Scaling back forum activity

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

People are strange, have you not noticed?

If I dont like something, I just walk away from it, no big deal about it.,I doubt if I would be missed

Life is too short for things like this.

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

If we are not posting links anymore it;s easy for members to PM each other if the need arises.

How do people like the rubbish videos Ady1 is posting, are they engineering related ?

Emgee

[Robert ButlerParticipant @robertbutler92161]

The forum is what we post or are permitted to post in the same way as MEW and ME is the sum total of articles submitted and chosen for publication. We don't have to agree with postings or like all that which is published, we can ignore or gloss over and still enjoy the sum total. Some postings are acid drops or just plain ungracious.

However certain members puzzle me as to why they still post as a Newbie after posting for six years until of course one reads the posting. Robert Butler

[mark costello 1Participant @markcostello1]

This place is like a quiet relaxing pub, not that someone does no get rowdy at times. Keep on, Gents.

[Bodger BrianParticipant @bodgerbrian]

Posted by Vic on 10/09/2020 10:30:48:

The actual moderation on here doesn’t seem to bad although I must admit I dislike the attitude of both Neil and Jason. In fact I felt it necessary just recently to add Jason to my ignore list.

I have to say that this surprises me. I can’t comment on the moderation, as I assume a lot of it goes on in the background, but Jason has always struck me as one of the most helpful & unjudgemental posters on this forum. I could name a couple of other regular posters that definitely deserve to be ignored but that‘s not the point….

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Well i have always found Neil to very knowledgeable & helpful. I cannot count the amount of times Jason has helped me out with problems. Both top guys doing what they have to.

Steve.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Does nobody think that there are higher levels of forum control than either JB or NW? I’m quite sure they are simply following directives from bosses at MTM. Give them a break and just get on with the forum within the guidelines set out. That must be a simple enough concept, for anyone with a sensible outlook, to understand?

Edited By not done it yet on 11/09/2020 06:59:17

[ChrisBParticipant @chrisb35596]

Posted by Barrie Lever on 09/09/2020 22:57:33:

Ady1

I am not so stuck my backside to not laugh at the slow clap off the pitch !!

I did not get the popcorn though.

B.

You like popcorn Barrie, on the Code Of Conduct thread you asked twice for it, looks like you're not the only one!

Posted by Barrie Lever on 26/08/2020 11:33:58:

I hope my bag of popcorn arrives before the thread gets locked !!

Posted by Barrie Lever on 27/08/2020 09:20:47:

I am in full agreement with Peter Shaw's comments.

I have to say it was very clear what the moderators wanted to achieve by the revised C of C, I could link to a number of responsible companies and there would not be any issue with that at all, the clue is in "may delete".

Do I need to send out for another bag of popcorn or is the entertainment about to end?

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Like Barrie said, plenty of other places to share our work without commercial censorship dictating the rules.

Time to reveiw my favourite website options!

* Danny M *

[DanielParticipant @daniel]

Okay, but it would be naive to think that such a commercially driven forum (for all it's positive attributes), should ignore conflicts of interest with it's paying advertisers. Without which niether the magazine, nor this forum would exist.

Personally, I still find the balance to be quite reasonable, all things considered.

I also feel it important to support Neil and Jason in the sterling work they do, often in difficult circumstances.

My apologies, if this post lacks relevance.

ATB,

Daniel

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

To those considering leaving the forum think about the bucket of water (as I told Barrie in a reply to his PM re my earlier post).

Dip your hand in the water. Give it a bit of a shake if you wish. Now remove it. There will be a few ripples – but they will soon subside after the hand has been removed and gone away.

Advertising revenue is an important issue. Some companies are actually trying to advertise their rubbishy goods by ‘employing’ (or should I say ‘encouraging&rsquo people to give rave reviews on items (supplied as ‘freebies’ to any person who might be able to act as an ‘influencer’ by giving their products a good review – conveniently over-looking any down-sides of the product).

[IanTParticipant @iant]

I manage a Website and email 'Group' for my Society and essentially decide what is permissible and what is not.

I don't have any objections to members posting reviews, plugs or YouTube links provided that they are related to members interests and are not offensive. However, we have no sponsors to upset – the Society funds the Website and we use a free messaging service. This Forum clearly operates under different conditions and is essentially part of a commercial operation.

"Offensive" is clearly a subjective matter but since I'm the only Admin and Moderator – it's basically down to me to decide what is 'offensive' – perhaps better defined as being "what is likely to offend our Members" (as opposed to some obscure Facebook Group).

I've only moderated one post (it was never sent) for being unnecessarily rude to another member. The poster was angry and refused to withdraw his post but he's still on there, albeit on full moderation. Another member was upset that I'd actually "stopped someone posting his personal views" and left the system. I had explained that it wasn't the "views" but the language that he'd framed them in but he still left. You cannot (and will not) please everybody.

