RE: IM SICK OF SOME OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!
 

Ok....I have a lot to say about this, a bunch of jumbled thoughts swimming around that I'll try to express here.

I've been coming to this site for over 3 years now (been that long?) and have seen it evolve from season to season.
Many of the truly knowledgable people and general good guys have moved on......some are lurking in the shadows, and a good few are still here.
As more and more people visit this site it gets harder and harder to keep up, and more importantly establish the RESPECT that we had when there weren't as many members. There was a time on here when "Everybody knows your name" and if somebody got out of line they knew about it in a hurry.
That isn't possible anymore.......You used to be able to tell who you could trust to give advice, but that's becoming increasingly difficult.
Heck I'll look on the first page of the "Bowhunting" board and won't recognize 3/4 of the posters or responders on a given day. There was a time that I knew the E-MAIL ADDRESS of everyone on the first page.
THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY A BAD THING. But with more people comes the challenge of a wider range of knowledge, skills and experience.
Many of the members here are VERY passionate about the sport and the RIGHT way to do things......all things. They wouldn't be spending their time here if they didn't. And much of the friction lies in the gap between those who "Care" and those who "REALLY care"

More importantly there is a certain etiquette that is starting to slip away on these boards due in part to this growing membership.

Its not as intimate as it once was, and there are those who really have no clue at all about the "Unwritten Rules" of this board. These aren't things written on a forum instruction manual, just some common sense tid bits from 3+ years of forum experience.

1. Help those who need help if you can(Get out of the shadows and stop being a "Lurker"). Ask a question when YOU need help.....but remember #2

2. Yes you CAN judge someone here.....everytime you ask a question or respond to a topic you are putting yourself out there for judgement.
Doubly expect it if you wounded an animal, broke the law, used profanity, or mentioned the name &quot;Mathews&quot; <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>And if you used 2 or more of these in the same post, see #7 because fun will be the last thing you are having.

3. Believe it or not there are times to come down hard on someone......but there is a right way to do it. Many of the people making the mistakes have no idea that they even made one in the first place, and the &quot;It's OK ,get em next time&quot; crap has to stop.Many of these things AREN'T OK.
If they are having problems or causing problems they need to know WHY, and if feelings get hurt along the way....well , did your father or grandfather ever teach you a lesson by giving you a &quot;Time Out&quot;. No, they made you understand, and you didn't make the same mistake twice. (well often anyway :))
There is too much at stake these days concerning the hunting lifestyle......those in the know OWE IT to the sport to make sure those who don't &quot;Get It&quot; somehow, someway. Not only that ,it's owed to the game we pursue.

4. Quit the useless one word posting for status sake.....nobody cares how many points are on your rack. Try at least making a &quot;quality&quot; post for every &quot;Non quality&quot; one.

5. Get more personal....this board got to this point on friendships and wanting to come here to talk to your FRIENDS. Not to belittle people or cause trouble or to see how many more posts the next guy has over you. Make some new friends.....I have made MANY very good friends here and it has opened up many opportunities for me that I would not have had otherwise. Take advantage of this resource.....and don't be afraid to be a real person and not just &quot;Hound Dog .357&quot; or whatever your screenname is. :) If you notice the most respected people here get called by their real first names?

6. Learn some basic grammar , spelling, and punctuation......:) or at the very least reread your post before you hit that button.

7. You're here to have fun.....if you AREN'T having fun go play on Ebay.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

8. Squabbles will happen.....TAKE THEM TO E-MAIL. If you aren't man/woman enough to discuss issues with the anonymity of a screenname removed you should drop the problem immediately. The forums aren't a boxing ring.

9. Boy I wish we had a better search engine......and people who would actually use it. <img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle> Before you post a question, at least check the first few pages and see that someone else hasn't beaten you to it.
I can't tell you how many times I've seen the same question 2 and 3 times in the first 2 pages of topics.

