06-15-2014, 10:18 AM
I've been away and following this discussion on various mobile contraptions and, while it seems that nearly everything that can be said has been said, I'll add my two bob's worth anyway.
I'm no expert, but it seems to me the difficulty with forums is that, on good ones, people will become friendly and end up wanting to talk about things other than the primary subject. That, of course, risks derailing the intent of the forum and spoiling it for others—see tomas's comment at post #30 as an example. The virtue of this forum is that Guth and Ferret have done a great job of keeping it focused and polite while, at the same time, allowing a bit of latitude. I don't know but I suspect, as the number of members grows and the relative number of wannabe disruptives (like me) increases, the task of moderation becomes greater and more arduous.
I'd like a 'pub' section on the forum because I feel like I've made some friends and I enjoy having a joke with them. BUT—and there are several—I wouldn't like to see the tone of the place degenerate; nor would I like to see politics and religion discussed (God forbid, an Australian might have a view on gun control); nor would I like to see the sort of carrying on that occurs on some forums where people who don't conform with the view of a noisy clique are abused and hounded. I'd also not like the load on Guth and Ferret to become overwhelmed because of an increased load.
This is Guth's forum and it's his call. He's made it and, even though I may have hoped for a slightly different outcome, he has my full support. I'm not leaving; this place is mostly interesting and people really pleasant. And I hope that both Ferret and Guth will continue to allow us to stray ever so slightly off topic from time to time.
But, if anyone has a suggested place on the web for exchanging vaguely related frivolity, perhaps they could PM me?
By the way, the Honda CB1100 is a fantastic bike. Does anyone agree?
I'm no expert, but it seems to me the difficulty with forums is that, on good ones, people will become friendly and end up wanting to talk about things other than the primary subject. That, of course, risks derailing the intent of the forum and spoiling it for others—see tomas's comment at post #30 as an example. The virtue of this forum is that Guth and Ferret have done a great job of keeping it focused and polite while, at the same time, allowing a bit of latitude. I don't know but I suspect, as the number of members grows and the relative number of wannabe disruptives (like me) increases, the task of moderation becomes greater and more arduous.
I'd like a 'pub' section on the forum because I feel like I've made some friends and I enjoy having a joke with them. BUT—and there are several—I wouldn't like to see the tone of the place degenerate; nor would I like to see politics and religion discussed (God forbid, an Australian might have a view on gun control); nor would I like to see the sort of carrying on that occurs on some forums where people who don't conform with the view of a noisy clique are abused and hounded. I'd also not like the load on Guth and Ferret to become overwhelmed because of an increased load.
This is Guth's forum and it's his call. He's made it and, even though I may have hoped for a slightly different outcome, he has my full support. I'm not leaving; this place is mostly interesting and people really pleasant. And I hope that both Ferret and Guth will continue to allow us to stray ever so slightly off topic from time to time.
But, if anyone has a suggested place on the web for exchanging vaguely related frivolity, perhaps they could PM me?
By the way, the Honda CB1100 is a fantastic bike. Does anyone agree?