Forumtopia... join the cause!

[pga1234]

I once suggested something very similar when the BG Games section posts did not count anymore. I proposed that the users post count in the technical part of the forums should be like it is. Then have a number in () that indicates how many posts in the BG. Didn't really go over too well though.

[Albinus]

Hi All,

Some of the newer members may not recognise me, but I used to write technical articles for the site until I had a personal falling-out with the higher-ups here. I hate to disappoint those egging me on chat to say something inflammatory, but I'm not. Well nothing personal anyway.

When I decided to quit writing for TweakTown (which may I add was never a paid job - just writing whenever study wasn't in the way), I talked extensively to Darth, and he said that I should stay in the technical forums to help out. Well that didn't last too long - I started noticing a gradual degrading of the standards of these once proud forums. The final catalyst was ever-increasing study pressures, which caused me to virtually disappear from the Internet world altogether.

Now contrary to what some people may think, I still maintain links with many people who frequented the TT Forums of old (you know who you are). Your kind words of support after I left were much appreciated, and let me know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel for me (in technical writing anyway).

So what about the problem at hand now? Well I agree 110% with the guys from Warrnambool in this issue - I don't need to reiterate their comments. It seems many of the bright lights of the TT Forums have died out long ago, never to be seen again. And in the "Good Old Days", even a posting spree was humorous - not anymore, just plain old spamming.

Watching the fallout (for want of a better word) since I left has given me the increasing confidence that my decision to leave was right. I have since had numerous offers to write at other sites (they contacted me personally), but I have declined due to study commitments. So what am I looking for in a site?

(1) Honesty and integrity. I will not give an advertiser favourable reviews because of the fact they are a sponsor - if the product sucks, I say so! Honesty has got people such as Thomas Pabst up to the pinnacle of the industry, he has never relied on cheap journalism to get page hits.

(2) Great forum members. The TT Forums of old were fantastic, especially in the pre-Beer Garden days - the Off Topic forum was just that, Off Topic. All the other forums had wonderful people helping each other out, exchanging ideas and so forth. Don't get me wrong, I believe those people still exist in the TT community, but are increasingly dwarfed by the crap that spammers persist in posting (no names mentioned)

(3) Reliability. Whilst there is always a juggling act between profits and services, a professionally designed site is only half the story. You cannot expect to get favourable comments from new viewers if their first experience is site congestion.

So there - I have let the bee out of my bonnet. Feel free to agree or disagree as you wish, but my support is firmly behind the Forumtopia guys. The TT Forums have introduced me to a great number of great people, but the spark has gone out. Oh - and if anyone knows a site that meets the above criteria, let me know.

Peace out : peace:

[RDR]

it seems like a popular opinion is that mods need to cut down on the number of off topic threads/posts in the technical forums - I am all in favour of that....but is that the policy of the TT forum? I know that it was at one time, but the measure of the success of this forum now seems to be the volume of both members and posts rather than quality of the discussions - at least that's been my impression.

this is not intended to be a cheap shot at anyone - but the personality of the forums has changed for better or worse - and the majority of the newer members either seem to enjoy it or just don't know any better

[G Smith]

RDR,
I am one of those newer members that you speak of...and yes I do like the look and feel of TT. It's extreamly unique in the tech forum arena.

Not only are you able to browse an abundant technical area and find answers to problems that you have, read enlightening, educational reviews and guides, ask a stupid question and have the likes of Wiggo, PersianImmorta, Mr C or Beefy help you out... but...

There is an area that you can go, exchange ideas, laugh, cry or post an opinion of a world event with an international group of people that seem to care.

I see that most of the older folks are not proud of that fact, and sorry that the old days are gone...I feel sad for you then.

You have developed an incredible oasis in the electronic desert. I for one applaude you and thank you guys for making it possible.

Post counts don't mean squat....it's the quality of posts and reply's. I for one can tell the difference between the spammers and the true TT members no matter what the post count reads.

An example I will use is a problem with my Vid Card that I have had for quite a while. I have posted at the Via Arean, the MSI Arena and a couple of other tech sites.. All I got back was tech talk gibberish about the EndlessLoop problem with WinXP. No real help or substance for an above average comp user. I'm not an overclocker and I don't quite get it when you tell me I have to go in and change blah blah blah voltage, gain, slider et all... But between Wiggo, Persian Immortal and Mr C I actually took a big step towards fixing the problem in the Via forum.