10. Let the moderators do their jobs without public question or ridicule......its not easy, and posting here is a privilage not a right. If you have a problem with a decision, be a man/woman and TAKE it TO EMAIL. Don't waste our time with &quot; Why did my post get deleted?&quot; Guess what?.....if it got deleted there was a good reason and one you should take up directly with the moderators........ON EMAIL.

11. On any given topic put your time in and READ all the responses BEFORE you post yours......don't care if you are #75 on page 4. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> Might save you from wasting your breath or saying something stupid.....or even avoid a conflict.

12. Those cute little buttons above your post and where you type your topics and replies ACTUALLY DO THINGS!<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle> learn how to use them.....you can edit or delete posts without wasting another one to do so. And the smilies are just plain fun sometimes (and also convey an unseen or undetectable emotion or tone of a post) A smilie face can turn a fight into an understood &quot;in good fun&quot; response.

13. Common sense is FREE.....use it.


Well I got all over the place as usual, but I think I got some of what I wanted to say out.......I know it sounds &quot;Soap Boxy&quot; but I didn't just peck away at this keyboard for 20 minutes to &quot;Hear myself Speak&quot;.



Edited by - Matt / PA on 11/05/2002 21:24:23

RE: IM SICK OF SOME OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!
 

Good post Matt!<img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>


BTW , my name is Doug , for those inquiring minds.

&quot;Nocked,cocked & ready to rock&quot;

RE: IM SICK OF SOME OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!
 

Matt<img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: IM SICK OF SOME OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!
 

Matt, great post.

I have been hanging around here for two years (certainly don't have the posts to prove it) and I believe you nailed it on the head.

Pat in WV

RE: IM SICK OF SOME OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!
 

Good post Matt

I'm a lurker lately, Its tough to post your thoughts when the same questions get asked over and over, I just get frustrated, and do not post. Sometimes you know where the converstaion will go, before the first post is even made to a question, or comment.

I'm all for a better search engine too. Heck, I'd use it all the time. I post mostly on the QDM board, its still small, and we all know each other (for the most part) But often I wish more poeple would post, so we could all learn more.

Hunter4life87 - I know where you are coming from - sometimes it seems like an ethics class on this board. Alot of it is GREAT, a good bit of it is OVERBOARD. I do not have an answer for you, I can tell you that if you are really into bowhunting, or the other board topics here - come back in a month or two - the truly interested folks usually hang around - and beleive it or not - we have some great, non-mudslinging topics discussed here.

RE: IM SICK OF SOME OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!
 

Matt, (see, I used your name<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>) great thoughts and post. If you remember, I was one you helped when I first arrived here. I will always remember that. Thanks. Many others have helped me learn, and I've made friends I've not yet met, in person. I hope to meet them some day. I feel I've moved ahead much faster than I could have, otherwise. In the short time I've been on this BBS, I've seen changes in attitude. Some very knowledgeable people are gone, or post infrequently. I've had differences at times with people. I chose to resolve them through email. People make mistakes. Some seem inexplicable, others just lack experience. I feel some people need a reaming, others a helping hand. Try to see the difference and help publicly, ream privately.

Phil.
&quot;Could you guys be quiet, my dad's trying to shoot.&quot;<img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: IM SICK OF SOME OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!
 

Some people come off badly, and some come off as jerks. BUT, I think for the most part, there are hunters here trying to hold people to a higher standard, and I think for the most part it is a good thing. We aren't here to make people feel good about not recovering a deer, or feel good about bad shots. We are here to offer advice on how to find them, and advice on how to make higher percentage shots. Some people wont want to hear it, but I think this site helps people and sometimes people need to hear the truth. Am I wrong?

--Jim

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: IM SICK OF SOME OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!
 

Cool post dude...I vote Matt for moderator...

One question though...How do we know your real name is Matt?... <img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_evil.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>


FWIW, My real name is Pat and not BowTech...<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: IM SICK OF SOME OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!
 

Way to go Matt.

We just have a bunch of new guys and gals and It just takes time for all of us to get to know the names and personalities and most of all the board and its long time members and how we are or would like to be here. But we will get back to how it use to be in a while. It just will take some time. Hang in there guys!!

Brian