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hellphish
03-19-2008, 04:10 PM
I've had a lot of fun on these boards, I've meet some really great friends through here, but I think it is time for me to move on. This will be my last post.

It has been brought to my attention that I come off as combative, demeaning, rude, or hostile, and I don't wish to burden any of the great, great people of this site with my presence any longer. I have been on and off moderation several times, for being disruptive, ruining threads, etc. I've tried my best to moderate my own behavior, but even when I think I am doing fine, it turns out I am not.

This post is not a gripe about the moderators of Segway Chat. They do the best job they can.

This is a great website, and has been a fantastic resource for me as a Segway owner. I've been doing a lot of introspection lately, and I've determined that I am simply incompatible with the Segway community as it exists on the internet. I don't think I've ever offended any of you in real-life (I hope!) but here it is a different story. I don't wish to make this place worse, only to make it better, but I fail in that regard. Consistently. Set sail for fail, as it were.

Like I said, I have made great friends through this site, and only just started to make friends with more of you. I will still be around, lurking, and my interest in Segways has never been stronger than it is now.

I want to be able to keep in contact with you. Unfortunately, at the moment, I am unable to send emails or PM's to other users, so if you'd like to keep in touch, PLEASE send me a PM with your contact info and I will save it.

Farewell, SegwayChat. It's been a fun few years.




Segwaiian
03-19-2008, 07:24 PM
Aloha, hellphish.

Sorry, I tried to PM you but I received an error message that you've either chosen not to receive PMs or are not allowed to send/receive them.

Ultimately, we're all here because of the glide.

Glide on,
Roger

jryan
03-19-2008, 07:27 PM
For what it's worth I have not found you disruptive, but then again, I suppose I do not always view things as others. Regardless, I wish you the best in your endeavors! Maybe one of these years I will see you at fest! Regardless, I can't send you a pm so if you ever wanna contact me my e-mail address is jryan_Winston@yahoo.com! Have a good one hellphish!


Jeremy Ryan

BillPaxton
03-19-2008, 07:47 PM
The only flaw I see is impetuousness, and it runs rampit here - I would urge you to give it a month, rethink things, and see what happens. Its worked for me twice.
If your decision is final, so be it, but in either case I wish you well and since I cant PM, please IM me or email whenever you like.

Safe journeys...

+B

wwhopper
03-19-2008, 07:53 PM
He just is not able to send them

His ID and account will stay active as long as he wishes, so he can always visit as well as post.

Zorba9
03-19-2008, 07:57 PM
I've been around here for 5 years and have seen many people come and go. I chime in only occasionally on subjects that are dear to me. The attitudes and apptitudes of ALL the members here are what makes this an interesting forum. The local color is why I read SC on a regular basis, Hellphish you've been part of that. You're always quite lucid and have your own unique brand of individuality. I think you should stick around and continue being yourself!

KOG

JohnG
03-19-2008, 08:12 PM
Hellphish, I wish you the best and please know that if you ever want to chat about Segways in the future, we will always be here... :)

John

terryp
03-20-2008, 12:09 AM
I don't recall ever finding your posts to be offensive (although your avitar was a little annoying ;-). Hope you have a change of heart and come back soon. In the meantime, glide safe.

SEGsby
03-20-2008, 12:43 AM
How strange. I actually enjoyed having heated discussions with you on a myriad of minutia no one else cared about...

But I don't understand the need for your being moderated. I haven't had that happen to me yet-- which seems really strange, given my tendency for confrontational discourse and unpopular views. Ask anybody. So your situation both surprises & puzzles me. I imagine you probably have some "h8trs" out there, riding you. :( I just ignore them, as I don't participate here to win contests (unlike some others I know... or knew?).

Though you haven't yet met me in person (I'm not REALLY that evil), or participated in a group glide that I've attended; I would welcome such an interaction with you, when I again have the time to participate in such things.

You will be missed and your absence robs us all, but you know yourself better than anyone in what you're comfortable with-- so I trust your introspection & judgment on the matter.

