Prompted by a few recent threads by people inquiring, and Haircut's request for a freestyle forum, I'm wondering why there is no Newb's Corner, like there is for the kite mob.
I think that it would be a nice thing to have from a promotion of the sport kind of thing. I'm not personally bothered if the sport grows or not, but if no-one had helped me at all, I would not have got far.
Windsuffering is a complex sprot as yer all know, and there is so much disinformation out there, it would make sense to have some write-ups to help de-mystify it all for potential newbs.
+1, I think that there should be a revamp on the forum structure by the admins.
There should be a separate freestyle section. A newbies/beginners section and a photo/video section where you can chuck up sessions etc...
I still class myself very much as a newb, since it has been so long since last windsurfing.
I was encouraged by the number of beginners posts, and the (generally!) constructive criticism and help given from everyone.
Even seeing so many post from surfboardcrazy for eg. on different issues is helpful even though i'm nowhere near her level.
I'm not fussed by the absence of a beginners corner, just hang it out there for all to comment
2c spent.
Nah we don't need a Newbies forum cos we don't get aggro and hang sh1t on the beginners like the Kiters do. 
not many good kiters read the newbies forum and advice is often given by other newbies or people with agendas.
Greenleader is right I think - why would very experienced sailors visit a newbies forum, and they are the ones who dish out the best advice.
If it aint broke, don't fix it.
newbie windsurfers?????????
Are there any people still wanting to learn?
All the windsurfer schools have closed around here due to lack of intrest(clients).
Breaking the forums further up is not a good idea. There was a bit of a backlash about the setting up of the wavesailing forum. If the forums are fragmented then the amount of people reading them will decrease.
There would be very few windsurfers who are not keen for new entrants so we don't put crap on them like the kiters do. Why is that? Coz basically I think a new windsurfer is unlikely to cause the sort of havoc a new kiter could cause.
I think the compulsory use of tags is a better suggestion. So all threads must be in one category or another.
Edit
LotofWind there are plenty of new windsurfers out there. Witness the threads on the NSW forum about Venturer Scouts. I've taught over five people to windsurf in the last year. Lots of windsurfers have the skills to teach and having access to a beginner board and sail makes it easy to learn. Who knows? It might be good for kiting too as many kiters come from windsurfing or do both sports. They usually are the best kiters as they don't have the sh!thead attitude that seems to permeate the kiting culture.
Yes there are many kitesurfing schools. However I would not want to invest my time or money into one of them if I was into kitesurfing, unless I realised it was not something I could plan to retire on. Just like there was in windsurfing there is a bubble of desire and interest to kitesurf. One day that bubble pricks and you have to shut up shop.
If anything I think windsurfing is healthier now than what it was in the 80s. The industry seems reasonably settled and those making a living out of it seem to do okay. Windsurfing has gone through the boom and bust and now as an industry seems to be on a sustainable level.
Interesting comments. I don't actually look at the kiters newb section, so I didn't realise it is a place to put people down for having a go. My naivety there, I'm a bit soft in the head about that stuff.
I was thinking more along the lines of informative write-ups on various things, including the evolution of gear from the familiar Wally to where we are now, different types of boards and their applications, different sail types, what makes up a rig and why etc.
It was just a thought, and I'm not pushing an agenda for it at all.
We've all had the experience of being approached by someone on the beach asking questions and then seeing the baffled looks as we try and demystify what is a quite complex sport in a few minutes, so it occurred to me tho have some of that info here in a FAQ type format might be valuable.
Greeny,I would have thought that from a retailers POV it would help for people to have a base knowledge to work from, but then I recall how much objection you voiced to me having a lesson on Maui, so you may have clear thoughts about that.
A newbies FAQ thread would be a good idea, however a lot of the questions are related to their own weight and wind situation which varies a lot. A standard reply would not suit.
I agree more experienced windsurfers would not visit the newbies forum and newbies would miss out on the wealth of experience forums are useful for.
At first I thought a Newbie section would be the go but after reading some of the comments I now think na, they'd be better off in the general section as now. Some of the advice I dish out might be diddly poop but I do throw my 2c in every now and again, not sure if I'd go looking in another section so I can bang away with two fingers 
I do think there should be a separate Freestyle section for sure 
ken, when newcomers to kiting asked questions in the general kiting forum they were usually told to use the search function as the good kiters were sick of answering the same old technique questions.
it is good to remember that you tune windsurfing equipment and it is all fairly technical and varied as well as techniques.
with a kite you pump it up and hold the bar and it pulls you along!
after years on seabreeze i have noticed that every new person likes to talk to the good forumites and get advice tailored to their own needs, i don't believe many people use the search function.
and i didn't object to your good self getting a forward loop lesson, i just suggested that learning to tack upwind to camp one from kanaha where the best waves were should be more of a priority to becoming a well rounded wavesailor.i would have enjoyed your company if you made the effort!
Yes, I agree that people like to chat rather than use a search function, which includes me.
As I said, I don't have an agenda about it, I was just curious.
It's no biggie.
