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[Colin Bishop]

We seem to have a few arguments going on at the moment which are becoming unnecessarily bad tempered. These not only clog up the Forum but give a bad impression to visitors and the membership generally.

We all have our views, sometimes strongly held, but we should express them in moderation and constructively. In short, engage brain before hitting keyboard! Is what you want to say necessary? If so are you expressing yourself in a clear and civilised manner which is unlikely to give offence?

We are frequently unaware of people's personal circumstances and it is sometimes possible to inadvertently offend because of this. Also, remember that we all have differing senses of humour. A simple bit of joshing to you might be deeply offensive to the recipient if you don't know them well. If you are making a joke then back it up with an emoticon  which takes the sting out of any potential offence but which may still get the point across.

I've noticed that people have sometimes given good advice but perhaps expressed it a bit too dogmatically or agressively. Advice should be offered on the basis that "it worked for me" not imposed as "you've got to do it this way". Think about how the recipient will read what you have said not just about how you would like to say it! Before hitting the post button look carefully at what you have written - it might improve your spelling if nothing else. 

If you think a member is perhaps not using the Forum in the appropriate way, a tactful PM is more likely to produce results rather than a public humiliation which only provokes a retaliatory self justification reply which in turn sets off another response until the whole thing goes nuclear! 

On the old Model Boats Forum John Cundell got fed up with threads suddenly turning bad because a couple of people decided to have a spat and others piled in for a piece of the action. So far we have largely avoided this here so let's not start now.

This is a valuable Forum dedicated to swapping knowledge about Model Boats and in my view it's the best on the block so let's keep it that way. You KNOW it makes sense....

[Youngat65]

Well put Colin !!

[White Ensign]

Colin- you took the words right out of my mouth!  :)

Jörg

[laserblue16]

Well done Colin, this is something we should all be thinking about. Some people have a shorter fuse than others and are more likely to take offence at something other people would'nt. There is nothing worse than thinking peopkle are talking down to you just because you don't take advice on board( ) straight away. also some people come from differing backgrounds(workwise), electricians, joiners, butchers, so wereas an electrician or joiner will find certain jobs or installations simple, the others of us, will find them complicated. Lets all remember, if everyone knew everything there was to know about electrics/electronics, construction, scaling, painting and soforth, then there would be no need for a forum like this, or for any manufacturers of any of the parts needed, we would all be making our own, and the people making the parts, be it hulls or accesories would all be out of business. Also any new young people wishing to take up this hobby are going to be put of by people telling them that they should be finding it simple, when even some of the more experienced modellers have difficulty in understanding everything.
 Anyway, Colin, i am just reading a book at the moment"Radio control in model boats", by John Cundell. Could this be the same J.C you mentioned in your post?. For beginners like me , this book is very good, very informative and quite easy to follow, and i am also learning loads from this forum.
 Well thats me battery run down on me old pc, so i@ll hope to see everyone at blackpool next week.
 Chris. 

[Colin Bishop]

Yes, it's the same John Cundell, Editor of Model Boats. I also have the book and find it useful. That book or a couple of others covering similar ground should be required reading for all us RC boaters as they give an excellent general overview of the subject with lots of practical tips. Reading them also means that the stuff posted on the Forum makes a lot more sense.

[Shipmate60]

I totally agree Colin, some other sites have been ruined by these spats.
It is only a hobby after all and as my wife puts it "Big boys playing with toy boats".
Not saying I agree with her, but if we all stopped making models the sun would still rise in the morning, and set in the evening.

Bob

[laserblue16]

Do you know this for a fact, Bob???

[Martin (Admin)]

Thanks for starting the topic that Colin, a stand needs to be made.

I try to tidy up the forum as much as possible a have a bit of a sweep up at the end of the day but I guess it's easy to be vituperative under a pseudonym and behind a computer screen....  :-\

Anything you guys find unsavoury or unhelpful, just click and report the posts or topic I ALWAYS Moderate on request.

My main concern is the example we're setting for the children that use the Forum.

Martin - Admin.

[anmo]

Thanks for starting the topic that Colin, a stand needs to be made.

Martin - Admin.

Well done Martin, and most of us are hoping that you sent out some strongly worded 'Final Warnings' to a few troublemakers at the same time.

