Social Levels of Forums

[SethO]

This may be a little bit of a controversial topic and I hope this doesn't turn into something nasty, but this is The Paradise and I think we are a higher bunch than the typical forum has.

It seems to me that most people here are genuinely here to have a civil discussion about golf and whatever else they find interesting. I have seen a few on here who seemed to have other intentions, but people still seemed to treat them with more respect than I usually see in forum goers. I have been trying to figure this out. Is it because golf is a game that is held to higher standards (only in golf and ultimate frisbee have I seen such integrity in the sportsmanship)? Is it because this family is still relatively small (1500 something members is fantastic for just a little over a year, but still not giant)? Is it because the forum owners are so active and take great pride in their ownership therefore setting a culture of tolerance and politeness? What makes this place so special? What is amazing is that I think I have only seen about 6 or 7 people ever banned from this place. In my old forums it seemed that 6-7 were banned every hour.

 

[TC]

great topic setho. personally, i think that the activity and presence from JB & GG in the threads really helps set the tone. They are both more than happy to share their opinions, agree/disagree with an argument, but they do it in a non-attacking manner. to me, it's called banter...and there's a difference between intelligent banter and offensive banter and that latter just will not be tolerated.

i love reading everyone's opinions and every now and then it's fun to have a laugh with someone at their expense or mine. but it's also nice to know that ignorance or harmful comments will just not be allowed.

Rock on team thp!

 

[Sean]

I agree that this forum is the most civil of any golf forum I have been on and JB, GG, and Hacker do a great job supervising and running this site. The reviews are also the best I've seen bar none: thorough, objective, and enjoyable.

At the same time, and I may upset some members for this, THP can be rather "cliquish".

 

[TC]

At the same time, and I may upset some members for this, THP can be rather "cliquish".

that's a good observation, i kind of feel the same way.

 

[JB]

At the same time, and I may upset some members for this, THP can be rather "cliquish".

I agree and hope that can change at some point. I think it definitely scares new members away sometimes.

 

[White Rhino]

I think whenever you pull together a group of people no matter what size there will always be smaller groups or cliqs formed. that is just how it goes.

I have not had the pleasure ( or displeasure as it would seem) to be part of any other golf forum site and based on what I see here I have no desire to do so. I think this site is fantastic, I am vey happy I found it and have no reason to look elsehwere for information.

 

[TC]

I agree and hope that can change at some point. I think it definitely scares new members away sometimes.

i wold imagine that over time it should work itself out.

 

[Hanks]

I think whenever you pull together a group of people no matter what size there will always be smaller groups or cliqs formed. that is just how it goes.

I have not had the pleasure ( or displeasure as it would seem) to be part of any other golf forum site and based on what I see here I have no desire to do so. I think this site is fantastic, I am vey happy I found it and have no reason to look elsehwere for information.

+1 Rhino.....I have no interest in cheating on THP either

 

[Sodakrep]

Being fairly new to this site I believe that most of us are more civil and not looking to "stir the pot". We all just like casual banter and honest answers about a game we enjoy. About the "clique" comment you get that in just about everything to a degree. I hope and think that after being on the forum people will get more comfortable and maybe won't see the segregation per se

 

[TC]

+1 Rhino.....I have no interest in cheating on THP either

i'm not a forum member but i've gander'd around golfwrx's site and it just gives me a headache. there's far too many 728 X 90's and 160 X 600's flashing around. i had a tough time navigating around the site so i was done with it.

WR's right though, cliques are formed in just about any social setting, it's the nature of humans. doesn't bother me much anyway.

 

[SethO]

At the same time, and I may upset some members for this, THP can be rather "cliquish".

I never thought about this. I guess we could be more welcoming in the way of quoting newer members more often? Being sure to include them in the conversation and such makes anybody feel good.

When I first came to the site, I felt instantly welcomed. I never felt out of place.

 

[TwoSolitudes]

The civil tone is certianly why I joined. Plus It seems that, although it maybe 'cliquey', I don't get the impression that the low HC, experianced, serious players here are looking down on, or dissmissing the rest of of us. It is the Hackers paradise after all!

 

[White Rhino]

The civil tone is certianly why I joined. Plus It seems that, although it maybe 'cliquey', I don't get the impression that the low HC, experianced, serious players here are looking down on, or dissmissing the rest of of us. It is the Hackers paradise after all!

That is one of the things I enjoy most here... we are not all hackers, there are some very good golfers here who are very much willing to help out those of us that are still challanged by this silly game. I also like the fact that it is not a site that only talks about golf. We talk about sports, tv shows, recipies and other subjects.

