Well, since I lasted posted a lot has been added that I wanted like statements by Gris and JJhikes.
I don’t have enough experience to know about the “selective” moderation, although it does seem like I see that at times. I think it might have to do with knowing a poster. I don’t mean in a “he is my friend he can say what he wants” type of manner but understanding the background, tone, or previous statements of an individual for reference. I actually think that mods can be harder on friends because it is easier for them to just send a pm or e-mail saying “What the hell” instead of trying to come up with how to word as not to offend type of statements.
I only recently joined this site because of how I knew most online forums operate and can get out of control. It is mostly due to the non-physicality of it. I remembered a post I had encountered by Cave dog when he stated:
“There seems to be something inherent to this kind of communication that, when emotions get involved, it tends to lead to misperceptions about the other person or their point of view. Certainly the anonymity is part of it. The fact that it is really less a dialogue than concurrent monologues, seems to be part of it too. Timing may be at play, at times. The fact that it has created a culture of memos instead of letters may be a factor as well. I also feel it has something to do with not being able to see or hear the person you are communicating with. It makes it harder to understand emphasis. I feel like people sometimes overcompensate by adding meaning to their words that sometimes goes astray to their feelings.”
I know peakbagr (Alan) for one has been part of other sites that had those types of debatable topics and saw first hand how things can just get people so upset that if said in a proper context wouldn’t have even been noticed.
I find that people lose site of the common ground same team line of thinking. Most of us here are here because of what we share in common with the love of the outdoors not because we were forced here. But I see threads about things like say “list hiking” and people almost seem to get mad at others for being part of that group. Think about the idea really of finding someone that has comparable abilities, love of doing something that you love, might use M+C instead of GPS like you like to do bushwhacking, want to go explore the same area and then saying, “wait you are doing this for a list, oh well I’m not going then”.
I can give an example of my own experience. I’m friends with Black spruce of this board, who is a soon to be 55 yr of woman whose first language is French. I’m a soon to be 31 yr old speed hiker/bushwhacker if I had to categorize myself who talks as I’m told extremely fast. Yet we hike together as much as possible. She told me that hiking with me was much different than she expected after we came out of 9+ miles of bushwhacking on top of trail mileage one day. I added the note that it was bushwhacking because you have your temper and patience challenge a lot during that type of hike and will test personable boundaries. We had a lot in common and never discussed any difference that probably existed because we enjoyed the parts we shared so much. And because I’ve gotten to know her I get her personality and sense of humor more than other people seem to that almost don’t know how to react at times.
I find that I try to follow the statement “If you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all” and turn it into the internet version “if you can’t post something positive or aren’t adding to something in a positive way don’t post”. I don’t post in most argument type of threads and I don’t post “fishing sucks” in a thread about fishing.
This new form, since it is different than letter writing type of communication needs it own etiquette rules like anything else. Now if we can get some cell phone etiquette rules in place we would be all set.
