So then, all this nasty negativity ...

vasselmeyer

I'm missing the negativity too. Can we get Drew back please?

MikeS

I wouldn't say folk are negative. Tight, but not negative.

Stavros

octatonic said:

I don't see many negative threads these days.
I think we've found some sort of equilibrium.

Agreed, though I’ve probably spent less time BCD than previously.

Quite honestly I can’t be arsed with any negativity, and IMHO it’s not why the vast majority of members are here for, but like the tv remote, you can switch to something else, and you definitely don’t have to join in.

robgilmo

People are surrounded with negative influences, news papers, Facebook feed, television, the problem is while all thos is going on the only thing that can change things, positivity, is quite rare in a lot of peoples lives. Have you noticed door instance on social media, Facebook to be exact, there is a few who only post sensionalist shock news reports? That won't be having a positive effect on a persons well being. I have to listen to brexit this and immigrant /muslim that all day long at work from daily mail/sun readers and it does sometimes feel like a toxic environment to work in, but my point is, people are changing, for the worst.

robgilmo

Ant its because of the negative influences around them.

TTony

"Facebook" ??

Bridgehouse

TTony said:

"Facebook" ??

Bit like myspace but for lunch and dinner pics

darthed1981

Bridgehouse said:

TTony said:

"Facebook" ??

Bit like myspace but for lunch and dinner pics

and also undermining western democracy...

Deadman

I thought you and Digitalscream left because of "all the negativity" @TTony .

Forgive me if I'm wrong but I couldn't see it when you 'left' and I can't REALLY see it now. I find the whole thing very confusing. There are a few bad comments, I flagged one recently calling someone a fucking idiot but most aren't too bad, surely? I've been guilty of some very naughty ribbing myself in the past but again, surely that's going to happen once or twice given I've been here for 5 years.

Behind you all the way as I've always maintained (fwiw) but as I say. I find it confusing when the management step down because of negativity only to reappear and denounce threads suggesting there are hints of negativity??

Bridgehouse

Deadman said:

I thought you and Digitalscream left because of "all the negativity" @TTony .

Forgive me if I'm wrong but I couldn't see it when you 'left' and I can't REALLY see it now. I find the whole thing very confusing. There are a few bad comments, I flagged one recently calling someone a fucking idiot but most aren't too bad, surely? I've been guilty of some very naughty ribbing myself in the past but again, surely that's going to happen once or twice given I've been here for 5 years.

Behind you all the way as I've always maintained (fwiw) but as I say. I find it confusing when the management step down because of negativity only to reappear and denounce threads suggesting there are hints of negativity??

I don’t think that Tony and Lee had a break because of negativity, but because too many people were taking and not giving (esp the classifieds) and the community spirit had dwindled a bit. I understood that the break was to regroup, rethink and come back afresh to reinvigorate the fb. 

I don’t remember it being specifically about negativity

Kilgore

Compared to other guitar forums, I think this one is Goldilocks. Neither too nasty nor too nice.

I hope it stays that way.

Bridgehouse

Kilgore said:

Compared to other guitar forums, I think this one is Goldilocks. Neither too nasty nor too nice.

I hope it stays that way.

And also not too expensive and not too rules heavy as well....

thumpingrug

I suspect that as Mods there is a strong possibility of you getting a jaundiced view of the world that you have created.    No one will ever flag a post to say they are happy with it or that they have had a great day and all is going well for them, they flag stuff that is "negative" or disrespectful.   You see all of that and have to spend a lot of time focussing on it and figuring if and how to deal with it.   You miss the genuine good humoured banter that takes place.    

There are and always will be a very very very small number of people who think Rule No1 never applies to them and who will inevitably generate a lot of the grief that goes on.   Dont let that spoil the big picture.   What we have here is a community, that 99% of the time works harmoniously and strives to look after each other.   

Sometimes you need to take a look at the wider picture.

Kilgore

Bridgehouse said:

Kilgore said:

Compared to other guitar forums, I think this one is Goldilocks. Neither too nasty nor too nice.

I hope it stays that way.

And also not too expensive and not too rules heavy as well....

Yes.

 The rules heavy ones result in an enforced 'niceness' where it is difficult for anyone to be themselves, resulting in a certain sterility.

darthed1981

I suspect I'm the only person who read this thread and just thought of this lost 90s prog classic from Mansun....?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnyHcDZHvko

77ric

The way I see it, real negativity, by which I would include certain comments (but not all) in the LP conversion thread, where rule 1 was forgotten, is actually pretty rare. Mostly I think people try to give constructive criticism on those kinds of threads, although some times they forget the constructive part. 

I also see some off-topic threads, where the OP is trying to court a little controversy (although I wouldn’t go as far as to say trolling) which inevitably results in a large number of comments that disagree with the original post, but instead of the OP holding up their hands and saying ‘ok maybe I’m wrong in my opinion’ or just backing away, they continue to push for more dissenting comments. Now I don’t consider that to be negativity but i believe that some may see it as such, especially by newer members who haven’t worked out the personalities of the high fretters. 