All my best,
SEGsby




I've had a lot of fun on these boards, I've meet some really great friends through here, but I think it is time for me to move on. This will be my last post.

It has been brought to my attention that I come off as combative, demeaning, rude, or hostile, and I don't wish to burden any of the great, great people of this site with my presence any longer. I have been on and off moderation several times, for being disruptive, ruining threads, etc. I've tried my best to moderate my own behavior, but even when I think I am doing fine, it turns out I am not.

This post is not a gripe about the moderators of Segway Chat. They do the best job they can.

This is a great website, and has been a fantastic resource for me as a Segway owner. I've been doing a lot of introspection lately, and I've determined that I am simply incompatible with the Segway community as it exists on the internet. I don't think I've ever offended any of you in real-life (I hope!) but here it is a different story. I don't wish to make this place worse, only to make it better, but I fail in that regard. Consistently. Set sail for fail, as it were.

Like I said, I have made great friends through this site, and only just started to make friends with more of you. I will still be around, lurking, and my interest in Segways has never been stronger than it is now.

I want to be able to keep in contact with you. Unfortunately, at the moment, I am unable to send emails or PM's to other users, so if you'd like to keep in touch, PLEASE send me a PM with your contact info and I will save it.

Farewell, SegwayChat. It's been a fun few years.

PeteInLongBeach
03-20-2008, 03:21 AM
Three major contributors leave the forum in the last week...
How often does THAT happen?

segsurfer
03-20-2008, 08:50 AM
I'm sorry that you are leaving Hellphish, I hope that you will continue to glide and continue to be active in the segway community.

peace,
-segsurfer

KSagal
03-20-2008, 08:51 AM
Three major contributors leave the forum in the last week...
How often does THAT happen?


From my observation, people come and leave all the time.

What makes this a bit different, is that people have announced their departure, instead of leaving.

If a person does not find it of value to come to this site, then they would naturally stop comming here. I have many sites that I used to go to, that for some reason, my attention changes, and I do not go there anymore...

However, when a person does not leave, but instead starts waving flags and announcing their departure, then that is not about leaving, but about them making a statement.

Each of us will have to decide how to interpret that statement.

nora k
03-20-2008, 08:57 AM
Three major contributors leave the forum in the last week...
How often does THAT happen?


pete, i give you my word i am not trying to be offensive. i have tried to write this three ways without being snarky or sardonic. this might be the best i can come up with.

it probably happens more often than we know because new users are seldom welcomed into the fold and leave before they can have a major impact.

so three people with high post count announce their departure and it's a big deal, but there are people with lower post count whose posts have been content driven who have also gone with nary a whisper in their direction. writing before you leave and then continuing to login after you leave isn't leaving - it just isn't posting.

JohnG
03-20-2008, 09:06 AM
All the time. Most just don't bother with a "good bye" post (in fact, such posts are *not* the norm at SC, but once you see one member do it, others see that it's okay to do it too).

Members come and go all the time. Members who've said "good bye" to us years ago find their way back here, because this is the only large enough online community of Segway enthusiasts and owners to have actual interesting conversations. (In fact, more than one recent member who've said "good bye" recently still logs in and reads every day, so they really haven't "left" after all!)

John

BillK
03-20-2008, 11:02 AM
You know (after reading Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn) I think it would be good to attend your own funeral. You get to see what effect you had on people, and what they said about you after you've gone.

To some extent here if you say "good-bye" and then lurk you can see what people said about you, what they thought about you and if you really were missed or if people sniped at you when they thought you "left".

;)
naw.... I'm staying - at least for a while.
Bill

KSagal
03-20-2008, 11:34 AM
You know (after reading Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn) I think it would be good to attend your own funeral. You get to see what effect you had on people, and what they said about you after you've gone.

To some extent here if you say "good-bye" and then lurk you can see what people said about you, what they thought about you and if you really were missed or if people sniped at you when they thought you "left".