So, I'm afraid our members have to 'like it or lump it' where my moderation talents are concerned. After all, if anyone feels they can do a better job, they can always ask to do it and I won't stand in their way. Maybe my Society is unique in having lots of folk with great ideas but not so many to actually make them happen.

So – The ME Forum is provided by a commercial company that has to balance the interests of it's subscribers versus the views of it's sponsors and advertisers.

Their Forum – Their Rules. Seems fair enough to me.

Regards,

IanT

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

This place is a haven of peace, tranquility and civilised discourse compared to most of the net

With millions of incomes going south because of recent events the internet rat race is going to become even more intensely competitive

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Do you know I have never noticed Barrie before?

So his withdrawal will not be noticed either

.

[Anonymous]

Posted by not done it yet on 11/09/2020 10:18:52:

There will be a few ripples – but they will soon subside………….

Consider what happens to still water; it goes stagnant and everything in it dies.

Andrew

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by Andrew Johnston on 11/09/2020 10:42:13:

Posted by not done it yet on 11/09/2020 10:18:52:

There will be a few ripples – but they will soon subside………….

Consider what happens to still water; it goes stagnant and everything in it dies.

Andrew

Yeah but. It is said that “still waters run deep”. It is only the raging torrents that are shallow (and clearly pass by quite quickly).🙂

For most of these old sayings, there is usually an opposite – and equally appropriate one in the right circumstances.

‘Many hands make light work’ and ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ is just one example. Plenty more.

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

I'll miss Barrie's contributions. I find his input interesting and fresh and I like his spirit.

Martin.

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

IanT posted " Maybe my Society is unique in having lots of folk with great ideas but not so many to actually make them happen."

Believe me Ian your society is not unique. I am in a photographic society that has the same problem

Roy

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, anyone can scale back or stop using this forum if they so wish, but why make a song and dance of it. I've seen many people join and leave this forum, some just stop posting and or even looking, whereas others go, throwing all their toys out of the pram, but the forum is still here and there are many that give a good contribution. in my working life I've worked with people that really had the idea that the company would fail without them, but many of them got made redundant over the years and the company carried on without any problems and that company is still ongoing. No one is indispensable.

Regards Nick.

[Phil PParticipant @philp]

It is the same on many forums, people get upset about something or someone and spit their dummy out.

They make a big fuss and publicly announce that they are feeling hard done by and are about to depart the forum, then there is a flood of pleas from all their mates to try and beg them to stay on. It is in most cases just attention seeking.

I don't know Barrie and I honestly cannot remember any of his posts, so in this instance and not knowing the full circumstances it would be unfair of me to tar him with the same brush. But it is very common.

Phil

[JAParticipant @ja]

I left this forum and ignored all forums for a couple of years. In many ways this was a blessing, I realised they were often a substitute for life and reality.

I came back so this forum must mean something.

As for moderators, just give them a chance. They need tolerance and wisdom, both of which I lack.

JA

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by IanT on 11/09/2020 10:25:56:

…

So – The ME Forum is provided by a commercial company that has to balance the interests of it's subscribers versus the views of it's sponsors and advertisers.

Their Forum – Their Rules. Seems fair enough to me.

Regards,

IanT

 

If that's so, it should probably be declared whose interests are being served. Certainly the 'freebie' issues furrowed my brow when I realised they were happening and the recipients boasted about it – which they certainly did. I wondered if the forum was basically a stealth advertising and marketing operation.

But the weight of the free exchange of ideas and information soon counterbalanced that by a long way. There were several items of tooling I'd either not come across in previous lives, or thought of as only marginally worthwhile, that I took up and found very useful as a result of seeing them discussed here. I got help when trying to assess the gravity or otherwise of machining errors I'd made, and I sometimes found I knew stuff that could be useful to others.

So I'm fairly comfortable with the way things are and understand the balance Ian T refers to. It would take more than anything I've seen so far to make me think it worth flouncing out.

Edited By Mick B1 on 11/09/2020 14:02:57

[ChrisBParticipant @chrisb35596]

A couple of weeks ago I started a thread discussing a youtube video and included a video link to my first post – the video was moderated and removed as it was deemed in breach of the COC. I did not agree with the moderators – members opinion was divided and a discussion on a separate COC thread ensued.

I still disagree with the moderators on that specific subject, but then I suppose I'm the guest on this forum – so it's play to their rules. Some mentioned Jason, I can only say he's one of the most helpful persons on the forum. He will answer and try to help on threads were most of the posters are poking fun to the OP

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember32069]

[This posting has been removed]

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by Barrie Lever on 11/09/2020 18:09:34:

…

I have acquired a really good domain name for this forum today, I will not divulge that at the moment as it would be a little incendiary to Neil, Jason and MTM.

Thanks once again for the comments both good and bad.

Best Regards

Barrie

Those are the folk who provided the platform for you to build and address your audience. You can guess what I think.

[Author]

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