Forums etiquette

[Lucifers_Ghost]

Hello all,

A little while ago, I started a thread for washroom etiquette based on an experience I had that day.

This morning I have been reading a bunch of forums that I go to (this one, movies, tv, sports, car audio, etc). I have noticed a tread that has been increasing gradually over the last few months (or, maybe I am only noticing now).

I have noticed that people seem to be much quicker to throw out a flame or insult as soon as someone else either a) does not agree with their opinion or b) takes whatever "facts" that have claimed and gives evidence that they are wrong.

Since when did it become appropriate/common to insult someone .. someone you have never met .. over something so trivial as "hey this movie is terrible." "No way you f*cktard. This movie rocks. Go blow your mother." What the? When did this trend start and why?

Mind you, I have noticed it very sparingly on this board, for sure.

Any thoughts?
LG

[SquirrelDip]

Does it seem to come from newb's or regulars?

I would think that most regulars would refrain when speaking to other regulars unless the flame is really warranted.

[Heywould3]

13-15 year olds on ritalin. im not joking. i wish i were. kids these days have absolutly no respect for anyone. im not making qa general statement really. i know there are the good kids and thats great. but back when i was 13-15 not to long ago they didnt have mind altering drugs for every little thing a kid did.. oh a kid is hyper and liked to run hes got ADD lets drug him. how about give the kid a ball and go play with him you lazzy ass parent.. lol sorry..

seriously i think its the young kids and the lack of respect for anyone that is causing the issues.

P.S. the comments i made about kids and parents was not directed at anyone at all in here. just came from the daily news and walking in plublic stores and the like.

[Supreme2k]

L_G, is this your first time ever posting on a message board? (rhetorical)

To the best of my knowledge, most boards have been pretty "rude" since the days of BBS. Between the anonimity and the rampant fanboy-ism for just about anything, you will often run into that type of behavior.

Actually, the civil boards are the exception, not the rule. Often the emotion or intent behind the written word is misinterpreted, leading to a typed equivalent to a fist-fight. Take your example: sometimes people may read a post like, "You must have low standards. I found that movie to be unwatchable!" to be "You ******* idiot! That was a piece of shit!" (go blow your mother, and so forth).

There's not much you can do about it, especially not with an "etiquette guide". People will be a-holes, and even the best of us has bad days (or moments). It's basically up to the board moderators to step in when it gets out of hand. It's also up to us to self-police ourselves and others. What may seem like an insult or over-the-top for one person may be fine with the masses.

And what SquirrelDip said.

[guns1inger]

This is, in fact, one of the more civilized boards I been involved with. Many are very "wild west-ish" ("what did you say about my mother ? You and me, outside, now") and flames are the norm. Here the flame response is generally a newbie response, and the worst offenders tend not to stay around after the first few posts. Yes, some of the old bears do bite back when a new cub gets uppity - and fair enough too. But spend some time on some of the 3D graphics boards and the fan sites and you will see a lot worse than we get here.

[Lucifers_Ghost]

Ok. So its not just me then.

Supreme: No, I have been on messageboards awhile. I guess Im just taking "notice" of it now. Never really paid much attention to it before.

Im also noticing a lot of "stand on my soapbox and rant because of bitterness" people out there. Again, Im going to assume they have always been there, just never really noticed.

[lordsmurf]

The more immature the topic (video games, for example), the higher the loser ratio in the online membership. For example, if this site didn't have information on how to copy DVDs or convert downloads, you can bet your ass those people would not be here.

There is also something to be said for assumptions, whereas a person thinks something is written with a certain tone.

I find most flames come from people who are paranoid, believe in myth and misinformation, or desire some degree of literal/verbal coddling (they don't like brief answers). Most of these people have bad attitudes, and get very angry when corrected. Same for dissenting opinions. In real life, they tend to be meek weaklings, acting very different. They go online for the same reasons many people buy nice cars: to compensate for whatever ails them (tiny penis, inability to get a date, spouse abuse, boss is a dickhead, whatever). It just so happens that going online is cheaper.

