Re: concerned
Ok, I don't often get into these things but with over 7000 souls onboard, every now and then feathers can get ruffled a little and I need to step in. Usually, when I do it is just to remind people of a few things about getting along on such a diverse forum – which isn’t always easy just given the large and diverse crowd we have. I am not going to take sides in any of this, but I will simply make the following observations, not directed at anyone in particular:
1. It is a good idea to get to know people a little bit to gauge their personalities and adjust your communications accordingly. Sometimes people will accept some “ribbing” from someone they know, but be offended by the same ribbing from someone they don’t know. That’s just human nature.
2. It is a fact that written communications, such as in a forum or email, can very easily be misconstrued or misunderstood for the simple reason that there are no voice inflections or facial expressions to go along with the text. The little smiley faces help but they are a poor substitute for actually being face-to-face with a person. Thus, what could be meant as good-natured back-slapping may be taken as an insult or a put-down. Sometimes it really is a put down, but very often it is simply taken wrong. But BOTH sides - sender AND receiver needs to remember this.
3. Usually a true personal attack it pretty easy to spot and no interpretation is needed. As you all know, personal attacks or flames are simply not tolerated here, but that is not to say that every member is going to “appreciate” the demeanor or personality of every other member (if it were so my job would be a whole lot easier).
4. Remember, if someone is in blatant violation of the “no-flame” rules here, I “might” give a warning before banning them. At the same time, if someone just rubs you the wrong way, but isn’t really breaking any rules, you always have the option to “ignore” them. All you need to do is click their name and at the bottom of their profile click the “Ignore This User” link. From then on, you will not see anything they post. It’s not something I recommend except under the most extreme circumstances. I’m simply reminding folks of that option.
5. Lastly, always remember that if you have an issue, whatever it is, with how another member is coming across, you have the option to PM them (Private Message) and express your concerns. Nine times out of ten things can get resolved offline quite nicely.
And that’s all I’ve got to say about that. For now.
Basil
Hi Guest!
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
