Topic: Sad, really - this used to be a forum

[Yellow Petals]

Yellow Petals, the Sticky Thread that Dan has posted is "Behaviour on the Board".  I don't know if everybody has noticed it though...

Dave

Thanks, Dave.  I couldn't remember the title of it.  I would imagine that a fair few people have yet to read it as topics which are locked with only one post tend not to get noticed as quickly as the others, lol.

Sam :)

[MutantHobbit]

Yeah I agree Sam, it was posted at 18:00hr approx, so it's early days yet.  Unpleasant as things are at the moment, I'm sure sanity will prevail, as I'm sure there's no malice intended on the part of most people. Well, time I was tucked up in bed with my Kitchen Garden Magazine... ;D

Dave

[tim]

tm - not exactly true - your snidery - but enough for me to take the hint.

I've much enjoyed everyone's company . Tim

[undercarriage plan]

Well I'm sad to see this at the top again....I thought Max's good morning started a new day of brilliantly, I'm off to reek havoc in someone's garden, and I really hope this is well at the bottom of the board and "How to not clean ya hoe is at the top.."

[terrace max]

Tim - I'm not sure how you can construe what I said in that way. Everyone knows you are the keystone of this forum.

I was simply trying to frame people's potential criticisms of others in an honest way to try and move this situation on constuctively. You will have noticed that the third statement could easily apply to myself. 

If I have offended you, I apologise unreservedly. My only wish is that people say what is really on their minds.

[reedos]

I just been down the plot pondering this rather sad state of affairs and have a few thoughts of my own.

Firstly I think this is a great site - through it I've sent and received seeds all over the place including the continent, which would have otherwise been left in my fridge to rot, got help and advice on knotweed, ranted about thieves and vandals and taken part in a pantomime.

My view is that we should all show a bit of common sense - there are apparently 3000 of us, we are never all going to have the same opinion on anything, whether that be about using weedkiller as opposed to black plastic or our political views. It would be impossible for it to be otherwise. We should, however, express the views we have (if we feel the need to) in a manner that is acceptable to the majority, there is no place for offensive or abusive comments (not that I've really seen any).
Thread discipline is obviously important, if you post asking about white rot on onions, you don't need to know what so and so's atavar is (I've made this up it isn't a real example !!). However if the thread is in the shed, by definition non related allotment chit chat and is titled for example "what do you think about...." then it will inevitably ramble around a bit.
There are frivolous threads in the shed, but if you don't want to take part in them then don't, it's surely as simple as that.
Lastly we should be careful with what we write - we know what we mean but it doesn't always come over, there are at least two post in this thread which have upset people and I don't think they were meant to, but I can see how they would.

Andy

[djbrenton]

Tim, get back here NOW!

"My only wish is that people say what is really on their minds. "

That's part of the problem I suspect. It's maybe better if people showed a bit more restraint at times and didn't say what's on their minds. There are only two things necessary for a forum to run without arguments.

1 Everyone shows courtesy and consideration and sometimes bites their tongue.

2 Controversial subjects are avoided. The only point in raising controversil subjects is to stimulate debate. Unfortunately debate between people of deep beliefs often degenerates into argument and causes ill feeling. Recently we've had threads about ( paraphrasing ) whether religion is bunk, whether paedophiles should be castrated and whether women should stay at home. All we need now is to declare our politics and we can form gangs.
Debating issues like this between friends rarely changes anyones views, all it does with people who aren't close friends is set up barriers. How can you propose any of these views without offending people who have deeply held opposing views? It becomes hard to maintain courtesy when your beliefs are being attacked, and it can be hard to like someone who has views you abhor. Hence my belief that we are better off not knowing what each others views are on abortion, politics, religion, asylum seekers etc.

I'm sure I'm not the only veteran of forums who's seen all this before. It always ends in tears and valued members feel uncomfortable and leave.

All that's needed is for eveyone to think before posting 'Could this offend anyone?'. If it could, don't post it. Dan shouldn't have to moderate our posts, we should moderate our own.

[jennym]

....Tim, get back here NOW!....

Here, here ! (PLEASE)  :)

[Ozzy]

WOW what brought all this on? THIS is still a great forum with great peeps from all walks of life on here who not only share similar views but also differing ones too..

I am very much into equality yet it appears posters are being singled out for doing what exactly? posting on an internet forum?

this is cyber space and room for everyone here, YP has already posted telling peeps about the tools at their disposal ie ignore function etc so why not use them?

I think everyone needs to chill some and step outside of the "box" and look in dispassionately, are we really saying that the shed is only for a particular kind of chit chat and that certain chit chat is to be excluded? if so then that is simply discrimination and that's so unhealthy.. if anyone feels "pushed" out then push yerselves back in, I could never tell anybody here what they can and can't post, if they posted something I disagree with then I would say so, tis about taking control of your own life for sure, in real life we all know someone who simply rubs us up the wrong way and what do we do?.. we tend to ignore them and thats a function peeps can use here, so much better than making people feel excluded, or trying to banish them or change their behaviour to one which is more agreeable to ourselves, thats just plain selfish..

one thing we all do here is GROW, so lets grow from this and move foreward instead of becomming entrenched and bogged down in anger/rage/prejudice..

