Steven
Gold Member
I think you guys are getting off topic. oh thats right! thats what this sections for.
Just added another post to my list.
thanks'
Just added another post to my list.
thanks'
How Far Off Topic to Go?
- Thread starter BobT
- Start date
- Views: 5116
Scott_in_WVA
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2002
- Messages
- 414
Bob,
I just made another post.....
I just made another post.....
Golfgar4
Elite Member
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2002
- Messages
- 4,342
- Location
- Janesville, Wisconsin
- Tractor
- None -yet. Until then FunBuggy (EZ-Go) will have to do!
<font color=blue>"...I just made another post....."</font color=blue>
Ditto! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif
Ditto! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif
bky
Gold Member
well just my opinion its like anythng else in ths world if you dont like what you see dont look at it.
aif you dont like what you hear then dont listen.
and if you dont like what you read then dont read it.
i agree that this isnt the place for smut.
like i said just my opinoin.
aif you dont like what you hear then dont listen.
and if you dont like what you read then dont read it.
i agree that this isnt the place for smut.
like i said just my opinoin.
gordon
Veteran Member
Bob, I agree with you 110%. I haven't been posting much lately because it was directed to me that my posts are rather overbearing and belittle other people. So for the better of the board I stopped posting. So I stopped by tbn to check up on posts and find very few relating to tractors.
The board has changed quite a bit in the past couple of years. Alot of the long time members don't post anymore or if they do post it's very rare. Wonder why that is?
Gordon
The board has changed quite a bit in the past couple of years. Alot of the long time members don't post anymore or if they do post it's very rare. Wonder why that is?
Gordon
JohnMiller3
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2001
- Messages
- 2,517
- Location
- Capital District, Upstate New York
- Tractor
- Satoh S650G, MF135, MF165, JD5205
<font color=blue>… Somehow, these sort of way off topic posts have started drifting so far off base, that they risk degrading the overall tone of the forum…</font color=blue>
It has and appears to be continuing in that direction… and in many cases, it’s become a free-for-all… with no respect for fellow TBN’ers or its host… an attitude of “the heck with you… and hurray for me…”
It’s like inviting a bunch of people to your house and having a few of those get drunk and start trashing the place… because it’s “just for fun”… then you have a few stand around watching, with their mouths shut to “stay politically correct” and not hurt anyone’s feelings…
The original intent of TractorByNet was sharing interests and camaraderie in compact tractors… I don’t know how much farther off the beaten path you can possibly get than “Off Topic and Just for fun…”
Guys, you have to self-police this yourselves… open your mouth, or pound on your keyboard and let someone know how you feel… keeping silent won’t work here…
If a post bothers or disturbs you, privately email that person and let it be known… if that person gets enough emails and has respect for others… he will be a man and resolve the problem… If that method doesn’t work or it’s a major problem… press the moderator button and it will be handled accordingly… you can also use the private TBN mail system to further clarify matters…
<font color=blue>… I am frankly sick and disgusted by the growing number of such threads…</font color=blue>
Unfortunately, a number of others feel the same way, but for some unknown reason remain silent…
Guys, this is your TBN… step up to the plate and be heard… or forever hold your peace…
It has and appears to be continuing in that direction… and in many cases, it’s become a free-for-all… with no respect for fellow TBN’ers or its host… an attitude of “the heck with you… and hurray for me…”
It’s like inviting a bunch of people to your house and having a few of those get drunk and start trashing the place… because it’s “just for fun”… then you have a few stand around watching, with their mouths shut to “stay politically correct” and not hurt anyone’s feelings…
The original intent of TractorByNet was sharing interests and camaraderie in compact tractors… I don’t know how much farther off the beaten path you can possibly get than “Off Topic and Just for fun…”
Guys, you have to self-police this yourselves… open your mouth, or pound on your keyboard and let someone know how you feel… keeping silent won’t work here…
If a post bothers or disturbs you, privately email that person and let it be known… if that person gets enough emails and has respect for others… he will be a man and resolve the problem… If that method doesn’t work or it’s a major problem… press the moderator button and it will be handled accordingly… you can also use the private TBN mail system to further clarify matters…
<font color=blue>… I am frankly sick and disgusted by the growing number of such threads…</font color=blue>
Unfortunately, a number of others feel the same way, but for some unknown reason remain silent…
Guys, this is your TBN… step up to the plate and be heard… or forever hold your peace…
cowboydoc
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2000
- Messages
- 6,725
- Tractor
- JD 8320 MFWD, JD 6415 MFWD, FEL, and cab, John Deere MFWD 4600, John Deere 4020, John Deere 4430, John Deere 455 mower, Deutz, and Gehl 4610 perkins skidsteer
You're right John. The same thing happened on the ford-diesel.com site. It used to be there were just a bunch of good old boys talking about diesels and such. Then it caught on and a bunch of idiots started posting and I quit there as did most of the original guys there. I hope that doesn't happen here.
