QUOTE: Originally posted by uspscsx QUOTE: Originally posted by Tracklayer See guys, that wasn't so hard. It's good to hear from you. Stop by and speak your mind when ever you get time and have something to say. (That makes 124 for me TA462...) Tracklayer Tracklayer, OH NO! You're STAR CHASING! 15 yard penalty, repeat 3rd down. Just kidding, I had to make fun of the old "OH MY, YOU'RE STAR-CHASING! posts.
QUOTE: Originally posted by Tracklayer See guys, that wasn't so hard. It's good to hear from you. Stop by and speak your mind when ever you get time and have something to say. (That makes 124 for me TA462...) Tracklayer
QUOTE: Originally posted by nsfantodd QUOTE: Originally posted by uspscsx No offense to the mimes out there. uspscsx Thats pretty funny! It was over a year after I joined that I first posted. I used to visit every once in a while, just checking things out. Todd Templeton
QUOTE: Originally posted by uspscsx No offense to the mimes out there. uspscsx
QUOTE: Originally posted by selector Well, Tracklayer, you have done a great job of ...er...(cough) flushing out the lurkers and mimes. Well done! To those of you, like jskerbaugh, with only two (count-'em!) posts, I appreciate your responses. Good to know your faces are illuminated by the campfire too...if we look over our shoulders. There have been times I've had to eat words when I made a fool of myself, here and elsewhere. The good thing about the folks on this forum is that they are generally genteel and kind when they tell me I'm full of it.
QUOTE: Originally posted by uspscsx I'm not quiet...I'm just a mime[:o)][:D] uspscsx..
Originally posted by Tracklayer only a couple of hundred (if that) ever actually create topics or comment on topics. Why is that ?.../quote] Well, I post little because so many threads are irrelevant. Lately, more and more threads fall inot a few categories that I find uninteresting: - self-congratulatory ("I bought a $500 engine!"; "I sold my hand-painted train mug on eBay for $200") or self promotional ("come buy my dreck on eBay"). Or both simultaneously. - "The hobby is dying because of _______ "(fill in the blank: UP; Horizon Hobbies; no Blue Box kits; eBay; MR mag; Wal-Mart) For pity's sake, give it a break - Stupid polls / inane questions ("Who likes trains?"; "Did John Henry get a bad deal from management?"; "How often do you eat"). Often these are posted by people who create new IDs and then spend a few days littering the forum with these wastes of time. - eBay anything - Posts related to the forum itself, not model railroading ("Look, I just reached 75 posts!" Followed by a tedious round of congratulations from others boosting their own phony post counts. "Look, I posted _and_ made the first reply". "Look, my posts are at the top of all three forums at once".) This last category, I think, are the kind of posts that kill a forum. Once the traffic becomes all inside jokes, sniping, and self-conscious post count inflation, the thing starts to whither away -- ike what's happened on the Atlas forum. At one point over there, a guy had two IDs and started a huge argument. With himself. Anyway, I promised myself I wouldn't contribute to one of these "about the forum itself" threads but I couldn't resist the downward pull of the lowest common denominator, I guess. Jon Reply Edit Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 5, 2005 1:08 PM I am definately one of the silent members. Although I am In my late 60's, I am a newby to the hobby and I don't posess enough knowlege or expertise to contribute anything of much value. Also afraid any question I might have would seem foolish although I realize the only foolish question is the one not asked. However I visit the forum frequently, and am learning a bunch from all of you who do know what you are talking about and who post on a regular basis. I thank you all very much. Reply Edit Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 5, 2005 5:13 PM I come here to learn not to talk Reply Edit selector Member sinceFebruary 2005 From: Vancouver Island, BC 23,330 posts Posted by selector on Monday, September 5, 2005 5:29 PM You guys are way smarter than I am. [:D][(-D] Reply Tracklayer Member sinceAugust 2005 From: Southeast Texas 2,392 posts Posted by Tracklayer on Monday, September 5, 2005 5:30 PM QUOTE: Originally posted by alco_fan Originally posted by Tracklayer only a couple of hundred (if that) ever actually create topics or comment on topics. Why is that ?.../quote] Well, I post little because so many threads are irrelevant. Lately, more and more threads fall inot a few categories that I find uninteresting: - self-congratulatory ("I bought a $500 engine!"; "I sold my hand-painted train mug