Rant of the day

Originally posted by mcarter David, Thread drift is normal....My 2 cents.

So, who’s going to be the thread police?  And what constitutes unacceptable drift.  It's not fair to ask the moderators to have to keep threads precisely on the topic nor is it fair to them that they should have to take the heat for deleting posts that may drift too far off topic.  

 

We don't all have to march in a straight line.  If someone strays off a bit, big deal.  It isn't going to hurt anyone.  You aren’t required to read the posts if they drift too far off topic for you.  This is a discussion board.  Discussions, by their very nature drift all over the place.  Going off on a tangent in response to someone else drifting a bit off topic is hardly an ego trip or a maliciously motivated effort to offend the original poster.  It's a human conversation and that's the way humans work.  

 

There are those who think in more digital concepts with a more black and white view of the world where there is a right answer and a wrong answer. On the other hand, there are others who think in fractals and fussy logic and see shades of gray, where there are simultaneously multiple right answers, depending on your point of view. If you have trouble with thread drift, stop reading it when it goes off topic.  As another member noted: after a certain number of posts on a topic you've already gotten most of what anyone has to offer on the topic.  After that, it is just fun conversation.

 

Opinions are what this board is full of, and, should be.  Everyone who tries to help offers his/her opinion. Whether it's the best WHD, whether one is needed or not, what the best TV is, 2 - 6v batteries or 1 - 12v, the list goes on ad nauseam.  There is hardly a single post that doesn't offer an opinion, and, I dare say, almost all are offered in good faith.

 

Happy and Mike, no one is trying to be rude.  No one is trying to hijack someone's thread.  It's just that we are all human.  We color outside the lines.  It's done in a desire to share thoughts and have some fun sharing what we have all learned about r-Pod trailers and life, especially as it pertains to our experiences enjoying these little bouncy rolling homes. 

 

Remember, just because we start a thread, does not mean we have some proprietary interest in it.  To the contrary, it is for everyone on the board.  For myself, I enjoy seeing one of the threads I start carry on for pages and pages drifting off topic as long as people are enjoying it.  This is a virtual social group and we are social animal, and we all have a little anarchy in our hearts.  

Originally posted by lostagain ...and we all have a little anarchy in our hearts.

Who's going to be the "thread police"?

You are.

Something like this is impossible to legislate/rule make and even more so to moderate/enforce.

As furpod pointed out, there is not a lot of moderator intervention here on the forum. We all enjoy a great deal of freedom as a result. However, freedom is a double edged sword. With freedom comes the obligation to exercise it responsibly.

If nothing else, I think we can learn from this thread that everyone views "drift" and "hijacking" a little differently. Some don't like it at all. I believe most are tolerant of a certain amount of "drift". On the other hand, not every thread should become a discussion, for instance, about the weather in Djibouti (or some subject other than the OP's).

That said, the weather in Djibouti is certainly worthy of our contemplation and discussion - so much so that it probably should be in it's own thread.

When a member opens a thread/discussion, they are in effect saying "I would like us to talk about "this" and I feel it important enough to go to the effort of opening a discussion". We should try to respect that and the person.

Again, nobody is being gagged or censored. I hope that we all can be thoughtful, sensitive and respectful of each other, while enjoying the forum.

Who are the thread police?



You are!

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12379&title=thousand-trails-long-beach-wa


Above, I think we have a winner for the “Poster Child of Good Posts” award! If you have not looked at it, I recommend it. Great post with beautiful pictures and well laid out. They obviously put some time/effort into giving the rest of us something to look at and enjoy.

To make a point, here is how the replies to that post should NOT go:

Member#1 reply – Great pictures! They remind me of the weather in Djibouti!
Member#2 reply – Djibouti …they have some of the best bacon on the planet!
Member#3 reply – Bacon is good but, the peach pie in Georgia is out of this world!
Member#4 reply – Georgia’s football team hasn’t been very good this year.
Member#5 reply – Football is for wimps! Real men watch the Canadian Hockey League!
Member#5 reply – Canada? Does anyone know if I can carry my firearms across the Canadian border?
Member#6 reply – Hey Jr., what kind of heat are you packing anyway?
David reply – Guys, we don’t do firearm discussions here. Member#5 – Consult the Canadian Border Patrol web site for an answer to your question.
All members reply – OPPRESSIVE NAZI MODERATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See what I mean? The OP's work/effort was just blown off and the comments/replies had nothing to do with their post. SAD! Yet all "legal", with the exception of the firearms posts. We are better than that.

Go get 'um furpod!


now where did I leave my 5 gallon bucket of Prozac??????