;)
naw.... I'm staying - at least for a while.
Bill


This is an interesting thought. It is nice to announce that "I am leaving" and then hang around to see what people say... Hoping, I guess for pleas to reconsider...

What would happen instead if after a person announced that, we all just threw clumps of dirt at them, as is not uncommon at a funeral...

This whole line of reasoning reminds me of the stories of people who have escape tunnels attached to their coffins, or bells on the inside, incase they were just kidding and were taken seriously...

For me, if I am mad at someone, I tell them. I may hammer dead issues till I am ignored, or may sometimes actually make a difference. Either way, I do not deny my attendance at a place that I feel strongly about, nor deny others the pleasure of my presence. That would be uncivil of me, and a burden too high for others to be able to tollerate.

In my humble opinion, the pain of my attendance is less than the pain of my absence on this site...

SEGsby
03-20-2008, 12:24 PM
I think it would be fair to say that would depend greatly on who you asked... ;)

SEGsby

...

In my humble opinion, the pain of my attendance is less than the pain of my absence on this site...

nora k
03-20-2008, 12:47 PM
For me, if I am mad at someone, I tell them. I may hammer dead issues till I am ignored, or may sometimes actually make a difference. Either way, I do not deny my attendance at a place that I feel strongly about, nor deny others the pleasure of my presence. That would be uncivil of me, and a burden too high for others to be able to tollerate.

I think it would be fair to say that would depend greatly on who you asked... ;)

SEGsby

the bolded line is the one that made me all out smile.

BillPaxton
03-20-2008, 01:00 PM
the bolded line is the one that made me all out smile.
I wondered if anyone noticed that, along with the word "humble" further down! :D Karl's a hoot, I can't wait till SF

Timezkware Tim
03-20-2008, 02:05 PM
OK. One more post to set the record straight...

Speaking for myself, I don't post but still occassionally lurk simply because posting takes too much time. I like reading opinions and Segway news, but I no longer have the time to stop and have conversations. I also lurk CNN and ESPN SPORTS. They also have forums I don't post in. There are only so many hours in the day.

There are a lot of great posters I've met here at SC, and a lot of great info I've gotten from this site. For that. I say thank you.

And to be sure, the Tom Sawyer, coming to your own funeral analogy was funny, but not the case. I'm still alive, but I have to limit the sites I post in if I want to have a life, lol.

And Karl, I not waving a flag, I'm just saying bye after 940 posts. You have to admit that after 5000 posts it would be weird if you just disappeared one day like a lookie-loo who just got here last week. If you decided to leave, I'm sure you would also say bye.

And to all you So Cal gliders, if you haven't met me and see an orange and blue i167/170/180 hybrid tooling down the boardwalk, glide up and say hi.

The boardwalk is my freeway. :)

Tim

MJEdelman
03-20-2008, 04:56 PM
I've had a lot of fun on these boards, I've meet some really great friends through here, but I think it is time for me to move on. This will be my last post.

...

Farewell, SegwayChat. It's been a fun few years.

I think you should reconsider...

bvelke
03-20-2008, 06:05 PM
I confess that I too have one foot out the door. Unlike hellphish, I've been here less than a year and nobody will miss me but I have come to understand why I've seen at least four longstanding members leave recently in search of an adult Segway community.

This feedback forum is one thing - but the "Segway Forums" can be friendly, helpful, and informative without devolving into the personal playgrounds of a few individuals. The thread there which is NOT hijacked repeatedly seems to be the exception to the rule. I don't envy the moderators who, however hard they try, seem to be fighting a losing battle. Although they rarely have anything constructive to add to the discussion, some people seem to feel compelled to add some inane chatter to each and every thread! I belong to a lot of forums (and run two myself) and I've never seen anything like the Romper Room atmosphere that often prevails within the on-topic forums of this site.

It is getting harder and harder to find the kernels of good information among the mountains of excrement. I don't think that it will be worth it much longer...

