Scuttlebutt losing it's lustre

Seriously, no.

I've been participating in forums and bulletin boards for a good many years now. There seem to be recurrent patterns in how boards evolve, as well as in the 'careers' of individual posters. Peppermint has alluded to some of the factors, and I've posted before with my theories.

As a result it's virtually impossible to make a subjective assessment of the health or otherwise of a board, other than of how it suits you for the stage you are at. The only real test is the number of postings. By that standard, these forums are now probably the best anywhere for sailing.

But of course in my young day, the sailing forums were all so much better ... (cont. p94)
 
Re: Any More Grumpy Old Men Out There?

Rabid,

I assume you are taking the piss (in the true meaning according to the old British seafaring term) so I'll play along too:

Wow ... such tolerance! Aren't you satisfied that Reichmarshall Hollamby already deletes sailing related threads because he has some personal dislike of the poster? Stimulating thought is not synonymous with controlled societies.

Maybe you ARE right though. We could have a list of "approved topics". Anchoring, ensigns, which first boat, the cost of Volvo spares and selected others. After He has decreed that the thread is okay to keep, then you could screen any posts which are not yottie enough.

Have drink ... relax ... it's only a cyber forum. The name Scuttlebutt does imply a place for the exchange of gossip, rumour, some leg pulling and all of the rest. The popularity of the forum grew out of an irreverance and a tiredness of the CWBB (US) "how do I fit a holding tank" type of post on CWBB type forums.

There does seem to be an increasing tension between those who want a "YM Letters" style read and those who want a social sailing forum for a chat. I think many people view the forum as a venue like a yacht club and don't feel the need to ONLY talk about boats. If, however, a forum was set aside for strictly no gossip, no humour, 100% open and thoroughly yottie posts only, then it would lose out to the ongoing banter and robustness here and elsewhere.

PS. does the "[ah em!]" auto thread delete function still work? If so, Kil il Jong could add some additional catach words for auto deletion. Here's a start:

Fish Killers
Sunsail
Noah
STIX numbers
Wales
[ah em!]
Crest
Nicholson
(any Scottish dialects) - wee
(any Welsh dialects) - Boyo
(any Scouse dialects)
(any non-Home counties based posters)
Any reference to Ellen Mac Arthur's backside (+ or -)
Any reference to sabotaging fishermens submeged pot markers

Jimi (how can anyone have the time to make so many posts?)

Stingo (because forumites thought he was taking the piss about sailing around the world in a Benteau and how he's gone and done it - making a lot of people look like some right plonkers)



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Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

Totally agree, far too many in-jokes. Whats wrong with writing in English?
Cherbourg trip was no doubt great fun for those who went, but listerning to paint dry seems like an olympic sport compared to reading the posts it generated!
At this rate we might have to invite steve101 back!

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Re: Any More Grumpy Old Men Out There?

monitored

there we go again

call the 'thought police'

Did you used to call teacher when things didn't go your way in school either!



<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk/TC_IrishCruise_2003_00.html>Irish Cruise</A>
 
Re: Any More Grumpy Old Men Out There?

Not one given to quoting Paul McCartney, but

We're Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,
We hope that you enjoyed the show,
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,
We're sorry but it's time to go,

Sergeant Pepper's lonely,
Sergeant Pepper's lonely,
Sergeant Pepper's lonely,
Sergeant Pepper's lonely,
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,

We'd like to thank you once again,
Sergeant Pepper's one and only Lonely Hearts Club Band,
It's getting near the end,

Sergeant Pepper's lonely,
Sergeant Pepper's lonely,
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

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Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

Be fair rhinorhino

It's the first time that most of us have actually met up, and it was at the end of a challenging x-channel sail in which 10 boats participated with 36 crew. If you can think of a better focus for Scuttlebutt discussion I'm sure we'd all like to hear it. If your suggestion deafens me in its silence then I can only assume it's sour grapes.

Tom

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Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

I do not think you are right there regarding the Cherboug trip. The Cherbourg trip perhaps represents a good example of what gives the forum its balance.

On the one hand, OK, the stories of events could perhaps become tedious if one had not been involved AND one went to the trouble of reading them all. I glanced through some of the posts and some of the photos and personally found a scan through them worthwhile.