 

[White Rhino]

OF course when talking about sports sometimes, civil tones can have a tendency to go right out the window when passion builds about team loyalty and such.

 

[bonknhead]

That is one of the things I enjoy most here... we are not all hackers, there are some very good golfers here who are very much willing to help out those of us that are still challanged by this silly game. I also like the fact that it is not a site that only talks about golf. We talk about sports, tv shows, recipies and other subjects.

^ This is exactly why this forum is the one I post the most on. Members here are friendly and helpful. I've been on other forums (auto, other golf) where members are helpful, but not all that tolerant of newbies. I would see "Do a search" all the time on the Auto forums.

I do appreciate that this is one of the few forums that doesn't allow political or religious discussions. Those tend to cause hurt feelings and divide the membership.

 

[Diane]

At the same time, and I may upset some members for this, THP can be rather "cliquish".

I am probably one of the people you are talking about although I think I'm more standoff-ish than clique-ish. It takes me a while to warm up to new people. I tend to wait for someone to respond to me before I respond to them.

 

[Harry Longshanks]

I totally get the "clique" thing. I can see where, to "newer" members, there would be a clique consisting of people like me, Claire, Smallville, MO, Gasman, (and soxy and WSE, even though they aren't around much right now.)

I think that comes from us being here since the beginning and, in some instances, knowing each other from other forums long before THP. Also, we spend a lot of time here and post a lot. As a result, we know we can tease each other, and we know exactly where the "line" is (most of the time). It's a comfort level thing.

As for feeling like an outsider, don't. Look how easily Esox joined the "clique". And Doodles seems to be joining right in. We will play with anyone as long as they are nice, not too arrogant, and have a sense of humor! Jump right in.

I know there are other cliques too, but I can't really comment on those.

 

[C-Tech]

Cliques are a part of human social interaction. I have never felt intentionally excluded from anything. Sometimes the conversation between a group moves so fast that I cannot keep up, just like in daily life, sometimes you can't get a word in edgewise. But that is not so much a result of cliques as a result of my moving in and out of the forum threads during the day while working at the same time.

I have been on other forums and I like the activity and civility here. Also, the mods here are not overbearing in their administration. We are allowed to interact freely for the most part as long as we color inside the lines. Now if I could remember to stop threadjacking, forum life would be perfect.:clapp:

 

[White Rhino]

As i think about it I dont think this site is clique, Harry phrased it quite well, there are some good friendships here that have grown over time. A clique in my opinion is a group that associates only within itself and does not get involved with others at all. I certainly don't see that here. Look at what happend during the Lets make a deal game, we were all here rooting for each other and having fun. I chat with Smalls and MO about sports things and our ineptness at the streak for cash game (Kevin too). Maybe cliques here is a wrong word.. i dunno I am rambling

The one thing that is a bit of a drag with this site is that everyone is so spread out. I think it would be nice if we could get together for a round of golf on a somewhat regular basis, or even have a barbque during the summer. Those of us in Southern California are arranging a get together next month and I know others in other areas are doing similar things. Perhaps down the road we can arrange a get togethers on a larger scale, maybe during the winter in a warmer climate place for the members as a whole so you member frozen for 4 months can get out ans swing a club if only for a weekend. Could be a nice time.

 

[TC]

I don't view Diane, Harry, Smalls, Claire, etc a clique at all. Most of them are great to converse with and IMO they are thoughtful people. I was more alluding to those out there that are the low hcp'ers. From my observations they tend to thread jack in the ask the pro section and quite frankly, that section isn't for them to offer their input. I think there's the clique that views what's in ones bag and makes preconceived notions about "what kind of golfer you are".

 

[Smallville]

I agree that this forum is the most civil of any golf forum I have been on and JB, GG, and Hacker do a great job supervising and running this site. The reviews are also the best I've seen bar none: thorough, objective, and enjoyable.

At the same time, and I may upset some members for this, THP can be rather "cliquish".

As has been mentioned, that happens in social groups. Sometimes personalities clash, but for the most part, everyone tries to get along here. One other thing, post away, on whatever you want to talk about. If there's one place people don't need to worry about posting too much, it's here! The more you post the more people are going to respond to what you say and learn more about you.

i'm not a forum member but i've gander'd around golfwrx's site and it just gives me a headache. there's far too many 728 X 90's and 160 X 600's flashing around. i had a tough time navigating around the site so i was done with it.

TC: I'm not sure what this means! I belonged to WRX for awhile too. It was way too big for me.

I never thought about this. I guess we could be more welcoming in the way of quoting newer members more often? Being sure to include them in the conversation and such makes anybody feel good.

