A Couple of things that have been bothering me about the org recently...

[Argilbertson]

Before I get into what the title teases you about, I want to say that by and large I love this site. The people here are generally warm and friendly, and questions (even relatively stupid ones) generally get serious responses and a genuine attempt at being helpful. For the most part, trolling has failed to really infest this forum, as even disagreements are more often than not relatively civil and rational on the scale of internet flamewars.

That being said, there are one or two things that bother me in my time here...

As of the time I posted this, of the top 10 newest postings in the "What's new?" tab, half of them are political in nature. This doesn't bother me all that much on its own except that none of them are actually IN the Politics forum...instead they clutter up the vaguely named "Random Thoughts" section. I can see how normally "Random Thoughts" is broad enough to make this a non-issue, but theres a specific forum for political commentary; use it please.

The subject of political commentary leads me to the next item which repeatedly agravates me; the rampant and relatively immature harrassment of the progressive viewpoint without any real evidence. Far to often I come across Fox news catchphrases and Tea Party Slogans in places they have no business being. It's fine and good to disagree with another member's viewpoint, but pointless namecalling is childish at best, and in the greater interest of the community, really should be discouraged mor vigorously.

Which brings me to my final issue with the org as it currently stands; the general lack of moderation in some areas. I dont know if it's from a tacit agreement with the viewpoints being presented, being overburdened with real life issues, or just lack of interest in maintaining the positive image of the forums, but often times it seems like the children have been left to play by themselves, and the consequences largely remain on the internet for all prospective new members to read.

I dont want to feel like I need to avoid the org to get away from these postings, nor to I want to begin thinking of it as a conservative commentary forum cleverly disguised as a motorcycles group. I want this place to be the welcoming and exciting place for all lovers of motorcycles in general, and the hayabusa specifically to come together in a greater appreciation of the sport, and the engineering behind it. Please consider when you're posting, if you would, whether your posting adds to the org before you post it; does it make this motorcycles forum a better and more inviting place for all lovers of the sport to be, or not? I hope that as you read this, you can understand that I do not wish to start a fight with anyone, I think everyone here (including those with whom I disagree politically) are amazing and interesting people with great stories and a lot of knowledge to share...I'm just tired of being afraid that the next time I log in, something here will offend me.:unhappy:

 

[sixpack577]

I respectfully say this.
People complaining that things "offend" them is a big part of what's wrong with the world.
We all have our opinions and not everyone can agree. If you dislike something and it "offends" you, then that's just how it is.
I dislike alot of things. If it's here(or anywhere), then I do one of two things.
Ignore it and move on.
Or, Respectfully disagree in a civil discussion.
You don't have to read the non bike related things here, or anywhere.

 

[DevilDawg1]

Argilbertson,

Most here are very respectful, very knowledgable and very helpful.

It's ok not to agree with everything, none of us agree with everything.

But we have all agreed that it is ok if we disagree.

I'm not trying to be an ahole, but if you don't like it, dont click on it and read it.

There will be some here that will agree with this, and some that will not agree with this. But it is all ok, either way.

 

[SoCal Blur]

May I recommend that you make your concerns known to the Captain in a PM rather than a public address, which, by the way, pretty much is exactly what you are concerned about. It is not up to the members to be "moderators" of this forum. Just like spam or anything else that you find offensive, it is your duty to report it to the Moderator (Captain) or ignore it an move on. By your statements you are attempting to moderate what happens in this forum and that is not your place, nor that of any member other than those officially designated as moderators.

 

[Busa1166]

Name calling/ attacking other members isn't acceptable here, they may not have seen it. I know I didn't, but I avoid 99% of the political threads, simply mousing over something gives you more than enough info to see if it's worth the read. After I am done i mark forums "read" and move on. Avoid a lot of threads I have no interest in that way.

 

[fallenarch]

Before I get into what the title teases you about, I want to say that by and large I love this site. The people here are generally warm and friendly, and questions (even relatively stupid ones) generally get serious responses and a genuine attempt at being helpful. For the most part, trolling has failed to really infest this forum, as even disagreements are more often than not relatively civil and rational on the scale of internet flamewars.

That being said, there are one or two things that bother me in my time here...

As of the time I posted this, of the top 10 newest postings in the "What's new?" tab, half of them are political in nature. This doesn't bother me all that much on its own except that none of them are actually IN the Politics forum...instead they clutter up the vaguely named "Random Thoughts" section. I can see how normally "Random Thoughts" is broad enough to make this a non-issue, but theres a specific forum for political commentary; use it please.

