So...is this our Off Topic area.

[ehall]

I take it that this is where we go to have discussion not partaining (sp?) to detailing. If that is the case, it seems like we should maybe have some gentleman's rules about how we treat one another and how we treat opinions with which we disagree. I've been on a number of boards, but mostly Rennlist and Pelcan's BB's, and I always find that closely held feelings and opinions, lead people to treat one another in a way that does not necessarily illustrate those same well intentioned ethics.

I'd really like to see an Off Topic area that is better "self-managed", if that is even possible.

I'd like to see a community here that, as a group, holds it's members to a higher standard of conduct, when communicating with one another, than we see on other boards.

For example, though I grew up in the church, I'm not a big fan of "The Church". I live in a place where belonging to THE church (which will remain nameless) is much more of a status symbol than a place of worship. To me that reminds me of the story about throwing the charlatons out of the temple, by Jesus.

Yet this board is run by a very good and very religious man. As such I would never dream of being disrespectful to him nor his beliefs. In fact I respect them very much.

So what if we were in a discussion and disagreed?

To me there is a right way and a wrong of engaging in such discussions. The right way is to do so without attacking the individual, or their beliefs. The right way might be to discuss why one holds those beliefs and then to engage with a mutually educational, and respectful tone. I've always found discussions of this nature very interesting and enriching. Sadly, I also find them VERY FEW and FAR between.

So my point is this. We have been given an opportunity to be a part of a new community that has not been tarnished by thousands of members and little supervision. We have a chance to create a trully interesting and valuable place to interact. (For this we owe our thanks to Anthony.) With this opportunity comes the responsibility to do it better and more thoughtfully than we have witnessed elsewhere. I hope we can make this a valuable resource for discussion. I look forward to that with all of you.

Elliott

[Obsessive Detail]

Elliott

 

I completely agree with you. I think this forum can be great. I really like the idea of an Optimum based board!

[Anthony Orosco]

Hey Ehall,

 

Thanks for kicking this section off with a great post. I feel the same way and we will do our best to keep the whole forum running smooth as I want it to be a place for others to come and learn and also share.

 

I didn't want a forum that restricted people from expressing their likes and dislikes in regards to detailing products and I also wanted a forum where pros and vendors could speak of their product openly without fear of being banned.

 

How well will this work? I have no idea really so it's kinda like a beta testing community at the moment

 

I'm all for intelligent debate but when people attack each other then it no longer becomes intelligent but rather is on a slippery slope to becoming another stint on "Jerry Springer" and we don't need that!

 

I made Ehall a moderator of the forums (YEA....our first moderator!!) and I'm sure he'll do a fine job of policing the forums and I may need others soon also. I'll also need to post up some rules for this section of the forum.

 

Thanks Ehall,

Anthony