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?
Former Member
I am happy to compromise and have done so by limiting my posting lately. I could care less whether you are man/woman, oldie/newbie, makes no difference to me. I'm happy for NSR banter but the stuff these days bothers me. I realize it doesn't bother others. There has been wine talk, lunch talk, hot tub talk, 100+ posts on movies, and then there was Valentine's Day Forum Massacre.
I have relented to the tide. I understand that NSR is fine. I recognize I have been a problem in the past. I have offended many. I'm still entitled to my opinion on the state of this place now. I do know that if I ever meet any of you folk I won't be embarassed by what I have posted.
Of course you are entitled to your opinion. Just like everyone is. I think you should compromise not by limiting your posts but by limiting the attacks. I did see the Valentine's Day poems, but since that was on a NSR well known swimming poem thread, why did you read it? And were they so bad? That's what I don't understand. I understand you don't like it. But why did you take the time to read it and know it was there? About the references to wine and lunch, those seem like personal attacks to me too. I think everyone knows who you are talking about. I guess those were just attemtps to lessen the tension on a thread everyone seems to think got sidetracked. I think it was sidetracked by you hijacking it right at the beginning after some recommendations were made? I'd look back to be sure, but I don't know if I have the stomach for it. Besides, I'm off to do my real life.
We did exactly what everybody wanted, including the moderators. We started a new thread to try and contain/cut down on off topic posts in other threads. It doesn't matter how many posts were in that thread, the fact is, it's a separate thread very clearly labeled, and it's containing a lot of the silliness. I personally noticed a jump in SR threads after I made that and from the one's I've read I saw almost no off-topic banter on them.
It may have dumped one thread off the bottom of the page, which if it was down that far chances are people had stopped reading it anyway. And if someone really wanted to read it, heaven forbid they have to click to the next page or use the scroll button build into the mouse so you don't even have to move your fingers.
I'm sorry some feel the forums have lost their luster, but I think the overall community feeling has gone up. And while these are information swapping forums (which I believe still happens a great deal more than NSR), they are also a network of support and encouragement for older swimmers at different stages of training, life, competition, whatever.
I think we all have a better understanding of where we all stand, even without an unnecessary poll to validate that. The average poster seems to believe a mix is a good thing. For those who don't like banter/humor/joking topics, the comedians have already said they are going to try to be more careful; for those who only want strict swimming topics, read those that are until a reply with humor begins and then stop reading.
Most of the threads I read are more swimming related than not. And I don't miss a couple of the posters who haven't been here for awhile because even with their so-called guru knowledge, they inflame people who don't agree with them, call them names, and it starts a war of words. I've enjoyed the break from people who are condescending. And when they return, I will choose to just not ever open that thread to keep my blood pressure down. This way I hurt no one, especially myself.
Donna
Even Ande who is considered by most to be one of the most serious SR posters likes to discuss his song writing, American Idol, The Grammy awards, and many other NSR topics.....If you don't believe me, just go check his posting history.
I'm a newbie here (and a former lurker). I've read a lot of Ande's posts and they are a mix of serious swimming and non related topics. He also has a great sense of humor and throws out some great quips in both categories. I think there is a good balance there that we all could follow.
I think most of the posters here are like me, want swimming information, but not in a regulated, antiseptic environment. Let your personalities come out. That is what makes this a fun place to be a part of. And if things get off track, someone take the lead and gently bring it back on topic. And regarding some of these relatively new members, even though the comedy(?) is a bit more than in the past they still seem to be serious swimmers striving to improve and using the help, information and support of this forum to help achieve their goals.
I know, Leslie, the ISP mirror is not funny. Nor particularly insightful. I mean sure, I'm on a Mac using Firefox, but I'm also a fan of baroque, love seafood and like playing bass guitar? My ISP? How banal.
(Oh, and I'm a Taurus.)
I support Lindsay.
The excessive amount of gibberish noise slowly degenerates this forum into chat room for a few obsessive attention seekers. If this continues without some reflection and self-control than many master swimmers that come here and seek informative discussion about swimming, will go away and look for another forum.
Most of us are waiting for a true elite swimmer to swim the TI way and start breaking records and making international teams ...
.
Many elite swimmers do in fact swim exactly that way! Terry continuously tries to teach and advise us mortals on how to best acheive the most from our practices by deconstructing the stroke mechanics of elite/world record holders in a way that is clear and concise...and accessable.....and yes the banter is probably enough to keep his interest elsewhere.
This makes me sad. :(
Me too....meeeee too. This forum has changed drastically over the past few months...and not for the better IMHO. As some of you may or may not have noticed, I have not been participating in ANY threads other than those which I start. Perhaps after I have "lurked" and seen that the hot tub and wine drinking discussions are no longer present in any threads related to swimming I will return, who knows. Whether people choose to admit it or not, the loss of posters like Gull, Geek, and Terry actually places a substantial blow to this forum. Each is a great swimmer and has some genuinely valuable information to share. Terry in particular was great at making people think by starting topics that made people analyze their swimming with hopes of improvement. I am not saying that there are not plenty of dynamite swimmers left here, rather that we have lost a wealth of knowledge and experience. What seems a shame is that we have traded that experience for some conversation regarding hot tubs, wine, dinner, lunch, and basically harmless jokes and sexual innuendo. I am not against some humor as many of you can attest to but I think the sexual nature of many of the posts around here was completely out of line.
Obviously I am in the minority with this opinion and I am okay with that. I just wanted to voice my thoughts on the issue before I faded into the status of lurker.
I'm punching out....Matt.