I dont want to see anyone leave here and I for one enjoyed the "two-ing and throwing" the "quick wit" but thats me.. my choice if I didnt I just wouldn't read it..

on a personal note I prefer the watershed as I can be more like I am in real life, can say what i like and how I like, I know my crimbo thread got out of hand, but hardly the end of the world is it?

thats my take for what its worth

ozzy

 :-*

[Hyacinth]

My only wish is that people say what is really on their minds.

Hello,

My first and only take on this is:-

a) This is Dan's board - he owns it, he runs it, therefore he calls the shots.
b) His 'Discipline' thread clearly told us how he wanted us to behave on his board.
c) 18.44 yesterday he reinforced this with his 'Behaviour on the Board' sticky.
d) 19.19, as a response, the 'No Topic' thread was started...      
e) Dan has contributed twice to this thread and is clearly unhappy. He also has highlighted an extract from a post which he writes describes the behaviour he doesn't want on his board.

I found the 'No Topic' thread to be a slap in the face for Dan. He'd already had his Christmas trashed by having to be here to moderate.

Again, he's given us all clear guidelines....

'Lishka

nb I therefore find the 'Bad Manners' thread to be particularly ironic. I see no good old-fashioned 'manners' having been displayed here towards Dan.

'Lishka

[TULIP-23]

Nothing wrong with Harmless Banter....Nothing wrong with
Chit-Chat.Light-hearted Fun....great

We have a Great thing going Here for everyone.....something
very SPECIAL....lets Tend it...Care for it...and Watch it grow to WHAT it WAS.....its up to us.


Have we lost something alone the Way.I wonder!!

I think we are all here as Equals....Adults every one of us...we are entitled to an opinion....so long as its Considerate of the Members here....Done in a Friendly Way.....and with Respect...and hurts one most of all.

Nobody whats to be the Centre of Attention ...Why...Do we have Prima-Donna's here!! Where!!......Everyone is Equal.
And accorded the same courtesy.
Lets all Start a New....Now in 2006....go forward together
as a Club......WELCOME.

[Bagpuss74]

I agree with what many members have said - particularly tim, DTF, Lishka et al.

Are we saying that we would like a "nothing to do with allotments" board to put all the other stuff on which some people seem to want to say?  If something people want to say may be considered off topic but is also relevant, might it be better to start a new thread?

I enjoy some of the banter but the off topic stuff can be a pain - keep it separate.

If we can't self regulate then maybe the only way forward would be for Dan to send a warning followed by removing membership for repeat offenders.

Plea  to Dan and all members - I really enjoy being part of this site and am learning loads about a new hobby I love.  Lets not let the minority spoil it.

[bupster]

What on earth did I miss?

[rosebud]

May i just say this .  It is a very sad day for me to switch on my puter to read allsorts, only to find this mesage, that   THE GENTLEMAN of the board TIM has decided to leave us, :o :o Tim would you seriously consider that, we all need you for your expertise and no nonsense replies.


Alishka i agree with every last word you said.

PLEASE let us put all this away lets bury it, and all, hope things get back to the terrific board we used to have.

[Admin aka Dan]

I am not going to lock this thread, but I think we should let it die now.

Let us try to move on, if I need to be a more pro-active moderator in the future I will be, and if I feel I need help in the task, I will ask people.

Hopefully however everyone can self moderate.

Cheers

Dan

[terrace max]

Dan, I hope you will forgive one final post to this thread.

I’ve had some time to reflect on all this and I’ve decided to leave the A4A forums in order to facilitate Tim’s return. I can’t stand melodrama, and I’ve explained myself previously, so I’ll spare you more words.

Thank you to those who ignored my odd ways and whom I now count as friends. I’ll still be around sending friendly PMs (if that’s ok Dan) but will not return to the forum proper.

And anyway, I’m leaving with much, much more than I came in with.  :)

Now shut up, and get gardening!  ;D

[undercarriage plan]

Well, I'm just odd....so sounds like a plan.... :)

[Derekthefox]

I still see this as an unnecessary loss Terrace max, who was it who had that Gandi quote ...

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.


There is room for everyone ...

I feel guilty as this is prolonging this thread even further ...

UPDATE - my comments apply to Tim too ...

[tim]

I have many people to thank for their kind letters, but the time has come to shrug off what became a very central & helpful part of my retirement.

With an age-wrinkled but necessarily, in my first profession, very broad mind, I have no problem with well-meaning banter – especially in the Shed - & elsewhere where it revolves around a thread with some gardening interest.  It is the increasingly widespread clutterance of so many threads with unseemly & suggestive talk – more suited (I believe – I don’t go there) to the Watershed - that bugs me. The Beeb site was wiped out on just such grounds. There are other, type-designed channels for such chit-chat.

“Don’t enter these sites”?? We try not to, but it has become quite difficult & time- consuming to sift through messages to avoid the dross. Some of it from those that I most respected.

So - all good wishes, & thanks for the party! = Tim

tm - sorry if I misconstrued - certainly no need for you to go!

[ina]

After reading this thread I have come to the conclusion that there is hope.
Some (in my view) very sensible things have been said here.

I think the most important part that we seem to agree on is not to hijack other people's thread for your own fun. In my opinion we don't have to be rigid, threads can evolve in a natural way and even deviate a bit. To me this does not mean that humor is banned.

I had quietly left a while back but with this new hope I'll be visiting more often, mostly in the section which I feel is doing great ........ the edibles.
Tim, I do hope to see you back there. I practically dragged you to this site by your hair because I knew your wealth of knowledge and humor would be an asset, can I succeed in doing it again ........ to the lottie related sections that is?