on eBay for $200") or self promotional ("come buy my dreck on eBay"). Or both simultaneously. - "The hobby is dying because of _______ "(fill in the blank: UP; Horizon Hobbies; no Blue Box kits; eBay; MR mag; Wal-Mart) For pity's sake, give it a break - Stupid polls / inane questions ("Who likes trains?"; "Did John Henry get a bad deal from management?"; "How often do you eat"). Often these are posted by people who create new IDs and then spend a few days littering the forum with these wastes of time. - eBay anything - Posts related to the forum itself, not model railroading ("Look, I just reached 75 posts!" Followed by a tedious round of congratulations from others boosting their own phony post counts. "Look, I posted _and_ made the first reply". "Look, my posts are at the top of all three forums at once".) This last category, I think, are the kind of posts that kill a forum. Once the traffic becomes all inside jokes, sniping, and self-conscious post count inflation, the thing starts to whither away -- ike what's happened on the Atlas forum. At one point over there, a guy had two IDs and started a huge argument. With himself. Anyway, I promised myself I wouldn't contribute to one of these "about the forum itself" threads but I couldn't resist the downward pull of the lowest common denominator, I guess. Jon Hi Jon. Sorry you're so unhappy with our forum. We're just a bunch of imperfect human beings around here that like to chat and joke around with each other, enjoy our hobby and try not to take life too seriously. Maybe you'd be happier some where else. You can always delete your membership, or contact Bergie and I'm sure he'd be glad to do it for you. Regards, Tracklayer Reply Tracklayer Member sinceAugust 2005 From: Southeast Texas 2,392 posts Posted by Tracklayer on Monday, September 5, 2005 5:40 PM QUOTE: Originally posted by selector You guys are way smarter than I am. [:D][(-D] Now be nice selector... ([;)]) Tracklayer Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 5, 2005 5:41 PM I am not exactly a silent member but I would like to ask the silent members for some help. I can not ask all the dumb questions myself. The first question I remember asking was if there was a real world example of a helix. Turns out there is. I learned more from that question than the simple yes/no answer and I would guess a few others did to. Ask some questions. I need to learn some new things. Reply Edit jddav1 Member sinceJanuary 2003 From: so Cal 57 posts Posted by jddav1 on Monday, September 5, 2005 8:28 PM I use the forum more to learn than talk. I have little expertise, therefore have little to say. You guys(and gals) out there with the knowledge and experience keep up the talking. Jeff Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 5, 2005 8:32 PM I joined the site but didn't notice the forums till much later Reply Edit edkowal Member sinceOctober 2003 From: Buffalo NY USA 452 posts Posted by edkowal on Monday, September 5, 2005 11:00 PM I don't think that a useful reply to someone's thoughtful criticism of this forum, or any other, is to express concern over their apparent unhappiness, and then invite them to drop their membership. For one thing, a forum is usually regarded as an appropriate place to express an opinion. Secondly, it's just possible that the opinion being expressed may be a useful one to be mindful of. Not always, of course, but it's possible. I've seen other groups where any opinion that was not a complete and utter compliment to the genius of the list owner was greeted with an icy chill at best, and sometimes with the offending member being dropped. The effect that this has on the members feeling free to make statements is quite inhibitory, as you might guess. Every member that leaves the list is the loss of another potential source of information. We won't have any idea of what their contribution could be if they're not here. Who knows, they may possess the answer to a particularly vexing question which you have in the future. -Ed Five out of four people have trouble with fractions. -AnonymousThree may keep a secret, if two of them are dead. -Benjamin Franklin "You don't have to be Jeeves to love butlers, but it helps." (Followers of Levi's Real Jewish Rye will get this one) -Ed K "A potted watch never boils." -Ed Kowal If it's not fun, why do it ? -Ben & Jerry Reply MAbruce Member sinceNovember 2001 From: US 1,720 posts Posted by MAbruce on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 6:55 AM I've been around a while (at least longer than most who have posted on this topic) and contribute from time to time. Over the years I’ve noticed a few things: Most everything has already been talked about at least a