I think at car4play we may be.
I’m concerned about the way things have panned out during the second year of this forum.
Most of us had experienced the oppressive moderation in the backroom, the persistent trolls and frequent spats between members that were bizarrely, allowed to get offensive and boring on many occasions.
Car4play was like changing schools to one where the teachers cared and treated you as equals, the other pupils no longer bullied and called you names, laughed when they tripped you up, and welcomed you with open arms.
The first year was a delight, and I know I’m not the only one who felt I was lucky to have been given the opportunity to be a part of a growing community of online friends, who I trusted and respected.
What has gone wrong?
Why are we going backwards?
We’re alienating long term members of both forums at a fast rate of progress. We’re not really attracting any new ones either, not regular posters who are the backbone of any online community.
It may appear we have new names signing on, only to find it’s a second identity, and some forum members are talking to themselves. Others are changed names which only serve to confuse many of us, while bringing the owners a brief moment of pleasure as they watch.
The continuing animosity with the backroom is tedious and almost always ends in tears, so why do we have to look back, and gloat? Why not enjoy what we have and help it to grow?
Thread drift has been a new experience on here for most of us, and one we’ve enjoyed to the full and I feel, has contributed to the success during car4play’s first year.
Of course, that has to be balanced by the forum spats that in some cases are allowed to go far too far and end up becoming personal. Enjoyable no doubt, by the two people sparring for top spot, but once personal remarks come into it the forum goes remarkably quiet for a few hours while we all walk quietly away from this intense ‘willy waving’ contest.
Someone mentioned yesterday something about a Gentlemen’s Club, and it seems to me that this is what we’ve turned into with an inner clique that doesn’t welcome outsiders, doesn’t like different opinions and has no respect for anyone other than a select few.
Does that sound strangely familiar?
Surely that’s what we all experienced in the backroom and vowed to get away from?
The greatest attribute of any online community is self moderation, and I think it really is time we took a long hard look at ourselves as individuals and examined our behaviour and attitude to others.
Of course it may be that this Gentlemen’s club has already closed its doors to new members and the last one of the remaining stalwarts will switch off the lights on their way out before too much longer.
I do hope not.
Pat
|
