Member input wanted! New WS&S Rules Thread

briangandrews said:
......My opinion is that the more rules there are, the harder they are to enforce, and in the end, the less interested users there will be.

.......this is the internet, and you are not going to avoid opinion, speculation and other such nonsense.

........I do not mean to start any arguments. However, if we start enforcing "rules" I think it is something that is going to have to be done equally, or it can get quite ugly.

In general, I think this is one of the best internet crowds to be around. We don't start bashing, we don't start arguments, and we all seem open to difference of opinions. IMO, that is what really matters.

B
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I agree 100% with everything Brian said and most of what everyone else said. I cringed when I saw the title on this thread. This really is a well-mannered and well-meaning bunch.

Honestly, if we lost the freedom to govern our own behavior here, it would be the push I need to spend less time at the keyboard and more time messing with other gear, but the familial atmosphere is pretty priceless and is hard to wander away from. I think that the "rule" of deleting pics, for example, is a fine idea, but I would prefer to see one of the forum-members politely suggest that one exercise such a curtousy rather than a mod, and I think it would be recieved better - no bruises. "Dude! Man, could you delete the extra pics when you quote? I enjoy reading your responses but I'm on dial-up and I fall asleep waiting for the pics to load again.:foot:"
 
Esav Benyamin said:
....sometimes posting very briefly or without thinking through what they want to say..... :)
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Not me! Usually, by the time I am finished re-reading, re-writing and making sure I make sense and don't offend someone, two or three other posts appear under the one I am responding to.:o

Re., the point about not getting "hung up" about calling them "rules."
 
briangandrews said:
Either something is going to be done to change habit, in which case a rule will have to be defined and enforced, or else nothing will happen. If nothing is going to happen, then what are we discussing?
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I don't know Brian, when I first started posting here I was schooled once by Esav on posting links with no input following it. I have never done it since.
I don't think anybody for the most part means to break a rule or have poor etiquit while posting. Being told once is usually going to work for the most part.
 
How about you cannot recommend any survival advice unless you have been stranded, lost, or misguided and have used that survival method in the real world. This should eliminate all of the "which knife would be the best defense against bears", "these are the reasons why a folder is not a survival knife", "Look at this huge backpack full of survival gear that I am going to carry with me whenever I leave my house", "here is my BOB, should I put 1,000 or 2,000 rounds of .308 ammo in for my heavy barreled sniper rifle with a 60mm objective scope" threads...
 
I think it is cool of BF to offer the opporunity for buy in from the users :thumbup:

Honestly, I really like the way it is handled currently -very easy atmosphere -
Would like to thank the mods for how you have handled up till now.
It is also kind of cool how usually the seasoned members kind of "watch the herd" if you will, and do a pretty good job of keeping the peace IMO.

I do however like the suggestions mentioned with regard to the re-post of pics / and requiring descriptions of links posted.

TGIF.
 
First of all no dissing of the all powerfu Mora, Seriously though I love this place...Folks seem to get a bit sore over gear arguments... Gear is great..That's what brought us all hear Personally I'd like to see more skill based threads.. and I wish that rescueriley idiot would learn how to post pics already...Man he's such a Tool.
 
tonym said:
I don't know Brian, when I first started posting here I was schooled once by Esav on posting links with no input following it. I have never done it since.
I don't think anybody for the most part means to break a rule or have poor etiquit while posting. Being told once is usually going to work for the most part.
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I don't disagree with you at all.

But, the real rub here is "are we really going to define that tightly our behavior here?" I mean, isn't that what this thread is about? Establishing....something?

Not everyone here is going to read this. Therefore, some group is going to be required to "police" whatever is put in place by this thread. Which means, rules, moderation, and all the stuff that I am speaking against.

If we don't do that, and rely on the fine people of this forum (such as Esav and yourself) commenting to people to use common sense and not to post links without supporting information...... do we really need to talk about it here? It is already happening.

I still argue that we are a pretty darn good, self regulating group here.
 
I agree with trying to keep the forum on topic.

But this forum, like several others on BF, are their own little world. There are so many topics covered in this forum from knives to survival, hunting, gear, knives, hiking, primitive skills, knives.....:D The HI forum has the Cantina for off topic posts....maybe we need the same?

This is one of the most heavily visited forums on the site. I'd vote for an off-topic sub forum. :thumbup:
 
I think that a no bashing others outdoors endeavors rule should be put in place. It's common sense, but some topics seem to degrade pretty quick (like the thread about the pistolero board member taking that squirrel on a bet at some extended distance). Different strokes for different folks- there is a lot of diverse reasons why members hit the woods- we all might not always be in line with one another. While most folks are usually pretty good about this, I think codifying it will make it a better understood community standard.
 
briangandrews said:
If we don't do that, and rely on the fine people of this forum (such as Esav and yourself) commenting to people to use common sense and not to post links without supporting information...... do we really need to talk about it here? It is already happening.
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Hmm good point. I guess we're are going to have to see what thoughts get compiled here and which are taken to become actual rules.

Courtesies I guess can be brought to the attention of the poster by whom ever catches it first, like Jeff stated.

In regards to me being a fine person such as Esav:o I can't even rhyme;) but thanks anyway:)
 
Not a rule but I would like to see a sub forum setup dealing strictly with preparedness. Wilderness and survival and preparedness while sharing common ground are different and require different skill sets.
 
I see passions running deep here as far as enjoying the outdoors and wanting to share that with others, through pictures, deeds, and stories. I appreciate the laid back atmosphere and the camaraderie we enjoy. I hang here more than any other spot on BF, for several reasons: the easy-going nature of the people here, the photos, the gear recommendations, and the skills I can read about and go outside to try for myself.

