Time to re-read the About this forum...

[troubledtom]

i left the forum for 4-5 months , because an asshole pissed me off , but i'm back. as most of you know by now.[ no i will not say the name ] but he is likely married,fat, and not happy because he's not able to do what he wants to do.................fx . his loss...... i guess.

Sounds like an asshole to me, but I would let it go if I were you. Life's too short to be worried about all that bullshit

hummmmmm, yah.
     you could say that for sure joe D. !
       friends come and go i guess, but that's not the way i prefer it......
yep, push on .......move on.
          i do hope all is well w/ you.
                       - tom

[Paul Marossy]

What?!  :shock:  :!:  :?:
I have been kinda absent from the forum the last few weeks. What the hell happened? That would suck big time if Doug is gone.  :cry:

[Mark Hammer]

1) This is NOT a "No big deal" posting.  Me, I *hate* losing friends.

2) People have a right to get seriously irritated and walk away.  No one is under any obligation to feel harassed, ridiculed, shamed, or anything like that.

3) People are remarkably hardy and DO get over things.  May take a while but it happens.

4) Plenty of folks in past have walked away from here over what seemed like small or remediable things and come back.  In some instances, they had enough going on in their lives that "I don't need this crap TOO" came easily to them.  If walking away allowed them to grapple with the rest of their lives more effectively, then it was a net gain for someone we like, and not JUST an unpleasant confrontation.

5) Often, saying one is sorry and flew off the handle helps a lot.  I've noted one mature (and admirable) admission of that here today.  A good skill to have, and something we could all improve on in our lives, I imagine.  Just as useful a skill (and sometimes the harder one to learn) is forgiveness.

6) Is here another place on the net this helpful for people who do what we do?  No.  If someone walks away and never returns, either a) they lost interest in the activities enough to resist temptation (in which case it was simply time for them to sign off and the altercation provided an opportunity), or b) there is an even MORE helpful place out there to cater to that side of themselves that maybe we should find out about (yeah, as if...).

7) Welcome back Joe.

[Skreddy]

I've come to appreciate a little off-topic-ness and even the occasional flame war over the years.  But being busy of late, I've also learned to ignore inconsequential topics.  It's an increasingly important skill to develop with so many people on the web these days.  Check out the threads on Harmony Central's Effects forum for examples.  There are plenty of worthless threads, but they can be ignored easily.  Insults are thrown with abandon, but rarely ever make any significant impact on their 'target.'  Because many of the 'new generation' growing up with the Internet have learned to just consider the source!  An anonymous string of characters streaming through a wire are no real threat.   Don't take anything personally; ESPECIALLY on the internet.  

On the other side of the coin, it is wise to learn to avoid the use of the word 'YOU' when engaging this type of forum.  Remember that you are broadcasting and not having a private conversation.  If you must say anything negative, keep it general and don't turn it into a PERSONAL attack.  

I never caught the thread in question, but of course I'm morbidly curious about how and why the focus turned personal and offensive.  

[NaBo]

hey guys.  i really like the idea of, say, an "intermediate" and "advanced" section for the forum.  it would be good cuz then those of us who are just casual hobbiests or novice builders can help eachother out with what we DO know, and clear up some of the little/huge gaps in our knowledge without annoying the fx gods.

i don't mean to say you guys think of yourselves as gods, i just mean that you ARE gods, plain and simple.  i envy the knowledge and skills you people have accumulated to be able to do what you do so well.  i would kill for the opportunity to go back in time 5 or 10 years and study this stuff instead, and make my living doing something i'd love. no seriously, i would kill[/i]  :evil:

anyways, i think it would help eliminate that "should i post about this  :oops: " feeling that some newer members undoubtedly have... myself included.  think we can have a poll about it maybe Aron?

[bwanasonic]

i really like the idea of, say, an "intermediate" and "advanced" section for the forum.  

Hmm, not sure that's even logistically possible, let alone a good idea. Who would determine which forum a post belongs in?

i don't mean to say you guys think of yourselves as gods, i just mean that you ARE gods, plain and simple.

uhh, I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you on that one...
:roll:

Kerry M

[Alpha579]

hmm, i was fortunate enough to miss the nasty bit of that particular thread...its such a shame that doug's gone. I know im not one of the most commonly posting members here, but i remeber doug was great with helping me out, coz he seemed to actually care...hope he returns....

[NaBo]

Hmm, not sure that's even logistically possible, let alone a good idea. Who would determine which forum a post belongs in?

the poster. logistically possible?  considering there's already a separate forum for the "beginner project", and Aron had a poll to see if he should open a tube pedal forum...

uhh, I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you on that one...
:roll:

okay, insert "some of the best fx-makers out there" in place of "gods"... if you still disagree, your opinion is inconsequential to me  

[Johan]

In my opinion, if anyone's interested, here are a few things that might help.

Us native English speakers have to be real careful about properly understanding and interpreting the posts of those who aren't adept with English.

"Newbies" will be obvious from the tone and content of questions.  The mentors should answer at a high level, and point out how to do research and gain experience.  The ones who are truly interested will get it and go off to do just that.  The ones who aren't should just get reminded of how to do research and gain experience.  If they choose not to do this, the seeds of this hobby will wither and die quickly.

Finally, it was said earlier that if you're thinking of posting something inflammatory, wait a while before posting.  This might help cool things off.

