What do you think about this forum?

[Startup]

What do you like? What don't you like? What would you like to see changed?

[yankeefan1970]

The forum is pretty decent, IMO. Some of the users need to calm down. That is impossible, but it's also the one major flaw. Perhaps some aggressive moderating?

Personal attacks or flaming because your ideas differ from someone elses just should not be allowed. I haven't posted in several weeks because of one such individual. If the forum is to really survive you need a difference in opinions. That's what causes everyone to consider more sides to every story and perhaps learn something.

So, when an individual goes off and attacks someone in a personal manor it does nothing to advance the thread or the discussion. It only serves to lower the overall intelligence of the group.

Police the threads a bit more and put a stop to people who do nothing but bash and attack people who have an oppinion that doesn't fit with what they think.

It might draw in more differing oppinions, and keep those of us who are already here around a bit longer.

[Barça]

I agree. Personal attacks should be conducted via PM, not in the forum for all to see.
The moderator should also limit the amount of threads, since so many are about the same.... Iraq q q q q q q.....

[NHØP]

It needs a bit more life, more viewpoints, more members.

[Startup]

I have seen the various personal attacks, but I am loathe to get involved because the line between unreasonable attacks and legitimate questions on bias is often uncertain. Of course, some of the attacks back and forth were more rabid than necessary, but I still think that airing out animus is better than the alternative.

I agree that we need more topics and more members and we should all try to start different topics and we should all try to get our friends to join. I have literally spent hours trying to find the regulars from SR and I have asked my friends to join and participate. Everyone here who wants more diversity of opinion (which we all do) should do the same.

I think this forum can become as good as the one on SR, but it will take all of us to make it that way.

[hehehhehe]

Thanks for starting this thread, Startup.

I for one would like to see people lighten up and I am glad some of you feel the same way. It was surprising to see how quickly threads would degrade to flat-out antagonism (in no way constructive) and then die out because no one wants to get involved after a certain point. Otherwise, it's the same people agreeing about some US related news with some 'witty' exchanges. Those die quickly too since any thread with two people saying 'hee hee, good one' to each other should die quickly. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's almost like people don't want to bother saying anything in those threads either because it'll just be another flame war.

I'm always very careful in my posts (put things in parenthesis to clarify and be non-offensive - it's quite funny to look at) but I'll always attract a barking dog, always putting words in my mouth or insinuating some BS. In any case, flaming is a common characteristic of internet forums anyway, too many people like to take out their real-life frustrations out anonymously on the web I guess...

Forums are usually quite nice for discussing, but this one seems to be more about people always ranting about the same things as if they had a personal vendetta. I know most of the threads are US related so mentioning Bush is inevitable, but repeatedly name calling Bush is so trite and easy, it shouldn't even belong in a real political discussion. That's more for the bright-eyed undergrad college kid just learning about politics and being surprised at how corrupt people around them are. I would like to hear more about other countries. The link to the photo journal of the area around Chernobyl was a great one for example. I come to the forum to compare and discuss, rather than bad mouth others and try to get along but that's pretty much impossible.

[janlefev]

Originally Posted by yankeefan1970

The forum is pretty decent, IMO. Some of the users need to calm down. That is impossible, but it's also the one major flaw. Perhaps some aggressive moderating?

Personal attacks or flaming because your ideas differ from someone elses just should not be allowed. I haven't posted in several weeks because of one such individual. If the forum is to really survive you need a difference in opinions. That's what causes everyone to consider more sides to every story and perhaps learn something.

So, when an individual goes off and attacks someone in a personal manor it does nothing to advance the thread or the discussion. It only serves to lower the overall intelligence of the group.

Police the threads a bit more and put a stop to people who do nothing but bash and attack people who have an oppinion that doesn't fit with what they think.

It might draw in more differing opinions, and keep those of us who are already here around a bit longer.

I do not completely agree. In fact I agree with you if one becomes boring about attacking one or more people but I don't see the point in stopping people from flaming each other on a subject. It doesn't hve to be rude but could bring to personnal attacks whatever they are including race, religion, beliefs. One should be clever enough to respond. Another should be clever enough not to insist and become annoying to everybody.

I remember I had crudely pointed out that damn Lictor about his stubborn socialist a la soviet style always starting a sentence with a "We in France we believe...".

[hypedave]

doesn't matter to me anymore, just as soon I as open my mouth on MY views and experiences i'm quickly flamed, so im retiring from participating in this debate forum. I shall take my views and opinions else where, where I know I want get flammed.

You guys have fun, maybe when things look better and there are at least 30 people particapting inside this forum alone, i'll be back.

[hehehhehe]

Originally Posted by hypedave

doesn't matter to me anymore, just as soon I as open my mouth on MY views and experiences i'm quickly flamed, so im retiring from participating in this debate forum. I shall take my views and opinions else where, where I know I want get flammed.

You guys have fun, maybe when things look better and there are at least 30 people particapting inside this forum alone, i'll be back.

I agree with you, but if I don't post as much, it's because I don't like the general dynamics of the forum. I can handle the flames because so far attacks on me have been lame, heh heh. Keep posting though, some disagreements are needed to keep threads going, right? (And bring back that curveball game!)

Whenever I ask some questions about some of the more vocal members' posts (because they sometimes post some big time discrepancies), they won't try to answer it of course, but they will be more than happy to continue flaming someone else's posts. Basically, it's like there's no real discussion but rather a place to try to flame each other.

I liked going to the old S&R forums just to see what people from all over had to say about this or that, but in this new forum it's always the same boring guys saying the same boring things... It definitely needs more members.

[Phunkie]

I think the forum is ok. At the moment there are not too much members, but I'm sure more will come in time. And even though there aren't many members in here, the ones that visit this place post quite frequently.

As hehehhehe stated, the forum could use a little lightening up. I even tried to start a new thread about good things to get a bit of positivity in here, but it didn't work that well.

Hehehhehe also mentnioned the narrowness of the topics here. That's partly true, but the fact also is that so many of the current topics in the world revolve around the USA. Even if you don't live in the USA most major news concern the nation and are widely discussed in the local media. So I think this forum kind of reflects what's happening in the world.

I also agree that it would be nice to get some more variety in the topics, so hehehhehe or anyone else, you are very welcomed to start a thread about something else than the US or Bush.

I don't think there's SO much flaming going on in here than is said here. A little of course (flaming, even a little, is of course not good), but in general I think the discussion's been pretty clean considering the topics of this forum.

Originally Posted by hehehhehe

I liked going to the old S&R forums just to see what people from all over had to say about this or that, but in this new forum it's always the same boring guys saying the same boring things... It definitely needs more members.

As I said, please create a new thread about any issue you'd like to see discussed so it wouldn't always be the same boring things.

And since you talked about antagonism, flaming and the overall negativity in here, your innuendos about unnamed members being boring, flaming others or not answering any questions don't help much. If you want to bad mouth a member, then please address him so he can reply.

But overall I'd say this forum is good and needed. I believe more members and thus more variety will eventually emerge. So if we just keep the discussion going, this forum will become as good as the one of SR.