I have the feeling that this group is one that opens its arms to newbies and chides gently for the most part. I have seen fights occur here and seen mods jump in to break up the brawls. Brian and Kev seem laid back yet unafraid to intervene if necessary.

I like the sub-forum idea, but it would have to be delineated for certain subjects or this main forum might just turn into a wasteland. HI has a primary forum purpose, W&SS isn't selling anything. Perhaps pics on main forum page and reviews, recommendations, off topic stuff on other page?
 
Rockywolf said:
I like the sub-forum idea, but it would have to be delineated for certain subjects or this main forum might just turn into a wasteland. HI has a primary forum purpose, W&SS isn't selling anything. Perhaps pics on main forum page and reviews, recommendations, off topic stuff on other page?
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Good summary. I don't see a subforum for W&SS but that's up to Spark. First we would have to agree on what the subforum would cover and then prove we generate enough posts to justify it. Many of those posts might be better off in Community Center or Gadgets & Gear or Knife reviews & Testing.

I know there is a tendency in forums like W&SS and HI and Busse to want it all, to make them into mini-websites separate from the rest of BF. There are obvious problems with that, for one, we lose the outreach to new people.

Instead ... maye we need to use the prefixes more productively. That still leaves a busy forum, but one easier to find relevent topics. Right now, this is what we have available:

How To
Recommendation?
Review
Off-Topic
Photos
Water
Shelter
Survival Kit
Firemaking
Skills
Food

Any suggestions for additions or revisions? I think some of them are too specialized and we need more general ideas, like putting camping and traveling and hiking under one category like "travel". Maybe lump
Survival Kit, Firemaking, and Skills as "skills". Maybe
Water, Shelter, Food as "needs".
 
My idea of a subforum was specific. One strictly for preparedness topics, like the best long term storage food, how to store water long term ect, a place where people can exchange info and ideas as well as their stories, and things they learned by living through or bugging out during natural or manmade disasters. Most posts here when this is brought up get dominated and redirected to bugging out and how to survive in the woods. I think this would be a valuable addition and a place to consolidate all the great preparedness info that gets lost in this forum.
 
I wonder if the question that should be asked is not what types of rules should be followed in this thread but, rather, what type of infractions and behaviors should be handled by admonishment and/or expulsion. Also of interest is the question of the means can grievances be addressed. It may well be that these are issues that are already handled effectively, if so, then I apologize for putting in my unnecessary two cents. I view this forum as a place of learning and entertainment. It may well be that I already know some of the topics that seem to be repeatedly brought up, but I have to keep in mind that others can learn here the right and realistic way of enjoying being outside, or they can stay mall ninjas forever. I like that! Brethren, we have a calling. We are missionaries to the mall ninjas! Can we trust others to show them the light and the way? (can you tell that I'm a Southern Baptist?)
 
Jim G. said:
My idea of a subforum was specific. One strictly for preparedness topics, like the best long term storage food, how to store water long term ect. Most posts here when this is brought up get dominated and redirected to bugging out and how to survive in the woods. I think this would be a valuable addition and a place to consolidate all the great preparedness info that gets lost in this forum.
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Fantastic idea. Easier to access than the wiki, and all in one spot. Skills training could even be set up on a rotating schedule.
 
I'm not so keen on the rules thing when they are explicitly 'as rules'. Obviously all forums need to have guidelines and to be regulated or else there is chaos, but I firmly believe the fewer overt rules there are the better. Certainly a characteristic I look for when I am appointing moderators is those with a flair for being good shepherds and never ever those that want to be enforcers. I believe that is the state of play that is currently up and running here and I like it. In fact, I have been a member here in one guise or another for a very long time, yet it is only in the current state and under my current guise that I have delivered the amount of posts I have. This works for me. In my opinion a forum is at its most healthy when it is being driven by its membership, and when that membership scarcely notices the shepherd beavering away tending his flock. There is no feeling of top down imposition.

From a practical perspective too I believe reams of small rules are every bit the bind on staff as they are the members as they reduce freedom of discretion from them too. For one I am quite Machiavellian in that respect, and two, that can have real adverse consequences. Ultimately it increases the likeliness sanction. Stripped down what does that mean. The worst possible penalty staff can inflict is to make a member forfeit their username – member then signs up with a different username but now restricted from contributing so as to stay under the radar just becomes a leech.

Anyway, that's my general feeling toward 'rules' and my opinion on stewardship. At the moment I think the balance here is about perfect. To touch on the points others have raised here though:

1] I do believe that sometimes people can get a tad too emotional and verge on the outright rude. That differs markedly from being robust, but I don't think it happens often enough to warrant much thought. There's a perfectly good Bozo-Bin function that you can add names of repeated offenders to, so you don't even need to work in some kill-file type function into your browser.

2] I've got no patience for the photos being repeated complaint. It's easy enough to deal with that client side. RTFM

3] I do believe there is some exploitation with the advertising of products. I don't believe there is an easy line to draw, but I think you can get a feel for when some people only ever seem to post self-promotional stuff or stuff that promotes one of their friends. I believe in the latter case that person is a borderline shill, and in many of my haunts repeated shilling a product or make exclusively is a black ball offence.

On the whole I think things are happy as they are. I do think item #3 needs attention. Either a preventative needs to be introduced or, and better still, those people need to be encouraged to post more widely thus making drawing attention to a product more of a general flag up and less like conspicuous advertising.

Enough from me.
 
just a quick one, whats wong now?

Not enough guidence?
I find things going pretty good, at least no ones got sick of my fonly tests and blabing yet. :D
 
I don't think the hunting and such should have separate areas, this is Wilderness and Survival skills. Hunting/fishing/trapping is definitely a wilderness skill set.
I do agree we should have a preparedness subforum. I would be into that as well.

Otherwise, I like it now just fine. Thanks ,Steve
 
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