[Guest]

There are better ways to raise concerns than having a good ol' rant in the Announcement lounge (which I then moved here).

A few PMs would have been a lot better IMO.

We welcome discussion but if you were unclear about things that have happened, before posting about them you could have sought some clarity first.

Yeah I suppose so mate, I should have stuck it in the rant room first off really. I didn't realize how ranty it was gonna come off.

 

[Gibbo]

Darren I can understand why you feel awkward when people agree
with you in private but leave you on your own in public. Might even
seem cowardly.
I don't understand the recent move to discussing things pertaining to
the forum in private rather than openly on the forum. Or the apparant
stamping out of views not agreeing with admin. Or attempted
belittleing of posters expressing alternate opinions. That seems like a
change for the worse and a shame to me
I'm not going to express my views regarding the changes regarding
chat type threads yet. It's early days and we should give it a bit
more time to see how it pans out.
I've tried using the chat room on several occasions and find it quite
difficult to use. Which is a shame because that's probably the best
answer to this.
But the people here are the same as before the changes so we ought
to be able to make a go of it. We haven't changed have we??? But
that in itself may cause some people a problem :lol: I don't doubt that
some may have hoped that the changes would have made some of
us go away :lol:

 

[nomad]

I don't doubt that some may have hoped that the changes would have made some of us go away :lol:

What He Said !!

BTW To those who may have hoped that... FAT Chance !!

:lol:

Oh and I've tried to use the Chat Room in the past and found it to be pants !!

 

[kurzon]

I'm not alone in this, it's just no one else is going to make a stand as it were and say what they think.

So here's mine.

I think leaving a few threads like IPT/BORED/Pop-Tart thread would've have been okay. My problem was with the same people in these threads chatting in other concurrent threads about the same stuff, which meant, what with the list type threads which I posted a thread about, they "choked" WOT. Three or four I could live with. They now sit in EMOT. No chance of noobs to pop in and perhaps get a footing. They did you know and I think some joined the club because they got a feel of the community. Of course, it's not everyones cup of tea. If all of the "chatty bunch" chatted in the new Chat Thread, it would be unreadable because there are too many people. I do wonder also, what has happened to the "Ignore Thread" feature that was being looked at, possibly introduced? That on the said 3 or 4 chatty threads could have been easily used by those who find that level even irritating.

That all aside for the mo...

As a club, shouldn't the club members have been properly consulted, opinions solicited for the best way forward? Perhaps a poll on several available options? That sounds fair to me. It would have been more public and then no-one could really go against the majority decision unless they do really think they know best! I don't think I understand what this "club" thing is... if we aren't involved in some important decisions like this but perhaps that's another discussion entirely. [Not dictating how a club should run, simply don't know because I'm not part of any other and have no experience]

So now as an individual who posts in WOT, starts thread, has a chat & banter etc... what are the rules for a thread becoming too chatty and needing to be merged into the Chat Thread? Face it, merge anything into Chat, it's no different to putting it into the recycle bin and any link left, points to the first post in that thread, as I said here:-

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/anno...ments-and-comments/108874-threads-being-merged-into-the-chat-thread-in-wot.html

Might as well be deleted for all intense purposes.

So I start a thread with a subject and being WOT, some take it a little off topic and start chatting, having banter - at what point do I, if I so wish to save the impending doom of my thread, go in and say "Please people, back on topic or this thread is going to get merged [well deleted really]" Is it after 4 or 5 posts or two or three days of continuous off-topic talk/banter?

I seriously don't think this has been thought through properly. I need clarification on at least the last part where a thread is deemed a candidate for merger.

Anyone else feel a bit uneasy about what to say or do in WOT threads now because of?

MHO.

May also ask ... when "pagers" became too chatty, will they be merged too? Just in case, you know how it is

 

[nomad]

Nice post K :thumbs:

And I agree totally BTW

 

[Hunter]

Yes - a well balanced view.:thumbs:
I agree with it.
Clarity of some kind needs to be sought.

 

[Gibbo]

I think Kurzon has made some very good points there

Well done bot :thumbs:

 

[Snokio]

Indeed, some very valid points there K :thumbs:

Also, Can I add, I have always thought that the AO chat was a good idea, however, when i pop in there every now and again, no one is in there

I may of mentioned this before, but I think if there was some sort of infomation/indicator on the main page to show activity ('AO chat - No users online'), more will make use of it ! well, I know i would

 

[Squadrone Rosso]

Opinions are like a**eholes Darren. Everyone has one but sometimes they are best hidden. If you'd have bothered to read the announcement that BigFoot posted in the Way Off Topic lounge, you will have seen that paying club members are entitled to drivel away to their hearts consent in the Even More Off Topic lounge.
http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/way-off-topic/108564-wot-announcement.html

The merging of the numerous chat threads into one is to help cut out the formation of these 'cliques' you speak of.

HTH

Infraction for Bobda Avoiding the swear sensors:lol:

 

[Guest]

Can't put this better than K so well done to him. :thumbs:

I sympathise Darren and don't think it even remotely appropriate that Bobda should heve even referred to infractions with regard to this matter.

FWIW, I have had the impression for quite some time that moderator activity has tended to stifle any open discussion of where the forum is going, especially if it may be in any way critical. What else is a forum for if we cannot be open about matters? PMs to mods and others don't help us all to gauge the general level of feeling about forum issues. Could there be an element of "divide and rule" here?

 

[Guest]

Totally agree with Kurzon, and Mudhut you are also bang on, lets not forget who make AO what it is. Things change and develop over time, but please AO dont lose sight of what attracted most of us here in the first place, its not just a car forum its a whole virtual community that has been created.