dozen times over. I’m not saying this as a criticism, but an observation and possibly a reason why a lot of members slip away. I imagine that everyone has their limits as to how many times one can contribute to a given topic without it getting tiresome. There is simply too much going on here and I don’t have the time to read through everything. So I generally pick out topics I might have a chance of contributing to or are out of the ordinary enough to make an interesting read. I also don’t contribute if a simple question has already been answered (usually a few times). There tends to be a great deal of “me too” or “I have to have the last word” replies for any given topic which make them much longer than they need to be. I rarely read through a topic that is longer than a few pages. To me it’s a sure sign that the topic has jumped the tracks and is headed off to a galaxy far far away. And speaking of long topics, when the discussion only involves two members going back and forth – I have a suggestion. PLEASE take it to email! Trolls will always be with us. All trolls love attention, and often start or try to hijack a topic to elicit reaction. I never reply to these attempts and get frustrated by those who do. You know the ones that think they need to say something about anything, and could not keep their hands off their keyboard if their lives depended on it. Yeah, these are the people who keep trolls in business. I like it best when members share pictures of their work, or tell us what they have been up to and how they did it. This is where I think forums like this excel. This is how people – especially the younger modelers – can learn and draw inspiration. Overall, I think that more people watch this forum than we think. Many are reluctant to register, or return under their ID. There are cycles in everything, and people have times when they have something to say and times when they just want to read. Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 9:11 AM I went through a phase where I posted quite alot, mainly questions, and would comment where I thought I had something useful to contribute. As time passed I read more of the archived topics to fillin other informational questions. Now, I seldom post at all. My reasons for remaining "silent" are various, but center on not being willing to wade through the "clutter" to get to the useful. Randy A post script: Tracklayer: Your response to Jon, which I've pasted below, was ENTIRELY OUT OF LINE. You you put a question and he took the time to create a considered reply. For his trouble you invite him to go elsewhere. This is exactly what I meant by "clutter". Fellow you are sadly in need of lessons in remedial manners. "Hi Jon. Sorry you're so unhappy with our forum. We're just a bunch of imperfect human beings around here that like to chat and joke around with each other, enjoy our hobby and try not to take life too seriously. Maybe you'd be happier some where else. You can always delete your membership, or contact Bergie and I'm sure he'd be glad to do it for you." R. Reply Edit greatn Member sinceFebruary 2003 From: US 59 posts Posted by greatn on Friday, September 9, 2005 6:26 PM Hi everyone......... As "a silent member" myself I use the forum to find answers to specific questions and I can usually do that by conducing a search on the subject. As a long term night shift worker, I never have had the chance to join a local club and ask the question there!! THE FORUM KNOWS ALL Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 12, 2005 6:38 PM I think the silent members need to stay shut up. As many members as this site actually has, if everyone of them posted on this forum, can you imagine how tough it would be to go through all the messages? Reply Edit selector Member sinceFebruary 2005 From: Vancouver Island, BC 23,330 posts Posted by selector on Monday, September 12, 2005 7:53 PM Do they really NEED to stay shut up, or did you intend to say that you are happier that they remain silent and make it easier for you to wade through the threads? Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 12, 2005 7:55 PM i don't know, i'd probably learn even more from some of these silent people. alot of these people might just not use, or don't really like to use their computers. i was pretty silent myself for awhile. i joined in febuary, made acouple posts, but then my dad broke his leg so i couldn't start my layout. so i just lost intrest in posting and i just stopped in and read and learned while i waited. it wasn't untill just recently did i start posting with the great news of my dad being healthy enough to help me start my benchwork. now let's just say no one dares trying to use the computer as soon as they see me on the forums. and i'll say sorry to some of the vet's right now for some of the stupid posts i've made, and will continue to make, but hey no ones perfect. plus the forums are a great recourse for myself because for me being a teen, clubs just don't work and seem very acward being a lone teen in a group of older men, but that's just my perspective. like with my story, everyone has there own reason for awhile, like i'm shure i will when i'll be to buisy working on my layout to post,and i'm shure that is a reason why many people don't post. but once again, this is just my perspective. Andrew Reply Edit Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 12, 2005 8:15 PM I've been silent for a while, but I'm trying to make time to come here. Reply Edit 123 Subscriber & Member Login Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more! Login Register Users Online Jackflash see all » Search the Community ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Model Railroader Newsletter See all Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox! Sign up
QUOTE: Originally posted by alco_fan Originally posted by Tracklayer only a couple of hundred (if that) ever actually create topics or comment on topics. Why is that ?.../quote] Well, I post little because so many threads are irrelevant. Lately, more and more threads fall inot a few categories that I find uninteresting: - self-congratulatory ("I bought a $500 engine!"; "I sold my hand-painted train mug on eBay for $200") or self promotional ("come buy my dreck on eBay"). Or both simultaneously. - "The hobby is dying because of _______ "(fill in the blank: UP; Horizon Hobbies; no Blue Box kits; eBay; MR mag; Wal-Mart) For pity's sake, give it a break - Stupid polls / inane questions ("Who likes trains?"; "Did John Henry get a bad deal from management?"; "How often do you eat"). Often these are posted by people who create new IDs and then spend a few days littering the forum with these wastes of time. - eBay anything - Posts related to the forum itself, not model railroading ("Look, I just reached 75 posts!" Followed by a tedious round of congratulations from others boosting their own phony post counts. "Look, I posted _and_ made the first reply". "Look, my posts are at the top of all three forums at once".) This last category, I think, are the kind of posts that kill a forum. Once the traffic becomes all inside jokes, sniping, and self-conscious post count inflation, the thing starts to whither away -- ike what's happened on the Atlas forum. At one point over there, a guy had two IDs and started a huge argument. With himself. Anyway, I promised myself I wouldn't contribute to one of these "about the forum itself" threads but I couldn't resist the downward pull of the lowest common denominator, I guess. Jon Hi Jon. Sorry you're so unhappy with our forum. We're just a bunch of imperfect human beings around here that like to chat and joke around with each other, enjoy our hobby and try not to take life too seriously. Maybe you'd be happier some where else. You can always delete your membership, or contact Bergie and I'm sure he'd be glad to do it for you. Regards, Tracklayer Reply Tracklayer Member sinceAugust 2005 From: Southeast Texas 2,392 posts Posted by Tracklayer on Monday, September 5, 2005 5:40 PM QUOTE: Originally posted by selector You guys are way smarter than I am. [:D][(-D] Now be nice selector... ([;)]) Tracklayer Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 5, 2005 5:41 PM I am not exactly a silent member but I would like to ask the silent members for some help. I can not ask all the dumb questions myself. The first question I remember asking was if there was a real world example of a helix. Turns out there is. I learned more from that question than the simple yes/no answer and I would guess a few others did to. Ask some questions. I need to learn some new things. Reply Edit jddav1 Member sinceJanuary 2003 From: so Cal 57 posts Posted by jddav1 on Monday, September 5, 2005 8:28 PM I use the forum more to learn than talk. I have little expertise, therefore have little to say. You guys(and gals) out there with the knowledge and experience keep up the talking. Jeff Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 5, 2005 8:32 PM I joined the site but didn't notice the forums till much later Reply Edit edkowal Member sinceOctober 2003 From: Buffalo NY USA 452 posts Posted by edkowal on Monday, September 5, 2005 11:00 PM I don't think that a useful reply to someone's thoughtful criticism of this forum, or any other, is to express concern over their apparent unhappiness, and then invite them to drop their membership. For one thing, a forum