Willallison
02-11-2010, 12:02 AM
I have lamented a number of times at the loss of one or other of our more prominent and knowledgeable contributors. I must sadly now report on the departure of PAR - one the most prolific and well-respected members of this forum. His loss will be felt by us all....
No... he's not dead!
...Just REALLY PISSED OFF at the lack of decorum that is becoming increasingly common.
We don't always agree with each other - nor should we. But let's all have the decency to 'speak' nicely to one another. When you post in a condescending manner, you demean nobody more than yourself. If I've been guilty of it in the past, let me publicly apologise and commit to trying not to do so in the future.
Play nice. Or piss off!
Thank you Will.
Losing a half dozen valuable members in the last year is not acceptable and a great loss to us all. We must do better going forward to refocus on constructive discussion. I ask for everyone's help to refocus on productive discussion that can benefit us all.
Matt said it eloquently and succinctly, so I hope he does not mind me quoting him here:
Thus, I encourage all to adopt some form of the following:
- I will only post material relevant to the topic of the thread, otherwise I will start a new thread for it.
- I will only answer questions if I have something helpful to say.
And perhaps most importantly:
- I will recognize that behind each screen name and avatar is a real person, with a real life, friends and family, who deserves my respect even if I don't agree with his/her opinions.
I ask everyone to be mindful of the forum rules. Please help us to keep threads informational, constructive, and on topic; respect your fellow forum members by not taking their question or discussion off-course with totally unrelated talk if it would be better handled in a PM to another member or by starting a new thread for the new idea.
I ask everyone to please be respectful to one another, even in disagreement. We can learn a lot from each other even if we sometimes disagree.
Historically one great aspect of our site is that it's allowed students or beginners to have a way to ask questions or gain guidance from a diverse group of professionals who graciously share their knowledge. Everyone starts somewhere, and allowing this connection is a great thing.
If you are new to the forum, I ask you to always be respectful and appreciative to those who take time from their own work to share their ideas.
If you are a student or beginner or new to the forum, please be mindful of what you are asking, ask specific questions, give your background and what work you have done and as much specific information as you can to make the question meaningful. If possible, post a drawing as an attachment to show what specifically you are asking about. And please always be polite and thankful to those who are taking their time away from paid work to help you.
I sincerely appreciate the help from each and every one of you reading this to keep things productive. I am also grateful to all those who contribute their time, experience, and knowledge to help so many others on the forum. Thank you.
Forum Rules
1.) Keep threads & posts on topic.
1a.) New threads must be on topic based on the forum title. A thread in the Boat Design forum must be about boat design. If you are asking about software, post in the software forum. Choose the one forum which is the best fit for your topic.
1b.) Respect the original poster of each thread – replies should be on topic with the original post in a thread. Replies must not derail or disrupt the thread discussion based on the original post. Otherwise, start a new thread of your own. (It is ok for threads to evolve as the discussion progresses, but a thread about keel design is no place for a post about American politics.)
1c.) Posts must be substantive to the forum and/or topic at hand. A little humor is ok, but only in the context of on-topic ideas or information. Posts should not be made that contain only a sarcastic jab or humorous remark with no new information or ideas. The Open Discussion forum is less focused than the others, but posts there are still to be on topics about boats or boating in general.
1d.) Language should be professional and understandable and must be in English as this is our only common language at this point in time.
1e.) No duplicate or cross-posting.
1f.) When starting a new thread, please use a descriptive title. As a thread title, "help me" is not very helpful to others quickly scanning the new posts of the day to see which threads they are able to offer helpful advice. (note post titles are fully optional within the thread; when starting a new thread however, please enter a short but descriptive title.)
The initial consequence of breaking the above rules is that the offending items will be deleted at the discretion of the moderator(s). Repeatedly breaking the above rules will lead to the termination of your login and being banned from the forum permanently at the discretion of the moderator(s) If you see a member breaking these rules as a habit, please report an offending post by clicking the "Flag for Moderator" icon http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/images/buttons/report.gif.
2.) Conduct must be conducive to sharing ideas and information 2a.) It is never acceptable to insult or attack other members. Constructive disagreement is healthy and beneficial to intelligent discussion but should be based always on ideas and factual information and never degenerate to a personal attack or insult.
A violation of the above may lead to the immediate termination or suspension of your login and being banned from the forum at the discretion of the moderator(s). More than one violation will mean the termination of your login and permanent banning from the forum. If you believe a post constitutes an attack against you or other violation, you are always welcome to report this using the "Flag for Moderator" icon on the top right of each post http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/images/buttons/report.gif.
