Things I've noticed about HTF since returning. (1 Viewer)

[Michael Reuben]

Originally Posted by Al.Anderson

I don't think the re-hosting had as much to do with the down-turn as the heavy handed moderating. The place is kind of dull. When the HD vs BR debate was in full swing, this forum shut down all conversation of the merits of each. That had the effect of having people go elsewhere, and they didn't come back.

I remember a fair amount of such conversation, and many such threads are still here. But in any case, the hi-def format war ended almost two and a half years ago.


I'm glad that Parker spoke up. People often forget that moderators don't make the rules; it's the owners who do that.

 

[Jack Briggs]

What Parker said, what Michael said.


Al, I can see how sometimes the moderation here seemed "heavy." But what we had to deal with was itself heavy: immature trouble-makers who seemed intent on spoiling the fun for others. In the "old days," it was not at all uncommon for some people to post mischiveously just to get some sort of attention. Then there were others who seemed to believe that they could post anything they wanted despite what the rules stated, and, when called out on it, complained about their "free speech" rights being taken away.


Not once did we ever claim that HTF allowed absolutely "free" speech; the rules against posting about politics or religion always helped to keep the discussion around here civil. (I believe that political discussions among people who have agreed to disagree are one thing, but how many members here can truly say that they agree to disagree?)


Also, the moderators, at least, never really power-tripped around here. We/they are not perfect, true. But fairness was always the moderators' modus operandi.

 

[Walter Kittel]

[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)] In my opinion, debating which is better is what this forum should have encouraged, not squelched. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the formus's dedication to keeping the conversation civil, but we could disagree on meaty issues without poking each other in the eye.[/COLOR]

Admittedly everyone has a different level of sensitivity with regards to the highly debated topics; but the problem with many of those threads was how they would devolve into personal attacks. There were folks who I freely conversed with on any number of topics who got themselves banned because they could not separate the issues from the personalities when it came to the format war.

(The rule I've always tried to apply to my posts is - How would I like it if someone posted that statement with regards to me? - and sadly there were folks who could not put themselves in the other person's shoes.)


- Walter.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Al.Anderson

I've hesitated to say this for fear of taking the thread in the wrong direction; but I'm taking a shot anyway. I don't think the re-hosting had as much to do with the down-turn as the heavy handed moderating. The place is kind of dull. When the HD vs BR debate was in full swing, this forum shut down all conversation of the merits of each.

I'm very glad that the moderators here have a heavier hand than some places. If that turns away a few guys who are angry, impotent losers in real life then suddenly become super tough when hiding behind the safety of their computer than so be it. Speaking from my own time here, I've never seen anyone who is making a valid point get banned by a moderator but I have seen people who take personal shots get the boot.

 

[Scott McGillivray]

Excellent points all around. I am glad to see that I am not the only one that thinks things seem to have slowed down here. Perhaps it truly is just the natural ebb and flow of things. I really do miss the old days when in one day a whole page of new stuff would be put up on darn near every sub-section. Plus, there were so many "characters" that were just fun to read and chat with. There was a real love or at least a fun camaraderie here. Don't get me wrong, there still is some of that, just not to the degree of the past. Again, perhaps it is just the natural path of things. I know that personally I am not into the hardware anymore. I was a huge nut-case about the latest, greatest home theater gear, but now, I am just happy with my simple setup at home.

Crazy...I have been a member here over 10 years. Lots of changes and great stories. No matter what happens in the future, I will always be a supporter of the HTF.

 

[TonyD]

Hey Jack is Back.


I'm not a fan of the new forum and My posting has slowed considerably, in fact at least 2 people in this topic shot past me in post count since the switchover, oh well whatever will be will be.

 

[BrianW]

The thing I hate most about the switchover to the new software is that some of the tags don't work anymore. Like this one, for instance:


[sarcasm]Of course, the non-working tags are nothing compared to the intellectual dive this place has taken lately. If I hadn't stuck around, this forum's average intellect would be stuck in the single digits.[/sarcasm]


See what I mean? Without a functional sarcasm tag, I come across as a complete jerk!


[irony]I tried to harass all the smart members into staying, but for some reason, they left anyway.[/irony]


Dang. That one, too?

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Welcome back Jack!

 

[Ron-P]

Ahhh, it's good to see an old, familiar, name on the board. Welcome back my friend!

 

[Walter C]

I'm glad it's not just me that noticed a decrease in traffic. I noticed with the sports threads, they are fewer pages as each year goes by.