is usually regarded as an appropriate place to express an opinion. Secondly, it's just possible that the opinion being expressed may be a useful one to be mindful of. Not always, of course, but it's possible. I've seen other groups where any opinion that was not a complete and utter compliment to the genius of the list owner was greeted with an icy chill at best, and sometimes with the offending member being dropped. The effect that this has on the members feeling free to make statements is quite inhibitory, as you might guess. Every member that leaves the list is the loss of another potential source of information. We won't have any idea of what their contribution could be if they're not here. Who knows, they may possess the answer to a particularly vexing question which you have in the future. -Ed Five out of four people have trouble with fractions. -AnonymousThree may keep a secret, if two of them are dead. -Benjamin Franklin "You don't have to be Jeeves to love butlers, but it helps." (Followers of Levi's Real Jewish Rye will get this one) -Ed K "A potted watch never boils." -Ed Kowal If it's not fun, why do it ? -Ben & Jerry Reply MAbruce Member sinceNovember 2001 From: US 1,720 posts Posted by MAbruce on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 6:55 AM I've been around a while (at least longer than most who have posted on this topic) and contribute from time to time. Over the years I’ve noticed a few things: Most everything has already been talked about at least a dozen times over. I’m not saying this as a criticism, but an observation and possibly a reason why a lot of members slip away. I imagine that everyone has their limits as to how many times one can contribute to a given topic without it getting tiresome. There is simply too much going on here and I don’t have the time to read through everything. So I generally pick out topics I might have a chance of contributing to or are out of the ordinary enough to make an interesting read. I also don’t contribute if a simple question has already been answered (usually a few times). There tends to be a great deal of “me too” or “I have to have the last word” replies for any given topic which make them much longer than they need to be. I rarely read through a topic that is longer than a few pages. To me it’s a sure sign that the topic has jumped the tracks and is headed off to a galaxy far far away. And speaking of long topics, when the discussion only involves two members going back and forth – I have a suggestion. PLEASE take it to email! Trolls will always be with us. All trolls love attention, and often start or try to hijack a topic to elicit reaction. I never reply to these attempts and get frustrated by those who do. You know the ones that think they need to say something about anything, and could not keep their hands off their keyboard if their lives depended on it. Yeah, these are the people who keep trolls in business. I like it best when members share pictures of their work, or tell us what they have been up to and how they did it. This is where I think forums like this excel. This is how people – especially the younger modelers – can learn and draw inspiration. Overall, I think that more people watch this forum than we think. Many are reluctant to register, or return under their ID. There are cycles in everything, and people have times when they have something to say and times when they just want to read. Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 9:11 AM I went through a phase where I posted quite alot, mainly questions, and would comment where I thought I had something useful to contribute. As time passed I read more of the archived topics to fillin other informational questions. Now, I seldom post at all. My reasons for remaining "silent" are various, but center on not being willing to wade through the "clutter" to get to the useful. Randy A post script: Tracklayer: Your response to Jon, which I've pasted below, was ENTIRELY OUT OF LINE. You you put a question and he took the time to create a considered reply. For his trouble you invite him to go elsewhere. This is exactly what I meant by "clutter". Fellow you are sadly in need of lessons in remedial manners. "Hi Jon. Sorry you're so unhappy with our forum. We're just a bunch of imperfect human beings around here that like to chat and joke around with each other, enjoy our hobby and try not to take life too seriously. Maybe you'd be happier some where else. You can always delete your membership, or contact Bergie and I'm sure he'd be glad to do it for you." R. Reply Edit greatn Member sinceFebruary 2003 From: US 59 posts Posted by greatn on Friday, September 9, 2005 6:26 PM Hi everyone......... As "a