This place is a shining jewel in the wasteland of the Internet.  Let's PLEASE keep it from becoming just another flame-fest forum.

Please?

..may I also suggest that those who hasnt allready, go to their profile and fill out the "location" slot, even if its just a general USA or Europe or Asia. I know most people on the forum comes from USA and its probably easy to forget that for many others, this isnt our first or sometimes not even second language. if you get a strange, harsh comment from someone and you can see he is from a non-english speaking nation, its probably easier to overlook that comment or ask if that was really what he meant to say.

I saws the other thread the other day, and I thought Gus's initial question was valid but the answers that came didnt correspond with what I thought the question was ( perhaps I missunderstod becouse english isnt my first langage.. )..I was really sad to see it go the the way it did and I hope Doug comes back

Johan

[Regan]

What I find bothers me the most about that thread is that I probably said the most critical things along the line of what Gus and Doug were saying, yet Doug got singled out and attacked. I'm thinking more and more that it was somebody just wanting to cause trouble. I helped it along.
I hope Doug comes back.
Regan

[Alpha579]

i wasnt in that thread, but why attack doug? hes always been great to everyone?

[David]

Neither Gus nor Doug were "troublemakers".  Both have been beyond helpful in the past -- to me personally, and to countless others.  I seriously doubt there was any "trolling" going on.  I think there was some current of misunderstanding that finally electrocuted the whole thread.  This is the same kind of crap that starts wars!

We have to remember that we aren't blindly sending a stream of letters and numbers when we post to a forum.  We are posting words that other people will read.  Those words can help or hurt.  We should practice moderation -- I know, not easy when you're ticked (I should know) -- and good manners.  This most unfortunate event is a direct result of misunderstood emotions in electronic communication.

This is something that I believe we all need to think about very carefully.

[petemoore]

I didn't see tha last par tof th ? thread...
 I'ts usually never any one thing that:
 Causes people to post
 Causes people to post PI or insulting stuff
 Causes people to post great info on what they've learned
 Causes people to get upset enough to just say 'goodbye'.
 This last item is the first and last resort to what people have in their arsenal against being insulted in marriage or on the internet, becuause it is the only truly effective one, after 'normal' channels have beeen exhausted.
 Normal channel on a Marshall is deeper sounding than the Bright Channel, Normal channel for asking to not be insulted doens't always work. This is where the final resort, leaving, is the only option for getting what you don't want ... out of your life.
 Leaving works perfectly, except that almost invariably, leaving also means 'missing'. You're going to miss whatever it was you were getting from your marriage, internet forum etc.
 I feel guilty of stating a bit much on the OT lounge, regarding politica/anti politic stuff...good thing about the internet:
 If you're reading something that bothers you, you are one click away from being able to disregard any further reads on that page.
 ...Bad thing about the internet:
 Anything you enter on it is a permanent record..at least the effects of it may be permanent.
 ...
 THere is a reason for everything.
 If you are reading Doug, or not, thank you for being you. I know you as a great person to know. Internet relationships Can be endearing. I'm  not happy that you left, contrare, Thank you for contributing, [really fantastic contributions] you're intellect is great, as is your ability to share and help those with less background or intellect...your contributions should be greatly valued and IMO they are, for the most part, please disregard any negativity aimed at you...I didn't even see what's up, but my instinct tells me Doug Hammond doesn't need or deserve any of it, and it is very likely of little, no, or negative value !!!
 Doug, whatever your'e up to, My Money is on "It deserves commendation".
 Done

[Alpha579]

now id like you all to raise your glasses to doug hammond....

(in unison) To doug! (/in unison)

wipes tear from ones eye...

we'll miss you doug...

[lightningfingers]

I'm very sad Doug feels the need to leave. He made an enourmous contribution to those JFET emulators we all love so much. I hope he comes back...

[RedHouse]

I made a long post in that thread, I would hope it didn't cause anyone offense, as for me, I was just expressing my opinion not at anyones expense.

I like this place, and I like that it's all in one place, I would hope we don't have to have multiple forum sections as some other forums do, it just takes me longer to browse for stuff I want to read.

[Ben N]

Shocked!  Like a lot of others, I completely missed that thread, and am not sorry I did.

I have always thought of this place as kind of unspoiled, a refuge, where like minded people discuss what they love and pretty much enjoy the exchange (notwithstanding the occasional ZVex/IP eruption or the like, which most of us now roll off like water from a duck's back).  Compared to a lot of other places on the web, the value/idiocy ratio here was always that much higher, and the tone that much better.  Aron & Peter have always been the most benevelont of rulers.

As for Doug, I am absolutely stumped.  First, the guy IS class.  His posts are clear, his responses are patient, and IMHO he has never failed to be gracious, to newbies and electro-dummies no less than to the inspired fx creators among us.  Second, his contributions are consistently of such high quality and value, all the way back to stuff like his Shaka and Electar variations, and he happily shares with everyone, save only where he might be stepping on someone else's toes.  Just from a selfish point of view, it is just moronic for anyone interested in DIYFX (or amps) to chase away a guy like that.  

If you are reading, Doug, I have nothing but appreciation for your participation, at any level, and I'm sure that the vast majority of people here agree.

OTOH, I can understand someone getting tired or burned out, and needing a break--if only to spend some time playing  (although Doug is already so much better than many of us ).  I do hope that is all it is.  This is, after all, the best place around to do that Voodoo that he do so well.

Ben