Why are we here Mr. Flykmair?

[Mantana]

I'm pretty new to this chat room, but my take is that Flykmair wasn't
so offensive as to be banned. Reminds me of Fox news where they drown
out any dissenters, like when Bill O'Reilly shouts down anyone with an
opinion contrary to his. Uh oh...am i next? Just trying to be devil's advocate.

 

[tonepub]

I don't think it's as much about the contradictory opinion as it is the attitude and general behavior exhibited.

What I've noticed at every single internet forum I've ever attended, is there always seems to be a couple of people that are really off their nut and eventually they get banned. It's especially hard, being a worldwide club with everyone's culture having a different sense of humor, etc, etc.

It's one thing to disagree and even be a bit argumentative at times, but when you see these major brain dumps going on that are incredibly emotional in nature, I think it does drive the really nice people that make up the core group away. When that happens, the essence of the forum is gone.

This is exactly what happened at Steve Hoffman's forum. There used to be a lot of fairly knowledgeable people there and it was a friendly group. Then we got about five people that made the same kinds of posts as Flykmair, either very dramatic and obviously made up or very mean spirited. Sure that forum is still going, but the nice guys on the audio side left.

Granted this is not my forum, but I'm really of the mind that this should definitely be something with a relaxed, easy going vibe. If it isn't, why bother? This is something we are supposed to be doing for enjoyment.

I think Tom and Co. have done a fantastic job of keeping it light and fair around here and I'd hate to see that camaraderie get eroded.

 

[Gordon Gray]

Mantana,

I say the following with all due respect.

1) Yes, you are new to this site so I would caution you not to judge until you've become more familiar with the members and dynamics of this site. Every site hopefully has ground rules set by the Moderators and, as you've seen, many senior members, myself included, agreed with Tom's decision. That should tell you something.

2) Tom and company do give us quite a wide latitude but, in the end, it all comes down to civility and respect.

I frankly have no interest in a site that resembles the Jerry Springer show or other shows that are based on and encourage destructive conflict, hollering and screaming, and overall disrespect for those who participate.

GG

 

[DrJRapp]

Tom has the right to call the shots since he owns this forum and puts up the bulk of the $$ that it takes to maintain it. Very few of you contribute anything financially.

I agree with Tom that there needs to be boundaries of what is acceptable behavior and what is not. I do feel however that those boundaries need to be clearer than they are or we will have people walking on eggshells. That's already happening. Tom says there is only one rule...don't be disrespectful. Different people will define disrespectful in different ways. My 15 yo step-daughter is always getting into trouble by mouthing off to teachers in school, yet she BELIEVES that it is not disrespectful. Therefore we have had to develop a set of rules that she must follow. I don't think we need an elaboate set of rules...just a few clear ones.

 

[Mantana]

Hey...if Tom owns this forum and puts up some $ , then by all means,
he should have control over who accesses this site. So, i have NO problem
if he wants to ban ANY user, whether the user is abusive or not. I wasn't aware of how this site originated or was funded, so i retract my previous
comments.

 

[C.A.P]

Gordon and Dr, Well said ! I have stayed out of this as I caught it late and have not been 100% up to date . However I respect the senior members thoughts and Toms decision !

 

[TomDac]

New Rules...

I don't want to be a dictator and in the years the site has been up and running, there has only been a handful of malcontents and/or trollers, so it's not really been THAT much of an issue...

This place should be a democracy of sorts... When one persons posts start irritating the masses, the masses go away, which means the sponsors go away, which means the site goes away, and of course I don't want that to happen...

So let's make some formal ground rules about what constitutes "bad behavior" and what the consequences should be.

1. Disrespectful towards another member on the site via public post or PM. Swift Banishment.

2. Suspected of being a witch. Burned at the stake. (ok... that's just a joke...)

Let's hear your guys' thoughts... should we make up a steering committee off-line?

 

[Gordon Gray]

Tom,

No. 1 is enough. Period. If folks can't understand that simple guideline, I don't know what to say.

It is quite rare (since I've been a member) that this problem has occured so I don't believe we need to go "overboard" to address what is effectively, a very infrequent anamoly.