But it mostly I see good positive threads in the on-topic boards with great advice, even insightful reply’s from some of the big names @ICBM @WezV @Bridgehouse @FelineGuitars @Modulus_Amps just to name few (sorry if I’ve missed some out there are just too many to remember). 

Basically we all just need to think twice before we post a topic or reply, which we are all guilty of not doing from time to time. 

If I had to pluck some figures out of my arse I’d say it’s 0.0005% forgetting rule 1 0.9995% forgetting to be constructive and 99% positive. But like most situations in life the negative voices rise above as a people we don’t praise the positive only complain about the negative. 

Deadman

Bridgehouse said:

Deadman said:

I thought you and Digitalscream left because of "all the negativity" @TTony .

Forgive me if I'm wrong but I couldn't see it when you 'left' and I can't REALLY see it now. I find the whole thing very confusing. There are a few bad comments, I flagged one recently calling someone a fucking idiot but most aren't too bad, surely? I've been guilty of some very naughty ribbing myself in the past but again, surely that's going to happen once or twice given I've been here for 5 years.

Behind you all the way as I've always maintained (fwiw) but as I say. I find it confusing when the management step down because of negativity only to reappear and denounce threads suggesting there are hints of negativity??

I don’t think that Tony and Lee had a break because of negativity, but because too many people were taking and not giving (esp the classifieds) and the community spirit had dwindled a bit. I understood that the break was to regroup, rethink and come back afresh to reinvigorate the fb. 

I don’t remember it being specifically about negativity

No, still confused. But thanks mate.

TTony

Deadman said:

Bridgehouse said:

Deadman said:

I thought you and Digitalscream left because of "all the negativity" @TTony .

Forgive me if I'm wrong but I couldn't see it when you 'left' and I can't REALLY see it now.

I don’t think that Tony and Lee had a break because of negativity, but because too many people were taking and not giving (esp the classifieds) and the community spirit had dwindled a bit. I understood that the break was to regroup, rethink and come back afresh to reinvigorate the fb. 

I don’t remember it being specifically about negativity

No, still confused. But thanks mate.

Actually, having just re-read the post that I made on our behalf at the time, I can understand why you'd be confused.  I think you're probably both right.

I guess what matters is that you (@deadman) couldn't see it at the time, and still REALLY can't see it now.  Good.  To be fair (to me), that's possibly because you don't have to deal with some of the crap that the modmin team do, and the admins specifically, but I see why it might be unclear.


We took a step back because of various aspects that we were unhappy with, some of which we quoted specific examples of in our post.  

But I realise that anyone who read it would probably also put their own interpretation on it too.  We probably all have things that we don't like about how the forum runs, or how (some) people post in here, or whatever, and perhaps that's what's now being referred to as the "negativity".  TBH, I hadn't considered that before reading and thinking about your post.

Ironically, it was another example of one of the original complaints that I had - about how people were (ab)using the forum for their own benefit - and which was a reason for us leaving, that brought us back to deal with before it went legal.  More on that as it evolves/resolves.

For better or worse, neither Lee nor I can actually walk away because of the liabilities that exist between us and the forum.  But that's for another day.

Having re-engaged, I then read through some of the recent posts.  There were various comments, non-sequitur comments in otherwise normal threads, about "all the negativity here", which prompted me to go look for it.  I found lots of comments about "the negativity", but I found little-to-no flags of objectionable posts, and read little-to-nothing* in any of the threads that I scanned that seemed particularly negative.  So I wondered what it was all about.

*nothing other than the '59 conversion thread that took a quick diversion when someone posted a daft insult, which was then requoted many more times and prompted even more hand-wringing comments about "the negativity" - even *after* I'd deleted the original insult post.

What I do see is a huge amount of enthusiasm for the jam sessions, and a real energy from @Bridgehouse and others to support more and more of those.  Big thumbs up from me.  I've benefitted from attending those sessions.  I know others have too.  And - being greedy - I want more benefit for me and for more others!

I also see new challenges that have emerged in the making music section, with @poopot and @flying_pie adding some more interesting challenges to the range already curated by @stratman3142.  More big thumbs up from me.  I only wish that I had the time to get actively involved - and as soon as I've finished sorting some work out, I will.

I see many following @bigjon's example in his "support the forum" thread - and that always makes me smile when I see people putting their PayPal where their mouth is and giving us cash.  Thanks to all.  My Caribbean island is that little bit closer.  Although probably still about $20m away.

I do still see plenty of people signing up and posting lazy ads in the mistaken belief that we're some sort of freeBay.  That will stop and the Classifieds will revert to being a benefit for the community.


Sorry.  Long post.  Maybe it only makes you more confused.  

Bottom line - and accepting that perhaps we initiated the "negativity" - this forum will be what you make it.  I see lots of people making it something that I think is excellent.  I'm confused by those who refer to "negativity" because I see a lot more positivity. 

Bridgehouse

@TTony - there is a lot more positivity - if people talk *that* up then it will feel positive as well

scrumhalf

Negativity in moderation is fine. However, negativity mixed with a liberal dose of arse-headedness isn't.

Remember: head for thinking, arse for sitting on.