You'll also find most of them are under a certain age. In the BBS days, that generally cut off at age 16-17 or so. In the year 2007, that age is closer to 25 now. You have arrested development, poor parenting, and pop culture of the past 10 years to thank for that. Most of them are college students and high school students, and I'd say a large percentage of those are the ones who barely pass or outright drop out.

In the grand scheme of things, mouthy twats online are still a minority percentage.

[SquirrelDip]

@LS : Nice. Now if they only understood what you said they may be, just a little, pissed off...

I'm also guessing that even though a minority (I agree with this statement) they are the loud ones and appear to be a larger group than they really are.

[gadgetguy]

Have you noticed that this entire thread has only been populated by those of us who have been here a while? The relative rudeness seems to go in cycles and it seems to be worse during Summer in the US. This seems to lend credence to the "youth" theory.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

Indeed, kids on summer break with nothing better to do than troll the forums...

I do, however, take a bit of offense at LS repeated generalized comments about all video gamers being losers! Perhaps this is a bit of misperception on my part, but dude really seems to hate people who play video games...
Unfortunately, my experiences at gaming forums have only supported his comments.

I am a gamer. I am not a (total) loser!
I am gainfully employed in a full time and permanent position.
I own a home (actually, the bank does, but you know what I mean).
I own two vehicles, free and clear.
I am married to a rather attractive woman (also into video games).

I do NOT live in my mother's basement. I do NOT smell like day-old Doritos and Dr. Pepper. I do NOT own any dice with more than 6 sides. I am NOT grossly overweight/horribly underweight. I do NOT cower at the sight or thought of daylight.

Regardless, these basement dwelling stinky virgins are generally the ******** who immediately flame post that they didn't take the time to read thoroughly and therefore completely misunderstood.
True trolls with multiple user ids that post as different "people" to further propagate their hateful bile....

I would agree that the majority of these inflammitory posts come from noobs -- both those who are new to the forum and those who are new to the subject/topic/theme of the forum itself.

It is indeed very difficult to guage tone via the internet and many times sincerity is mistaken for sarcasm and vice-versa.
Let's not forget the inflated sense of "bravery" that comes with the relative anonymity of keyboard and mouse versus face to face contact!

Of all the many forums/boards I have used, I too can say that VideoHelp is the most adult in terms of user ettiquete and civility.
The MAME forum is by far one of the worst.
A couple of now long-gone Transformers boards (yes, I'm a dork) were the absolute worst ever.

Rivalries can be an issue.
I believe that professional sports are the epitome of the decline of civilization. How can you possibly be so wrapped up in something that literally has absolutely NOTHING to do with you or your life?
I have no experience with sports boards, but I am an avid water-cooled Volkswagen tuner and driver. There is a HUGE rivalry between euro tuners and those who drive and tune asian cars. The "rice-boys" as they are often referred to will often times "invade" the VW forum I frequent and register for no reason other than to post idiotic fanboy rants and hate posts. "Honda pwnz yer german bullshit ass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" etc...
I'm sure euro-tuners are just as guilty of this type of behaviour.
I'm also sure that those who do this are the younger of the groups.
I can't imagine the kind of shit along those lines that goes on in sports forums....

Then there are the rambling thread hijackers like Xylob....
You know, guys who bitch about people making gross generalizations and then proceed to make their own gross generalizations. :P

[lordsmurf]

I speak in generalities and refer to stereotypes because they are true for a majority. I'm very aware of minority audiences and exceptions to rules. But when you discuss a topic, you tend to discuss the overall situation, not the exceptions. Not much different than how you don't teach kids about vowels by starting with "y".

If you're an exception to a rule, you should know not to get all bent out of shape over it, especially if you're not being addressed personally.

