A fellow called me from LA yesterday full of questions about Arca-Swiss cameras. I suggested that he start reading this forum because it was so friendly and helpful.
Ouch!
A fellow called me from LA yesterday full of questions about Arca-Swiss cameras. I suggested that he start reading this forum because it was so friendly and helpful.
Ouch!
Frank,
I can certainly agree with you that there are many participants who seem to have made the decision to be kind, supportive, and helpful toward others on this forum.
But the relative anonymity which the forum affords may encourage some to make statements and express attitudes which they might not make and express if face to face.
A psychologist once suggested that if drivers were required to post their names on their vehicles' license plates they might be more courteous. Which might owe to increased driver accountability. (Granted, forum posters are not literally anonymous.)
When sitting alone at the computer, I sometimes feel like a kind of armchair commando. (And I know very little compared to some of the forum participants.) Leonardo DiCaprio perched himself at the bow of the Titanic and shouted triumphantly, "I'm king of the world!"
I can imagine how some posters, when perched at their computers, feel like 12-year-olds with B-B guns.
It's a great country!
I have been participating in this forum for about a year and following it for a couple. I have to say that of the numerous forums I participate in or follow (covering several disciplines), this one is the "hottest." All fora have their share of petulants and curmudgeons and road ragers, but this one seems to take the cake. Such a shame too, because it also dense with useful infomation.
And its quite ironic. Have you ever seen LF photographers bunched up? We are hardly a prepossessing lot. Most of us look like we would help somebody's aunt across the intersection, bearded and often slight, like so many scholastic anchorites. We are decidedly not the class of folk one would expect to see in a bar fight or riding Harleys. Maybe that's the answer. Maybe in the safety of cyberspace, some of us (and it's all-too-frequently the same people) sprout machismo.
When that phenomenon gets overlaid with what appears to be a couple of ongoing blood feuds, we have a...well, hot zone, which is this board. It's my favorite forum notwithstanding, and maybe that says something about me. Happy New Year.
About 2-3 years ago, there was a tv commercial, made for the Super Bowl, about the joys of herding cats. It was totally tounge in cheek, but I thought to myself, yep, that's a good way to describe any gathering/grouping of LF shooters.
joe
eta gosha maaba, aaniish gaa zhiwebiziyin ?
Frank,
I personally know quite a few entry level people, a couple of experienced people and a couple of what could only be called "famous artists" types, who follow this forum but will not participate, largely because of the lack of civility.
Thanks,
Kirk
at age 73:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
Amen!
It's not like I've never been banned, swore online, or made my share of rude remarks to Simmons or Wisner or whomever. But it's more that running up 100 back and forth brickbats and arguing about 1/1000 of a mm is kind of crazy...
Kirk Gittings nailed it. Please make that lack of civility go away. Please.
Best regards,
I'll add to waht Kirk said. Some fo the "famous artists" who follow the forum are household names to us and to a wide range of art lovers beyodn us. You'd be surprised. Some of them used to participate once-in-a-while. If we get backto the sort of civilitywe had a few years go they might just come out of hiding. To me, without a doubt this is the finest photography forum on the 'net. Let's keepit tht way,let's make it better.
I wouldlove to see this forum echo the sorts of forums I remember from the kinder gentler days of the internet some 25 years ago when only a few scientists were posting. I cannot remember a flame war in those days.
In a small community where passions run deep, there are bound to be a few flame ups, we are seeing this on a different thread on the forum right now.
It would be nice if we could all put the egos aside and support one another regardless of skill level or fame.
By and large, the majority of the posts I read here are supportive, interesting and some even fun. I like the idea that there are beginners, experienced and famous ( some maybe even infamous) contributors here. Each person, regardless of skill level, has a contribution to make and should be respected.
What is the Golden Rule - " Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" ? I think this would be worth remembering. We cannot change people ,however, peer pressure can help keep things in balance.
As members of the forum we have a responsibility to not support attacks on others and we need to assist the moderators in removing threads which are damaging and contributors who do not wish to play by the rules of respect.
We are ALL owners of this site and should understand we have a responsibility. I am sorry if the person just starting out that Frank mentions got a bad impression, that does not help us as a group.
I agree with Kirk, we need more civility ( not only on this forum but in society in general - that is a greater issue of course). While I am not the most knowledgeable person with regards to technical issues, I hope that in some way my posts are helpful and supportive. And I hope the majority of us will continue to be a positive force on the forum and continue to set an example the "bad eggs" won't be able to ingnore.
Thanks everyone,
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