Nothing there to disagree with, and some food for thought. I couldn't ask for more than that. :-)

Great post Stephen... :hi:

 

Actually, I think you can expand even further. It's on EVERY forum out there. Every forum I've ever seen or been part of, there's the bad boys and the predictable "how dare you ask a question newbie" posts. It's sickening but I guess it's human nature somehow.

 

I will admit we are a little nerdy which nothing wrong with that but that means we were most likely the last ones to be the schoolyard bully growing up. So why a person would choose to be a forum bully later in life is beyond me. There is nothing to gain from that sort of behaviour.

 

When a newbie come on here and asks a question on the wrong area or a simple question I think the best way to address that is simple.....first start with "I see you are new and welcome to the AVSIM forum....." and then explain the er of his/hers ways and send them on the correct path. Good diplomacy goes a very long way.

 

I just saw a complaint recently from a newbie about one of the old boys (I won't name) so I told the newbie to just ignore him. The more people ignore that behaviour the more reason they will have to stop. It is just attention seeking from behind a keyboard anyways, if anyone's life gets like that then my advice is GO FOR A WALK.

 

Cheers

So why a person would choose to be a forum bully later in life is beyond me.

 

I have been running AVSIM for almost 17 years now and before 1997, a BBS since 1983 - that's 30 years managing and dealing with social networks, or as we used to characterize them; communities. I will answer your implied question; there are some, admittedly a small number when measured against our total membership, that are spoiled, feel they are entitled, have superegos, have not been socialized much in their upbringing, or suffer from other anti or a-social issues. We are a microcosm of the entire world after all. Given our demographics, to me that is amazing, given the median age of our membership. Here are the age demographics as of 10 minutes ago:

 

 

So, I don't think this is an issue of having a lot of youth in our community. I think it is societal and cultural to a small extent, and to a larger extent an issue with members that frankly, have issues. Helen_P as an example was a Brit male who had a historic issue with us, and me in particular, and put us under constant attack here and elsewhere. Why? Because we insisted that he follow the rules. As I said, some feel they are entitled, and that is all there is to it as far as they are concerned.

 

As for new users being treated inappropriately, I ask all of you to be alert for that, and as soon as you see it, report it. As I pointed out above in my quote of our Terms of Service, that is strictly against our policies and what we consider to be a forum must; hospitality and openness to the new and those here to learn. These forums are all about learning and sharing. If a new person comes into them and gets treated poorly for trying to do either one, then we, the Admins and Moderators, need to know about it, and we will take care of it. Use the report button, please. It's there to help us help you and your fellow community members.

It isn't like the Junior High mindset is anything new on the internet, but the way I see it, the ever-increasing trend towards social networking has made it much worse. It used to be more about the rather neutral exchange of information that would get people up and running and on their way. Somebody has a question, gets an answer, and thats that. Now, more than ever in the last 5 years or so, it is about people vying for status, popularity, and post counts. That is all fine to some extent, since everybody gets a little ego boost from a compliment, or from others' approval, but I've noticed in myself I've started to shy away from all that more and more because it increasingly gets in the way, and it looks to continue that way. I enjoy spending time, and participating in web forums, trying to help others struggling with the same questions that I once had and needed to figure out myself...and don't need or want things to be purely business, but at the end of the day it comes down to what information I want to know and learn. In the case of Flight Simulator type forums, it is ultimately about being able to get the information I need to enhance my enjoyment when I'm sitting down in front of my computer alone flying a simulated airplane. I don't think I've ever joined a forum to be part of a trend, but almost invariably because I have a question that needs answering, or there is some compelling reason for me to lend my 2 cents. If ego-wars, emphasis on personalities, or the quest for style points start to get in the way of that, then I simply go somewhere else.

 

A little bit funny, but one of the more recent forums I joined, I asked a question, and not one that was particularly dumb. Guess what the first response I received was? RTFM! :lol: All the more funny, because in my question I specifically noted that I had searched the forums, read the manual, and was still not sure how to go about what I was trying to do! I guess it is just the way people are.

The problem is we can't all take a vacation when we need it, and frankly Tom and Chase and Momtchill and I should take a Carnival cruise to observe how bad things can really go wrong despite the very best intentions.......

Carnival Cruise! - see you guys there.

 

 

It isn't like the Junior High mindset is anything new on the internet, but the way I see it, the ever-increasing trend towards social networking has made it much worse.................

I think you're right.... it certainly hasn't helped.

 

Some people do feel entitled to walk all over others and have absolutely no consideration for anyone else. We've had a few prime examples recently. It is a type of behaviour we do our best to discourage and its certainly not welcome here.

So I'm gonna hop in here and answer the original question:

 

What I find is in forums I like:

People interested in the same thing but often holding violently different views on them.

Places where factual information can be and is regularly shared.

Places where people are both willing to teach and learn.

Places that offer a range of opinions and views from different cultures and backgrounds across the globe.

Places that allow a debate to go on, even if it gets a bit heated, provided lines aren't crossed.

Places where you get to recognise individuals and get a sense of their character over time on the forums.

Places that are easy to navigate and use, and in particular to keep track of things.

Places where I can both learn, but feel I can also contribute to the learning of others.

Places where you can get the latest info on upcoming products and releases that you're interested in but might not hear of elsewhere.

 

What I find in forums I don't like:

People who are closed to new ideas and ways of thinking.

People who refuse to admit when they were wrong.

People who state views and facts without being able to back them up.

People who jump on and attack individual members for some harmless reason.

 

All of the above, both good and bad can be found on Avsim, just much more from the good list, which is why I've been here almost 4 years now(?) at this stage...

 

Regards,

Ró.

Guess what the first response I received was? RTFM! :lol: All the more funny, because in my question I specifically noted that I had searched the forums, read the manual, and was still not sure how to go about what I was trying to do! I guess it is just the way people are.

I had a four letter answer to someone who once sent me a similar response to one of my questions: RMFM...

 

..."Read My First Message" B)

So...... What makes a forum?

 

Simple, the forum members make the forum, but more importantly, the individuals that run the forum and help manage us crazy forum members, make the forum. Kind of a catch 22, no crazy forums members, then no forum moderators and thus no forum. :lol:

 

RJ