The subject of political commentary leads me to the next item which repeatedly agravates me; the rampant and relatively immature harrassment of the progressive viewpoint without any real evidence. Far to often I come across Fox news catchphrases and Tea Party Slogans in places they have no business being. It's fine and good to disagree with another member's viewpoint, but pointless namecalling is childish at best, and in the greater interest of the community, really should be discouraged mor vigorously.

Which brings me to my final issue with the org as it currently stands; the general lack of moderation in some areas. I dont know if it's from a tacit agreement with the viewpoints being presented, being overburdened with real life issues, or just lack of interest in maintaining the positive image of the forums, but often times it seems like the children have been left to play by themselves, and the consequences largely remain on the internet for all prospective new members to read.

I dont want to feel like I need to avoid the org to get away from these postings, nor to I want to begin thinking of it as a conservative commentary forum cleverly disguised as a motorcycles group. I want this place to be the welcoming and exciting place for all lovers of motorcycles in general, and the hayabusa specifically to come together in a greater appreciation of the sport, and the engineering behind it. Please consider when you're posting, if you would, whether your posting adds to the org before you post it; does it make this motorcycles forum a better and more inviting place for all lovers of the sport to be, or not? I hope that as you read this, you can understand that I do not wish to start a fight with anyone, I think everyone here (including those with whom I disagree politically) are amazing and interesting people with great stories and a lot of knowledge to share...I'm just tired of being afraid that the next time I log in, something here will offend me.:unhappy:

Argilbertson, your post was a very good one. I often feel like this site is full of right winged, redneck, Fox News watching nuts who have too many guns. That being said I have met many of the people you see me arguing with day in and day out and they are good, fun people. These are very difficult times and our country is being redefined, so expect caring people to have strong emotions about things like God, family, flag and country. I think most of the people here are right of center, that's who built this site and mostly who posts to it. As a Liberal I understand I'm in enemy territory. But don't confuse the back and forth you see here with a lack of quality humans, because you would be mistaken.

 

[MC MUSTANG]

I am trying very hard not to react on instinct to your thread; my apologies in advance if anything that I say comes across sideways, that is decidedly not my intention.

That said, your criticism of the board and your proclaimation of what you want the board to be strikes at the heart of the board and I fear that there are a few things that are outside of the lens through which you are viewing "us".

1. The members here discuss things that many of us are slightly uncomfortable with- this is because irrespective of our views (and the opinions of some) we strive to not overly sensor the threads posted here based on our views or opinions alone.

2. It is winter, and the activity on the board is higher and leaning in someways away from motorcycles, because many of the members have already winterized- as such, the discussion is about other issues of the day.

3. The members here are as excited about their motorcycles as you are. However, there are members here with GEN 1's who will refer you to posts, threads, etc- from years ago, because in someways, it is rare that someone comes up with something completely new for a GEN 1.

4. Today there are several issues/topics in our lives that have people very concerned. In truth, many of these conversations are the exact same discussions that we have/have had following a day of riding, sitting around a firepit... Or in between track sessions.

Our members and their opinions (including yours) are inextricably linked. I for one am happy that we have some of these discussions because it helps my greater understanding - not mind changing mind you, but an expanded view. In the end, I am glad that we have some of the discussions that we have- I dislike others- but I only object to members acting towards each other with disrespect.

The surest way to alienate an established group is to tell them what they should be or what you want them to be, when you are a relative new comer.

All of the Admins, Moderators and Trouble Ticket workers are friends of mine, I have ridden with almost all of them, some at the track. The people here care about our little corner of the net, and it is really hard not to take your comments as preachy. I will take your criticism of our housekeeping to heart and will try to clean up some threads. I ask you to give us a little latitude and consider all of the things you don't see here that are rampant on other sites, and ask yourself how much worse this place could be.

At the end of the day, you have control over whether or not you are offended by deciding which topics you read and which ones you engage in. You have the power there.

Just my .02, if it is even worth that

 

[twotonevert]

