What TBN use to be like

[deerefan]

It is not just political subjects.

My county has a privately run chatlist and website that covers our county and local issues. Both places are famous for incivility. Most of it is certainly political, our local politics is VERY divisive because of a group that took over county government a few elections back, the personal attacks and lies told that were used back then have continued and greatly split my county. However, there is more to the incivility than politics. Partly it is the mode of communication. People will say things on the Internet that they would not say in person.

The local chatlist is finishing up on the latest subject that devolved into rudeness. A woman mentioned that she saw a rabid raccoon running across the road and she tried to hit it with her car. When I saw the post I knew the poo was going to hit the fan. People started to attack her for trying to kill the raccoon. Of course she defended herself and it got ugly. The woman was simply trying to warn people that she saw a rabid raccoon but then people attacked her. Now, HOW she knew the coon was rabid is a good question but instead of asking the lady how she knew the coon was sick, they just attacked her. Then they started implying that the lady would try to hit dogs that were running loose because they might have rabies. :shocked:

The internet makes it too easy to be rude and snarky. I often find myself following my granny's advice, "If you don't have anything nice to say, then do not say anything."

Later,
Dan

The internet gives cowards the chance to be bold. Lots of "tough guys" and "experts" hiding behind those keyboards. Civility gets put aside when not speaking face to face.

 

[dmccarty]

TBN has grown from a wee little home school project into a place where thousands of people now hang out. It only takes a few bad apples....

There are very few bad apples on TBN. I do think people offend or get offended too easily because of the written word which is understandable since it is easy to read more into a sentence than the writer intended. What I don't see much of if any on TBN is real name calling. I don't see people calling other people dummy or worse.

The local chatlist and website I mentioned in my previous post is very much full of posts of name calling and personal attacks. I have had TBNers offer me the use of tools to solve a problem! That person only knows me through TBN and would not know me if I walked by them or vice versa. I have NEVER EVER seen anyone offer another person the use of tools to a person on the local website. Never. There have been quite a few TBNer meetings and group projects over the years which is something I have never seen on our local website which is sad and pathetic.

TBN is a pretty remarkable place on the Internet.

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

The internet gives cowards the chance to be bold. Lots of "tough guys" and "experts" hiding behind those keyboards. Civility gets put aside when not speaking face to face.

Yes, it certainly does. There is one women on the local website who has to be a miserable human being. She has multiple IDs to access the site but everyone recognizes the IDs are from the same person. Some people know her real name and her online persona is what she is like in person. Sad.

We had a very divisive event last year. A church wanted to move its private school into an unused building in town. Supporters put up posters for the school and one day a person was caught on video tape pulling down the posters. I think she did this because she thought there was no one around to see what she was doing. When it was asked WHY she was pulling down the signs, she denied pulling down the signs. You would have thought if she found the posters so offensive she would have admitted what she was doing... But what would one expect a bigot to do when caught red handed.

Later,
Dan

 

[Tig]

TBN is still the nicest site I've found. One thing I learned from other forums is to use the ignore list at the first sign of trouble. While I respect everyone's right to an opinion on any given subject, I now try to stay away from opinions of opinions. It's just too easy for it to become a fight. The ignore list helps keep me out of those.
It's no different than at home. If I don't fight back, then there is no fight.

 

[rekees4300]

This board was a fun, friendly, family like place.

IMO it still is and posts insinuating that it isn't are self-fulfilling.

 

[MarkV]

Like a couple of others I have been on the site from a time before it was TBN. I think it has changed or maybe I have changed. I don't post as often and rarely give advice in the field I worked in for decades, too many outside of the field try to tell me how little I know when I do. Maybe they are right but it worked for me and I know I helped some back when everyone respected each other on the forum. Of course back in the day when the forum started there were just a few hundred of us and now there are something over 170,000 members. There isn't near as much tractor talk as there was at one time which is why I joined so my interests are not here as much as they were. Even on this tread, which I considered a non controversial subject, there have been some shots taken at individuals and the way the forum is run. It is a shame that things evolved that way, I guess it is just the way it is. There was a time when if someone posted something you didn't necessarily agree with you would respect their opinion and not feel compelled to tell them they were wrong. Now it seems many are driven to have the final word regardless. No, I don't think TBN is what it use to be even if that is considered self fulfilling statement.

MarkV

 

[Soundguy]

man.. that brings back memories... i see mr jimmi signed like 2 lines under me... wow...

 

[Soundguy]

Well, it bewilders me how some people can call on line people friends.
Don't we have to meet the person, shake their hand and so forth
to be friends?
It still was thoughtfull that a few people sent him cards.

one of my best friends I met on a internet tractor board.

he lives in indiana.

we talk on the phone weekly.. emaill each other daily talking tractors.

he's sent me hyds parts for my tractor before.. I've sent him home-made soap and local honey. at christmas we exchange small family to family gifts. we've sent each other a family picture..e tc.

I've never met the guy face to face. i know all of his kids names.. etc.

he's as real a friend as the guys I go play cards with on sunday.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

TBN is still the nicest site I've found. One thing I learned from other forums is to use the ignore list at the first sign of trouble. While I respect everyone's right to an opinion on any given subject, I now try to stay away from opinions of opinions. It's just too easy for it to become a fight. The ignore list helps keep me out of those.
It's no different than at home. If I don't fight back, then there is no fight.

Not to be argumentative, and I understand the reason for the "ignore", but I have never found that necessary. I have taken quite a few slings and arrows, but certainly not as many as some. I try not to lose my cool, but I do like my rebuttal, unless I am totally off the mark. When a discussion turns into a battle of insults, I just decline to participate. There are no rewards, only a way to waste your time and energy on someone who dotes on the attention. No one wins a battle of insults. I have found that the gentlemen on TBN far out number the Cretins.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

man.. that brings back memories... i see mr jimmi signed like 2 lines under me... wow...

Yeah, I miss his posts Frank F-15 was another fellow who I got to know on here and lived about 30 minutes away. He passed away a couple years ago as well. Met with him and a few others on a few occasions for breakfast. Heck, I still have the Tractor Shop magazine with a freshly painted Florida Ford on its cover that belongs to a fellow TBN member :laughing: