Is TBN too "family friendly" for your tastes?
- Thread starter _RaT_
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riptides
Super Member
There are plenty of other places to lower ones standards at.
I think TBN is fine, and the moderators try real hard to keep that balance.
-Mike Z.
I think TBN is fine, and the moderators try real hard to keep that balance.
-Mike Z.
Soundguy
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Howdy Rat.. i tend to agree withg Scott_vt. If there are a few people that get on my nerves.. I simply ignore themif possible.. and hope they ignore me.
I post on a few other forums.. most of them don't have as quite as much 'padding on the gloves' as this forum.. .. and it is deffinately one of the most topical forums.. but it still does a pretty good job at letting discussions get across.
I kinda think of it like a 'church parking lot'.. IE.. you can discuss most things there.. and even a few items that are on the edge.. but there are deffinately a few topics that just don't need to be brought up.. you can save those for the 'bar' parking lot. (wink)
Soundguy
I post on a few other forums.. most of them don't have as quite as much 'padding on the gloves' as this forum.. .. and it is deffinately one of the most topical forums.. but it still does a pretty good job at letting discussions get across.
I kinda think of it like a 'church parking lot'.. IE.. you can discuss most things there.. and even a few items that are on the edge.. but there are deffinately a few topics that just don't need to be brought up.. you can save those for the 'bar' parking lot. (wink)
Soundguy
scott_vt said:Afternoon RaT,
I would hate to see anyone leave the forum over a disagreement or trivial baloney ! If there is a poster that I have severely differing views with I just tend to avoid or not get in any big debates. Im by nature not a confrontational person so this works for me ! To me TBN is a community that I have numerous friendships with a number of posters, and manage to share a laugh with on a regular basis ! Obviously the bond that ties us together is tractor ownership, but after youve been here for awhile, and obviously thats you, its a bond of common interests and friendship and oh yes, respect ! You get to know who the posters are that add some real valuable info to the net and you gravitate to their posts ! In any event I will miss your posts and hope you do check in on a somewhat regular basis !
N80
Super Member
I like it family friendly. And to be blunt, I don't understand how someone could be so put off by not being able to use profanity, potty humor and sex jokes that he'd feel it was necessary to leave a TRACTOR web site. If that is the criteria by which someone judges free communication then they are better off going somewhere else.
And before anyone mistakes me for a prude, I can and have cussed and exchanged vulgar jokes with the best of them. But, I went to a military college and spent time in the military so I've heard it all. I've also got plenty of coarse friends, local folks of various backgrounds, some you might even call white trash. Even they understand that there is a time and a place for such talk.
That is what some folks don't understand about this web site. Its what we call 'mixed company' here in the south. I know there are women on this site. I know there are people of various religious backgrounds (many of us are Christians) and I know for a fact that there have been children on this site, recently even.
So for people who cannot be constrained enough to behave as decently as the average bumpkin, they truly need to find another home. I know with all us men this site can feel like the fence behind the barm where we can let it all hang out. But it just isn't the case.
And before anyone mistakes me for a prude, I can and have cussed and exchanged vulgar jokes with the best of them. But, I went to a military college and spent time in the military so I've heard it all. I've also got plenty of coarse friends, local folks of various backgrounds, some you might even call white trash. Even they understand that there is a time and a place for such talk.
That is what some folks don't understand about this web site. Its what we call 'mixed company' here in the south. I know there are women on this site. I know there are people of various religious backgrounds (many of us are Christians) and I know for a fact that there have been children on this site, recently even.
So for people who cannot be constrained enough to behave as decently as the average bumpkin, they truly need to find another home. I know with all us men this site can feel like the fence behind the barm where we can let it all hang out. But it just isn't the case.
BTDT
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I like TBN. I think it is a self-policing organization that works pretty well. In defense of the Mods, I am sure some of them laugh right along with the rest of us at some of the stuff, but if someone finds something offensive, and brings it to their attention, then they do their job. I have had some questionable responses added to some of the threads that I've started, and lo and behold, someone else will chime in to the mods or on the thread itself, and it gets handled without me having to say anything. You have been around awhile, and I appreciate what you have added to the forum, but ultimately it's up to you, so if you do leave, I wish you the best of luck, and happy tractoring. Tell Thingy hi.
jdbower
Platinum Member
In the past I used to post on a website that had very little moderation, in the "Off Topic" section the only things that got deleted were X-rated pictures (but not links or R-rated pics) and personal threats (but not personal verbal attacks). That site, if I remember correctly, had about 1700 people when it reached critical mass and a pretty poor signal to noise ratio. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of good information there, but it was buried in a mountain of redundant questions and petty bickering.
TBN has a lot more moderation, but also a much higher signal to noise ratio even with 40,000 users. A lot of subjects that would be locked or deleted instantly on other non-political sites are allowed to run here (see the current gun rights vs. property rights discussion) - and to the credit of the TBN members they usually are a polite exchange of ideas and only need to be locked a small percentage of the time.
Another site I frequent has even more moderation (and a team of 40 moderators to do it!) but also has an exceptionally high SNR and we just passed 100,000 members. While one could argue that the more members a site has, and the more diverse that membership is, the more moderation is required but I believe it's the opposite. I think that the increased moderation of TBN and the 100k member site actually leads to a more civil and directed set of discussions which attract more users. And neither site has been overmoderated to the point where every post must be on-topic and useful lest it be deleted, there's still plenty of room for banter.
So in answer to your question, I don't need to be protected from any of the suggestions in the named thread but I also don't need to not be protected from it. I think TBN runs the risk of losing more members by not trying to stop certain content before it gets out of hand than they do by being a little too heavy handed. Even if the posts removed or edited were not very offensive (and I certainly can't judge that since I haven't read them) I've seen first hand how these things tend to spiral out of control quickly until it's much easier to remove the entire thread instead of trying to figure out who started what. Luckily the mods here have also discovered the useful trick of trying to guide the conversation in the appropriate direction and if more of an effort was made to keep "suggestive suggestions" out of the list less moderation of the thread would be required.
I also recognize that TBN has a very different set of demographics than a lot of other forums out there. One thing that may be an interesting compromise is an "adults only" forum that is hidden from users unless they agree to not complain about what they see and that they're over 18. Of course, it would still be up to the guys paying the bills (TBN and their advertisers) to determine what is and is not acceptable in this type of forum as well.
Even as a moderator on two other boards I've been moderated once or twice before I discovered the personalities involved and what is and is not acceptable - I just keep my definition of acceptable to the level the mods want. The important thing is not to take things personally, the forum just wants to present a certain image to the world. If you feel that there's something you want to share that's not a part of the TBN image you can also look into something like a Yahoo group you can invite your TBN friends to. It won't be the same as TBN, but it can supplement the incredibly useful information here with an "off topic" forum with your own flavor.
At any rate, hope you come back - it's always sad to see a member go!
TBN has a lot more moderation, but also a much higher signal to noise ratio even with 40,000 users. A lot of subjects that would be locked or deleted instantly on other non-political sites are allowed to run here (see the current gun rights vs. property rights discussion) - and to the credit of the TBN members they usually are a polite exchange of ideas and only need to be locked a small percentage of the time.
Another site I frequent has even more moderation (and a team of 40 moderators to do it!) but also has an exceptionally high SNR and we just passed 100,000 members. While one could argue that the more members a site has, and the more diverse that membership is, the more moderation is required but I believe it's the opposite. I think that the increased moderation of TBN and the 100k member site actually leads to a more civil and directed set of discussions which attract more users. And neither site has been overmoderated to the point where every post must be on-topic and useful lest it be deleted, there's still plenty of room for banter.
So in answer to your question, I don't need to be protected from any of the suggestions in the named thread but I also don't need to not be protected from it. I think TBN runs the risk of losing more members by not trying to stop certain content before it gets out of hand than they do by being a little too heavy handed. Even if the posts removed or edited were not very offensive (and I certainly can't judge that since I haven't read them) I've seen first hand how these things tend to spiral out of control quickly until it's much easier to remove the entire thread instead of trying to figure out who started what. Luckily the mods here have also discovered the useful trick of trying to guide the conversation in the appropriate direction and if more of an effort was made to keep "suggestive suggestions" out of the list less moderation of the thread would be required.