I guess it's just the nature of the beast, as I have been members of other forums, but eventually, just lost interest for one reason or another.


Still trying to get used to this after the switchover, after learning that hitting the clear button for an edit, will make into a new post instead.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon


Regards,


Joe

 

[BrianW]

Post counts hell. The last software change sent me back in time 30 years.

And all this time, I thought it was the housing and stock markets that did that to us.


Jack, are you still working with print (or other) media?

 

[RobertR]

Originally Posted by BrianW

Good to hear from you, Jack. Personally, I missed you. Really.


Sure, it's quieter here, but would you really like to go back to the days of the epic Wire Wars and Anamorphic Arguments?


Okay, now that I think about it, yes, I would.


Welcome back.

Don't forget the battles between skeptics and believers in the paranormal. I relished the posts from you and Jack and others on that topic.

 

[BrianW]

Don't forget the battles between skeptics and believers in the paranormal. I relished the posts from you and Jack and others on that topic.

Robert, the relish is mutual.


I mean relishment. Relishification? Whatever.

I've forgotten, it's been so long. Which side were we on?

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Welcome back, Jack!


Yes, posting has slowed down around here lately, but as others have said, that just may be the nature of changes in the Internet -- social networking, etc.

Originally Posted by Walter Kittel

(The rule I've always tried to apply to my posts is - How would I like it if someone posted that statement with regards to me? - and sadly there were folks who could not put themselves in the other person's shoes.)


- Walter.

Well put, Walter. I wish more people on Internet boards had the same attitude. Personally, I prefer HTF's moderation policy and the atmosphere it creates. I get very put off by the way people converse on some other boards. It saddens me to see the lack of good manners elsewhere -- although, that does seem to reflect the changes in society, too, unfortunately.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Originally Posted by Jack Briggs

Also, the moderators, at least, never really power-tripped around here. We/they are not perfect, true. But fairness was always the moderators' modus operandi.

As someone who only recently became a moderator, I can attest that this is still true. And based on what I see now in the way of deleted posts, I can only imagine what kind of stuff got snipped during the format war. A lot of people - not just members here, but human beings in general - have a hard time separating persons from opinions. Some even find it impossible to believe that anyone could legitimately hold an opinion contrary to theirs - and thus they attribute bad motives to anyone who disagrees with them. When the conversation gets that nasty posts get deleted and members get suspended or banned outright - regardless of the subject supposedly under discussion. I don't dobut that this happened a lot in the BD/HD-DVD threads, but if so it was because of the behavior of the participants and not some desire on the part of the mods to squelch debate.

What I've seen in my short time as a mod is that the owners and moderators often consult on such decisions before taking action, often with a lively debate on the merits among themselves. Yeah, a blatant spammer might get banned instantly and without disucssion (and you have no idea how many of those get weeded out before most of you even see them) but for the rest each mod not only tries to apply the rules fairly and even-handedly, but when necessary gets a second or third opinion to be sure.
My thanks to Jack and all the other folks who had to moderate this place during busier and sometimes nastier times.

Regards,


Joe

 

[Jay Taylor]

It's great to see you back Jack. You were missed by those like me who learned a great deal from the experts on this forum even if we didn't have much to contribute.


I agree that the HTF as well as the sophistication of its members have significantly changed. I no longer turn on my computer and immediately check out the After Hours Lounge to find out the latest antics of Steve Christou's German girlfriend, the science discussions with BrianW, or the adventures on Ryan Wright's hovercraft. Instead I check out the excellent reviews on the Blu-ray forum from extremely talented experts.

 

[Bryan X]

Originally Posted by RobertR





Robert, the relish is mutual.


I mean relishment. Relishification? Whatever.

I've forgotten, it's been so long. Which side were we on?

Speaking of paranormal, I spent the night at Lizzie Borden's house this past Friday (slept in Lizzie's bedroom). Unfortunately no paranormal activity. But I still haven't gone through all my photographs. ;-)

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Jay Taylor /forum/thread/302349/things-i-ve-noticed-about-htf-since-returning/30#post_3713390

 

[DaveF]

Welcome back, jack.



Quick thoughts on the meta issues: people are more interested in saying things and less interested in conversing. I see this on facebook and twitter. Words are thrown out like spaghetti on the wall. Bit no one wants to have a proper spaghetti dinner ( mmmm... Tortured metaphor ....)