Isn't that what TT is for?

Maybe I missed something.

I'm sorry you all feel that TT has gone downhill...I think you really have something to be proud of here.

There may be a need for some housekeeping but for the most part you guys have a fantastic community here.

Not that you asked for it.. but there's my two cents worth.

[Mr. C]

First and foremost I would like to express my concern for Wiggo's son. I hope he's doing well and will be good as new soonest.
Your family has had a miserable season lately, one which I hope will reach it's conclusion with this unfortunate event.
Keep a close eye on Kay as well, this stress has got to immense and certainly has the potential to be harmful to her already weakened condition.
Godspeed to you Wiggos!

NOW
Was that post off topic?
You bet your arse it was!
Wiggo has been by far the most actively contributing member of this forum, both technical and otherwise for some time.
Honestly, I care about the guy. His wife and kids and his sister too.

I'd never know who any of these folks were if it weren't for this forum. During the time I have been priveledged to be a member of this community I have encountered some good folks. Folks that I have come to like and consider to be worthy members of this forum.
Undoubtedly this forum exists primarily as a technical format. No arguement from me on that. At the same time that has co-existed with another aspect of this community in a peaceful manner for quite some time. Certainly for longer than I have frequented these threads.
Why should it be necessary to spray the entire garden with gasoline just because of a few noxious weeds?!?!?

This forum can certainly serve as a help-line to those in need of technical knowledge. Just as importantly it is also a place where comeraderie exists.
We have certainly cared for each others computers and supported each others computing tasks for quite some time.
It is just as true that we have developed genuine care for each other as individuals as well in many cases. We have always provided support to members who were on hard times, a quick 'attaboy to those who were doing well, a quick Birthday wish, and a good deal of well-intended humor in between.
Oh yeah, there's been a good deal of political discussion as well. Sometimes it's nice to have the opinions of those from other parts of the world these days when it seems the planet is about to blow up in our face. Not a bad thing, and at times I have been truly enlightened by these threads.

For me it's not about a computer generated tally of the # of posts a member has made. I keep my own personal score on such matters --- and I assure you there are a few members here who primarily are Beer Garden posters that rate pretty doggone high with me.
To alienate those members is to serve no good purpose. In fact, it will only serve to change the landscape here in a detrimental manner.
For TweakTown to suddenly say, "you aren't a valid member" to those people is a cruel slap in the face. These folks are caring members of this community with a genuine heart-felt fondness for TweakTown and it's members.

That is what makes this forum more than a help-line. It turns it into a people place. When you post here you don't recieve a computer-generated-monotone response. What you get is a reply from a real person. A person who has taken the time from their busy schedule to reply to you on a personal level.
Whether your concern is, "my CD-ROM doesn't work" or "these ragheads are outt'a their mind", you get a real person on the other end. That is what makes the TweakTown forum a good place to frequent, it has personality.

I have always tried to be a contributing member of this community since I first stumbled through the door. At times I think I have offered valid linkage and technical type response. I have always considered these posts to be on a personal level. I am not a bot, I'm just a guy that gives a damn and truly desires to someday give as much back to this community as I have recieved.

There are certainly times when I have had little to offer in regards to technical questions/opinions of other members.
During these horrid lapses of my technical prowess I have always felt welcome to browse around and learn from others or head out to the garden and get a chuckle.
There again, I have always aspired to give as good as I recieve.

TweakTown has never been for me a monochrome display. It has always been a colorful picture. A picture shaded in bright tones by real people who really care. They care about my computer and they care about my cat and my car. Just like real friends do --- 'cause by God they are real friends to me.

If you remove the people aspect from TweakTown you reduce it to a shallow pool to draw water from, your bucket kind'a justs rests on the bottom and never gets quite as full as it should.
I've always had my bucket filled to capacity by a visit to the TweakTown forum and yesterday I come here and find someone has knocked a hole in my bucket.
I'm not getting filled up properly, that's sad.
From time to time when you dip your bucket a "dead tadpole" comes in with the good water. Simple fact of the matter is, you don't drain the pond, you just pluck the tadpole out of the bucket. Simple!

Does anyone understand what I'm trying to say here?
'Cause I can probably think of more ways to say it until I get through to somebody.

TweakTown does work! It always has had short-lived periods of individuals acting out of line. This crap has always leveled-out. Lets be patient, responsible members of this forum and provide guidance to the members along with good examples of proper community spirit.