 

[nomad]

Well Said Ray :thumbs:

 

[EVEL]

So here's mine.

I think leaving a few threads like IPT/BORED/Pop-Tart thread would've have been okay. My problem was with the same people in these threads chatting in other concurrent threads about the same stuff, which meant, what with the list type threads which I posted a thread about, they "choked" WOT. Three or four I could live with. They now sit in EMOT. No chance of noobs to pop in and perhaps get a footing. They did you know and I think some joined the club because they got a feel of the community. Of course, it's not everyones cup of tea. If all of the "chatty bunch" chatted in the new Chat Thread, it would be unreadable because there are too many people.

Have to agree with Kurzon on this one .

 

[GJ]

I for one would certainly like some clarification of where AO is going with these changes.

The friendly feel of this place is one of my main reasons for posting here as a member.

Unfortunately the recent changes and the way in which they have been promulgated leave me with the feeling of having done something wrong.

Yes AO is a car forum and the technical side of it is pretty good.

There are even reps willing to give up their time to organise meets if that is your cup of tea.

AO, for me, has always been analogous to a friendly pub where there are groups of people chatting. Some drift from group to group whilst others stay firmly in their comfort zone.... and there are even one or two individuals who like to create a bit of friction.

But it's a friendly place where newcomers can wander in and join any particular group they choose.

We now appear to have the situation where there is one enormous 'chat' group which will inevitably be monopolised (no offence meant to anybody) by a few and where the hubbub of chat makes it difficult for newcomers to identify with a friendly 'face' or group.

The thought of starting any thread in 'way off topic' now leaves me wondering where the so-called drivel line is?

In addition we have a 'snug' (EMOT), for paying members only, where apparently anything goes?

As has been said in a previous post 'some clarification is needed'.

 

[Guest]

I'm glad there are quite a few people that agree with me on this one, it's nice that I'm not alone in the way I feel.

Perhaps my initial post was overly ranty, but that's only because I was maybe thinking about it a little 'too' much when I first wrote it.

As has been said by a few already, the thing that attracts people to this forum isn't just the fact they own an Alfa. Well, it probably is, but it isn't what keeps them here. The banter and friendly atmosphere did.

I say 'did' because in my opinion the forum is starting to appear slightly like a dictatorship. I use this word of course extremely loosely because it isn't quite that bad just yet. But it certainly looks as though it's heading that way.

And I believe that to be threatened with infractions after quite a snide, patronizing and egotistical post was issued by the person threatening me with them is somewhat ironic.

I'm not sure where all of the AO 'Politics' has sprung from, and I understand that we can't have another Pistonheads on our hands of course, but this merging of all the chat threads really wasn't a good idea in mine and many others opinions.

Luckily for me some members with guts who do feel the same as me have come forward, and I take my hat off to them, but those who haven't come forward and said anything, when I know for a fact they've seen this thread and agree with me, comes across cowardly.

Even within this very thread people have opted to take a very defensive approach to arguing their case, which is fair enough I guess, but as I've stated quite a few times I am airing a personal opinion on a public forum.

If anyone is offended by what I've said then I apologize, but this is just how I feel on the matter.

 

[Guest]

Luckily for me some members with guts who do feel the same as me have come forward, and I take my hat off to them, but those who haven't come forward and said anything, when I know for a fact they've seen this thread and agree with me, comes across cowardly.

Even within this very thread people have opted to take a very defensive approach to arguing their case, which is fair enough I guess, but as I've stated quite a few times I am airing a personal opinion on a public forum.

Easy Darren.

You have to allow people to express themselves in a way they feel comfortable with right up to deciding that they agree but choose not to openly support your position. It doesn't have to be cowardice - they might not be willling to declare their positions for any number of reasons. They just might not feel as strongly as you about it all.

I intend to just let things settle and see how things are at subscription renewal time. We don't really know what effect the changes will have in any more than the immediate aftermath. You may be proved right but the longer term effects may indeed make this a better place. We'll just have to see how it goes.

 

[ludite]

Hi,All
As a none paying member I can see
that those who have paid
should have a better service
than I.

For those who say please pay
I can only say that that
I lack the qwerty skills
too keep up with any chat rooms,

So I guess you could say
I`m a parasite doing neither
wrong or right.

the curse of being a luddite.

John

("would like to stay around if I may? )
J.T.L.

 

[Guest]

I think that's the thing though Mudhut, I don't feel all that strongly about it in the first place, it's just an opinion I had at the time (And still do) so I said it. That's all. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

I believe that people should be able to say whatever they want, as long as it doesn't discriminate or offend others. And of course, must be said within reason. But I had a legitimate concern and feeling about the turn of events around here.

Sadly, not being a fully paid up member doesn't give me the complete rights to say what I want according to some. I'm told to pay up so I can use the other WOT topics, and I'm like 'Why?'.

I know of quite a few people who have been pushed into becoming a member by fellow members on the forum for one reason or another, and I'm not going to be one of these people.

I'm often hit with 'You love this place but aren't a paying member?'. There's always been a slightly discriminative view taken upon those who aren't paid up members by the longer standing members I feel. Might be wrong, but once again, just an opinion.

 

[alfaholic]

I'm glad there are quite a few people that agree with me on this one, it's nice that I'm not alone in the way I feel.

You're not alone Darren.

In my opinion, I'm not sure about having the 'chatty' threads merged ...perhaps making a new lounge and putting them in there so those involved could still gabble away in the original threads to their hearts content would have been better.

 

[Gibbo]

Might be wrong, but once again, just an opinion.

I think you might well be wrong on this point Darren. I'm sure you'll have been asked repeatedly to join but I doubt there is any discrimination against you chap