Something smells bad on these forums

[BobOwen]

Something smells bad on these forums

I have been a user on these forums for the last year or so. During that time, I have read many amusing, informative and interesting posts and for the main, enjoyed it.

There are though, a serious number of real assholes here, who seem to delight in knocking folks wherever possible.

You all know who these folks are. Many are long time posters, who I guess, think its ‘their’ forum. They don’t often contribute anything useful to a thread, yet often get six or seven posts on it by sniping at others views, mocking the spelling, or generally deriding views, then justifying their actions. In fact, they contribute nothing. They would appear to get some smug satisfaction in doing so.

Well, I’m off to sunnier climes this next week and doubt I will be able to access the forums so often and to be honest I really don’t feel much inclined too. I know the wilder posters, the slightly odd ones, the crazy ones and can choose to ignore them as takes the moment. Its not these I’m aiming at here.

If you are unsure of what I’m getting at, please take a moment and read this posting as an example.

This is a posting from someone who has posted for the first time on this forum. here Check out some of the answers they received. This is not unique.

Its-only-money summed it up well, with his post, which I have reproduced below:

Mock new questions
No-one asks new questions
You get to only have discussions where you already know the answers
Discussion stops
End of Forum

Its that simple!

Cue thread on "Why are there no new questions on this forum?" Doh!

Other forums have a number of moderators who can warn people for what is actually anti social behaviour on the forum, and ultimately ban them. Sure they can re appear, but if they start again they are banned again. A form of censorship, if you will, but if something is not done, the forum can only suffer in the long run. I wonder how many have joined and then left because of such treatment . I belive there are around 20,000 members who have registered (Sure thats the figure I read somewhere). How many have gone and no longer post?

So goodbye to the great ‘silent majority’ of you out there and thank you for the help and entertainment of the last year.

To all the unpleasant, sniping, nasty, miserable, sad, no hopers out there, I salute you in the traditional manner, with a pair of up raised fingers.......

 

[tcm]

Re: Nah

this was a "you need to see it " question - porposieing depends on exact arangement of weights and so on and it's asking too much for it to be answered on a forum, really.

Some other questions "go silly" and this one went silly fairly early - partly cos there can't be an really authorative response other than try a different engine, differnt sea, different weights, and partly cos some of them just do.

Remeber - there's no guarantee of a good response here - it's just a hope. 99% of the time on r2r, the hope is justified.

Not much to worry about. Also, the first silly post was someone with 19 posts it seems, so not a cancerous longtime git, really?

 

[milltech]

Re: Phew, I didn\'t contribute to that one anyway!

I do get a bit excited about spelling and I do think it's moderately important to meaning and shouldn't be beyond anyones educational ability in this country, and so I say so. This is not the same as tpying errors which are always to be forgiven.

I hope I don't snipe, since I shall be the next one, and have been a past one, in asking simple questions on subjects I didn't understand, (there are many of these).

 

[BrendanS]

That posting was on PBO, not on this forum as you stated.

Can't see what you're getting so heated about. As threads go it not particularly opionated, and most of the longer term posters actually jumped in to point out that PBO forum is about all types of boating and not just sailing so perfectly valid question to ask there, and he got answers as well.

 

[milltech]

Re: Nah

[ QUOTE ]

Some other questions "go silly" and this one went silly fairly early - partly cos there can't be an really authorative response other than try a different engine, differnt sea, different weights, and partly cos some of them just do.

Remeber - there's no guarantee of a good response here - it's just a hope. 99% of the time on r2r, the hope is justified.


[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. I looked to see where I was by-the-way, saw it was "Scuttlebutt" and thought hey ho, anything goes, try PBO for the matter-of-fact answers. (oops, just read Brendan saying it was PBO).

 

[VicS]

A good rule when replying is to engage brain and pause for ten seconds before hitting the final Ok,submit button. Some of my replies have not made it past this point.

Perhaps a delay with the message "Are you really sure you want to post this" could be built in. With 'forget it ' as one of the options.
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[bigmart]

Quite often you get a silly comment to an honest question & what is meant to be light hearted can seem deriding.

Its a problem of dealing in the written word. I have been issued death threats on these fora & accused of trying to intimidate people because of my user name. Those that attend forum meets know that my user name is because I am a Fat Git & no intimidation is meant.

Overall these fora offer an amusing, informative discussion area & I for one enjoy using them. There are certain cycles that occur. At this time of year everyone seems to go a little Stir Crazy as the season is just beginning & some have their boats in the water & some do not.