glennmac
Veteran Member
I haven't posted much here in several months. Interesting to see the group arguing about the exact same thing we were arguing when I left: what does an off-topic post mean and what does "political" mean..... There really isn't any easy answer to these questions.... I think the keys are what has already been mentioned. First, politeness, good taste, good manners, a civil tongue, and nothing personal even if you disagree with a viewpoint..... Second, self-policing. BobT has always served the self-policing function very well and consistently over the years. He has periodically encouraged us to stay in line with reminders such as that with which he started this thread. In the past, I have sometimes been his ideological opponent in these debates--usually taking a no-censorship position. When I did this, it was hardly ever because I personally approved of or enjoyed the censored thread or message at issue. Usually, I didn't. I took the position oftentimes just to support another member when I though Muhammad's pendulum was swinging too far in the censorship direction. All in all, I think it always balanced out pretty well--maybe after some minor fireworks--and it seems to me it still does...... My "problem" with the site is that it has grown so big that it is impossible to read everything and know everyone unless you spend several hours here a day. The country store, an analogy I used to use, has sort of evolved into ... uh ... the country Walmart......... But, in any event, the growth is clearly due to the administrative skills of Muhammad and his team plus the civility and family friendliness of the earlier members. Hope everyone keeps it that way, even if the family has grown.
Scott_in_WVA
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2002
- Messages
- 414
A fellow walked into a doctor’s office, and the receptionist asked him what he had.
He said, “Shingles”.
So she took down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.
A few minutes later, a medical assistant came out and asked him what he had.
He said, “Shingles”.
So she recorded his height, weight, a complete medical history, and told him to wait in the examination room.
Ten minutes later, a nurse came in and asked him what he had.
He said, “Shingles”.
So she did a blood test, an electrocardiogram, checked his blood pressure, and told him to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.
Fifteen minutes later, the doctor came in. “What do you have?” the doctor asked.
He said, “Shingles”.
The doctor said, “Where?”
“Outside in my pickup” the man said. “Where do you want them?”
He said, “Shingles”.
So she took down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.
A few minutes later, a medical assistant came out and asked him what he had.
He said, “Shingles”.
So she recorded his height, weight, a complete medical history, and told him to wait in the examination room.
Ten minutes later, a nurse came in and asked him what he had.
He said, “Shingles”.
So she did a blood test, an electrocardiogram, checked his blood pressure, and told him to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.
Fifteen minutes later, the doctor came in. “What do you have?” the doctor asked.
He said, “Shingles”.
The doctor said, “Where?”
“Outside in my pickup” the man said. “Where do you want them?”
Wingnut
Veteran Member
Actually, John, I find the most effective method to be: letting the thread die ... I send private email when I want to say something private - and good/nice/complimentary - to someone. On the other hand, if someone offends me or insults me, I just put that person in my mental "kill-file" and ignore all future posts from them, on any topic.
That way I can still enjoy the posts ... or not .... but do not force my censorship on anyone else.
That said ... I completely agree that we frequently spend too much effort on the "Off-Topic" forum. But would shutting it down accomplish anything, other than giving some of us less reason to log on every day? Probably not.
(peaceful ... but opinionated) pete
That way I can still enjoy the posts ... or not .... but do not force my censorship on anyone else.
That said ... I completely agree that we frequently spend too much effort on the "Off-Topic" forum. But would shutting it down accomplish anything, other than giving some of us less reason to log on every day? Probably not.
