Calling all lurkers and new members!

richardhomer

Longtallronnie said:

Just my opinion but while encouraging lurkers to contribute, I’d also encourage regulars to think about how they’re interactions with newcomers might put some off getting involved. 
Yes, there are some great people here and there’s a lot of support etc but we can come across a right cliquey bunch of fucks as well. 

I agree that sometimes some new members haven’t always been treated brilliantly - but I’m not convinced tFB is ‘cliquey’. There are ‘in’ jokes - like tagging @Bridgehouse - but they’re not ‘designed’ to make people feel excluded.

Bridgehouse

richardhomer said:

Longtallronnie said:

Just my opinion but while encouraging lurkers to contribute, I’d also encourage regulars to think about how they’re interactions with newcomers might put some off getting involved. 
Yes, there are some great people here and there’s a lot of support etc but we can come across a right cliquey bunch of fucks as well. 

I agree that sometimes some new members haven’t always been treated brilliantly - but I’m not convinced tFB is ‘cliquey’. There are ‘in’ jokes - like tagging @Bridgehouse - but they’re not ‘designed’ to make people feel excluded.

Cliquey behaviour often doesn't set out to be that way.. sometimes it's just how it ends up.

Longtallronnie

Nowt to do with in jokes, there have been times when a newcomer hasn’t necessarily made the best first impression and before they have a chance to redeem themselves, they’ve been bombarded by taunts from regulars. Newcomer then gets defensive or tries to fight back, which spurs on the baying mob to feel justified in their behaviour. 
I don’t know, maybe the newb was a prick and had it coming or maybe they weren’t given a chance to prove otherwise. In that respect I think the forum can appear cliquey at time’s. Just think we can be too quick to jump on people if they don’t immediately fit in. 

Bridgehouse

Longtallronnie said:

Nowt to do with in jokes, there have been times when a newcomer hasn’t necessarily made the best first impression and before they have a chance to redeem themselves, they’ve been bombarded by taunts from regulars. Newcomer then gets defensive or tries to fight back, which spurs on the baying mob to feel justified in their behaviour. 
I don’t know, maybe the newb was a prick and had it coming or maybe they weren’t given a chance to prove otherwise. In that respect I think the forum can appear cliquey at time’s. Just think we can be too quick to jump on people if they don’t immediately fit in. 

On some occasions, (not all I hasten to add) the forum has been harsh. On others, not at all. There is history in this place of people getting burned and suspicions being aroused. 

horse

Bridgehouse said

There is history in this place

There are dragons to be chased

Edit #sebadoh

Bridgehouse

horse said:

Bridgehouse said

There is history in this place

There are dragons to be chased

Well there's been some fire breathing too!

horse

You beat me to it - edited to mean I was quoting a song, not any criticism of regulars!

TTony

Bridgehouse said:
 There is history in this place of people getting burned and suspicions being aroused. 

Given our volumes - posts, users - we've had remarkably few bad experiences, in large part because of the community's antennae in sniffing them out quickly.

Unfortunately, that's led to a lot of false positives, not helped by some who just sign up to spam their latest business.

But that's all a different debate.





Where are the lurkers, why have you joined up, but not posted anything anywhere?  You can read the forum without signing up, the only thing you gain by signing up is the ability to post.

So, having joined up, why no posting?

Bridgehouse

@TTony do you think some have joined to PM in response to a classifieds ad? 

I'm sure that can't account for all tho.. I'm intrigued too. 

TTony

Don't ask me - ask *them* !

horse

TTony said:

Bridgehouse said:
 There is history in this place of people getting burned and suspicions being aroused. 

Given our volumes - posts, users - we've had remarkably few bad experiences, in large part because of the community's antennae in sniffing them out quickly.

Unfortunately, that's led to a lot of false positives, not helped by some who just sign up to spam their latest business.

But that's all a different debate.





Where are the lurkers, why have you joined up, but not posted anything anywhere?  You can read the forum without signing up, the only thing you gain by signing up is the ability to post.

So, having joined up, why no posting?

Some might sign up just to buy - I know I've sold some things to people who only registered in order to pm me. Not saying that there's not lots of other useful lurkers though

Bridgehouse

TTony said:

Don't ask me - ask *them* !

I was asking them through you as a proxy

Alnico

The details of how this place and it's "wonderfully supportive network of idiots who will go over and above time and time again to help a brother out."... have helped me an my Family are way too long and 'Coronation Street' to recount here but in the 3 and a half years I've been here I've been a slut since day 1 and loved every second of it. I didn't lurk because I was lucky enough to get talking to some amazing people right away and in that time since, my 5 closest and proper friends have all come through this place and are still members.
Despite an interesting and colourful life, I give back what I can to the forum and hope like everyone else that it carries on.

