Polite forums & the others you can't join.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Montgomery,

It is not contrived.

Read the TOSs my man.

Moderators try to keep things within the boundaries established by the TOSs. We try to maintain some civility. We don't edit or delete anything we disagree with UNLESS it violates the TOSs.

The one caveat is that moderation actions cannot be discussed in public. Example...I delete or edit your post. You can't bring it up and flame my action or me in public. That will get you edited/deleted and probably "Guested" quickly. You can, however, argue in private using PMs or emails and you can surely go over a Moderator's head by going directly to Keith, Jackie or AAron, the Administrators.

Trying to maintain civility a sham? Hardly! The people forced to act nice? Maybe they are here because they want to play by the rules established by the TOSs.

[Brian Kent]

Aah, Stepford Woodworkers!

We may not be nicer here than anywhere else, but I like a place where I can be my best self possible. It really helps to be able to revolve the conversation on a style or technique or procedure of woodworking.

That doesn't make me feel robotically smiley nice. It lets me get on with the business of talking about woodworking.

Brian Kent

[Geoffrey Smith]

I am quite a new here, but I have seen nothing but respect and support up and down The Creek.

Like the OP (Kev) said, we all have other interests, and one of mine is games and the gaming industry. Mostly computer games, and some Xbox stuff, and I have been getting back into board gaming.

You ain't see nothing until you frequent some of these gaming related sites. Now, some are excellent, much like The Creek here, but some just seem to bring out the worst in humanity. I have learned to shrug off most of the ignorance and stupidity at those places.

It is certainly great to be part of such a fine community as this, where I don't have to worry about it!

[Eddie Watkins]

I agree SMC does a good job of moderating and members are civil. I lurk more than post because usually somebody already has provided good answers to most issues. It is good to post without having somebody make personal attacks, tho.
On other forums I see the issue of a classic adult/child relationship. If somebody behaves as a child, somebody needs to be the adult. Address the issue, not the person. If they continue with personal assaults just "walk away" as they teach children in day care. Some of the arguments become road rage-like.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Yes SMC is very polite, for the most part, but it reminds me of the movie The Stepford Wives. Everyone is perfect and most everyone behaves exceptionally well, except for the fact that it's all contrived.

The people here aren't any better than other people, it's just that the moderators modify posts or ban people who write something they don't like. People are forced to play nice here. You definitely have to have thicker skin to be part of some of the other forums, but that's part of real life. Welcome to Stepford.

I've got to disagree with that. Sure there are rules, but anytime that a moderator edits a post, they add an edit by note. You just don't see those that often. In my experiance, it's happened to me twice that I remember, and I have a few posts. Once for a questionable joke, and another for a political remark. Not really ruling with a heavy hand, both of those are covered in the TOS.

I was a knot member for a while, and I think that it goes the other way over there. Kind of like a bad reality show. People will say things they never would in person or "real life"!

[Kev Godwin]

Last evening I was again close to joining the original forum I mentioned in my original post on an outdoor forum and then some young lady had just joined and posted a question nearly identical to what I would have asked (posted).

I'm glad I didn't. The people on that backpacking forum attacked her for what they considered to be not up to par for their liking and did not fit with their "nature politics". I did search on-line and also found that forum to have the highest number of views compared to other similar sites. (They have more political commentary than they have on backpacking - their supposed focus.)

I'm not going there again. The members (and the mods and admins) here on the Creek are top tier compared to many other forums. Thanks to everyone for support and advice. I'll continue to get my woodworking advice here. (I won't ask for any backpacking advice here.)
Kev

[glenn bradley]

Interesting discussion. I have no problem with the forums where snorting and chest beating take precedence over the focus-topic discussions. I don't generally visit them more than once because they're not what I am after. As to the Creek being restrictive, there have been some actions and some discussions here that would fit in better "over there" but that doesn't mean they don't belong.

Its the differences that make it interesting. That doesn't mean I think its right for somebody spout the virtues of not using a splitter or push sticks just because he hasn't for 30 years and has only lost 2 fingers; that's just not responsible. I am, however, OK with the philosophy that every tool in the shop is a hammer except for the chisel . . . ; that's a screwdriver. Vive le différence !

[Tom Veatch]

Every once in awhile, I like having (or watching) a good internet argument! I frequent a computer forum that allows political/religious/moral, etc. discussions and things can get a little heated. ...

My online woodworking forum experiences began with an unmoderated usenet group in the "alt" collection that has "woodworking" in it's name but really should be named alt.political.cussout-the-conservatives/liberals-take-your-pick. The political arguments and personal attacks outnumber by a fairly wide margin any posts that have anything to do with woodworking. That's why I'm here.

I have noticed a few posts in SMC from people I recognize from that group (the vast majority of whom go by handles or pseudonyms) but the one's I recognized got their hands slapped by a moderator for doing here what they were in the habit of doing over there. Haven't seen any evidence of them since. Reckon they went back where they can freely vent their road rage. I would say "good riddance", but that would be ungracious and disrespectful. But to be perfectly honest, I don't find myself missing them very much.

Kudos to the moderators and especially to the denizens of the creek who keep things pleasant, respectful, civil, and pretty much on topic.

[Brian Ashton]

Yes SMC is very polite, for the most part, but it reminds me of the movie The Stepford Wives. Everyone is perfect and most everyone behaves exceptionally well, except for the fact that it's all contrived.

The people here aren't any better than other people, it's just that the moderators modify posts or ban people who write something they don't like. People are forced to play nice here. You definitely have to have thicker skin to be part of some of the other forums, but that's part of real life. Welcome to Stepford.

I find it the opposite. In real life face to face conversation people act quite civilized (obviously this is a generalization). When you go to other forums you find the social and civil retardedness comes out of people because they're hiding behind a screen and or name - they rarely have the guts to act like that in person. There were times on the other forums I would seriously wonder if some of the posters were out of their heads when they logged in things got that bad. Whereas here the actions are more as to what to expect from people you'd hang out with at the local woodworkers club. Maybe you live in a contrived life and therefore this place doesn't seem real...

[John Shuk]

Contrived? I strive to be as nice and kind as the others I meet here. I respect the people here. Creekers are many things to mant people but I find them to be mentors in most ways. For much more than woodworking.

[Russ Filtz]

I view the different styles somewhat like Disney World, School, and adult entertainment.

SMC falls into the Disney/School approach where everyone is welcome and it's educational. Yet adults sometimes like to go to the bar, get drunk, and act like idiots. There's a place for everything!

The PC forum I mentioned above has quite separate forums for the PC related forums (Disney/School moderated), but they also have a more adult "Off Topic" area which is subscription only, hence more adult discussions are tolerated but still moderated heavily. However, within this area there is another layer of subforums which is even more wild west where all the political/religious/moral discussions go. But even in this third layer, personal attacks are a no-no (a fair fight, no eye-gouging, no hair pulling!). Seems to work pretty well, yet still allow for "thorough" discussions of these critical subjects related to society as a whole. You can't stick your head in the sand and pretend these emotional topics don't need aired out. Promotes critical thinking as most subjects are not binary, they a multiple shades of grey.

[Jim Rimmer]

(I won't ask for any backpacking advice here.)Kev

You could always go to the Off Topic Forum.