Rant

[SHIVAN]

How to start on any forum?

Go to the last available page of active topics, and start reading. Move from page 15, or whatever, and eventually wind up at page 1.

When you get to page 1, I am almost positive you will have just about every question answered, maybe twice. You will also see who is credible, guaranteed.

[Split66]

Very well said F2S.

[ST911]

May I suggest shutting down GD for a period of time again?

Doing so has potential to reinforce goals and intents of the board at large, improve signal, deconflict some personalities (or at least make the conflicts topical), and shed some dead weight we've picked up.

[Littlelebowski]

May I suggest shutting down GD for a period of time again?

Doing so has potential to reinforce goals and intents of the board at large, improve signal, deconflict some personalities (or at least make the conflicts topical), and shed some dead weight we've picked up.

Seconded.

[kmrtnsn]

Seconded.

Amen.

[SeriousStudent]

Do I hear a motion?


For those folks in this thread that have only been here a short while, there was a poll a while back. The topic was to shut down GD. I voted for it, along with the last three posters. Plus a lot of other people. And mods, and staff. This place is not a democracy, and I honestly hope it never becomes one.

Shivan's advice is the best damn thing I have read in a long time. And LLB just answered 75 percent of the posts on here.

[Iraqgunz]

When I suggest that someone use the search feature, it's because the questions have often times been answered.

For example- Recently someone made a post asking about the length of certain gas tubes. A simple Google search and a little reading would have easily revealed the answer.

Another example- How many rounds do you guys have on hand for SHTF? Answered numerous time and multiple threads about it.

Then we have stuff like- How do I disassemble my AR? Again, a simple Google search would provide an answer and several videos.

Then we have the epic thread. What lube do you use? Really? That's like asking who makes the best underwear.

Many people have spent numerous hours posting information about inspections, tools, etc.. .. only to see it come up again. Most of these are stickies and if people bothered to read for just a little they would find the answer. It's all part of the microwave society we live in that demands instant gratification.

[JSantoro]

Mods and others always bitching about someone not using the search function and getting really ugly about it -

This ain't a shitstorm, it's worthwhile. In addition to what SHIVAN advised, let's speak to this^^, specifically.

I agree that posting "Use Search!" as a stand-alone, is generally unhelpful. It's close to the same level of intellectual laziness exhibited by those that kid themselves into thinking "I'm the FIRST GUY EVER to think of this question!" (No, you're almost certainly not...)

Nobody's teaching anybody anything, under those circumstances. The "Give a man a fish...." parable doesn't work if you substitute "Teach a man to fish..." with "Get a pole and some bait, jackass!"

I submit that somebody that wants to post "Use Search!" has it within themselves, prior to posting, to take a little extra time to:
1) conduct the Search(es) they would have wanted to see done.
2) see what it takes to successfully find results that answer, or at least might answer, the question posed.
3) post the link to that info somewhere alongside "Use Search!" within the body of that post.
4) include an explaination as to HOW they found what they found.

Speaking only for myself, I've little problem with somebody gigging another over how simple it is to search, provided that they've made a genuine, if indirect, attempt to help. But, if a member can't or won't do any of the 4 points above....that member should probably not post.

We have members that do something like that, and pretty consisently. We could surely do with more....hint-hint, fellas.

New point, RE: general member behavior: be warned, it's a re-run, and I'm gonna keep humping this leg...

There's a lot of screen-names here that are conspicuously absent from my archive of Report Post notifications.

...yeah, I save them, in case we need fingers to point back at anybody that wants to start pointing fingers regarding "how bad the forum's getting," periodically jumps up.....

See something you don't like? There's no reason you like it, nor to just suck it up! In the same time-frames that folks talk about "going downhill this/going downhill that...." I note a dropoff in the number of Report Post notifications.

