Ok so....I haven't been on the board very long, but I'm fairly active on here....despite a few complaints.

Anyway, it just blows my mind on how many great people have left the board (even since I've been here) because of others' lack of ability to have an adult discussion about things. Is it possible to have a discussion without launching personal attacks on someone else?

Obviously, Ted does not support flame wars....this has been made abundantly clear (rightly so, I might add). How do we handle those who slide in under the radar? Posts that are clearly made to be sarcastic....or are under-handed attacks....without proof of flaming?

I'd hate to see this board die because of a few arrogant jerks....and yet I see less posting every day. What do you all think?

Much of it could be the fact that most of us are under stress at work + trying to figure out whatever our politicians are up to. And it's January. Makes for some cranky people and/or a little break time needed from the BB.

But you're right. Sometimes I feel like if I said "Wasn't that a nice sunny day today" someone would argue that from 10:13-10:18 a.m. a cloud covered the sun so technically it wasn't that sunny of a day and it must surely have something to do with our elected officials.

Most of the posters you are referring to are friends. Part of the appeal of the board was that they could banter with each other (in real time) while discussing issues on the board.

Some were/are able to get away with almost anything(within reason), while others seemed doomed and became frequent subscribers to the edit button. Most of those whom I've talked to were/are unhappy with the increase in "censorship" and have opted for a few months of sensitivity counseling.

There will always be "Trolls" on any bb board and people with whom you disagree, but as Mr. Ted has always said "You aren't going to change their mind or opinion" (or something like that)That's why there is this nifty little button which allows you to ignore certain posters should you choose.

As in most things in life, it's not what you do, it's how you do it. —Ted E.

quote:

Originally posted by Ted E.:
As in most things in life, it's not what you do, it's how you do it. —Ted E.

I believe this sums it up! (not only on the BB but in everyday life too!)

I've been on this forum, and several others for a long, long time. And I have learned as I have gone along... but you have to remember that not everyone else has. I have, for some reason, kept a small text file of snippets from user agreements and rules from many different forums that I have always thought were well written, and worth considering when posting...

quote:

We're a diverse community who hold many different beliefs and viewpoints. We may not think what you think, believe what you believe, or see what you see, but you are entitled to respect, as are the members you might disagree with. Be polite in your interactions with other members.
If conversations in the forums get heated, take a break. Don’t feel the need to respond immediately. Personal conflicts should not be aired on the forums. The forums are a place for conversations between many different people.

quote:

If you want to participate on an Internet forum then grow some thicker skin. There are thousands of armchair quarterbacks ready to pick you apart. There is an ignore function through the forum software and in your head. Feel free to use it.

If I may...

I take issue with the word, “censorship.” To me, censorship means editing or deleting the political ideas and opinions of others because I do not agree with them. I have rarely done this, and generally only when the post in question is libelous, hateful or otherwise extraordinarily inappropriate in any public medium.

I leave untouched content that is far to the left, and far to the right, of my personal beliefs.

On the other hand, I do my best to remove flame wars, trolls and other messages that appear to be directed at only one other GEBBer, and that neither respect the original topic nor advance or enhance the quality of the thread.

You will often see the “Edited by Ted E.” comment when I have to go into a newly posted message and correct a broken image, a bad web link, or an improperly posted URL. I would prefer not to have the credit in such cases, but the “Edited by” goes in automatically whether I like it or not.

I also try to be sensitive to the basic nature of each thread... a lost dog, for example, is clearly more serious and important than, say, a lost Conan O’Brian or Jay Leno.

I understand that some posters are friends with others, and that any personal remarks they leave for each other are intended only to amuse one or two friends. Again I remind all that the GEBB is not trying to replicate the intended purpose of Facebook or MySpace, and to also remind everyone that Private Messages (PMs) can be sent to a group of friends a easily as to one (and as easily as starting a new public discussion).

Please feel free to use the PM feature when you want to banter with friends on a one-to-one or group basis. (As I’ve noted before, I can not see PMs. Also note that the feature will work for you only is you registered with, or updated your profile with, a current and working email address.)

Neither I nor most other readers know who is friends with whom, nor do we care. I make my best effort to guess which public posts are intended for just one or two readers, and which are intended for all. Sometimes I guess wrong... sorry.

In any case, I do such pruning not so much because it annoys me (which it does), but because other readers have let me know it annoys them.

As I’ve also mentioned before, I delete inappropriate messages based only on their content (flames, spam, etc.), The name of the poster is not obvious to me, thus I can not easily “pick on” individuals.

One final thought... before you start messin’ with a thread that I’ve started, you might want to think twice. It ought to be obvious that it’s a topic that’s near, dear, and very important to me.

—Ted E.

As a person that ran a message board for a group, I can feel for what Ted has gone thru and where he stands on all this. The internet is a funny place. You can post at places and 99.999999999% of the other posters would not know who you are, were you are coming from, or if you are serious or not. As an admin that met many posters, I would sit there in disbelief because the people I was sitting with were completely different than the ones that post. It was amazing. This place is no different. You are chatting to a computer, you can say whatever you want, you can offend, yell, kick, scream and be obnoxious and nobody would ever know who you are, not even the people you live with. All this causes an issue that Ted has to deal with. Everyone has a bad day, and they may get on the internet and bitch and complain, but some just do it more often than others. That is when it crosses a line.