[Shipmate60]

Martin,
Is there a warning system in operation?

Bob

[JayDee]

Ha!,
Castratii springs to mind !.
John :-[

[anmo]

Ha!,
Castratii springs to mind !.
John :-[

That reminds me of the old TV programme, 'Going for a Song'.

[JayDee]

Or "The Soprano's"
Always made me wonder about the Bee Gee's.
John. 

[Wetwater]

10 out of 10 Colin.  Have another star.

[Colin Bishop]

well put, but, this is a "forum" and I believe the UK is still a semi freedom of speech society?

No problem with free speech Paul. All I'm suggesting is that we exercise a bit of common courtesy in maintaining it! After all, the object of the exercise is to get your point across in such a way that people will think about what you are saying rather than be diverted by the way you are saying it. If you have a valid point to make then there should be no good reason to lose your temper even if you would really like to eviscerate the individual concerned and feed their entrails to the pigs!    (Anyway, don't they say that revenge is a dish best served cold...?    )

[Dave Leishman]

I usually try to stick to the premise that I shouldn't post anything that I wouldn't be willing to say to someone's face if they were stood in front of me, but there again I do tend to run away from confrontation, so maybe that doesn't apply to everyone

[ambernblu]

So, Injury Lawyers 4U.....     

No disrepect meant, but nice one Colin, couldn't have said it better myself - well I tried to, but my post went the journey when it was wiped along with that whole ridiculous thread thankfully! Got to hand it to Martin - he doesn't miss a trick!

It certainly seems to be having some effect too... 'cos apparently nobody dares post anything now! 
Both recent mornings I've logged in to the Forum (this morning and Saturday morning) to find less than 10 postings from the previous evening - whereas before, there would have been at least 50 or 60 or so posts to work my way through!

Plus I can't quite get over the amazing 'sweetness and light' that the posts are now written in! Is that scary or what!?!?  ::)

[Colin Bishop]

Quality wins over quantity every time Brian! Anyway, you will have noticed I pinched some of your points in my initial post for which I freely acknowledge the debt! Don't worry, full volume will be restored before too long - some interesting stuff the last couple of days - well I thought so anyway. 

[Daryl]

well put Colin, curtesy and good manners seem to be a diminishing trait in this day and age. Well done to Martin for his even handed wisdom in moderating the 'teddy throwing contests' we get on here from time to time.

Daryl

[Holmsey]

I think that the more technical threads should be kept to the subject posted, most people post a question or some help are a bit disapointed to come back and find it hijacked for some of the comments that have been made recently. There is the general chit chat heading for those kind of exchanges. Even the Ellesmere Port saga kept mainly to the point but some of the more recent threads are just slanging matches. I am sure there are more suitable places for that. Personally I like to log on to read about peoples boats and their advise!!!!!!

Holmsey

[DickyD]

Excuse me chappies but you are actually doing all your moaning on the general chit chat post of this forum.

I would like to add the slanging did eventually stop with apologies all round with everyone ageeing to make a fresh start. Which you must admit seems to be working.

Now if we could just stop the rest of you harping on about it maybe we could all get back to boats and interesting things.

Sorry if I have offended anyone with this post but as I say we would like to put it all behind us so give it a rest please.

Richard. >:(


Sorry for that Martin. :(

[Colin Bishop]

Sorry DickyD but I think you may have missed the point a bit. We had a thread entitled "New Member Signing In" which would be bound to catch the eye of anyone coming across the site. On opening it they would have been confronted by a monumental bad tempered ding dong going on which is hardly the best advertisement for Mayhem. Yes, everyone kissed and made up at the end but do you seriously think any visitors would have bothered to read down as far as that? If they'd any sense they would have pushed off for something more congenial. When we post we need to remember that anyone can access the site and that we want to encourage people into the hobby rather than put them off.

We all value constructive contributions, yours along with everyone else's.

I did consider making this a PM but on second thoughts I didn't.   :) :)

[DickyD]

Colin we all realize it was wrong and I dont blame anyone for having a go initially.
What I do object to is the fact that people wont let it drop and go away.
Dont worry about the PM it was fine on here.

Richard :-[