What's going on in here?

POINTER94 · Feb 25, 2006

What has happened to this site in the past year? I don't know why each of you chose to come here but I thought it was an interesting place to share a bit of our lives with others of like interests. Tell a joke, answer questions to help each other, swap stories, provide information on all matters of things, engage in discourse consistant with what one might find at a marina lounge. A nice place to come and relax. Recently I have been called a White's Only racist, bigot, homophobe, a plaugerist, an idiot, and all manners of inuendo by people who don't know anything about me. I have seen members involve the law against other members. I have watched some attack moderators on both personal and professional levels for no reason. I have seen posts on how to commit crimes, and serial troll masters who have taken to this site, not for the benefit of the members but for the joy of conflict. I don't claim to be the conscience of this site, and I am not interested in forcing policy or format changes, but as we claim to be a "family" site, this is becoming as much an ideological hate blog as a dockside chat section of a boating site. I am also aware of the dedication and sacrifices required to manage this site, and I don't question the moderators decisions or methods. Whether I agree with them or not. I respect their efforts and the difficulty involved to keep things under control when dealing with adults. I compliment the owners of I-boats for providing this service. I hope it continues to remain a service, and not a venue for all manners of things that will cause them to lose the good people I came here to meet with. I have benefitted greatly from my frequent visits, and the scales are definately in the positive, but things here have been getting progressively ugly. I need to go and have a drink. It's getting alittle stuffy in here.

SpinnerBait_Nut · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

Hey pointer, read my post down below.

SpinnerBait_Nut · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

Oh, BTW, I concur that it does get carried away a lot more now than it use to. Maybe it's growing pains, I don't know, but it sure has changed a lot in the almost 4 years I have been here. Maybe the members can calm down some and cut back on all the name calling and flaming and get back to the dockside chat we all know.

KaGee · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

Name calling is people revert too when they lack the ability to intellegently discuss a matter. Take a break Pointer. Have a drink, get some fresh air. Clear your mind and emotions. It will be OK in the end. In the mean time, you can still visit your friends at the other place.

CN Spots · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

It's winter. Everybody's all stove-up in their house and bored. When the lakes thaw, so will the topics. spots

SS MAYFLOAT · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

I agree it is not the same anymore. There seem to be always more jokes, stories, and everyday life occurances. Mostly its bashing someone, getting mad, hurting feelings and such. I posted something in another thread that happened to me. I did post it in a humorious way. Some thought it was funny and some took it that I was insulting the man. When all I asked the man was "Are you having a nice day?" I got attacked for it when there was far worse name calling. Truthfully, I'm still peeved about the iboats logo avatar that was up. Makes me wonder how someone could stoop that low to insult this website. Yeah, the apology was said to some, but like a bullet in a gun, you can't put it back. I'll be around, just not as much..........SS

KaGee · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

I love you, man! (Sniff)

roscoe · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

Originally posted by POINTER94: Recently I have been called a White's Only racist, bigot, homophobe, a plaugerist, an idiot, and all manners of inuendo by people who don't know anything about me. I have seen members involve the law against other members. I have watched some attack moderators on both personal and professional levels for no reason. I have seen posts on how to commit crimes, and serial troll masters who have taken to this site, not for the benefit of the members but for the joy of conflict.

I hear you POINTER. But I have avoided the experiences you list above, for the last year or so. You know who the trouble makers are. Often you can tell by the topic title, or by the first few sentences in the post. I know it isn't where I want to go (or my bloodpressure). So I go "click." Next topic. Some of these guys must be real messed up. Or think they are going to change the world with their views. Apparently they can't "run with the big dogs" on the sites that cater to political and social activism and debate, so they come here. I hope you stick around.

Pony · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

Well said Roscoe..... I too try to not read some of the posts.....but I think the problem goes beyond the Dockside. For example the "sliding camper" thread in tech topics. I'll just take a second to say that although I may not be liked by all, I always try not to offend anyone. If I have......I am sorry. Although then again I havent been around long so who knows............maybe I am one of those who has changed it

FLATHEAD · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

I agree pointer the place has changed. I forgot how many good people don't post here anymore till someone started to dredge up old post. I saw some of the old names that aren't around anymore. Still a lot of good uns though.

heycods · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

Ok guys If I offend you, tell me where Im wrong. Not here to cause a fight, love the humor and the stories. I have said It befour, I dont think thier is a person here that I couldnt have a wonderful day with fishing. We got a bond there, or we wouldnt have wound up on Iboats. Some of the trolls are imformative, I pick up pieces of imformation I wouldnt get elsewhere. Some of them I dodge like lightning. I do apreciat Iboats commitment to this site. I really dont see how they benifit to the extent they must be involved. I like everyone here (probably) came through seeking help with boat problems, and still go to the johnny-rude section regularly, the non boating tech is very intresting read as is non engine problems. As everyone says at one time or another, Ill do my best to dodge the political threads as well as the religious ones. We all know were not going to change each others mind there. but we read them for that little bit of imformation you glean every once in a while. Thanks to iboats and carry on the good work.

JB · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

We have gone through these cycles of personal clashes as long as I have been here. . .near five years now. No better, no worse than recent fights, except the period leading up to the last election. That was awful.