I think the main trick is not to get too wound up in everything. life is too short to be so intense. Even BrendanS, a Drug Dealing Hairdresser of some repute, knows that I love him with a passion.

Martin

 

[BrendanS]

The only reason that Bigmart doesn't get a good thump is because I'm afraid I'd lose my arm in those layers of blubber, and the fact that he's quite a nice fellow in real life (he paid me a lot of money to say that last bit, so I hope it's not wasted. He says it's really a tip for the haircut, but he's bald and I just shine the top a bit, so I know this is not true! and he spends so much on drugs that I give him a discount)

 

[knotgood]

Not to mention how much he pays your for a rinse n' crimp! (note: no blowdries mentioned!

Hi Mart... you slipped out quietly on Sun morning (woof!) didnt feel... er hear a thing!

 

[Sybarite]

Re: Phew, I didn\'t contribute to that one anyway!

I agree that it is sometimes irritating to see such obvious errors which I am sure might be picked up if somebody simply re-read the post before submitting it.

However there is a convention on the forum that you don't pick people up for spelling or grammatical errors.

John

 

[Joe_Cole]

Re: Phew, I didn\'t contribute to that one anyway!

I'm not so sure that it's a convention. It's more to do with the fact that you get flamed for questioning poor spelling!

I'm inclined to agree with Milltech though; it may not be PC but I think that some posters should try using a spell checker.

 

[Sybarite]

Re: Phew, I didn\'t contribute to that one anyway!

I seem to remember in my early days on the forum that Kim (I think) or possibly the user's chart laid out certain do's and don'ts including this aspect. I agree fully with the notion that a person's educational background should not be a subject of discussion.

This said, probably the most commonly repeated error: ie using "your" where people mean "you're" would not be detected by the spell checker but might if the post were re-read.

John

 

[BrendanS]

Re: Phew, I didn\'t contribute to that one anyway!

It's not just a case of educational background. I know several intelligent friendly forumites who are dyslexic

 

[Joe_Cole]

Re: Phew, I didn\'t contribute to that one anyway!

Your write off coarse, but their are thymes when sum postings knead too be translated bee four you can understand them. Butt a spell chequer wood still help.

 

[Sammo]

Re: Phew, I didn\'t contribute to that one anyway!

Yes but,
Sometimes there`s just not a spell checker around when you need it.

...........

 

[milltech]

Re: Phew, I didn\'t contribute to that one anyway!

[ QUOTE ]


This said, probably the most commonly repeated error: ie using "your" where people mean "you're" would not be detected by the spell checker but might if the post were re-read.

John

[/ QUOTE ]

My favourite is "loose" in place of "lose". It seems virtually universal now, so much so that I was wondering if it was American usage.

I think the thing about spelling being ignored on forums is a lot of old madam put about by techy nerds who can't spell and who were the first users of message boards. It is not unimportant to meaning, especially when information is being offered that might have safety implications.

 

[VicS]

Re: Phew, I didn\'t contribute to that one anyway!

I coppeyd yor poast intoo a spel cheker butt the onli wurd itt foond rongli speld wos thymes. Itt sugested; thymus, themes, thyme's, thyme or Thames. Wytch wun did yu mene. So spel chekers do knott alwais solv the problm.


BTW did you konw taht poviderd the frsit and lsat ltetres are in pcale in ecah wrod you can uulalsy raed waht has been wetritn.

 

[milltech]

Re: Phew, I didn\'t contribute to that one anyway!

Yes, and I'm one of them in a minor way. I'd be the last person to criticise anyone for that, but most of the mistakes are just careless.

I think most people do know the difference between you're and your, and of all the errors that do appear it's the one most likely to have consequences. It's just a question of a few moments thought and a spell checker, (both are needed).

 

[BrendanS]

Re: Phew, I didn\'t contribute to that one anyway!

Language is however a constantly evolving thing, and so common usage becomes correct usage over a period of time.

Look how far things have changed since Shakespeare's day (that's the common accepted way of spelling his name by the way, but he himself spelt his own name in a variety of ways including, Shakespeare, Shakespere, Shakespear, Shakspere and Shaxspere)in terms of language and spelling, and yet English then, and English now are both regarded of being correct at that moment in time. Even if you were to go back to the 1920's you'd find huge differences in English to now.

 

[Lakesailor]

Written Word

As we seem to accept that nuances cannot be conveyed in the written word, perhaps forumites should be willing to overlook what they perceive to be aggressive or dismissive posts on the basis that they may have missed the intended meaning.
Or am I being too charitable?