There has been a more negative tone on a number of threads in here lately, but it would be a shame to see any more of the great contributors (yes Craig, you’re most definitely included in that group) that have commented above leave this fantastic forum.
For me personally I agree with the earlier comment about Myswag being a “digital men’s shed” of sorts, well that’s the way I’ve always seen it anyway.
I’m way too young to know what actually goes on in a real men’s shed, but I always envisioned it is much like this place; lots of skilled, handy and knowledgeable blokes building all sorts of really cool things and giving out experienced advise to help those less skilled blokes to improve and achieve something for themselves to be proud of.
But also (just as importantly) I think of men’s sheds as providing a safe place for old guys to have a general grumble about things they see going wrong with the world and have some sympathetic ears around for when they’re a bit down on life or struggling with personal things.
I often see that sort of support happening here in Myswag.
Myself, I enjoy sharing progress on my little projects and I try to put up heaps of photos on here because I know lots of people enjoy reading and seeing that sort of stuff. I also try to do a trip report whenever I can, because that’s what brought me to this great forum in the first place.
But unfortunately, there’s only about 3 active build threads going on now and trip reports are few and far between these days.
So with that side of our “men’s shed” not doing much, the focus lately seams to be on the other “grumpy old man” side of things.
Perhaps it’s a sign of the world at the moment, where everyone is getting forced into picking a side, then taking a hard stance on the far extreme ends of the topic and shouting at each other from the fringes.
The peaceful middle ground is a pretty empty space in today’s society, and this seams to be getting reflected in Myswag lately as well.
Looking back on older threads there was always lots of banter between members and it generally had a lighter feeling to most of the posts.
I think Snow has nailed it, we need to moderate our selves a little better then we have been.
I know I have been guilty of starting or getting involved in a few heated discussions over the years, some of which I do regret.
Some time ago I made a conscious decision to not comment on any more religious posts, it was actually getting depressing to see the same couple of valuable members being attacked time and time again for choosing to stand up for their beliefs, so I stopped being part of the problem.
I’m seeing the same thing happening again with the power/climate topics, now I’m trying my best to moderate myself with those threads as well. I still intend to add to those conversations, but will be trying not to post in a way that can be taken as aggressive or inciting an argument.
Hopefully we can agree to disagree on these heated topics of the moment, or at least keep the conversations civil and stop with the personal attacks.
And finally,
I also agree with the earlier posts about new or not very active members being ignored.
Yes, we’re (myself included) all guilty of letting a post sit with no replies at all or a new member’s introduction post gets only one welcoming reply. If new members don’t feel welcomed how can we expect them to want to contribute further and help to grow the forum?
Sorry for the long post, but as I am someone totally apposed to social media, forums are pretty much my only outlet for sharing my thoughts and crazy creations with others.
I’d hate to see a great forum like this one die.
Besides, if it wasn’t for Myswag I wouldn’t get to see Craig’s posts about Pennefather River to keep me fired up for another serious fishing trip to the cape every year....
