i posted this in the odds and ends forum but i feel a need to post it here. this is about the recent wave of members getting angry and leaving. if it doesnt make sense please head to the odds and ends and read tigermans thread on “not again”.
i wanted to hold off on this. i wanted to let the river run its course. but i cant… i cant let this go. regardless of how you feel about this issue. regardless of how many feel the need to make a statement and leave. we are a community. what one does or says directly affects others. i am but a small part around here, not even sure how much impact i really have, but i do know this this group is affected everytime an individual leaves in anger. be they new or veteran. one post or five thousand. if one person leaves in anger others feel they should leave also. i have good friends, very dear friends who have left this forum. some in anger over many things. it affects the entire group.
if you are thinking of leaving i ask you to step back and think about this. why did you sign up here? what did you want to get out of this? to learn…to teach…to find like minded people. what did you want? what did you find here? friendship…comrades…folks who actually understand you. we make this a community. we make this a place where others want to be.
fsm is a business. they host this site. regardless of anything else that is the lay of the land. this site is run by their standards. if you were in their shoes you would do the same. you may or may not agree, that is your choice but you play by their rules. i honestly believe those that have jumped ship have done so on impulse. a knee jerk reaction. i ask all of you to step back. look at the overall. this doesnt have to be a wave of destruction. it is up to you.
i may be flamed for this post. so be it. i am known for speaking from the heart. that is what i have done here.
I am with you on most of it Joe. But also some of me cringes when I think of posting here because I have seen some people here just up and flame people, for either not having a build to their standards or better yet, trying to give advice in the best way they can and get burned for it too.
Some good poeple gone, real good people and this place isnt the same without them.
Some of the responses I have seen this year from people who have joined after I did scares me.
Some folks can be overly sensitive and there is nothing you can do about that. Some come and some go. Enjoy their company while they are here and wish them the best when they leave. From what I have seen this particular forum suffers less from flames and rants than any other forum I frequent.
i agree swanny. this forum does not suffer from the common occurances of most forums. but again we make this place. but we must abide by the hosts wishes. it is their game we must play by their rules.
I guess it’s “post at your own risk”! I’ve taken a couple shots and have seen an “attitude” is some posts where I thought the info wasn’t quite right, but kept my fingers off the keys until the “sting” passed. I think the forum is a great place to learn and give ideas, some of which we may not agree with, but it’s a great resource and I won’t tarnish it by any “ugly” replies. I’ve made a few errors trying to be helpful, but I make mistakes everyday, just try and not make “fatal” ones. Glad you guys spoke up! I’m in great company! Thanks for all the help!
This is the first I’ve heard about there being a problem. Shortly after I joined I got burned by somebody for a reply I made,and I let it roll off my back. This is a forum,and opinions are revealed on a regular basis. It is the responsibility of us as members of this forum to be willing to give opinions and take in opinions without malice.
I joined this forum to have questions answered online that I couldn’t get locally. I also feel that I should help others with what I know as payback for all the help you guys have given me. You guys have helped me immensly,and I want to help others in any way possible.Allen[:)]
right on joe and swanny. It’s a forum for God’s sake. It isn’t the word of the land. Take advice as it’s two cents or move on. Use the mass of endless help and recommendations or don’t. FSM has been fantastic to give us all a place to call home for our hobby questions. Thanks FSM!
another bad part about this is that jeff herne is catching the brunt of the blows on this current thing. jeff is a good friend of mine. he is but a target right now and it just isnt right to blame him for all the problems. jeff is one of us. he is generous and helpful. he doesnt deserve to be called some of the things he has been called.
I myself have shot my mouth off and probably spewed some misinformation. Personally, I think this whole thing is starting to get a bit out of hand. People come and go. It is unfortunate when they leave. But it is their choice…very few of us get the chance to meet face to face…those of you who have are lucky, enjoy it and foster that friendship, with or without the interaction of an internet forum.