In the same time it takes to post some public reply in a thread, or make a threads entitled "Rant," one can hit Report Post, describe the problem, and expect it to get a look-see, minimum. NOTE: If, however, within the body of that report, you make some clever allusion to how the staff aren't doing their jobs at, oh, 0330 in the freakin' morning, Central Time.....yeah, you're probably gonna get more scrutiny that what you're reporting.

So, if somebody is needlessly beating someone else up....outright trolling/baiting is pretty easy to recognize, other stuff is less so, so let us do that....there's a method of review/redress for that, that any member can exercise.

[Littlelebowski]

This ain't a shitstorm, it's worthwhile. In addition to what SHIVAN advised, let's speak to this^^, specifically.

I agree that posting "Use Search!" as a stand-alone, is generally unhelpful. It's close to the same level of intellectual laziness exhibited by those that kid themselves into thinking "I'm the FIRST GUY EVER to think of this question!" (No, you're almost certainly not...)

Nobody's teaching anybody anything, under those circumstances. The "Give a man a fish...." parable doesn't work if you substitute "Teach a man to fish..." with "Get a pole and some bait, jackass!"

I submit that somebody that wants to post "Use Search!" has it within themselves, prior to posting, to take a little extra time to:
1) conduct the Search(es) they would have wanted to see done.
2) see what it takes to successfully find results that answer, or at least might answer, the question posed.
3) post the link to that info somewhere alongside "Use Search!" within the body of that post.
4) include an explaination as to HOW they found what they found.

Speaking only for myself, I've little problem with somebody gigging another over how simple it is to search, provided that they've made a genuine, if indirect, attempt to help. But, if a member can't or won't do any of the 4 points above....that member should probably not post.

We have members that do something like that, and pretty consisently. We could surely do with more....hint-hint, fellas.

New point, RE: general member behavior: be warned, it's a re-run, and I'm gonna keep humping this leg...

There's a lot of screen-names here that are conspicuously absent from my archive of Report Post notifications.

...yeah, I save them, in case we need fingers to point back at anybody that wants to start pointing fingers regarding "how bad the forum's getting," periodically jumps up.....

See something you don't like? There's no reason you like it, nor to just suck it up! In the same time-frames that folks talk about "going downhill this/going downhill that...." I note a dropoff in the number of Report Post notifications.

In the same time it takes to post some public reply in a thread, or make a threads entitled "Rant," one can hit Report Post, describe the problem, and expect it to get a look-see, minimum. NOTE: If, however, within the body of that report, you make some clever allusion to how the staff aren't doing their jobs at, oh, 0330 in the freakin' morning, Central Time.....yeah, you're probably gonna get more scrutiny that what you're reporting.

So, if somebody is needlessly beating someone else up....outright trolling/baiting is pretty easy to recognize, other stuff is less so, so let us do that....there's a method of review/redress for that, that any member can exercise.

Reported.

[chadbag]

May I suggest shutting down GD for a period of time again?

Doing so has potential to reinforce goals and intents of the board at large, improve signal, deconflict some personalities (or at least make the conflicts topical), and shed some dead weight we've picked up.

I am not sure this would help solve any problem. "newbies" already are shut-out of GD until they hit 200 posts in other parts of the forums.

In addition, it would remove some of the sense of "community." Let me explain: while it is interesting to read technical AR or Revolver discussions, it is more interesting if I feel some sort of connection to the people involved.

By interacting in GD, we build up those connections. Even the people that we argue politics, or cell phones with, I feel a sense of community with and would not hesitate to go shooting with them or otherwise interact with them if they came to my neck of the woods. And in reading something in the technical sections from these guys, I feel like I "know" the poster a bit more than if he was some faceless technical expert. (Same ideas as the diehard Democrat activist who lives in my neighborhood. I mock him behind his back for his politics, but consider him a friend and acquaintance and think he is personally a nice guy).


I find it interesting that most forums I log into, no matter the subject, have a "GD" like area for the members to interact in on subjects other than the forum topic.

--