Some of you guys are just negative..

[Skinny Tire AH]

But the "Punchlike crowd" is what makes me laugh and have a good time here. If it was all just write ups on engines, props and drives it'd get pretty dull here. IMO

They make me chuckle as well. However like FBT's party example, if the desired result is inclusion, the "Punchliners" post ONLY to one another. I'll use Cajun as a great example, he worked really hard to be one of the gang. Why would anyone work that hard to fit in, anywhere? I get it, most of the old school guys around here are fast friends from a long association from boating. But the question still begs, does the forum want new blood, or not?

 

[Hammer]

The one liners don't bother me. What bothers me is the grammar nazi's. I really don't give a shit either way if somebody doesn't use proper spelling or grammar. I can totally see how it would turn people off. If I wanted to further my education I would seek it rather then to be told I'm doing it wrong on a boating site. In a form it is "bullying." It's not really different than a cool kid picking on a not cool kid. Some people might not have had a chance for proper education. Might make them feel dumb. Dave please delete this if you do not want this in this thread!

There is only ONE grammar natzi. Froggystyle . Everyone else does it in jest...

 

[Hammer]

Where is the Punchline guy when we need him? Would it make it better if the lurkers/newbs knew they could crack a joke on one inmate who
Wouldn't get upset ? Would that help them feel more comfortable posting ?

 

[Enen]

Easy, Mike. Don't get your over-sized g-string in a knot.

This will never happen, on account of Hammers chronic swamp ass and all.

 

[NeverSatisfied]

There is only ONE grammar natzi. Froggystyle . Everyone else does it in jest...

I agree!

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Well I ain't Dave, and only he can say what the forum wants.
But, I will take a shot at it.
Using my party example, and nganga's train of thought, perhaps we as a group need to change course and be a little more positive when someone other than our tight little group steps into a conversation, or starts one...maybe being less negative and less intent on grading spelling, punctuation and grammar would do us all some good, and make more people, both old and new, want to spend time with us.
I want more people on board, I learn a lot from everyone, and enjoy the heck out of the conversation.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Where is the Punchline guy when we need him? Would it make it better if the lurkers/newbs knew they could crack a joke on one inmate who
Wouldn't get upset ? Would that help them feel more comfortable posting ?

I read here quite a lot, post only when I feel I have something to add. BUT, my observation is; When the punch-lining begins, I will see a newb or an infrequent poster add something, their post gets completely ignored as if it didn't happen. For the Punchliners, it didn't happen. Get it?

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Well I ain't Dave, and only he can say what the forum wants.
But, I will take a shot at it.
Using my party example, and nganga's train of thought, perhaps we as a group need to change course and be a little more positive when someone other than our tight little group steps into a conversation, or starts one...maybe being less negative and less intent on grading spelling, punctuation and grammar would do us all some good, and make more people, both old and new, want to spend time with us.
I want more people on board, I learn a lot from everyone, and enjoy the heck out of the conversation.

FBT just hit it out of the park

 

[Hammer]

I read here quite a lot, post only when I feel I have something to add. BUT, my observation is; When the punch-lining begins, I will see a newb or an infrequent poster add something, their post gets completely ignored as if it didn't happen. For the Punchliners, it didn't happen. Get it?

Yes ! I've seen that happen a few times. Maybe the n?wbs infrequent posters could put all the regulars on ignore right off the bat

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Yes ! I've seen that happen a few times. Maybe the n?wbs infrequent posters could put all the regulars on ignore right off the bat

Now theres a solution!!

 

[shintoooo]

In the past year or so, every time we have had a new member that starts a thread introducing themselves, we've been nothing but supportive and there is at least 20 inmates jumping in with "Welcome aboard" etc... We don't even ask them to post pictures of their wives, girlfriends or boats anymore because we're afraid of scaring them away. What else can we do?

I'm going to take way more pictures this summer and post them up. "More boobs, more babes and more boats!!!" That's my motto for 2014.

 

[Hammer]

In the past year or so, every time we have had a new member that starts a thread introducing themselves, we've been nothing but supportive and there is at least 20 inmates jumping in with "Welcome aboard" etc... We don't even ask them to post pictures of their wives, girlfriends or boats anymore because we're afraid of scaring them away. What else can we do?

