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[Mesqueunclub]

Hi all,
I haven't been posting a great deal lately as I have begun my fly fishing in earnest and as a result joined a fishing forum. The reason being the same as I joined IPF, in order to obtain advice and assist where possible. The only other forum I have been a member of, and my very first one, was a villa owners forum in Florida.
Since I have been on the fishing forum, I have observed that a certain number of established posters cannot contribute without being antagonistic, aggressive, downright rude, abusive, offensive and generally nasty. It is evident that a clique has been formed. Put forward a point of view that one of the clique disagrees with and others descend upon the unfortunate poster like a pack of wolves (a bit of poetic licence, please)
Calling into question any bad form exhibited by a clique member is to invite a barrage of smart aleck remarks. Those aren't so bad in themselves, especially as they are usually grammatically challenged but they are often accompanied by foul language under the guise of the odd asterisk filler. Defend anyone who has become a target and one is then berated, often, free speech being used as the excuse for such appalling behaviour. It has always struck me as odd, how those that wish to forcibly impose their will by posting abuse and the like, use the free speech card. That is putting it mildly. Enough said for the moment on that score as I do not wish this to become depressing.
With regards to the Florida forum, basically the same but the foul language was not so apparent.
Now, that I have got all the negativity out of the way, on to my main thrust. I joined IPF with some trepidation, due to the Florida experience but, wow, what a pleasure it is to be part of something which, to me, is what all forums should be. A market place where views can be traded, advice given, lively but friendly discussions take place and friendships made. It is a pleasure to be part of such a platform.
Thank you IPF, thank you administrators, thank you moderators and thank you to all members for making this such a pleasant place to be.
Mike

 

[LannyC]

If you think your fly fishing forum is brutal, better not join anything having to do with high-end audio. It's the bloody Spanish Inquisition! Alas, it's the interwebs, where gravity is inverted, cream sinks to the bottom, and poo rises to the top.

Your experience is sadly typical. If the plot seems familiar, you probably read Lord of the Flies in school. I have resigned from all fora except this one and one other whose strict moderation prevents any quasi-religious persecution of free discussion.

This post handcrafted from 100 percent post-consumer recycled electrons.

 

[KevinJS]

I had a similar experience with one forum, which shall remain nameless. Apparently, in some parts of the world DUI is a national sport, and anyone who has a problem with it can take their opinions elsewhere. (I did.)

We expect people here to read the rules, and abide by them, but we are also realistic enough to realize that reading rules is not commonplace on the web. A friendly PM usually takes care of that. Some tech forums have horribly long lists of rules, but have little or no moderation, which makes the whole exercise a waste of time. Here, we want the best experience for the members, so the list of rules is short, but central to everything we do.

Put simply, those who have the moderator tag against their name here are members first and foremost. We enjoy this forum, and intend to make it as user-friendly as possible. We are constantly looking for ways to make the content more accessible, and as complete as possible.

While it's great that people can join with a problem, ask a question, receive an answer and move on, it's even better when people become long-term contributing members of the community. I've repeated several times on this forum that behind every post is a real, live human being, with hopes, dreams and aspirations. These are not empty words on a computer screen, automatically generated. I try to remember that, whenever I make a post.

 

[Mesqueunclub]

They walk amongst us but at least I now know that I am not alone
Interesting to hear of other experiences. On a lighter note, I always believed trolls were mythical beings who inhabited forests or lived under bridges. Having borne witness to some of things I have seen and read on other forums, I believe that there has been a migration of sorts.
And, yes, the reference to Lord of the Flies is Very apt. I will take your advice, LannyC and stay away from any high end audio forum, not that I would understand the first thing about the subject
Mike

 

[Richard Brown]

Thank you for your post Mike. Your comments about iPF are very kind.

I To have found some forums and blogs unfriendly or acrimonious at times.

The Family History Interests forums and message boards are well moderated and with polite, helpful members.

Sent from my iPad using iPF