This forum is about computing - It is populated by real people!

Please let the people stay.
My computer is the reason I came here the first time. The people I encountered here is the reason I came back.

Sound off folks! Leaving the forum does nothing constructive for TweakTown. TweakTown is about the free exchange of information/opinion, nothing is exchanged by leaving.

[Wiggo]

Thanks Mr.C in two ways, your caring and your thoughts. :thumb:

Well to let ya's know (those interested anyway) he's a very lucky little boy some how seems to have gotten away with some gravel rash and a few burns from being under the car. He's still sleeping well and is comfortable and the missus is staying with him tonight so someone is there when he wakes up. Then we'll find out more about how he is. :)

Now Mr.C as to your thoughts, if I could get mine into order what you just said is what I havn't been able to get out, maybe not so eloquently as you but it's definately what I'm thinkin' plus I don't think that ya left a single detail out. :cheers:

[Mr. C]

I do appreciate your taking time out from your hectic day to provide us with an update on your boy's condition. I'm most relieved that considering the circumstances your news for us was to be considered good news!
An awful thing for sure, but hopefully the young fella' will come through this with minimal ill effect.
Thank God for the good news so far, and I hope it continues to go as well.

Nice to have expressed words that another deems to have merit.
I posted those words in the exact same manner which I make all my posts. An honest reflection of how I truly feel.
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that others in part agree with those words. I wouldn't be disappointed one iota to find out that other folks think I'm a blithering-clueless idiot that should shut up and mind his own business.

That's cool, that is the free exchange of information at it's best.

I do have a request to make of any administrator who might wander by and read this.
Please remove/set to 0 my post count. It is quite apparent that the post count does carry some meaning to nearly all members of this forum. In that light it is ludicrous and a travesty of justice that my post count be higher than Wiggo's and others here that have contributed to this forum at a level which far surpasses my modest contribution.
I do endeavor to contribute but it is unfair and wholly unwise to give someone the impression that I am on a higher plateau of membership here than so many others who have truly exceeded my participation here.
So for the good health of the community will you please fix that?
Thanks!

Maybe I am full of it, but I have seen the caring members of this forum actually help a child with their homework at school.
For goodness sake does that kind of effort not have a place within this forum? I think there is room here for a lot of good things - there certainly was for a lot of the citizens of TweakTown.

[Wiggo]

Request accepted Mr.C and I think we both of similar natures mate. :)

[Mr. C]

Request accepted Mr.C and I think we both of similar natures mate. :)

Thank you for your attention on this matter. It is certainly best for the community that you have done so.

The peoples' spokesman, huh?
LOL
The good folks of the forum have never had a great deal of difficulty speaking for themselves before now.
But if I can help or encourage them to speak then I have done good today I feel.
I can speak on their behalf, but that is no substitute for them speaking their own mind. I hope that those who have chosen to leave will remain and speak thier piece instead. It's always been about the computers, the members, the voices of various experiences and tastes.
I certainly hope that does not change. I do support this community when possible whether that be through the purchase of a T-shirt or the expression of an opinion, or helping with homework.
I fear we might lose the entire forest for a couple of unwanted trees.
The effects of that would be awful indeed.

[bigjackusa]

Wiggo

Best wishes for your son's speedy recovery. I hope better times are ahead for you and yours.

Mr. C

I have been thinking about the issues at TT for a couple of days, trying to get a better handle on what the whole hallabaloo was about. After reading your posts, I've concluded that I have been thinking in the wrong direction. Instead of consentrating on what may be wrong with the forums, it is more important to highlight wat is right with them. I find your comments not only quite eloquent, but quite enlightning as well. I've only been at TT forums for a short time, so I don't know "how it used to be". I do know that this is the only forum that I accually cared to look at who the poster was. In this or any other forum it is usually quickly appearent whether a post is B.S. or of real value, and for years, that was pretty much all I cared about when reading them. TT is different for me now, as many of the posters have a personality and even a face. Much of this evolved from their posts in the Beer Garden. You guys (and gals) are real people to me now. I very much enjoy being here, learning, sharing, laughing. I've seen some of what I would probably deem childish behavior, silly flirting, etc., but so what! So long as the tech threads are mostly good tech, a little bantering after the answers is perfectly alright with me. As for the Beer Garden, I don't really care if people have 50 one word posts a day. I'm free to read or ignore them. From the way the post counts changed, I figure that about 10% of my posts went to the Beer Garden. I hope that people got a chuckle out of the cartoons I posted. I hope that my political comments either made other people think, or that they responded with comments that made me think. I also have no problem with the fact that many regulars in the Beer Garden had little or no technical expertise to share. It is not as though you had to pay your dues with tech to be a part of this community. Look how much more diversity this brought to the threads.

