Skippy SH13
Forum Supporter
Not too long ago, I left another forum. The reasons weren't widely understood there, but it's sufficient to say that I was unhappy with the body of people posting, and how they were treating others. Basically, if I'm showing up to club meetings and every time I do, I get insulted, why would I keep going? So I left. And I will never go back. That's something they apparently didn't believe, because I was searching for something over the weekend, and clicked a link that apparently directed me to that forum (without realizing it). Up popped a message that I'd been banned for deleting my posts when I left (which, is fine if they wanted to do that, btw, it's their site). The ban note was 6 weeks old at that point. I had no idea I'd been banned. Why? I'd never gone back. I don't intend to, either. It was only an accident that I hit their site. I don't know what the outcome of my final post was, and I don't care. They either learned from it, or they didn't.
One thing was certain, though. After being a part of the forum for 2+ years, and making 6000+ posts, not a single mod reached out to me to say, "sorry to see you go," or "what can we do better?" In fact, if I were to guess, based on the behaviors I saw BEFORE I left, I suspect I was publicly ridiculed upon leaving. I don't know that, of course, but it's what I perceive would have happened, and again... it's why I left.
This is where my active involvement in Friendly Metal Detecting Forum came in.
Here's the odd thing... I heard multiple times in that forum, by their mods, that their site was better moderated than the Friendly forum, (usually indicated by just calling it "Friendlier" forum (since rules there don't allow direct reference)). Of course, the insinuation was that there was rampant insults going on over here, and people here were "worse." THIS IS NOT WHAT I HAVE FOUND!
My experience here has been anything BUT worse. In fact, I've now been carefully monitoring responses of people's finds and posts, and I don't see ANY of the garbage that I'd come to expect in the previous place here. People here are kind, polite, and definitely FRIENDLY. There's not the set of standard "forum trolls" that I saw pop up in the threads there. I'm not sure the reason, but I like it. This is what a clubhouse should be. A place to come, share your finds, learn something new, and enjoy the company of other hobbiests.
The drama here is much less, information sharing is just as free, and I've really appreciated the fact that the body of forum members here aren't "preachy" to other members on how they should behave and especially don't insinuate what someone should be doing with their finds. It's just approval and appreciation for the hobby, and encouragement to follow the rule of law. Friendly Metal Detecting Forum is exactly what I'm expecting a club should be.
I've made a couple of donations now to the site, and will continue to do so. If you like the forum, too, help keep the club going strong by clicking that green Donate button. This place is great.
Thanks for being such a great place, and thanks everyone for being my new clubhouse.
Cheers!
Skippy
One thing was certain, though. After being a part of the forum for 2+ years, and making 6000+ posts, not a single mod reached out to me to say, "sorry to see you go," or "what can we do better?" In fact, if I were to guess, based on the behaviors I saw BEFORE I left, I suspect I was publicly ridiculed upon leaving. I don't know that, of course, but it's what I perceive would have happened, and again... it's why I left.
This is where my active involvement in Friendly Metal Detecting Forum came in.
Here's the odd thing... I heard multiple times in that forum, by their mods, that their site was better moderated than the Friendly forum, (usually indicated by just calling it "Friendlier" forum (since rules there don't allow direct reference)). Of course, the insinuation was that there was rampant insults going on over here, and people here were "worse." THIS IS NOT WHAT I HAVE FOUND!
My experience here has been anything BUT worse. In fact, I've now been carefully monitoring responses of people's finds and posts, and I don't see ANY of the garbage that I'd come to expect in the previous place here. People here are kind, polite, and definitely FRIENDLY. There's not the set of standard "forum trolls" that I saw pop up in the threads there. I'm not sure the reason, but I like it. This is what a clubhouse should be. A place to come, share your finds, learn something new, and enjoy the company of other hobbiests.
The drama here is much less, information sharing is just as free, and I've really appreciated the fact that the body of forum members here aren't "preachy" to other members on how they should behave and especially don't insinuate what someone should be doing with their finds. It's just approval and appreciation for the hobby, and encouragement to follow the rule of law. Friendly Metal Detecting Forum is exactly what I'm expecting a club should be.
I've made a couple of donations now to the site, and will continue to do so. If you like the forum, too, help keep the club going strong by clicking that green Donate button. This place is great.
Thanks for being such a great place, and thanks everyone for being my new clubhouse.
Cheers!
Skippy