Another one bites the dust?

[Tanto]

I agree Blair, face to face is the best & most engaging. Since there are so few of us who enjoy this sport that is hard to do. (or hobby (edit))

Writing is affected by training and background. Direct and to the point are those who are limited on time, detailed and metaphorical takes time that most don't have. One could be seen as insensitive while the other melodramatic. I think it is stylistic mostly...sometimes not. You never really know & I'm not saying that to play around it just is what it is.

 

[Ireland]

I've been checking in here daily for a couple of months now and this is the first negative thread I've seen....
So far this forum has been the best sources of knowledge related to our collective interest interest which is the 4x4 camping wheeling trailer towing 200,000 dollar Unimog driving hey where did you get that titanium bottle opener sites out there...
Please don't spoil it with bickering and web-fighting and keep on the subjects at the start of the threads so that we can all continue to benefit from the vast expert knowledge that the users of this site bring to it....
Web-fighters unite and go away....





















The above message was directed at no one in particular as I did not see the offending posts...and actually have not seen any offending posts since I started looking at this site.

 

[Alaska Mike]

...I did not see the offending posts...and actually have not seen any offending posts since I started looking at this site.

That's because we deleted them all. Big Brother is watching :Astrologist:

Seriously though, the vast, vast majority of people are here just to discuss their favorite pastime with others. There are other forums for the more rowdy behavior. We moderate a little more tightly to keep things running smoothly, and if we (I) overstep our bounds occasionally, we are truly sorry.

 

[James86004]

Uh? What was the title of the thread that got deleted? If it was the one I am thinking of, I just stopped reading it.

Now, of course, I want to go read it!

 

[Alaska Mike]

The latest one was my "What makes a Land Rover Expedition" thread.

Keep moving... Nothing to see here...

 

[kellymoe]

EP has been a breath of fresh air compared to other sites I sometimes visit. Other sites require you to sift through personal opinion before you can pick out the kernel of truth. I would hate to see EP take the same path as the other Land Rover sites. If occasional creative editing is involved to keep things civil thats OK by me. I do find it humorous that the personalities much bolder than in person. I have read posts filled with personal attacks and vitriol and when meeting the same person face to face they were hesitant to look me in the eye and very cordial. Things get said on the web that would never get said around the campfire.

When I was younger I gauged my actions to situations in life by, is this the right thing to do, and if my father and mother were standing over my shoulder watching would they be proud of the decisions I made? Now that I am older I still make my decisions on if it is the right thing to say or do, but know I ask myself is this the example I want to set for my kids? Would I be proud if I heard my kids talking to someone the same way.

Be nice. They are just trucks for crying out loud.

 

[DaktariEd]

The mods take great pains to ensure fairness and equity for everyone here. Behind the scenes, a great deal of discussion takes place on many posts in the more heated threads. No one wants to quash free thought or its expression, but there are certain rules and recommended etiquette for posting. ("The freedom of speech does not allow a person to yell, "Fire," in a crowded theater.")
When a thread strays far off its original topic, or starts generating brand-bashing or personal insults or attacks, then it may need pruning; just like pruning a tree to help it grow healthier (neat analogy, huh?), we want the threads to be healthy and informative for all concerned. Many people refer back to these for reference. Removing the chaff makes it easier to get to the helpful info.
If people want to troll there are other forums outside of ExPo for that...

Just my 2 cents...

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

I, for one, refuse to let the reasonable standards of conduct we demand on Expedition Portal be called "censorship."

There are basically two rules here: Be polite, and don't use foul language. We do not want discussions on Expedition Portal to be anything someone's eight-year-old daughter couldn't read. Is that really too much to ask in 21st-century America?

Threads here have wandered off-topic before, and as long as the discussion stays civil, no one minds. But when irrelevance degrades into rudeness, we delete posts and threads if necessary.

And no, I don't see any need to have some sort of a playpen section where anything goes. If someone finds he or she cannot remain within our guidelines for intelligent discussion, there are, as Ed suggested, other forums where sophomoric behavior is not only tolerated, but embraced.

Again: Too much to ask? The vast majority of our members don't think so.

 

[Alaska Mike]

I want to make it clear that I deleted the thread. There was no profanity or otherwise excessively crude behavior, but I saw it going down the same path the "sell me on a Land Rover" thread went down. Too many people put too much effort into trying to define their unique relationship with their Land Rover for me to let that happen. When it started to stray and the opinions (mine too) go a little too heated, I cut it off.