This board is a great resource for a great village and should remain one. The negativity was hampering it I suppose. I believe that this place was turned off for awhile a go due to things. It is Ted's and he calls the shots. The censorship thing is BS, he is just protecting his home, so saying he is censoring is just plain wrong.

Also, if people were offended because Ted cut off their little chat room with their friends, too bad. Ted owns this bar, he can throw anyone out whenever he seems fit. If these peeps want to chat, they can email or IM or tweet all day long.

Keep up the good work sheriff Ted.

Ted, I know you are doing this for the great village of GE, so this option would just be wrong, but did you ever thing about a "members only" forum so only people that have signed up can chat?

I second that.

Thanks, bry —

But you probably should have included a disclaimer that you and I are not relatd, and that no money changed hands.
—Ted E.

quote:

...did you ever think about a "members only" forum so only people that have signed up can chat?

Occasionally. Requiring people to use their real names, and/or pre-approving all posts, are other options that — on occasion — have appeal.
—Ted E.

quote:

Originally posted by Ted E.:

quote:

...did you ever think about a "members only" forum so only people that have signed up can chat?

Occasionally. Requiring people to use their real names, and/or pre-approving all posts, are other options that — on occasion — have appeal.
—Ted E.

I "run around" in many large Jeep enthusiast communities and the thing about any sort of motor sport is you get the "I'm a bad***" folks that like to play keyboard cowboy and talk smack and try to prove to everyone how much more "hardcore" they are than everyone else by talking trash. Which is easy when you can hide behind the anonymity of aggressive sounding user names and whatnot.

When I started our Jeep club in 2000 and put up the website with our forums, I required that all user names have to be your first and last name, no exceptions. In all those years, and now with about 450 members who have access to the forums, we have only ever really had one issue, and it was short lived when the folks making trouble started to realize that by having to post under their real name, the line between real life and online was very very thin.

I see the point to "handles" (not using your real name) but at the same time using your name, I feel, keeps you honest and makes it much harder to type things on line you would not say to a person's face. That's one of the reasons I use my name here and pretty much anywhere I can. I've learned from my own experiences both as a member and an admin of some very large forums (15k+ members at a few) that online and real life are not two seperate entities. We had one member of a forum that was a real jerk on line but a nice quiet guy in real life say it was okay because "online wasn't the real world". That was until no one would allow him on their trail runs anymore, and even some manufacturers began to refuse to sell to him (Jeep parts are a niche market, and it's a pretty close community).

Since my hope is to inform, educate and entertain as many readers (and posters) as possible, I do what I can to attract and keep people on the board... it does not please me to send anyone away for any reason (other than spammers).

“Real names” is certainly an option, but I instead walk through a Slap Wrist => Warn => Place in Pre-Approval Queue => Suspend process. Neither alternative is ideal; understandably, both annoy different posters for different reasons.

I do think there is something to be said in favor of anonymous posting, especially when a poster can make an honest and legitimate comment about something in a reasoned, articulate and mature manner... and especially when it's an elected or appointed official who wishes to comment as an ordinary citizen, and not as (presumably) a representative of a highly visible institution.

Maybe the BB software providers will add an “Adjust Member Attitude” button one of these days.
—Ted E.

quote:

Originally posted by GESingleMom2:

Anyway, it just blows my mind on how many great people have left the board (even since I've been here) because of others' lack of ability to have an adult discussion about things.

Sure, Kill the messenger.

If you were wondering why some have left, well my previous posts is the reason(s). This is what they told me. Nothing more or less.

disclaimer: I like every person I have ever met that posts or posted at this board.

It costs about $40 bucks a year to purchase a domain name and hosting. There are free message board software's out there that are easily installed ( Ikonboard is very easy )or can be installed by the provider for a small fee. The boards can be locked down to members only accesssing, posting and viewing. So, if someone would like to set up a place for all friends to post and argue and bitch and vent and laugh and ridicule and love and hate and whatever, there is a way.

I can even do the installing of the board if they purchase a domain name and hosting. I charge $50 an install and $50 a support call if it goes down.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: n/a,

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Rio:

keyboard cowboy

hmmm, I learned a new phrase!

quote:

Originally posted by Ted E.:
As in most things in life, it's not what you do, it's how you do it. —Ted E.

I agree whole-heartedly. It's nothing less than possible to disagree with another person, or post an opposing viewpoint, without getting offensive or making personal attacks. However, there are some people on the board who don't seem to understand that and I personally think that's why many of them have stopped posting. After all, who wants to voice their opinion if they're only going to be disrepected rather than disagreed with?

Tony: Those are some fantastic words of advice that you posted. I just wish more people would consider them the way you do.

quote:

This board is a great resource for a great village and should remain one.

Well said, Bry. I can't even begin to list the goings on in this beautiful town that I wouldn't have known about were it not for this board. It is a fantastic resource for our residents....and I know (for me, at least) that it helps create a sense of community that otherwise may not have been felt. I don't exactly fit the "GE mold" and don't have a group of friends in the community....but coming on here makes me feel that I am respected as a resident, and I appreciate that more than anyone could probably imagine.

Lol DTM....I was thinking the same thing when I read that. I like the ring that has to it, though.