(peaceful ... but opinionated) pete
DocHeb
Veteran Member
My opinion of the two components you've brought up:
1. "Off topic" - is it really possible to be too far off topic? The entire spectrum of tractor mayhem is represented in the other forums. Muhammad has added multiple new forums in the 15 months I've been here. If I spend 1 hour a day, that means I will have spent 2 full weeks on this site in a year. Posts are getting pretty hard to keep up with, and I must be selective with what I'm involved with. If you look at the percentages, I read 100% of the New Holland forum (since I'm probably going blue), about 80% of Attachments, 20% of the rest of the general forums, diminishing to <1% of OT&JFF. The low percentage of OT&JFF is the result of point #2. Its nice knowing that most of the fluff&stuff is in one place so I can safely ignore it while on my path to Compact Utility Tractor Enlightenment.
2. "Just for Fun" - If my initial impression of an originating post is "stupid", or "insulting" or "not-worth-my-time-and-probably-not-worth-anybody-else's-time-either", I'll never open it again after my initial post reading. After a while, I don't even open some individual's threads, and there are several people who's replies I always skip over as well. This reminds me of when Howard Stern (the "Shock-Jock") was the scourge of the social police and in the news. His marketing studies pointed out that his critics listened to the show more minutes a day than his supporters. The critics wanted to police the show, so they listened intently for the next terrible thing he was going to say. This thrilled the advertisers since their products got more exposure. If something isn't fun, don't read it. The worst thing you can do is try and debate with the good-taste-impaired, they'll never "get it" despite your arguments. Let the thread die.
In the end, I think the current system works well, considering what it costs me. The ability to ignore the stuff I want, and bouncers to keep the private club safe from the blatant hooligans.
1. "Off topic" - is it really possible to be too far off topic? The entire spectrum of tractor mayhem is represented in the other forums. Muhammad has added multiple new forums in the 15 months I've been here. If I spend 1 hour a day, that means I will have spent 2 full weeks on this site in a year. Posts are getting pretty hard to keep up with, and I must be selective with what I'm involved with. If you look at the percentages, I read 100% of the New Holland forum (since I'm probably going blue), about 80% of Attachments, 20% of the rest of the general forums, diminishing to <1% of OT&JFF. The low percentage of OT&JFF is the result of point #2. Its nice knowing that most of the fluff&stuff is in one place so I can safely ignore it while on my path to Compact Utility Tractor Enlightenment.
2. "Just for Fun" - If my initial impression of an originating post is "stupid", or "insulting" or "not-worth-my-time-and-probably-not-worth-anybody-else's-time-either", I'll never open it again after my initial post reading. After a while, I don't even open some individual's threads, and there are several people who's replies I always skip over as well. This reminds me of when Howard Stern (the "Shock-Jock") was the scourge of the social police and in the news. His marketing studies pointed out that his critics listened to the show more minutes a day than his supporters. The critics wanted to police the show, so they listened intently for the next terrible thing he was going to say. This thrilled the advertisers since their products got more exposure. If something isn't fun, don't read it. The worst thing you can do is try and debate with the good-taste-impaired, they'll never "get it" despite your arguments. Let the thread die.
In the end, I think the current system works well, considering what it costs me. The ability to ignore the stuff I want, and bouncers to keep the private club safe from the blatant hooligans.
TWINKLE_TOES
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2000
- Messages
- 1,366
Glenn,
Glad to hear your still kicking/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif, I have missed your wit and humor.
Al
Glad to hear your still kicking/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif, I have missed your wit and humor.
Al
MikePA
Super Moderator
<font color=blue>I haven't posted much here in several months. Interesting to see the group arguing about the exact same thing we were arguing when I left: </font color=blue>
Change the frequency of your TBN visits and you'll miss the Cyclic Censorship discussions /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif which will apparently arise like a plague of locusts every now and then. The cycle is probably a function of new people and number of posts.
Change the frequency of your TBN visits and you'll miss the Cyclic Censorship discussions /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif which will apparently arise like a plague of locusts every now and then. The cycle is probably a function of new people and number of posts.
patrickg
Veteran Member
I have a couple things to say about this: 1. Gee, I took the time to read the WHOLE THING and still... Could someone tell me what the definition of Off Topic and Just for Fun turned out to be, I mean other than OFF TOPIC & JUST FOR FUN? 2. Kudos to Wingnut! and a minor whoopee to all those who figure that most folks who are smart enough to run a computer well enough to find and read the OTAJFF section should be smart enough to figure out how to stop reading something they don't like.
