I’ve asked Rich to make this UP section of the board a read-only forum. This will allow interested users to access the material that has been posted here since this forum was established. Visitors will not be able to post.
I’m taking this action without certainty about whether I will open the forum again or, if I do, when. It will give me a chance to consider options.
The dilemma is that most of the posts and most of the users play by the rules. They recognize that it’s my board and I’ve entitled to have something to say about proper behavior when people use the board. The problem is that the few people who won’t respect the rules create too much grief for me and, frankly, there’s just no incentive for me to continue with it.
As always happens, those of you who post nasty things about people will cry censorship and claim that you weren’t allowed to express negative views on the forum. I’ll now repeat that’s just not the case. There are courteous ways to post negative views. Most of you know how to do this and some of you either don’t know how to do so or don’t care to do so.
That said, I’ll be thinking about some possibilities and I’ll post here later if I come up with something.
I’d like to express my regrets to those of you have made good use of this forum. I hope to try to work something out for you in the not-too-distant future.
People are welcome to go to GC. If it looks like that ends up being the new home, and the owner of GC is interested, it might even be possible to transfer all the posts. I dunno, I’d have to ask smart people. Fortunately, I know some.
I’ve heard from a lot of the UP regulars, as expected, who want to help and to find a constructive solution. I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to unlock the board at some point if that’s what people continue to want. If a few people who embrace the civility rules (and there are many) would be willing to help moderate, we could certainly be back in business.
Volunteers may email me!
The problem is, in my view, the price of pipes. Not that I think they are more expensive than they should be, just that they are expensive. This causes any person who spends that kind of money and doesn’t like the hardware to get pretty angry and emotional. It also moves people to DEFEND the hardware they paid so much for. I have to believe that’s true, rather than the idea that pipers have a more surly temperament.
Right on cue, I had (in addition to a generous number of very gracious and helpful emails) two or three write to say they don’t understand why they can’t say negative or critical things on the board. I say again: This is not the case. At the risk of being patronizing, which is not my intention, let me demonstrate (again).
“I do not like Pepsi. It think the bubbles are disagreeable and their is a slightly sharp sensation at the back of one’s palate. I prefer the taste of Diet Coke, and this is what I encourage my friends to buy.”
vs.
“Pepsi is complete crap, clearly made by drunkards and con men. Anyone who would pay 75 cents for a can of it would have to be a fool. And anyone who would try to sell the crap on ebay is either a thief or is trying to unload a vile elixer that no one in their right mind would want.”
First example: Ok
Second: Not Ok.
Dale
P.S. I’m asking Rich to start a “Soft Drink” Forum.
The UP forum is now unlocked. Joseph E. Smith has volunteered his time and energy to moderating the forum. Indeed, Joseph has already spent a good bit of time working on this. He also has recruited some additional moderators, and I’ll let him tell you about this in subsequent posts.
For those of you who have been productive users of the board, thank you for your support and patience.
I had hoped that the locking of this forum a couple weeks back would have impressed upon those who would run afoul of the Reasonble Person Principle, that such behavior would not be tolerated… apparently I was mistaken.
From here on in, I will not hesitate in the least in editing anything that smacks of a personal insult, attack or defamation of character/business. I will most likely not give any warning to those who have demonstrated in the past that they cannot play nice. I will copy the posts in question to present to the real BIG DOGS at C&F for their perusal, along with the request that the poster(s) be removed from the forum… and for some, it won’t be their first time.
Please, keep the content of your posts to this forum within the boundaries set by Dale.
Thanks.
I have re-posted this message here, so it has a more ‘premanent’ place to hang out and be read.
