Weaning Off CF Over Discouragement

[Sandero]

You get out of it what you put in and what your experience level is. If you are a relatively newbie, CF can be a learning lab. If you are an old salt you can help out the newbies.

There's often no one solution to a boat question and so you can learn a bit from everyone and then it's up to you to decide how to screw it up on your own.

[jkleins]

Most of the thread posts on the forum are asked to stimulate discussion rather then truly get an answer about something. Would any of us really ask an important question to a bunch of strangers and just take their answer at face value and be done.

Usually a question get asked and multiple views are expressed and links posted to other sources which is really all that is asked and needed by the OP. The problem is the forum would be pretty dead if that was all that was posted. It would be more of a technical bulletin board rather then a community of cruisers.

Instead we argue about each others answers to try to pull some more useful or at least more interesting perspective from each other. Unfortunately it sometimes does become rude or inconsiderate but that is the biggest problem with anonymity. I wonder if we all put our real names and pictures on our posts would we feel as free to type what gets typed.

I have to agree with many above in saying you have contributed to this forum and we will miss you but I understand exactly how you feel. I have a few political websites I use to frequent that have devolved into inane shouting matches that are as predictable as a gun thread. I have quit them for all practical purposes as well.

Jim

[speakeasy]

Don, perhaps the actuality of a boat in the water and wind in your hair has lessened your need for the potentiality of same you found here. I suspect something similar will happen with me when I can go cruising the Channel Islands on any given day, rather than chat here at the sailboat bar. Happy cruising.

[S/V Illusion]

I tend to agree with everything you said Don. The only things which keep drawing me back are that much of the behavior is entertaining and quite telling about some folks personality traits. There is one prolific poster here who always seems to take the bait when someone disagrees with him which is fun to read, albeit predictable. Fortunately, it's now almost sailing season everywhere and there are better things to do.

[mintyspilot]

People outgrow things all the time. The behaviour Don Lucas describes is common, but the cure is to go away for a while, come back in a few months and see how you feel.

I used to post a lot on IT forums like ZDNet, but after 2 or 3 years I moved on.

[Joli]

I liken forums to the racing circuit. There are people you like and hang with, there are people you don't like and avoid and there are a few boats on the starting line that you learn to stay away from. I'll admit to using a noob on more then one occasion for a pick or to open a hole on the starting line but I was once a noob and learned from this being done to me.

Take the forums for what they are, learn what you can, enjoy those you like and avoid the rest.

You seem like a nice guy and I hope you stick around but if you decide to go, fair winds and enjoy your boat.

[Boracay]

All of what Don says rings true. I have probably drifted thread with the worst of them myself.

Problem is: What to do about it? Those drifting threads are what real life conversations are like. It's our personalities, we want them to surface from time to time.

I'd hate for CF to become like NSW(Oz) VHF: very correct and very, very quiet, but truckers CB would also be unacceptable.

My few looks at the SSCA forum have suggested that the threads there run much more on topic than here.

The real positive of a more "emotional" approach is that when there is an actual hazardous situation being discussed the "feel" of the problem becomes more apparent.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

I’m thinking it is time to start weaning myself off CF.

I do recognise what you are saying, but nonetheless I think CF does a pretty good job overall of herding cats - in internetland not as easy or as fun as it sounds .......and results can be less than perfect. But that's herding cats for ya

Discouragement? I think pretty welcoming here, but perhaps tending more towards challenging someones thinking rather than simple cheerleading - maybe comes accross as negative?, but I think generally meant well.

Having said that their are also a couple of things on CF that really get my goat but I accept them as not gonna change and the price I pay for the good stuff (Info / advice / viewpoints / opinions / questions).

[FSMike]

Don -
If all else fails there's always the ignore function. It's made sailnet quite tolerable for me.

[Pblais]

I’m thinking it is time to start weaning myself off CF.

For the most part we are only the sum of the parts. It's the basis for any community. We have our "usual suspects" and bright stars too. You get them for the same price of admission. You can get as good as you give would be my estimation after having been here a good while. There are aspects that are frustrating and those times when things could not be better. Once you get to some level of participation you'll find that the obvious flows easier than the great value. You'll also find the more you find the less you need to get something valuable. You have to work harder to get more.

FWIW, no member of CF ever got more back than Gord. It depends on how you measure.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by skeedaddy

With all due respect, Mr. Lucas, if that's your real name; You couldn't be more wrong. I am about to spend half an hour writing a full page on how wrong you are. In fact, if you were more like me, you'd be more right like I am. You see, this world spins here, at my desk. The movie stars me, not you. I want all to know how right I am and how wrong you are...starting now! hehe

!!!!!!

Who the freak are you!!!!! Yes my name IS Don Lucas and I have no need to hide behind any made-up name! I'm glad you are getting something out of the site, I admited I did once also. I'm also glad that the remainder of you post became different, but the above was just so out of line that you should have resisted wasting your time!

[FSMike]

Uh, Don? I kinda think skeedaddy was making a joke?

[Stillraining]

Don...That was a tongue in cheek thing...to lighten up the air...I thought is was pretty well done.

I guess here in might lie some of your frustration if you fail to pick up on intent it can come off way different then intended...

Edit: Woops Mike beat me to it.

[Chipg]

I'm fairley new here, I'm on several boards for photograhy, video production, cars, boats, aircraft, investments etc. and have to say compared to other boards this one is pretty good, really good actually. It gets pretty bad out there on some of them. www. stands for the Wild Wild West btw

[daddle]

Yes, this forum can get a bit rough-and-tumble. Seems to be reasonably respectful. And sometimes actual facts and valuable insights emerge. It's the way of forums. I respect all the goofballs here, even those armchair sailors who seem to be wrong on every post. :-)

Right now I'm sailing my monohull at well past hullspeed, posting from my satphone, and passing all the bloated cruising multihulls and ketches I can see while sailing to the southern tropics during hurricane season. What are you guys doing? Monitoring your solar panels?

Kidding, I'm hauled out...

Daddle