has the benefit of looking like a cheap two dollar shop torch but is far superior. I sell them for $998.00 online. PM me for the details.

Q. Was the thing about the torches a joke?
A. Yes, read this thread instead; viewtopic.php?f=44&t=1576

Q. Why are you people so hard on Newbies?
A. Why do Newbies ask so many questions? Read the above. Also, it is kind of an unofficial right of passage. If you're flaky and just want info then maybe UE is not right for you. Also we get a lot of graffers who just want to know where to graf up.

Q. Is Urban Exploration dangerous?
A. Yes it is. Sadly we've had at least 7 people killed in Australia since Brian McHugh died in late 2000, not including a BASE jumper whose parachute did not open. That said, more people die playing golf or when rock fishing than doing UE. research the risks, don't do stupid things.

Q. If I explore drains, what should I always do first?
A. Check the weather: http://www.bom.gov.au/

Q. Will my phone work underground?
A. Surprisingly in a lot of drains it will. But in many of the deeper ones it will not. You may have to climb up to a manhole to use your phone.

Q. Is it safe to pop a manhole from underneath in a drain if you don't know where it is?
A. Probably not. Most manholes are on roads. You don't want to risk being run over.

Q. Where can I find the Pokemon Go stop?
A. I don't know, please, stop asking this question.

Q. Are there really gangs of Furbies roaming drains waiting to roll us for our spare change?
A. Yes there are. I read it on the Internet here so it must be true. http://www.uer.ca/urbanadventure/www.ur ... e/blue.htm

Q. I've read all this stuff and I still want to find the magic list of drain locations. Where is it?
A. Google is your friend. Also, we post this list at the end of every drain we explore. At the bastard 2 foot crawl pipes right at the end.
"Oh! That's YOUR web site!" ... "Yep, that one." http://www.uer.ca/urbanadventure/www.ur ... windex.htm
And read the damn Newbies FAQ and guide to writing a first post! viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4257&p=40693
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Spot on mate
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Also recommend that newbies (especially Vic ones, as the section seems dead most of the time) be proactive if they want to get into exploring.

Not proactive as in badgering for locations but posting up meet-ups and being aware of etiquette. It'd be great to get some posts like 'I'd really like to explore Great Stairway, but don't know where it is. Can we get an expo together to explore it?'
Iso of the Cave Clan
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ahh old fart, i always enjoy reading your posts! you have nailed it :D

lets sticky this!
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f***. I should have read this months ago.
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