Remember when…
There weren’t 10 posts per day about ‘Where is it?’
There was exciting and new content evry day?
There was banter between users without malice?
You could speak your mind without repercussion?
You didn’t have to be ‘politically correct’?
There were more ideas than web-links?
There were many more old-timers piping in?
There were no dictators or know-it-alls on the forum?
Remember?
I do.
By the way… anyone seen the movie yet?
I agree with much of what you are saying. I am not one of those who pretends to know it all, but I think we have a few participants in the forums who are of the opinion that “They know EVERYTHING.” And I agree that we could use a lot more friendly and open discussion in the forums without resorting to malice or name calling. But that’s the way some people choose to behave.
One of the nice things about being able to participate in the forums is that I for one, am developing new friendships with other people. Last fall I started developing a friendship with a young lady who lives out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have yet to meet her face to face, but we have had a number of deep conversations about a variety of topics over the phone, and have also traded a lot of e-mails with each other.
CANADIANPACIFIC2816
I wouldnt worry too much about it.
We all sorta took a collective deep breath and slowly exhaled. This occurred about the time of the changeover to the new system in June or July.
It was getting pretty animated at that time (I was involved in many of the hot threads). The cooling off session of 2 or 3 days pretty much changed the dynamics of the forum.
Is it for the better? Probably not. The end result was that we now create puzzles about “where is it” or other lite issues rather than dive into passionate and often economic issues.
Personally, I enjoyed the discussions about economics of railroading, but when people began wasting my time by sending me off on wild chases, it lost it’s appeal. Meanwhile, I will just discuss old towers and how things used to be.
ed
Well, I am still finding lots of good topics, economic discussions, and a wealth of knowledge that would possibly not be available to me from other sources.[8)] But I do find that, just like other media sources, you have to pick and choose. It doesnt take long to figure out which poster is worth reading in detail, and which you should skip…and I can choose to avoid the discussions which digress into kindegarden sand box pushing and shoving…Not everything on the forums is priceless, but taken as a whole, I will continue to visit and browse for those gems that make it worth my while…and hope to be able to occasionally contribute something of value.
…Yes, for some reason I too believe the writings and maybe a bit of the culture have changed on here and it seems to have occured when the change over to the new posting system started.
I do not contend that that is good or bad…just that we’ve had a change.
Of course we still have the option of chosing which we care to participate in.
I suppose if we all make an effort to keep our part of the conversations civil and appropriate we will continue to enjoy the writings of many.
There’s the recurring flamers.
There’s the influx of 11 and 12 yr old know-it-all railfans.
There’s the anti-labor railfans (?).
The railfans who believe the railroad can do no wrong.
Take a pick.
I don’t know very much, but the little bit I do know I know really good.
Ol’ Ed
I’m just a little curious about the mild animosity shown towards the “Where Is It?” threads in this thread. Personally, I really enjoy the “Where Is It?” threads, and learn quite a bit from them. The 11 canyons thread by 1435mm was a prime example of that.
Just my [2c] of course.
And Chris’ recent “What is it ?” was quite interesting as well.
I am in 100% agreement about the whereisit threads. I loved them. I also don’t think it is bad to have people challenge one another’s positions about their views of the industry. I certainly agree that it should be done politely, but all of us siting around telling each other how smart we all are is not going to educate me as much as a healthy disagreement.
Gabe
I’d have to agree with Chris. Any thread, or type of thread that interests a fair amount of posters is a good thing in my book. They can also work as a catalyst for spawning other threads. I see no problem with that. That all threads, and types of threads, don’t appeal to everyone, is simply a fact of life. I’ve found it pretty easy to skip over the threads that don’t interest me.
I’ll go out on a limb here, and suggest that, perhaps, you’re feeling that the forum is not as interesting as you wish it were, or as you remember it to be? Like most everything else in life, you will probably get out of it, what you put into it. I myself, would be pleased as punch to simply sit back and read lots of really interesting stuff that appeals to me. It just doesn’t seem to work that way. If we’re all trying to get the boat to go in the right direction, it would seem we all need to row a bit. That being said, Mr. Runs With Scissors, why don’t you start a thread (or threads) on what interests you the most? Barring that, send me a PM on the subject, and I’ll start the thread for you, if you wish.
Although they can be good in moderation, there were WAY to many at once.
Speak for yourself. If you want other topics, post them. In the mean time, I am going to go post another.
Gabe
Those of us who know everything are usually very frustrated with those of you that don’t…[:P]
Just kidding of course. If I really knew everything I probably would be here on the forums - I’d be selling my services as a consultant.
But it is usually tempting to chime in with one’s two cents worth if someone asks a question you know the answer to (or think you do). The worst that can happen is that you find out that what you knew was wrong (or at least not completely right). I know I’ve been there once or thrice.
I don’t have a lot of interest in the “where is it” threads and their ilk, although I have been tempted to add to the eastern component from time to time. Simply, I’m not going to know the answer. I might pick up some knowledge, though, so I do stop in from time to time.
Personalities will be personalities. I’ve been known to get a little too preachy about topics I believe in (more in other areas than in railroading). If you have enough passion about something, you’ll try to ‘sell’ it, too. And I’m no different than most everyone else in that I might get defensive if someone challenges my (obviously excellent) ideas.
We’re a pretty sedate group. I participate in a local forum, and that one’s pretty much no-holds-barred. Pseudo-profanity is common, and name-calling is a routine part of the game. I stay out of that aspect, but if you’re interested in a thread, it can be hard to read through without seeing it.
At the risk of turning this into a livelier thread than is necessary-just when did you have to know anything to be a consultant?
Funny you should say that - I am thinking of becoming one here at work. I have been here longer than just about everyone else, know most of the history and lots of the closets where the skeletons are buried. So I should quit, be rehired as a consultant (which I do now for just the price of my annual salary) and have a huge increase in my salary! [:)]
You’re right - Let me rephrase that - “When I can convince you that I know everything…”
I’m a believer! [^]