I'm going to take way more pictures this summer and post them up. "More boobs, more babes and more boats!!!" That's my motto for 2014.

:thumbup:

 

[DaytonaBabe]

There has been a cast of negativity recently, namely with the grammar nazi idiocy, but there have also been some really wonderful, positive things too. I've noticed more sharing of pictures/ videos than usual which is rare for the winter, and there has been a healthy amount of helpful advice and support from the membership has been handed out regarding truck, boat, life and health issues, ect. Many lurkers posted in the Inmate Check In thread and shared pictures of their boats, some with only single digit post counts. Many members, like Steven, were very welcoming and complimentary to those newcomers as well. We've got a lot of really good things going on around here, but we also have some behaviors that could be adjusted to make it even better.... Just my .02

 

[whiteworks]

clipped this off the web, food for thought.

All forums have a sort of life cycle:

1) in the beginning a forum may never get enough knowledgeable contributing members to ever achieve any value. They say the average is 1 person in 250 will take the time to register and contribute to a forum. Take a guess how many become ?valuable? members.

2) As a forum matures and gained enough momentum if they (perhaps 150 active members) who read and post a forum can become can be quite valuable. By this time there?s is a sizeable interest and a relatively large repository of relation information and intelligent discussions

3) Forums begin experiencing growing pains. As the active user base reached 1000 members a divide forms There are now two distinct groups of people 'newbies' and 'veterans.' The vets begin creating FAQs and keep instruct newbies to RTFM and read the FAQ and use proper grammar.

4) Ultimately, the vets quit reading and posting. The forum is composed of lots of ?newbies? who don't know much about the subject of the forum. The vets who know have dropped out. Soon there are no authorities and the forum grows silent and useless.

Simply put most things that begin good become victims of their own success

 

[stokerwhore]

hopefully this offends someone
[video=youtube;-5ijtz6Du_s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ijtz6Du_s[/video]

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

In the past year or so, every time we have had a new member that starts a thread introducing themselves, we've been nothing but supportive and there is at least 20 inmates jumping in with "Welcome aboard" etc... We don't even ask them to post pictures of their wives, girlfriends or boats anymore because we're afraid of scaring them away. What else can we do?

I'm going to take way more pictures this summer and post them up. "More boobs, more babes and more boats!!!" That's my motto for 2014.

I don't claim to have the answers. I only offer my observations. I learn a tremendous amount about people here and other forums. It's fascinating, the predictive behaviors that repeat themselves time after time. It's like people watching from my computer. I went and looked at the posters on "another" boating forum. Same posters, why? What's there that's not here? Are people so starved for attention they need to be in the "in crowd" on multiple boating forums?

I wonder if Forensic has this data; Percentage of posts by a certain group as opposed to all other groups? In my business, 80/20 rule works. Here, it must be 98/2. Again, simply an observation. As far as I (personally) am concerned, I don't care. I do find it really interesting though.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

There has been a cast of negativity recently, namely with the grammar nazi idiocy, but there have also been some really wonderful, positive things too. I've noticed more sharing of pictures/ videos than usual which is rare for the winter, and there has been a healthy amount of helpful advice and support from the membership has been handed out regarding truck, boat, life and health issues, ect. Many lurkers posted in the Inmate Check In thread and shared pictures of their boats, some with only single digit post counts. Many members, like Steven, were very welcoming and complimentary to those newcomers as well. We've got a lot of really good things going on around here, but we also have some behaviors that could be adjusted to make it even better.... Just my .02

DB,
You obviously get it. I also think in your specific case, being a mod to keep order amongst your own peer group is a tall order. Not a task I would want.

Steve

 

[Tom Brown]

Simply put most things that begin good become victims of their own success

I love it when you channel Yellowboat.

 

[Instigator]

Where is the Punchline guy when we need him?

Well let's see.:thumbup:

I read here quite a lot, post only when I feel I have something to add. BUT, my observation is; When the punch-lining begins, I will see a newb or an infrequent poster add something, their post gets completely ignored as if it didn't happen. For the Punchliners, it didn't happen. Get it?