Jeff is a good guy, he and I had a friendly exchange about my signature…he is definitely not some Draconian censorship freak…Jeff keep up the good work…Joe and all of the other posters keep it going…discussion and dissention is a good thing taken in moderation…Lets get back to the bench and get some projects wrapped up…[2c]
[#ditto]I’m with ya all!! I haven’t got the energy to get upset. I truly enjoy this place. I’ve got bigger fish to fry with my anger. Oh yea, I’m divorced, I got no anger any more!!! Lets just have fun. Good job Mr. Herne and FSN. FSN ROCKS!!![}:)][party][party]
To enchance my knowledge and abilities as a modeler. This has definately happened because of the unlimited array of useful information posted by various members in response to someone’s question.
To help other members where I am able. My abilities as a modeler are fairly limited and definately at the beginners stage when compared to some of the other members. This restricts my ability to help with “how to” type questions. I do posses a fairly indepth knowledge of some aspects of full scale aircraft and an extensive library of reference material. I am only too happy to share that information when someone asks a question.
I sometimes post corrections when I see factual errors in a post. I try to do that in a manner that gets the correct information out without attacking the individual themselves. Yes, we all make mistakes now and then and I try to not get angry myself when someone corrects my mistakes, especially if they do it a reasonably polite manner.
If someone gets angry enough to leave the forum, that is a loss for them and the other forum members as well. Unfortunate, but it happens. My [2c] [2c] worth.
Thanks guys for moving on beyond this subject. It’s the readers and those that participate that make these forums a special place. Maybe we don’t say that outright, but it’s usually because the only times we’re here is when there’s a problem that requires fixing.
KiK, you didn’t see the emails I recieved today. It’s a good thing I wore a Kevlar T-shirt under my sweater today.
Now folks, can we all get back to building models?
Participating in ANY type forum is a lot like standing out in front of a large retail store, telling everyone that walk in to have a nice day. The majority will smile and say “thank you”, but the law of averages dictates there will be some who will ignore you, roll their eyes at you, or just plain take offense at you daring to speak to them! They may have just come from a loved ones funeral, or from a fight, or from a courtroom? Or they may just be the anti-social types who feel their sh*t don’t stink and hate to be told ANYTHING by ANYBODY. There will be some spoiled children approach you that have had everything handed to them and always praised for anything they do… types like that will throw a “hissy-fit” at the slightest detour of their way of seeing things.
As the old saying goes; “Sometimes things happen that we have no control over and there’s nothing can be done to prevent it from happening, BUT, we CAN control how we respond to these things”
I was just wondering, or was that wandering? At any rate, I´ve already been ah, “disciplined” on this fourm shall we say. shouldn´t I rate something under my name instead of a star. Maybe a dog with a muzzel icon or something? But, it doesn´t bother me the least . I think this place is fantastic. the individuals, advice, knowledge, help, information, entertainment, and opinions are priceless, thanks to FSM for giving me the chance to experience it! I don´t think I´d quit the fourm evan if I quit modeling. As an American living in Europe sometimes participating in this fourm and reading what all yáll say is the highlight of my day! Thanks again to FSM for the opportunity, thanks to all who participate and let me know that I am not alone! 44Mac
Just a comment on Jeff Hernes job. He fills a management role here on the forum. Management often means that someone else made a decision (like to post a flame) and Jeff has to act on that decision. It’s not always an easy job but a neccessary one and I for one feel Jeff is doing a great job. Now I’m going back to the modeling table.
Thanks guys. I must confess, it hasn’t been easy. I came into the employ of FSM with more than 1400 posts under my belt. It’s tough going from ‘one of the guys’ to a moderator/admin position.
I’m outspoken by nature, the type that likes to get everything out front, get it resolved, and move on. That’s not always the best approach, and I’ve learned alot in the last month.
Now, I honestly believe I can shut this computer down for the rest of the weekend and actually build something.