silent member" myself I use the forum to find answers to specific questions and I can usually do that by conducing a search on the subject. As a long term night shift worker, I never have had the chance to join a local club and ask the question there!! THE FORUM KNOWS ALL Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 12, 2005 6:38 PM I think the silent members need to stay shut up. As many members as this site actually has, if everyone of them posted on this forum, can you imagine how tough it would be to go through all the messages? Reply Edit selector Member sinceFebruary 2005 From: Vancouver Island, BC 23,330 posts Posted by selector on Monday, September 12, 2005 7:53 PM Do they really NEED to stay shut up, or did you intend to say that you are happier that they remain silent and make it easier for you to wade through the threads? Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 12, 2005 7:55 PM i don't know, i'd probably learn even more from some of these silent people. alot of these people might just not use, or don't really like to use their computers. i was pretty silent myself for awhile. i joined in febuary, made acouple posts, but then my dad broke his leg so i couldn't start my layout. so i just lost intrest in posting and i just stopped in and read and learned while i waited. it wasn't untill just recently did i start posting with the great news of my dad being healthy enough to help me start my benchwork. now let's just say no one dares trying to use the computer as soon as they see me on the forums. and i'll say sorry to some of the vet's right now for some of the stupid posts i've made, and will continue to make, but hey no ones perfect. plus the forums are a great recourse for myself because for me being a teen, clubs just don't work and seem very acward being a lone teen in a group of older men, but that's just my perspective. like with my story, everyone has there own reason for awhile, like i'm shure i will when i'll be to buisy working on my layout to post,and i'm shure that is a reason why many people don't post. but once again, this is just my perspective. Andrew Reply Edit Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 12, 2005 8:15 PM I've been silent for a while, but I'm trying to make time to come here. Reply Edit 123 Subscriber & Member Login Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more! Login Register Users Online Jackflash see all » Search the Community ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Model Railroader Newsletter See all Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox! Sign up
Originally posted by Tracklayer only a couple of hundred (if that) ever actually create topics or comment on topics. Why is that ?.../quote] Well, I post little because so many threads are irrelevant. Lately, more and more threads fall inot a few categories that I find uninteresting: - self-congratulatory ("I bought a $500 engine!"; "I sold my hand-painted train mug on eBay for $200") or self promotional ("come buy my dreck on eBay"). Or both simultaneously. - "The hobby is dying because of _______ "(fill in the blank: UP; Horizon Hobbies; no Blue Box kits; eBay; MR mag; Wal-Mart) For pity's sake, give it a break - Stupid polls / inane questions ("Who likes trains?"; "Did John Henry get a bad deal from management?"; "How often do you eat"). Often these are posted by people who create new IDs and then spend a few days littering the forum with these wastes of time. - eBay anything - Posts related to the forum itself, not model railroading ("Look, I just reached 75 posts!" Followed by a tedious round of congratulations from others boosting their own phony post counts. "Look, I posted _and_ made the first reply". "Look, my posts are at the top of all three forums at once".) This last category, I think, are the kind of posts that kill a forum. Once the traffic becomes all inside jokes, sniping, and self-conscious post count inflation, the thing starts to whither away -- ike what's happened on the Atlas forum. At one point over there, a guy had two IDs and started a huge argument. With himself. Anyway, I promised myself I wouldn't contribute to one of these "about the forum itself" threads but I couldn't resist the downward pull of the lowest common denominator, I guess. Jon
QUOTE: Originally posted by selector You guys are way smarter than I am. [:D][(-D]
Five out of four people have trouble with fractions. -AnonymousThree may keep a secret, if two of them are dead. -Benjamin Franklin "You don't have to be Jeeves to love butlers, but it helps." (Followers of Levi's Real Jewish Rye will get this one) -Ed K "A potted watch never boils." -Ed Kowal If it's not fun, why do it ? -Ben & Jerry