Call it what you will when I'm done, but I will make a reasonable effort to try to maintain the spirit of the thread and retain on-topic comments. Other sidebars were interesting, but didn't address the main idea the thread was started for.

Now, I'm going back to my garage to continue de-rust-ifying my Series III springs so I can paint them and apply the TAW treatment.

 

[I Leak Oil]

And no, I don't see any need to have some sort of a playpen section where anything goes. If someone finds he or she cannot remain within our guidelines for intelligent discussion, there are, as Ed suggested, other forums where sophomoric behavior is not only tolerated, but embraced.

Again: Too much to ask? The vast majority of our members don't think so.

I wouldn't even imagine that my post prompted this but if it did, my intention was to point out how silly some of the threads can become and maybe they need a special "silly section".
I, like most, have been drawn to ExPo not because of the brand of vehicle I drive but because of the life style I have and dreams I wish to fulfill. I can get told off by any idiot on any street corner on any WWW St. U.S.A., but ExPo is different, that's why I'm here as are most of you.
Jason T.

 

[boblynch]

Jonathan, I couldn't agree more. This is the only forum which I routinely visit and post content to. The reason is because of, not in spite of, the rules of the road at ExPo.

My kids (7 and 9) like to visit the site and track the various expeditions and photo collections. I try to keep them in mind when I post.

There are a million places to rant, but only one I’ve found with such a depth of knowledge and passion for overland travel. It is this very passion that occasionally gets the better of us all.

Given the rapid growth of this site it is only natural that passionate folks might jump into a thread and let there emotions get the better of them. If they do so with other members they “know” a little humor seems to put things in perspective. However, when their point of view gets attacked by a “stranger” things spiral quickly.

If you need to say something off-topic or emotionally charged try a PM. These don’t get deleted and keep the decorum of the site, and the tremendous value it provides, intact.

Bob

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I'd just like to say that I didn't start this thread to complain about censorship or whatnot. I read a lot of the thread, and didn't see anything that I figured would be a problem, so I'm wondering what I missed. I know I missed the IFS part at least.

I'm wondering if the problem stemmed from black vs. green oval again. Because I have to say, as a newbie to LR and trucks in general, I really see a schism here, and I really can't understand it. It seems to pop up whenever LR discussions get controversial, and it always seems to be uni-directional...

In any case, I frequent a Focus board www.focaljet.com which is similar in the standards of discourse to EP. I really wouldn't have it any other way, even considering that it was often ME being "sanitized" in my younger days.

I've learned that fighting on the internet really is a waste of time and effort. If one can't present their opinion in a well thought out argument, reasoned, and with hard facts if possible, then there really is no point posting it because then it's just pure opinion. And if you make your case in such a fashion, and somebody still isn't listening... you're not going to brow-beat them into your way of thinking. It's just not going to happen. And if you can't present your case in such a sophisticated fashion and you have people disagreeing with you... consider maybe you are the one that's wrong, and listen to what they are saying instead.

It's these standards which make EP a useful repository of information, instead of really just a cage match for EGO's of little value except for pure entertainment for the immature.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Perhaps future Rover threads should be protected with a security feature. For example you can't post unless you first enter your Rover VIN number as your log in. Or....submit your latest repair bill.

Joking. Just joking.

Moderators - do what ya gotta do to keep things civil. I just posted for the first time on a bicycling forum and got ripped to shreds. Some forums are more than a little hostile. ExPo is such a refreshing change.

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

Perhaps future Rover threads should be protected with a security feature. For example you can't post unless you first enter your Rover VIN number as your log in. Or....submit your latest repair bill.

Ha!

No one should take personally any of my remarks on how we moderate. I was just trying to clarify our general policies.

 

[overlander]

While I was a minority on one side of that passionate thread, I actually got a lot out of the countering perspectives and opinions and found it to be a healthy debate. The subject of the thread was not asking for fact, it was asking for an intangible answer based on a majority of subjective opinions.

I agree that some moderation is a good idea to prevent overt hostility, but perhaps in the future if a few contributors are escalating the thread to inappropriate levels, that a moderator could PM them and let them know they need to correct their behavior as a first step, so that the thread can continue until conclusion. Just a thought.