In conclusion, (I only wish that colorful prose could flow as easily from my keyboard as that of Mr.C) I like TT forums, I've come to like many of the residents of this community, and if it continues to be as unique as it has been for me, I will keep coming back until I wear out my welcome.

[Mr. C]

Yes sir, there are things here that are less than perfect. That's because no one is perfect here. I reckon I fit in with that pretty well.

You are correct bigjackusa there is a lot of good going on in here. I couldn't agree more with your statement about the uniqueness of the TweakTown forum.

I've enjoyed this forum quite a bit. Truth of the matter is I have learned a lot. I can't afford the latest hardware, but I still like to hear about it. I can't see the brush fires in OZ, but I still like to hear about it. I like a good joke and a funny picture from time to time. I don't have to navigate 4 sites to get that -- it's all right here. A diverse range of cultures, countries, age groups and incomes to learn from and share with.
To my way of thinking that is 1 heck of a fine package deal!

Matter of fact, bigjackusa and myself had a big difference of opinion in a thread quite recently. He freely expressed his opinion, I freely expressed mine.
No arguement, no fuss, no muss and no one had to leave the forum. All is well, we simply choose to disagree on a point of history.

And now lookithere!
Just days from that point in time we are here in the same thread, covering each others back and taking the people's side out front for all to view. The people's side - the TweakTown side. No difference, it's the same side!

Ain't this forum the greatest!

[Oldbugger]

I just stumbled over this thread....which is largely what I have to do these days cause there is so many other new ones each time.....

Health probs have been partly the reason I've been a bit scarce on the forums but there are other reasons too...a lot of them already mentioned......

Probably the most time consuming is filtering the "not so serious" stuff from those which I feel I can possibly contribute to whether by past experiences or just a different approach.

There ARE too many off topic posts creeping in BUT THAT IS ONLY SYMPTOMATIC OF A NEED for people to express themselves.

I personally don't think post counters matter diddly squat to the number of posts.... whether they are there or not .... it is only a very few who view their post number as some sort of real measure (size isn't important....wait a minute thats another issue) BUT I think we could try and get people to limit their comments to the topic at hand and leave the Beer Garden as a place for off-topic issues .... just a little change will make a big difference...

I keep coming back to TTForums for one very good reason...and I think that reason continues to infiltrate the whole site....that reason is the willingness of everyone here (almost) to help someone out where they can...and not only with technical info.....

These forums have a unique blend of experience and comraderie that will get most users over their problems and issues.....that you won't find too many other places...believe me I've looked......

It might be that I'm getting older and a bit more tolerant, but I can tell any of you who think that leaving is gonna make it better for you, that you will be mistaken....by all means give it a try....BUT DON"T FEEL TOO PROUD TO COME BACK....you will be welcomed as you have been to date....cause that's the way TTForums are....

[Oldbugger found another soapbox]

[Andy]

Ok, well i've been thinking and i'm pretty sure i have a good and effective way of getting rid of useless spam in this forum, its fairly simple, however, for this to work, we need the co-operation of everyone in the forums and also requires people to speak up when they see spam.

All you have to do is when you see a spam post or thread, click on the "Report this post to a moderator" link (which is located at the bottom of each post), and type in a quick reason why you are reporting it, which, in a spam-busting situation can just be somehthing like this:

"such and such' person is posting unrelevant stuff, could it please be removed"

or something along those lines.

Thanks go to Grim Reaper for his input in this post ;) :p

[Webgraph]

Here's my logic concerning this problem:

The larger the community, the greater the chances of the threads screwing up will be. Also, it becomes more difficult to moderate and ban the spammers in the community. Increasing the number of moderators will not stop the spammers, for sure. So that's how I can further back up my opinion on supporting this ForumTopia.

[bigjackusa]

Webgraph

Tell me if I got the gist of your post:
more people = bad forums

If this is how you feel, you need a small, private club for a forum. Membership aproved by committee. Shunning or ostracising errant members. Maybe outsiders could observe, but not actually interact with the elite. Secret handshakes are cool too and have always kept the unwashed masses in their proper class.