Registering for the forum??

[newboater]

I do not want to be confrontational or to appear a busy body,however, to register to this forum you need not give any indication that you sail or want to,which makes the forum perhaps less creditable for people to join who think it is a forum for boat users.
Does this make sense to you regulars who sail or not? or have I got the idea of the forum all wrong?
I realise that what info you register with may be untrue,but lets disregard those.

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[ccscott49]

It doesnt matter whether you are a boat owner or not! We all here are interested in boats, or wouldnt be here, or some are proffesionals who may work on boats but not own one, I dont see the point you are trying to make, what does it matter, the advice and fun you will get from this forum, I have found wonderful, again or we wouldnt be here. Does that make sense to you??


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[snowleopard]

to compel people to give details would be officious. one the one hand it would put off those who are afraid to give information over the internet which might identify them and on the other be no deterrent to those who join to advertise their wares.

you'll see some pretty plain speaking, naming & shaming etc. here which would be much reduced if people thought some large company could get at them with large legal budgets.

i, like many others, prompt people to give more details when it would help to answer their questions but if they choose not to, that's their privilege. those who withhold their details for 'bad' reasons pretty soon get found out.

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[jimi]

I used to have full details but removed them when I was threatened with legal action by such a bully.

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[kimhollamby]

Whatever the procedure...

...the facts are these.

The last time we took a snapshot of users of the website over 70 per cent were owners and something approaching 95 per cent were active boat users.

While we tread a careful path between setting the tone and letting forum users do that for themselves, I think you'll find the vast majority of users here are legit boat enthusiasts.

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[newboater]

Thank you for your replies, I didn`t say that you had to be a boat owner so apologies if you think I meant that. I have the answer I wanted so I will now go away quietly.

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[tome]

Don't go away, it was a fair question

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[aitchw]

Totally agree! nm

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[tugboat]

Over a period of time browsing the forums, one soon determines which posters regularly give good advice, though you will often see those same posters asking advice on matters where they have less experience than others. The common link is the interest in boats. Filling in your bio can give others indications of your experience and the validity of your advice, your location may be relevant too. You don't have to currently own a boat to have good experience worth sharing, cos you may have spent years crewing for other people. The anonimity can be a release from normal constraints too. Lots of people have said unwise, foolish or arrogant things or otherwise upset other posters/readers, but you'll (usually) find that when they have their errors pointed out to them that they'll put their hands up and say 'Sorry', are instantly forgiven and we all move on and forget it. I think these forums are great value and wish everyday face to face relationships worked as well. All IMHO of course. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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[MapisM]

Just curious, but...

...I can't imagine what sort of legal action you could have been threatened with, just for being registered to a forum.
Could you tell us more about that?
...unless of course that would expose yourself to another legal action /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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[BrendanS]

Re: Just curious, but...

Jimi posted info on how his rudder stock problem was being dealt with

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[snowleopard]

Re: Just curious, but...

the big question about libel/defamation on the internet is establishing who exactly has made the statements. proving who made the statement in a way that would stand up in court might be difficult. i wonder if anyone has yet succeeded.

the forum host of course is much more accessible so poor old kim is much more likely to get it in the neck.

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[duncan]

Re: Just curious, but...

is that why he rarely posts defamatory statements about users?.../forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[jimi]

Re: Just curious, but...

Yes, I think a lot of these companies just use it as a bullying tactic to silence criticism. IMHO they would actually have little or no chance of success but its just too much hassle (and potentially too expensive) for a working guy with a family such as myself. However in the longer term these companies will actually suffer because of their inwardlooking (rather than maket facing) and rip off mentality.

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[snowleopard]

Re: Just curious, but...

no, he doesn't need to slag off users, he has the ultimate sanction - the black hole. it is entirely to his credit that he doesn't use it often, unlike other sites.

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[MapisM]

Absolutely correct

Your last statement should be carved in stone.
Quite often, such behaviour can ruin the reputation of a company on the marketplace, regardless of how good were its reasons.
Those who don't understand that are really short-minded.
...but plenty of them are around, I'm afraid.

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