How can you expect anyone to take your observation seriously when it comes from a guy that has a picture of another guy riding a bike as his avatar on a boating forum????

Would it make it better if the lurkers/newbs knew they could crack a joke on one inmate who
wouldn't get upset ? Would that help them feel more comfortable posting ?

Yes and Yes

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Well let's see.:thumbup:



How can you expect anyone to take your observation seriously when it comes from a guy that has a picture of another guy riding a bike as his avatar on a boating forum????


Yes and Yes

A bike fetish maybe?

 

[Instigator]

A bike fetish maybe?

What ever works for you......but I still prefer women.

 

[shintoooo]

This thread is negative

 

[JBS]

This thread is negative

Negative. Down right depressing

 

[HolyMoly]

Where is the Punchline guy when we need him?

I thought RD was tired of the punchline guy?

 

[460]

There has been a cast of negativity recently, namely with the grammar nazi idiocy, but there have also been some really wonderful, positive things too. I've noticed more sharing of pictures/ videos than usual which is rare for the winter, and there has been a healthy amount of helpful advice and support from the membership has been handed out regarding truck, boat, life and health issues, ect. Many lurkers posted in the Inmate Check In thread and shared pictures of their boats, some with only single digit post counts. Many members, like Steven, were very welcoming and complimentary to those newcomers as well. We've got a lot of really good things going on around here, but we also have some behaviors that could be adjusted to make it even better.... Just my .02

 

[Guest]

The Glastron CVX-20, is the Baddest Mofo on the Lake...:thumbup:

 

[Boschma]

New boat Dave?

 

[Lunatic Fringe]

Dave...and everyone else.
FWIW I have noticed it too.
RD I suspect a lot of it is posted with a harmless motive...to get laughs from people who are friends. What they may not realize is that there are a helluva lot of people reading that are not good friends with each other, many have never met.
Like being the new guy at a party and walking up to a group of people who are friends and listening...you might be put off by what you sense is harshness and negativity. The people involved don't see it that way.

Motive aside, I see it too, and can see where some people, new and not so new, would just be reluctant as hell to post ANYTHING that might leave them open for the bandwagon to form up and begin spinning the topic off into oblivion with the same old stuff.

I don't know what the fix is. This place has always been a place where opinions and diverging thought were tolerated and even encouraged. Keeping that vibe flowing and dialing down the negativity is going to be a fine line to walk. We are gonna have to ask ourselves to do it, each one of us. I think it will be worth the effort. Our individuality pulled together as a group is what makes us special. We need to hold on to that.

While I agree with most of what you've written here, I will maintain it's my third nipple that makes.me special, not my sense of community.

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[Lunatic Fringe]

In the past year or so, every time we have had a new member that starts a thread introducing themselves, we've been nothing but supportive and there is at least 20 inmates jumping in with "Welcome aboard" etc... We don't even ask them to post pictures of their wives, girlfriends or boats anymore because we're afraid of scaring them away. What else can we do?

I'm going to take way more pictures this summer and post them up. "More boobs, more babes and more boats!!!" That's my motto for 2014.

What else can we do? Maybe we can offer to make them waffles.

 

[Hammer]

I thought RD was tired of the punchline guy?

He was .

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[Outdrive1]

He was .

 

[drtywhat]

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Ahhh! Now thats more like it :thumbup:

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[drtywhat]

In the past year or so, every time we have had a new member that starts a thread introducing themselves, we've been nothing but supportive and there is at least 20 inmates jumping in with "Welcome aboard" etc... We don't even ask them to post pictures of their wives, girlfriends or boats anymore because we're afraid of scaring them away. What else can we do?

I'm going to take way more pictures this summer and post them up. "More boobs, more babes and more boats!!!" That's my motto for 2014.

Can you practice what you preach and post more pics of your wife???:thumbsup

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[shintoooo]

Can you practice what you preach and post more pics of your wife???:thumbsup

No, but I can post some of yours

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[Outdrive1]

 

[shintoooo]