Caution highly inflamatory rant follows: Since this "CANCER" seems to be mostly strictly limited to this one venue, it should be easy to avoid it (several posters made easy to follow suggestions). Should it bother someone to know that out of their presence others are doing something that they don't approve of even thiough it does not harm those who avoid being involved?
Gee Garage Smoker, you made a really "right on" post in defense of the status quo, congratulations! Shouldn't we (who know best for everyone) castigate and shun you for smoking in your garage? Although we have no need to go into your garage I think some of our self appointed Thought Police should devise a way to make you stop.
Maybe if we can't get the OTAJFF forum banned at least maybe by popular demand some sort of warning label could be added, like maybe...
CAUTION, topics discussed on the Off Topic and Just for Fun forum are likely to contain materials that are off topic and just for fun!
Patrick
Caution highly inflamatory rant follows: Since this "CANCER" seems to be mostly strictly limited to this one venue, it should be easy to avoid it (several posters made easy to follow suggestions). Should it bother someone to know that out of their presence others are doing something that they don't approve of even thiough it does not harm those who avoid being involved?
Gee Garage Smoker, you made a really "right on" post in defense of the status quo, congratulations! Shouldn't we (who know best for everyone) castigate and shun you for smoking in your garage? Although we have no need to go into your garage I think some of our self appointed Thought Police should devise a way to make you stop.
Maybe if we can't get the OTAJFF forum banned at least maybe by popular demand some sort of warning label could be added, like maybe...
CAUTION, topics discussed on the Off Topic and Just for Fun forum are likely to contain materials that are off topic and just for fun!
Patrick
knucklehead
Platinum Member
I'm sorta new, but pretty mouthy. I used to cruise the only tractor topics, then got into the off topic stuff. It provides me with a little entertainment, and a place to share ideas. I have to say, compared to many other forums I have been in (used to be a lurker, never much posting), the decorum of even the most heated arguments is far and above what I see elsewhere.
I agree that most threads live or die by the amount of participation. I have enjoyed Scott's jokes, prolific as he may be. I'm starting to wonder if there is a hidden bit of deep wisdom in them......or is that just too many night shifts....../w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif
I agree that most threads live or die by the amount of participation. I have enjoyed Scott's jokes, prolific as he may be. I'm starting to wonder if there is a hidden bit of deep wisdom in them......or is that just too many night shifts....../w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif
GarageSmoker
Silver Member
I *knew* you were trying for a hot discussion topic all along.
GS
GS
Scott_in_WVA
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2002
- Messages
- 414
<font color=blue>Although it was removed by moderaters, the post "Clintons testimony by dr.Seuss" is typical of a gutter-minded post that has no place here on TBN, in my opinion.</font color=blue>
Not to be causing trouble or anything...but if anyone would like to know what bobt is referring to,I will gladly send you a copy of the post I made and was censored,all I ask is you reply to me privately,and we will let this thread fade into oblivion.I just want to give everyone the opportunity to know what the controversy is about.
Thanks
Scott
Not to be causing trouble or anything...but if anyone would like to know what bobt is referring to,I will gladly send you a copy of the post I made and was censored,all I ask is you reply to me privately,and we will let this thread fade into oblivion.I just want to give everyone the opportunity to know what the controversy is about.
Thanks
Scott
patrickg
Veteran Member
Gee Scott, you mean it isn't all about overzealous self appointed censors and guardians of the public good? I guess I need "magic glasses" to read the TRUE MEANING which apparently is found beween the lines in incredibly small print unreadable by us mortals.
Caution: the above material may contain items that are off the topic and just for fun.
Does that work OK? Maybe some times I should put the warning ahead of the truly objectionable inflamatory claptrap. Oh well, nothing is perfect...
Patrick (who accepts private messages and cautions everyone not to take everything tooooooo seriously as none of us are getting out of our current situation alive, please don't email me about rapture, thanks!)
Patrick
Caution: the above material may contain items that are off the topic and just for fun.
Does that work OK? Maybe some times I should put the warning ahead of the truly objectionable inflamatory claptrap. Oh well, nothing is perfect...
Patrick (who accepts private messages and cautions everyone not to take everything tooooooo seriously as none of us are getting out of our current situation alive, please don't email me about rapture, thanks!)
Patrick
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