-Bob

JohnG
03-20-2008, 06:39 PM
It's a frustration of everyone, moderators included, that some people feel like they need to "chime in" on virtually every thread, whether their comments are on-topic or not. SC probably suffers a little more from this than many communities, and I'm sorry about that... outside of reminding members to try and not take any given thread "off topic," there's not a lot we can do.

John

bvelke
03-20-2008, 09:06 PM
It's a frustration of everyone, moderators included, that some people feel like they need to "chime in" on virtually every thread, whether their comments are on-topic or not. SC probably suffers a little more from this than many communities, and I'm sorry about that... outside of reminding members to try and not take any given thread "off topic," there's not a lot we can do.
With all due respect, there's lots that you can do. You can warn them, moderate them if the behavior continues, and then ban them if they refuse to cooperate. Continually reminding them clearly isn't sufficient and that strategy is leading to a lot of people leaving the board.

The polyurethane tire thread has now been hijacked a THIRD time by people who have nothing to say about polyurethane tires and would rather debate whether a request that posters stay on-topic is "combative."

sigh

-Bob

BillPaxton
03-21-2008, 12:25 AM
With all due respect, there's lots that you can do. You can warn them, moderate them if the behavior continues, and then ban them if they refuse to cooperate. Continually reminding them clearly isn't sufficient and that strategy is leading to a lot of people leaving the board.

The polyurethane tire thread has now been hijacked a THIRD time by people who have nothing to say about polyurethane tires and would rather debate whether a request that posters stay on-topic is "combative."

sigh

-Bob
Bob, I dont know you so I dont know where this comes from. May I be so bold as to ask what you would do? I run a vB too, and I have several friends that do as well. I would like to pass your sage wisdom of how you can do it better on to my peers, please.
A thread got derailed? SHUT DOWN THE FORUM
I'm just trying to make a point - honestly, do you think SC is the mods means of income? Do you think it supercedes their families?
This is ridiculous, I refuse to sit silenty anymore. I am calling BS on you

bvelke
03-21-2008, 01:02 AM
I would like to pass your sage wisdom of how you can do it better on to my peers, please.
I believe I've already answered that.
A thread got derailed? SHUT DOWN THE FORUM
You'll notice that shutting down the forum was not one of the responses that I suggested.
I'm just trying to make a point
...but making mine instead.

Have a nice day.

-Bob

pam
03-21-2008, 07:16 AM
Bob,
I guess it's my turn to step in.

These forums are not technical in nature. We have some technical information, but by and large we are about community, not about regimentation. There are advantages and disadvantages in this, as you can probably guess. We tend to be more "technical" when a new model is released and we're finding out about it, and more community when it's been a while since a model has been released, and there's not much new to talk about, although members will answer questions of newbies.

Members tend to be enthusiastic, highly intelligent and somewhat volatile - maybe those are hallmarks of early adopters :). Although you wouldn't know it from the series of overly dramatic posts we've had lately over moderation/leaving, we do tend to moderate fairly lightly on these forums.

Friendships form, people tend to do stream of consciousness posting, and for me that's fine. Obviously, we'd like the thread to stay on topic, but as long as members are civil to each other and the thread starts in the right forum, we pretty much let it be. If it goes way off topic and OBVIOUSLY belongs in another forum, after a day or two, the whole thread will get moved. Most questions can be answered in two or three posts. After that, what you often will find is community - people relating to other people.

Since community is such a big part of the group, it may be a different type of forum that you're looking for - as I said earlier - one more technical or regimented in nature. Or, if you want to tease that kind of information out from the various members/posts here, you can probably get it. But, by and large, I doubt that the community will change - Just something to consider.

Pam

Mr_Laurenzano
03-21-2008, 07:24 AM
I yie yie. I shouldnt start a poll right now should I.

~the one on the segway. Next to the mouse.

Segway Chat
Where the hours go by like minutes, and the minutes like days.

Have a nice day
If you can't oh well.
Crash