Again, hard to fathom the thinking that a smilie icon is intended to insult but I suppose some could find an insult behind every door. :(

Again, hard to fathom the thinking that a simicon is intended to insult but I suppose some could find an insult behind every door. :(

I dunno Ron, I think you might be a simiconaholic. The first step is admitting you have a problem. Maybe find a simiconaholic's anonymous group.

Again, hard to fathom the thinking that a simicon is intended to insult but I suppose some could find an insult behind every door. :(

If I were speaking to you face-to-face and made "rolling eyes" at you after you'd just made some chowder-head statement, I think you'd figure out quickly that I was indicating something other than absolute delight or agreement... :(

I see everyone using the stupid icons as they see fit, yet finding it acceptable to question someone else's use of them... how silly is that??

To be perfectly honest, I'm hugely in favor of AVSIM removing the "rolling eyes" smilie entirely, as I cannot think of a single instance where it could be used without insulting the reader to whom it is directed. :(

I agree, possibly extending it to other smilies. These can be used in an attempt to justify insulting remarks along the lines of "it was joke, haven't you a sense of humour?"

Ron: Hi, my name is Ron...All responders in the thread: Hi, Ron.Ron: I'm a simiconaholic. It'a been 30 seconds since my last smiley...Sorry,Ron, couldn't help myself. Anyway, I believe I should be able to speak my mind, as long as I am not rude or insulting. Rude would include bad language, even using the first and last letters with stars in between. Don't get me wrong, I use plenty of bad words in real life, but on a forum where all we have to go on is what somebody writes, bad language just gets in the way. I have been around here long enough to have seen both sides of an argument throw insults. Both people we all respect and people we do not. Too bad. There have been plenty of times when I wanted to post an opinion on some topic, but did not because sure enough someone would go off on me. If I want to say I like one sim better than another, why can't I say that without some clown(opps, is that an insult? See how easy it is?)going balistic.Most of us are adults. Why can't we discuss things in a cool calm manner? I would enjoy that. Topics we are not adult enough to handle:1. FS9 vs FSX ( a favorite of mine)B. ATI vs nVidia3. XP vs any other OS (though I haven't seen this in awhile)D. How one person believes FSX coding works vs how another person believes it works.5. tweaks (another favorite) And others. Too bad.I know that these things have been hashed over many times(one of the reasons given for locking a thread), but there are always new people joining the forum, and sometimes there is new information. But someone most always has to wreck it.I wouldn't want to be a Mod(my hat is off to you all) for the world. Well, maybe the world, but it would have to be much better than it is now.BobP.S. I try not to use emoticons. Does that mean I have no emotions?

Ok guys, I'll make an honest effort to mitigate the use of smiliey icons as a first step of twelve..Please bear with me as I may slip from time to time but I will pick myself backup, dust myself off, and get back on track towards the ultimate goal of never using smilies again. See, no smiley.Oh man did I ever want to use this one: :( Disclaimer: There is no intent to insult anyone. If you are offended please contact me and I will apologise.

:( Sorry Ron, I couldn't resist.Cheers, SLuggy

I see everyone using the stupid icons as they see fit, yet finding it acceptable to question someone else's use of them... how silly is that??

Perhaps it is silly. To be perfectly candid though, the "rolling eyes" smilie is the only one I think is in poor taste and is the one that is most apt to be misunderstood...

Frankly, if folks are insulted over smiley face icons of any sort then they must be pretty thin skinned.Sort of reminds of your quote in your sig about folks not needing anything to fight about, they'll make something up if need be....sheesh.

I know that these things have been hashed over many times(one of the reasons given for locking a thread), but there are always new people joining the forum, and sometimes there is new information. But someone most always has to wreck it.

You might be surprised as to how few people it really is that "wreck" posts. We've been discovering that it's a handful of folks, most using mulitple accounts, that make up the vast majority of the culprits. They just weren't expecting us to crack down and do a little research. Being on a six week absence from the skies is giving me plenty of time to take a closer look, and of course David and Geof are always on the ball.......well, David is anyway. Hold the comments, Geof knows I'm kidding.

To be perfectly honest, I'm hugely in favor of AVSIM removing the "rolling eyes" smilie entirely, as I cannot think of a single instance where it could be used without insulting the reader to whom it is directed. :(

The only time I've ever used it is to poke fun at myself... I think I agree with Bill - I can't think of any time I'd use it against anyone else because of the potential for offence.-Dai

Interesting how things drift...We've moved from a blatant attempt to deceive and mislead Avsim, Avsim Staff, and Avsim users, against me personally and my company to the extent that the OP wished to have Avsim become his private playground and we are discussing the relative merits of smiley face icons...

Odd little drama going on here... If I'm not mistaken, this banned individual(s) is an ex-Avsim reviewer? And ripping on this banned person does nothing to elevate this hobby/community. Should just quietly ban this person and leave it at that, no drama, no grandstanding.And why is it that the same old cast of characters appear on these "hot" threads? It's a pattern I'm seeing time and time again, not sure if it helps attract new people into this hobby. With the demise of the MSFS franchise, I think we need new people coming in to support flight sim.

Odd little drama going on here... If I'm not mistaken, this banned individual(s) is an ex-Avsim reviewer? And ripping on this banned person does nothing to elevate this hobby/community. Should just quietly ban this person and leave it at that, no drama, no grandstanding.And why is it that the same old cast of characters appear on these "hot" threads? It's a pattern I'm seeing time and time again, not sure if it helps attract new people into this hobby. With the demise of the MSFS franchise, I think we need new people coming in to support flight sim.

The OP was the grandstander in chief even to the extent of this very post. I agree, that further flogging is not a good thing any more than obsessing over my use of smiley face icons.Tired of the old chast of characters? Join in and recruit a few new folks yourself. :(