And when it does happen, your members will let you know and you can address accordingly. And based on what I've seen, you have responded in a prudent, defensible manner.

Best Big Guy.

Gordon

 

[Rich]

He's a witch! Gordon's a witch! Burn him!

 

[Rich]

OK, I just made that up. But he does have a wart.

 

[Gordon Gray]

Hi Rich,

I knew, from the start, that you had my number. You are a smart guy.

I did want to add one comment to my most recent post.

I recall that when the Supreme Court of the United States was discussing, in the past, a case regarding pornography, one of the seven said (and I may be paraphrasing):

"I don't know how you can describe it (pornography) in words, but I know it when I see it".

Gordon

PS: What wart?

 

[FISH_MAN]

I think perhaps we have spent to much energy on this troll lets get back to or regularly scheduled program. the only thing that may be constructive is if perhaps the moderators lock threads quickly at the sign of trouble ??? perhaps once the dead horse appears.

 

[amey01]

Let's hear your guys' thoughts... should we make up a steering committee off-line?

I really don't think that's necessary. We're here for enjoyment aren't we?

This has been so rare that there really is little point in getting so worked up. On the occasion that something happens, someone is alerted who has the site access to take action and action is taken. What could be easier or more trouble free?

Thanks again for a great site Tom.

 

[eknuds01]

I really don't think that's necessary. We're here for enjoyment aren't we?

This has been so rare that there really is little point in getting so worked up. On the occasion that something happens, someone is alerted who has the site access to take action and action is taken. What could be easier or more trouble free?

Thanks again for a great site Tom.

Agreed.

Let's move on, folks.

Erik

 

[MiTT]

Agreed.

Let's move on, folks.

Erik

Well, OK, but are we gonna burn Gordon first or not?

 

[Gordon Gray]

Please do. I started this bloody thread.

However, I must admit that it brings back fond memories of my dreaded "dots" thread.

GG

 

[gordonmenninger]

At this point, I'd venture to say that flykmair is either a troll or just an unstable person.

Look at the damage he's done in this thread alone....

He's asked to be banned previously, but when he wasn't banned, continued to post, stir things up, etc. If he was so insulted as he claims, why didn't he just leave the site and never return?

So I ban him and his "friend" BBP shows up out of the blue to defend him. She's registered with a hotmail email address, no credibility on this site because nobody knows her and surprise, surprise, she indicates on her user profile that she's from California but her IP address comes from the same ISP as flykmair which is based in Arkansas...

Enough red flags??

Bottom line is this: just because you enjoy MartinLogan speakers doesn't mean you have the social skills to be a productive part of this forum.

Unbelievable! When I read the BBP post, i smelled a rat! Nice job of doing your homework, Tom! In my eyes, you are a genious and I agree with you 100% on your decision. I thought at times that I was maybe being too harsh on this guy, but my conscience told me otherwise! I really could not have said this better myself - you must have been reading my mind...
You made the right decision on this one... he just contributed aggravation when it was all said and done, and we do not need this on here... Imo this is the best audio forum online. Period. Thanks to you! Keep up the great work, and thanks for everything you do for this forum. A few bad apples will spoil it for everyone and we do not need that on here!
sincerely,
the other gordon

 

[MiTT]

Please do. I started this bloody thread.

However, I must admit that it brings back fond memories of my dreaded "dots" thread.

GG

You really are quite the muck raker aren't you Gordon?!

 

[TomDac]

Hey everyone,

I am going to close this thread...

I am convinced that Flykmair and BBP are not the same person...

I've told Flykmair that he's welcome back on the site after 30 days if he wants to be here.. Not sure that he'll want to after today...

It is my opinion that he loves Martin Logans, loves music and needs some compassion and friendship... It is unfortunate that this got so out of control.

We should all try to remember that we are here not only to learn about MLs and hi-fi stuff, but to maybe get a life-lesson or two..... and maybe make lasting friendships along the way....


Anyway, this thread is CLOSED. After 30 days, I'll delete it.

Regards to all...

Tom.