On the other hand, one of the most interesting navigation threads I have seen anywhere for a long time also came out of the trip on this forum - "Amaya had a spy". Without my looking back, I also think that there was a thread(s) before the trip discussing channel crossing nav tactics (again, from memory, with some lightheartedness thrown around too). But getting back to the Amaya thread that was as good a nav thread as one will get anywhere and had excellent and time consuming input from both Tome and QSIV both with obvious good knowledge in the matters they presented.

If one was not interested in the Scuttlebutty bit and one was not interested in navigation then the whole lot would have been boring, in which case one would hope there is something else that interests you somewhere, but it cannot be disputed that that event generated a balance of both lighthearted and serious threads and I think all are to be commended for that.

John

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Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

It seems we can't please anyone.

First we're told that the forum is full of non sailing threads.

Then we're told that when a bunch of forumites get together over two consecutive weekends, including stinkies like me (sorry, forgot I'm not allowed to use childish words like stinkie), and discuss the sailing, the meeting, weaether conditions and forecasting and even navigation, we're told it's boring.

So, ruling out non-sailing threads, sailing threads, meeting other forumites threads, forecasting threads or navigation threads...errr...could someone please point out what we are allowed to post about? There doesn't seem to be a lot left?


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Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

Easy! The complaining about other threads thread.
Which is a bit like a hamster's wheel: it goes round and round and...

As someone said (and which fits politicians to a tee): "ils causent, ils causent, c'est tout ce qu'ils savent faire"

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html>http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html</A>
 
Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

I'd like to put my oar in here if I may.

I am sure that some of my ramblings annoy some people, as do some peoples annoy me, HOWEVER...

Its rather like the television complaint issue, if you don't like it, don't watch it. I, like many others, enjoy reading this forum. I avoid reading topics that do not interest me, simple. If you are annoyed by somebody's "style", don't read it.

If I have cause offence to anybody by this, or any other post i have made, I apologise.





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Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

I agree entirely - I often read and rarely write on the forum but I do realise that whilst some of the threads are of great interest others will not be but I can make that choice and ignore the ones that are not for me - if the thread is not of interest then that would be shown in the number of replies received - car speeding is not of huge interest to me but over 100 replies means a discussion certainly went on - I think that is a good thing - perhaps people should make the title of the threads more clear so as to save those on slower connections from opening ones of no interest.

When I am sailing I do not talk exclusively of sailing with others on the boat so why should that be the case here

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Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

Bring back steve 101.now that sounds interesting! However i think that it is us that have become bored with some of the posts ,3 years ago I wanted to know all that could be said about Oxalic acid now I think, not that again.
cheers bobt

<hr width=100% size=1>boss1
 
Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

As a newcomer to boat owning (sail) I have found the majority of the postings very interesting and informative and was delighted by the response to a query I posted some weeks ago. Those that do not interest me or I find offensive, I simply ignore - it's my choice. In particular, I enjoyed the Cherbourg trip postings as I hope to do my first channel crossing in my own boat next spring and the comments and discussion gave a great flavour of what to expect and the bonhomie found within the yachting fraternity. Keep up the good work!

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Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

I am not annoyed at anyone just disappointed in the fact that a large proportion of postings are now drivel/poor quality compared to the past.I think I have made my point,others clearly feel the same and I hope things will improve.



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Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

But it's a forum!! As long has Kim has server space, and people are happy to contribute, I don't really understand what the problem is. I have administered a motorcar forum in the past and I think Kim does a cracking job at leaving the forum to run itself.

I would like to think that we boaty types are very tolerant as a whole, but i'm beginning to wonder...

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Re: Scuttlebutt losing it\'s lustre

Rhinos are not (by nature) fair creatures. It wasn't sour grapes however. My point was that discussion of the event (which was IMHO per se a great idea) quickly turned to in-jokes which are very funny if you were there and very tedious if you weren't. Perhaps the discussion would have been better on a delicated forum.
For my own part the murder at sea thread was much better (not that I want to give you any ideas at all!) as was the thread on flying cruising chutes etc etc.
I for one want to see a serious thread about the state of the UK charter market.

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