Foe example, I own a number of video games, and I play XBOX and PS2 as time allows, but I know (1) when to turn it off, (2) to not blow all my money on it, and (3) not have my life and conversations revolve around it. Sadly, most gamers have problems with one or more (or all) of those three aspects of playing video games. When you talk about gamers being losers, I know that I'm not being included in that conversation.

And that's just one topic. There are so many others out there, from cars to computers to whatever else. Some of them are more juvenile topics than others (or at very least, attract the most juveniles, be they young in mind or in actuality).

Summer is when lots of scammers and losers go online, and most all of them are 14-22 age range.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

Agreed on all points.

I mis-spoke. I do not take offense to your comments.
I take exception to your remarks.

Stereotypes exist for a reason. A certain perception can only become a stereotype if it is fairly prevelant.

[ZAPPER]

Ehh, I say stupid people come in all ages (It is just that not as many live to be old and stupid).


I enjoy most sites that I visit, I mean that is why I go back I guess. I don't recall ever being flamed, snapped at maybe, but never full out flamed. Flaming just makes me think Jerry Springer or whoever is the latest shit stirring media jock feeding on the emotions of stupid people by showing stupid people and their stupid lives.

Ehh, If you are gonna **** with someone, give them one good jab. Make it a good point or state your opinion and move on. If a pile on happens, then I would think that goes to show the concenuses (*SP) There is no need for a full page flame in one post. and no need for twenty post in a row by the same idiot.


I don't know.


Just a reminder that there are alot of stupid people out there

[Supreme2k]

HEY FUCKTARD! LEARN TO SPELL CONCENSUS!

GO BLOW YOUR MOTHER!

[guns1inger]

Insults carry much more weight when delivered in an even tone instead of SHOUTED AT THE TOP OF YOUR VOICE. Just my 2 cents.

[ZAPPER]

HEY FUCKTARD! LEARN TO SPELL CONCENSUS!

GO BLOW YOUR MOTHER!

Ya see? The first representative from that age group!

[Lucifers_Ghost]

HEY FUCKTARD! LEARN TO SPELL CONCENSUS!

GO BLOW YOUR MOTHER!

LOL ... Good one!!

[Lucifers_Ghost]

I believe that professional sports are the epitome of the decline of civilization. How can you possibly be so wrapped up in something that literally has absolutely NOTHING to do with you or your life?
I have no experience with sports boards, but I am an avid water-cooled Volkswagen tuner and driver.

I dont see any difference really. I also dont see how that can be defined in any way as the decline of civilization.

I personally play hockey (not at the NHL level) but at a fairly competitive level. I have been an athlete for most of my life. Thats why "I" get so wrapped up. Not so much for a particular team or particular rivalry, but for the sport itself. I am very passionate about watching hockey and while it has nothing to do with me personally (the NHL), I am passionate about it because I am also a player.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

Sorry, I was speaking purely of the fans who do not actually play sports at all. The arm-chair quarterbacks etc...
At least you actually play hockey!

The absolutely disgusting amounts of money these people "earn", the even more disgusting amounts of attention they receive, and worse, the immoral (and often feloneous) behaviour that they get away with. These are the aspects I was referring to along with the fat slobs who's lives practically revolve around 'sports' that they themselves never actually participate in.
In my personal experiences and in the region I live in, these people are your typical "sports nut".

[MackemX]

HEY FUCKTARD! LEARN TO SPELL CONCENSUS!

GO BLOW YOUR MOTHER!

how can he when she's blowing me? :P

[ZAPPER]

HEY FUCKTARD! LEARN TO SPELL CONCENSUS!

GO BLOW YOUR MOTHER!

how can he when she's blowing me? :P

Well, look who pops out of the wood...So to speak.




As for sports, well I am no fanatic. I would rather be playing even a halfed assed game than be watching most pro level sports. There are exceptions, like boxing maybe

[MackemX]

HEY FUCKTARD! LEARN TO SPELL CONCENSUS!

GO BLOW YOUR MOTHER!

how can he when she's blowing me? :P

Well, look who pops out of the wood...So to speak.

still about me old mate