If I may, we have always prided ourselves as maintaining a place where members can discuss things in a civil manner. No matter the topic. I can speak for other moderators, reported posts are looked at within minutes if not seconds. We have a lot of new members that may not post threads where they need to be and we do our best to make sure those threads are moved to the appropriate forums. Also, name calling and blatant attacks are not tolerated at all and will let you get up close and personal with the ban hammer( See Shawn for services rendered). While the Hayabusa and motorcyles in general bring us together, you have to also understand that there are a great many issues facing our country, our lives, our members, and those topics will be discussed. We have tried to limit political threads before, over moderated as some have said, and then accused of censorship. So we relaxed a bit and expect adults to be adults. This is not always the case and we have to step in, clean up threads, filter language because people can not carry a conversation without curse words. This is a family site and will always be a family site and therefore we spend a great amount of time making sure it is safe for your little one to be standing behind you, to be able to log on at work, etc.
Now you have some history, as we have evolved over the years, and I consider myself a newbie. But that is what I have seen so far in my 5+ years of membership. IF something is offensive, use the Report Post feature. All admins get an email and it will be looked at asap. You have an Ignore feature you can block other members comments from your view if you feel you need to. If you feel a thread is in the wrong section, report the post and we will move it. I said it earlier today, I am on the board alot throughout the day and on my mobile device. I know other moderators are as well, but we simply cannot know the contents of each and every thread. Sometimes thing get buried in threads that appear to be normal, report the post.
As far as arguing without facts, well, anytime you deal with people you will always have a few that will not be able to back up what they state, we cant control that. Ignore it and move on.
We are always on and willing to help in anyway we can. We have to find a delicate balance that will promote healthy discussion, debate, and differences of opinion. But it must be with respect. Look for the guys with the blue name when you need something or shoot us a pm. Again, welcome to the oRg, and welcome to the family. You will see over time we are just that, like a family gathering and you always have the brothers or the sisters, or the weird uncle with the comb over who think they know best. But at the end of the day, we care about each other and help one another with whatever someone needs, its what we do, and that is what makes the org, the oRg!

 

[twotonevert]

Shawn beat me to the punch, dang keyboard kung fu, he's fast!

 

[Argilbertson]

I do want to take the opportunity to reiterate that thus far in my travels around the forums, I've been more than impressed by the overall welcoming nature of the people, and I really do think that all things aside, the people here are more than capable of not letting their differences get in the way of helping their fellow forum goer. Mostly I think I've simply reached my saturation point on political materials; I spent most of 2012 fighting with conservatives to present my viewpoints and have an intelligent discussion on the future course of this country, and generally was scorned for my beliefs. It's hard to feel welcomed at times with that reception, and I just want to avoid feeling that way about this place. I like all you crazy people too much to want that to get in the way....

a good point which I think illustrates all the awesome things I love about this board is this thread itself (If I can say that without appearing to stroke my own ego too much! ) Rather than being flippant or disrespectful, it means a lot that the responses have been well thought out, even if your viewpoint differs.

In the end, you're all right, it's my choice to be offended or not by anything that comes my way, and no one can make me participate if I do not wish to....I just appreciate knowing that even my somewhat absurd emotional outbursts rate a considered response here.

 

[twotonevert]

I do want to take the opportunity to reiterate that thus far in my travels around the forums, I've been more than impressed by the overall welcoming nature of the people, and I really do think that all things aside, the people here are more than capable of not letting their differences get in the way of helping their fellow forum goer. Mostly I think I've simply reached my saturation point on political materials; I spent most of 2012 fighting with conservatives to present my viewpoints and have an intelligent discussion on the future course of this country, and generally was scorned for my beliefs. It's hard to feel welcomed at times with that reception, and I just want to avoid feeling that way about this place. I like all you crazy people too much to want that to get in the way....

And this why I do my best to stay out of the political threads..............

 

[Argilbertson]

they're just like a dang black hole though!

 

[SLEEPERBUSA]

It is not up to the members to be "moderators" of this forum. Just like spam or anything else that you find offensive, it is your duty to report it to the Moderator (Captain) or ignore it an move on. By your statements you are attempting to moderate what happens in this forum and that is not your place, nor that of any member other than those officially designated as moderators.

This should be set as a sticky on the front door!

This was not my attempt at pointing at the OP, but just a TWO THUMBS UP directed at the general population here.

 

[GoldenChild]

why is it got to be a black hole?

they're just like a dang black hole though!

 

[sixpack577]

why is it got to be a black hole?

This really offends me.....

 

[Argilbertson]

haha, touche! Now this is why I love this dang place.

 

[mikey28804]

:stirpot:

This really offends me.....

 

[cheferman65]

This really offends me.....

Well, since you don't ride a "Hayabusa" any longer, you can just hit the road pal....

 

[Fastfrog007]

I respectfully say this.
People complaining that things "offend" them is a big part of what's wrong with the world.
We all have our opinions and not everyone can agree. If you dislike something and it "offends" you, then that's just how it is.
I dislike alot of things. If it's here(or anywhere), then I do one of two things.
Ignore it and move on.
Or, Respectfully disagree in a civil discussion.
You don't have to read the non bike related things here, or anywhere.

I'm offended.

 

[Fastfrog007]

Well, since you don't ride a "Hayabusa" any longer, you can just hit the road pal....