I see myself appearing to be "Cliquey" here sometimes but what's not immediately obvious to some others is that often I'm responding to someone that I either know well or very well, "In real life" and it's not always appropriate to put full explanations into every post, for those that don't realise I'm friends with that person.
To me it's always just been about being as naturally funny as I can be without pissing people off (Doesn't always work) whilst still trying to add something to the forum and be helpful (Why not? It's a great place ful of great people) but anyone new comes along and joins in and it's fine with me, new people are always interesting......my now best friends were new people to me at one point and they worked out great!

I'd always be one of the first encourage people to get up and play on a stage or in a studio jam session and I guess I've got the same attitude here.

Another thing lurkers may know but new members won't is that for all our pitchfork-y-ness, sometimes it's welcome when one innocent person either gets abuse they didn't deserve (clearly) or worse scammed. This place has been known to jump on things yes but sometimes those things needed jumping all over and stamping out,........better I don't mention which threads as I too want this thread to stay pleasant but the point remains. Sometimes, the community will turn on someone that is clearly WAY out of line but I've said all along there's more compassion and open-mindedness here than on any other forum I've seen. I came here from Ultimate Guitar and if you want to know what my comparison feels like, go there and see how much of the community spirit we have that there is there? Maybe in the last 3.5 years it's changed but I got the piss took out of me for trying to help someone locate a part by PM, that they posted in a thread they were having trouble finding. His reply......"Who the fuck are you, I don't know you? Did you invent the electric guitar then?"

QED.

We're a good community who all (mostly) want the same thing and I like to think our diversity makes us what we are.
Yes even @Sambostar

Well done for posting this mate.

Bridgehouse

@Alnico - the fretboard means a lot to a lot of us.

I am glad I stopped lurking for many many reasons. I think I just wanted to encourage more to join in and find out why it means so much to so many of us.

The bit that lurkers don't see are the many Off-board messages and meet ups that form some really long term friendships. 

Thanks for posting your thoughts

crunchman

Bridgehouse said:

@TTony do you think some have joined to PM in response to a classifieds ad? 

I'm sure that can't account for all tho.. I'm intrigued too. 

I've done that on Basschat.  I'm sure there are some here like that.

I don't really have time to get properly involved in another forum.  I spend too long on here as it is.

skaguitar

I lurked here for a while before posting and I had been a regular on MLP before that so posting didn't worry me and still doesn't.
I have to say though, I do find forums in general to be quite cliquey and this one is no different. 
I've probably further distanced myself from the clique by posting this but hey... i'll still comment on things and post when I think appropriate.
Having said that...in general I find this to be a very friendly place full of good information and more importantly some very talented players...luthiers...amp and pedal builders and knowledgeable people so if it's ok i'll stick around..

Bridgehouse

crunchman said:

Bridgehouse said:

@TTony do you think some have joined to PM in response to a classifieds ad? 

I'm sure that can't account for all tho.. I'm intrigued too. 

I've done that on Basschat.  I'm sure there are some here like that.

I don't really have time to get properly involved in another forum.  I spend too long on here as it is.

Yeah, I tried bass chat too. 

I think you are right - I don't have time for two forums. 

Bridgehouse

skaguitar said:

I lurked here for a while before posting and I had been a regular on MLP before that so posting didn't worry me and still doesn't.
I have to say though, I do find forums in general to be quite cliquey and this one is no different. 
I've probably further distanced myself from the clique by posting this but hey... i'll still comment on things and post when I think appropriate.
Having said that...in general I find this to be a very friendly place full of good information and more importantly some very talented players...luthiers...amp and pedal builders and knowledgeable people so if it's ok i'll stick around..

If you want to see cliquey, go have a read of the Les Paul forum.. 

And I hope you do stick around!

Travisthedog

DrBob said:

mikem8634

But I can explain why I did start to post. After reading this forum for a bit I got the impression that it thrived on its reciprocal relationships, from the discussions to the classifieds. There seemed to be a deliberate attempt to foster a bit of trust and decency, which can be sadly missing in the web-based world as, no doubt, is plain to one and all. That really appealed to me. Things like the idea that guitars get circulated around the classifieds without Fretboarders making a profit from each other - very classy in my opinion, and something to be proud of.

And this in a nutshell is what makes this a wonderful place to be.
It can come across a bit like 'The League Of Gentlemen go Guitar Forum' sometimes but underneath the sarcasm and sniping it is a wonderfully supportive network of idiots who will go over and above time and time again to help a brother out.
I've met some great people on here, I've a nasty suspicion that @Travisthedog & @guitargeek62 & @Richardj ;amongst others are friends for life and they'll be sitting in the back row of the Crem at my funeral, probably ripping the piss out of me as they light me up ! But that's good, I'm lucky to have made the friends I have through this forum

Ahhhhh

@drbob my brother from another mother 

LuttiS

Bridgehouse said:

@TTony do you think some have joined to PM in response to a classifieds ad? 

I'm sure that can't account for all tho.. I'm intrigued too. 

Could be to do with tracking posts? Following a built in making & modding for example, when your signed up you can see when new build bits are up
Also while lurking you can see what you've lurked at? :]