When I first came to the site, I felt instantly welcomed. I never felt out of place.

The first part is pretty much covered above!

To their end, JB and GG try to nip that right away by welcoming each and every member who joins here that creates a "Here I Am" kind of thread. Every single one, which I don't see on any other forum I've been on. If they happen to see a first post on another thread, they'll welcome people there, but those are harder to notice. Most members when they see someone post for the first time will suggest they post at the Check In desk, which helps give people an idea about who the new guy is.

The civil tone is certianly why I joined. Plus It seems that, although it maybe 'cliquey', I don't get the impression that the low HC, experianced, serious players here are looking down on, or dissmissing the rest of of us. It is the Hackers paradise after all!

That is one of the things I like best about this place. I belong to several forums, obviously this is my main one, but before here I belonged to one that was like you mentioned. Also you couldn't really badmouth one certain brand. And if people think reputation is a bad thing, I got dinged for presenting facts that showed the moderators/site owner were wrong and my posts were removed. Several times.

That is one of the things I enjoy most here... we are not all hackers, there are some very good golfers here who are very much willing to help out those of us that are still challanged by this silly game. I also like the fact that it is not a site that only talks about golf. We talk about sports, tv shows, recipies and other subjects.

I notice on a couple other places that badmouth us here bring this very thing up! What I see are places that, when you click on "Today's Posts" have 13, 15, maybe 25 threads that are posted in a day. Most days here you will find 65 to 70 or more (sometimes are slow, we'll have days in the 30s and 40s but there are also days in the hundreds). The funny thing is, the fact they are complaining about how we post here means they are here to see it instead of posting on their favorite site.

OF course when talking about sports sometimes, civil tones can have a tendency to go right out the window when passion builds about team loyalty and such.

That's one of the few things I see here that seems to make people's blood pressure rise. Luckily for me I don't have to get into these as my teams at the moment are very very good (KU basketball) or very very bad (Royals and Chiefs!). (We won't even talk about my Pittsburg State Gorillas football team this year!)

^ This is exactly why this forum is the one I post the most on. Members here are friendly and helpful. I've been on other forums (auto, other golf) where members are helpful, but not all that tolerant of newbies. I would see "Do a search" all the time on the Auto forums.

I do appreciate that this is one of the few forums that doesn't allow political or religious discussions. Those tend to cause hurt feelings and divide the membership.

I'm of the opinion that the more threads on a subject the easier it is to find information when doing a search. I will supply the link to a previous thread if someone asks, or if it was just discussed recently.

Sometimes the political threads come around from time to time. I think there may be some that are still open but they tend to get argumentative and not very productive and wind up being locked down. Depending on what it's about, the staff will let them go until they run their course. Luckily, most people know it's usually not a good thing to discuss religion and politics. It's almost always an "I'm right you're wrong and you're not going to change my mind" kind of discussion.

 

[TC]

TC: I'm not sure what this means! I belonged to WRX for awhile too. It was way too big for me.

Those are ad sizes Smalls. The site is littered with them, there all "flash" scripted and busy and it gave me a head-ache. I remember it like it was yesterday.

 

[Golf Chick]

I'm part of a big car forum and I'm distancing myself from being there...there are plenty of people who are nice, and then you get those few who aren't so nice and especially when you have a car question, they will respond to RTFM which I think is really rude and people ask questions for a reason: to get an answer, not to be told to read the manual. But I agree, there are cliques everywhere.

 

[Harry Longshanks]

Those are ad sizes Smalls. The site is littered with them, there all "flash" scripted and busy and it gave me a head-ache. I remember it like it was yesterday.

I use Ad-Blocker Plus with Firefox. I never saw any of their ads.

But their new site layout sucks! It was never great (I prefer vBulletin), but now it's just a mess. I hope they clean it up. I won't threadjack this thread by getting into my other feelings about WRX (both good and bad.)

 

[bonknhead]

I'm part of a big car forum and I'm distancing myself from being there...there are plenty of people who are nice, and then you get those few who aren't so nice and especially when you have a car question, they will respond to RTFM which I think is really rude and people ask questions for a reason: to get an answer, not to be told to read the manual. But I agree, there are cliques everywhere.

Auto forums are the worst in terms of being civil, IMO. Insults and foul language are often allowed. In the one I'm on, there are a lot of knowledgeable folks, but there are a few that are extremely rude because they think know our vehicle so much better than anyone else.

Like was written earlier, there are varying levels of golfing skill on THP, but there aren't any condescending attitudes - at all. Everyone here tries to be helpful.