There is nothing that wrecks a good swimming related thread faster than getting into a discussion about message board etiquette. So here is a thread that people can use discuss topics related to what should and should not be posted on the message boards while allowing the other threads to stay on topic.
It seems to me that there is a spectrum of opinion on off-topic posting. On one end of the spectrum people think that threads are a mechanism specifically designed to allow people to carry on discussions on different topics and that we would all be well served if changes in topic were just done in new threads. On the other end of the spectrum people think that people should be able to post anything they want anywhere they want and that any suggestion to the contrary is censorship, a personal attack, or simply control freakish.
Pretty much everyone falls somewhere between these two extremes. Very few people object to a humorous quip inserted here and there in an otherwise serious discussion. Very few people would actually advocate that people be able to liberally sprinkle potentially offensive posts randomly through all the threads.
Have you ever been at a party where someone has decided that this is the right time and place to have a big argument or screaming match with someone? Has it ever contributed to the general enjoyment of the rest of the people there?
I would argue that posts that are essentially expressions of anger and/or are essentially personal attacks have no place on the board. They don't contribute anything positive and generally turn off 99% of the people reading the boards. Even if it seems that someone else has attacked you, does it really help anything to post an angry response?
I personally don't see the problem with starting a new thread when one wants to make an off-topic comment, a little cut and paste and/or a link makes it easy enough to carry the context into the new thread. Why is it essential to be able to carry on an unrelated discussion in a thread where some people are trying to carry on a discussion on a particular topic?
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Former Member
Personally it seems that his thread has run it course and we now need some time to see if the increased awareness of the various viewpoints results in a positive change to the board.
Another suggestion is that in addition to taking advantage of threads to let everyone partake in their own style of conversation with the minimum of interference, we apply a healthy dose of forgive and forget. In my view it is very disruptive when a disagreement in one thread is then brought up in several subsequent threads. When one thread goes bad, leave it there. Let's do that here, we now have an opportunity to move on with a new awareness and respect for one another. posted by Lindsay
Thanks Lindsay for the thread and the kind words....I know we don't always agree (you and me)...but I respect your sense of civility and your efforts to try and solve some of these problems.
Ditto to what Rich said about Ande too....thanks for the great post Ande....I hope some of the new posters here will decide to stay b/c it would be a terrible shame if some of this bad stuff drives away new posters.....I really like the vast majority of the new posters! I hope everyone here can feel welcome...I am sorry for my previous bad behavior (of various sorts) and I will take a lot of what was said here to heart and be more conscious of other posters as Lindsay and others have suggested....I hope others will also do the same.
Newmastersswimmer
p.s. I'm sorry if this posting looked like an attempt to get the last word here.....I just don't want to see a mass exodus of new posters over this thats all.
Personally it seems that his thread has run it course and we now need some time to see if the increased awareness of the various viewpoints results in a positive change to the board.
Another suggestion is that in addition to taking advantage of threads to let everyone partake in their own style of conversation with the minimum of interference, we apply a healthy dose of forgive and forget. In my view it is very disruptive when a disagreement in one thread is then brought up in several subsequent threads. When one thread goes bad, leave it there. Let's do that here, we now have an opportunity to move on with a new awareness and respect for one another. posted by Lindsay
Thanks Lindsay for the thread and the kind words....I know we don't always agree (you and me)...but I respect your sense of civility and your efforts to try and solve some of these problems.
Ditto to what Rich said about Ande too....thanks for the great post Ande....I hope some of the new posters here will decide to stay b/c it would be a terrible shame if some of this bad stuff drives away new posters.....I really like the vast majority of the new posters! I hope everyone here can feel welcome...I am sorry for my previous bad behavior (of various sorts) and I will take a lot of what was said here to heart and be more conscious of other posters as Lindsay and others have suggested....I hope others will also do the same.
Newmastersswimmer
p.s. I'm sorry if this posting looked like an attempt to get the last word here.....I just don't want to see a mass exodus of new posters over this thats all.