Perhaps we mods let some go too far before intervening. We don't want to curb civil debate and we don't want to play favorites, nor do we want to allow barroom brawls. Some people leave. The reasons are theirs alone and we have no business assigning motives to them. Their lives change, their interests change and their habits change. What happens here has little influence. Some people leave not of their own accord. They were too disruptive too often and were locked out. They are a small minority. The neighborhood is not going to the dogs, guys. Nobody here has been called more names than I, nor more times. Just do and say what your mom would be proud of and we will all be okay.

aspeck · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

I'm with you, Pointer. Don't post quite as often, and don't read all the threads. Some members just don't make it as fun to hang out any more - however, everyone has a different definition of fun. So for some, it is fun to stir the pot. Just remember, you control your own mouse and can close a post whenever you want. Flahthead, you were one of the good guys that left for a while, but sure are glad you are back around.

gonfishn · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

Been on board here going on four years now. Membership has almost tripled since my first post. We have seen them come and go over the years. Alot of new avitars and many new personalites. Being a cellar Dweller can be hard sometimes. I guess the folks that post flames want to be sure we dont ruin our reputation here. If I see a thread I dont like I go on. Its that easy..But when you get into to name calling thats when the mods need to step in. Pointer..if you really want to be picked on come on over to the other site. We are getting tired of pickn on KGee and a few others

Bob_VT · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

Alot of us tend to ingore to posts we don't like or not be involved in. There have been more cheap shots than I care for but just let them go by. I regret not seeing some of the old timers and watched a few quietly leave. I agree with JB and it has been going on a long time but normally there is a break in the action. I guess it's not the people .... it's the volume. Remember what we all learned while starting to fish..... patience.

NOSLEEP · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

Come on guys, Politics and religion can be like drugs. You can debate them and get your fix. Its not personal, its spicy. Its not what some one says. Its how you react to what is said that counts.

rodbolt · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

JB other than the last post I got poofed on, and I am not sure I got poofed, iboats does a good job. However the last few days I am thinking its not whre I need to be. I try not to use phases like Glub glub or leftist nor soft on terror. like you I lived through all the commie hype of the 50's and 60's., come to find out it was all hype, no threat other than what the military/indusrtial complex wanted to show. take the crazy mosque blow the other day. fact mosque got blowed, no dispute fact negroponte and the american ambasador to iraq last week spent many hours talking about US withdrawel. fact no one knows who blew the dome fact so far the story is a group of persons in Iraqi police uniforms escorted all the people in the mosqe out, then set a series of charges then withdrew and blew the dome. this does not have terror fingerprints. this has finger prints of outside agitation for some reason. terrorists would have gone in blowed themselves and all others to wherever and gone on. bad thing is all W's supporters are now looking for reelection and the current war issues are dammed. we broke it now we own it, unless it means someone wont be reelected to the trough. seems the last 20 years or more our policy makers are more interested in next years elections than doing what is right. I guess its enough of the rant. now i gotta think on if posting on iboats is worth my time or not. gotta try to balance the flaming I get VS any good I may give.

Kenneth Brown · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

Welcome aboard Pointer. I too get fed up with the bs. People can give it but they can't take it. Ya know Pointer us honkies don't really mind non-honkies calling us that, its something we are proud to be. Maybe they aren't proud of who they are. . . . . . YES I SAID THAT. I DID NOT USE ANY PARTICULAR RACE. THEREFORE YOU CAN NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT I SAID WITHOUT USING A RACIST IDEALOGY. DON'T CALL A KETTLE A COLOR UNLESS YA WANT TO BE LABELED YA DARN SELF. . . . . . . . . . . "as KB takes his steps towards being called everything under the sun for actually having enough cajones to say what he feels instead of what others want him to say" . . . . . Oh ya, and not a drop of beer in me, yet.

jtexas · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

Originally posted by SS Mayfloat: I agree it is not the same anymore. There seem to be always more jokes, stories, and everyday life occurances. Mostly its bashing someone, getting mad, hurting feelings and such. Yeah, the apology was said to some, but like a bullet in a gun, you can't put it back. I'll be around, just not as much..........SS

whatever happened to

Originally posted by SS Mayfloat: Some thought it was funny and some took it that I was insulting the man.

If that is the criteria, then "some thought it funny"...

originally posted by rodbolt: other than the last post I got poofed on, and I am not sure I got poofed...

remember this...

JB was on the road the day that got deleted.

eeboater · Feb 25, 2006

Re: What's going on in here?

I've been here about a year and a half and I've seen (I'm thinking all of you have seen) threads like this pop up every now and then. There's a lot of great people on here... and there's a couple screwy ones as well. But, its the Internet and I've learned that this is just the way it works on the Internet. Most of you guys were here when I came around, and welcomed me onto the board where I joined in as a 'regular.' And I thank you guys for that. We can easily avoid the threads that generally stoop to levels that are undesireable. I posted in a political thread for the first time in a while. I tried two posts... and then remembered why I didn't participate in these threads. The thing that bothers me the most is that when these threads get nasty, I think about the very few female members of our forums and the fact that we hardly hear from them anymore. LF, Bassy, Serenity... it just doesn't seem like behavior that should be done in front of women. Yeah, its the internet, but I am the kinda guy who holds doors, opens car doors, that kinda stuff for women... and it just rubs me the wrong way. Sean

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