I also recognize that TBN has a very different set of demographics than a lot of other forums out there. One thing that may be an interesting compromise is an "adults only" forum that is hidden from users unless they agree to not complain about what they see and that they're over 18. Of course, it would still be up to the guys paying the bills (TBN and their advertisers) to determine what is and is not acceptable in this type of forum as well.
Even as a moderator on two other boards I've been moderated once or twice before I discovered the personalities involved and what is and is not acceptable - I just keep my definition of acceptable to the level the mods want. The important thing is not to take things personally, the forum just wants to present a certain image to the world. If you feel that there's something you want to share that's not a part of the TBN image you can also look into something like a Yahoo group you can invite your TBN friends to. It won't be the same as TBN, but it can supplement the incredibly useful information here with an "off topic" forum with your own flavor.
At any rate, hope you come back - it's always sad to see a member go!
Farmwithjunk
Super Member
I posted my thoughs earlier, then had second thoughts about my first thoughts.
OK. I've had a few minutes to think about it. Hoping I don't offend anyone, as that's not my intent, here we go.
This site doesn't belong to us. The owners have all the right in the world to say what goes and what stays. They allow moderators to read and judge what fits and what doesn't. By the fact that the moderators have been around for a while, the owners must be reasonably satisfied with the results. Any of us who want to "play" here have the right and/or responsibility to play by the rules, or we can take our game elsewhere. We choose which one.
In the end, MOST of what goes on here is pleasant, friendly, and informative. What I disagree with, I have control over what I decide to read or ignore. On the few occasions I crossed the line in the sand, and was told by moderators that I had done such, I never disagreed with that decision.
As is evidenced by several other sites I know of, failing to employ rules such as this site uses will result in total anarchy.
All said and done, we agreed to comply with the rules. When we decide that isn't in the cards, it's time to go elswhere.
I'm done with the soapbox, NEXT!
OK. I've had a few minutes to think about it. Hoping I don't offend anyone, as that's not my intent, here we go.
This site doesn't belong to us. The owners have all the right in the world to say what goes and what stays. They allow moderators to read and judge what fits and what doesn't. By the fact that the moderators have been around for a while, the owners must be reasonably satisfied with the results. Any of us who want to "play" here have the right and/or responsibility to play by the rules, or we can take our game elsewhere. We choose which one.
In the end, MOST of what goes on here is pleasant, friendly, and informative. What I disagree with, I have control over what I decide to read or ignore. On the few occasions I crossed the line in the sand, and was told by moderators that I had done such, I never disagreed with that decision.
As is evidenced by several other sites I know of, failing to employ rules such as this site uses will result in total anarchy.
All said and done, we agreed to comply with the rules. When we decide that isn't in the cards, it's time to go elswhere.
I'm done with the soapbox, NEXT!
motepoc
Bronze Member
When I don't like the TV show, I change the channel.
When I don't like what's being preached in church, I change churchs.
When I don't like something at one place, I go to another.
This is free and you don't owe anyone here a thing.
Wish you well, and hope you find a place you feel comfortable.
When I don't like what's being preached in church, I change churchs.
When I don't like something at one place, I go to another.
This is free and you don't owe anyone here a thing.
Wish you well, and hope you find a place you feel comfortable.
RoyJackson
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Farmwithjunk said:I posted my thoughs earlier, then had second thoughts about my first thoughts.
OK. I've had a few minutes to think about it. Hoping I don't offend anyone, as that's not my intent, here we go.
This site doesn't belong to us. The owners have all the right in the world to say what goes and what stays. They allow moderators to read and judge what fits and what doesn't. By the fact that the moderators have been around for a while, the owners must be reasonably satisfied with the results. Any of us who want to "play" here have the right and/or responsibility to play by the rules, or we can take our game elsewhere. We choose which one.
In the end, MOST of what goes on here is pleasant, friendly, and informative. What I disagree with, I have control over what I decide to read or ignore. On the few occasions I crossed the line in the sand, and was told by moderators that I had done such, I never disagreed with that decision.
As is evidenced by several other sites I know of, failing to employ rules such as this site uses will result in total anarchy.
All said and done, we agreed to comply with the rules. When we decide that isn't in the cards, it's time to go elswhere.
I'm done with the soapbox, NEXT!
Good points, Farm...I agree with you 100%
