What's happening to FG?

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:54 pm

AussiePam;1197645 wrote: You ask a very good question, my friend Kathy - and a serious one which deserves a serious answer. I think something has very definitely changed over the last few years - and that this is not just a reflection of the normal internet ebb and flow, or of the seasons of the year. People have given you a range of answers. This is my take, and I hope readers of your thread will consider the input, and not just attack the person expressing the view.

I think FG has been dumbed down.

Where's the spark, the vitality, the meaty issues to explore, the though provoking snippets to take away and chew on, the witty verbal sword play, the intelligent conversation??

I think we have lost most of the colourful but risky posters who made the place vibrant and alive. We have become a forum of inconsequential feel good fluff threads, word games, mindless chatter. Fine in themselves, but ....

We have been over-sanitised and over-feminised.

Current events are now quoted gossip snippets from the tabloid press. Politics and religion tend now to be personal explanations from one-issue obsessives. We don't discuss things let alone debate them. People give opinions, get attacked or ignored, readers have emotional not logical responses or wander off into their own often unrelated agendas, and in the end, to harmonise our interactions, someone always comes in and swamps the inevitable brawls and hurt feelings with flowers and smiley emoticons.

I'm not having a go at any individual fellow Gardeners, and willingly include my own timidity in the face of online slings and arrows in the culpability pool.

I think our current state has come about for a number of reasons and the American/UK polarisation a while back didn't help. Our squabbles now seem to be girly ones behind the scenes over possible slights - not robust differences of opinion valiantly defended up front. Are we over-moderated, too, for the sake of marshmallow peace?

We've somehow reduced ourselves to the lowest common denominator.

This is a big Forum - yet we seem to be drowning in the posts of a few predictable mega-posters. Our diversity has been overwhelmed.

Maybe none of this matters. Maybe the demographics the advertising part of the site is interested in are exactly what's here now? This may also explain Lon's question about keeping politics etc off the Today's Posts list - which is what many of us first go to when we open FG. And anyway, there are a whole lot of really nice and fine people in ForumGarden.

So all's right with the world....

Isn't it????

Hello Pam:-6

You always have an excellent take on issues. Excellent reply and I agree with you 100%...thank you:D

You've summed it up beautifully;)

minks · Post by **minks** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:08 pm

oh good lord I should have read Pams post before I added my 2 cents worth she spoke it much more eloquently.

Boops your are right light moderation is good. I know in the past some things have become out of hand here on FG with personal attacks among members and that is where we are greatful for the mods indeed. Well on a whole I am greatful for the mods anyways, but also the mods are driven by what the members want.

If members keep coming to the mods begging for them to ban someone, the mods appear to be forced into taking an all or nothing approach. I do not envy you mods. I mean FG has had some weirdo's come here and get banned however we have lost some colorful members too because they were so forced to "conform" again not the mods fault 100% it's what members likely dictated.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:22 pm

minks;1198534 wrote: oh good lord I should have read Pams post before I added my 2 cents worth she spoke it much more eloquently.

Boops your are right light moderation is good. I know in the past some things have become out of hand here on FG with personal attacks among members and that is where we are greatful for the mods indeed. Well on a whole I am greatful for the mods anyways, but also the mods are driven by what the members want.

If members keep coming to the mods begging for them to ban someone, the mods appear to be forced into taking an all or nothing approach. I do not envy you mods. I mean FG has had some weirdo's come here and get banned however we have lost some colorful members too because they were so forced to "conform" again not the mods fault 100% it's what members likely dictated. Very well said Minksy

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:25 pm

flopstock;1198512 wrote: I agree. When folks bicker in threads about the thread topic, I enjoy it. I'm watching one at this very moment with more interest then I have experienced in a while here. and I haven't posted a word into it..

of course, I haven't wandered back for about an hour, so probably all hell has broken loose... one can only hope..:sneaky::D
Dang, now I gotta go look for a fight thread..

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:26 pm

flopstock;1198512 wrote: I agree. When folks bicker in threads about the thread topic, I enjoy it. I'm watching one at this very moment with more interest then I have experienced in a while here. and I haven't posted a word into it..

of course, I haven't wandered back for about an hour, so probably all hell has broken loose... one can only hope..:sneaky::D
How bout a clue...Do the spatters have accents?:yh_rotfl

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:49 pm

Geeze, FG is not moderated like a new forum that I joined. This is a huge forum and every thread and word is scrutinized. So many threads were deleted or moved by mods to an unknown area without even telling the members.

I do not post there except for the odd post due to the overmoderation:mad: I only post there to say hello to some of my friends.

I think that even though we have a lot of mods, each and everyone is fair- minded and does not ban members indiscriminately. I've noticed that our mods get rid of spammers immediately. They're doing a great job and really care about the harmony of FG...IMO;)

Post by **Betty Boop** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:57 pm

Kathy Ellen;1198552 wrote: Geeze, FG is not moderated like a new forum that I joined. This is a huge forum and every thread and word is scrutinized. So many threads were deleted or moved by mods to an unknown area without even telling the members.

I do not post there except for the odd post due to the overmoderation:mad: I only post there to say hello to some of my friends.

I think that even though we have a lot of mods, each and everyone is fair- minded and does not ban members indiscriminately. I've noticed that our mods get rid of spammers immediately. They're doing a great job and really care about the harmony of FG...IMO;)

Thank you Kathy, we do try hard to remain in the background

I'd be the first one out of here if this place became heavily moderated!

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 2:06 pm

Betty Boop;1198559 wrote: Thank you Kathy, we do try hard to remain in the background

I'd be the first one out of here if this place became heavily moderated!
I agree, heavy moderaters can be mean, I prefer skinny to fluffy moderaters myself.

flopstock · Post by **flopstock** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 2:13 pm

YZGI;1198565 wrote: I agree, heavy moderaters can be mean, I prefer skinny to fluffy moderaters myself.

I'm almost, nearly, if you take off your glasses... down to 2 visible chins - after only 5 months of oatmeal for breakfast, salad for lunch and 2 months of murder by trainer, at the local Y...

you people are just too damned hard to please!:-1

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 2:15 pm

flopstock;1198573 wrote: I'm almost, nearly, if you take off your glasses... down to 2 visible chins - after only 5 months of oatmeal for breakfast, salad for lunch and 2 months of murder by trainer, at the local Y...

you people are just too damned hard to please!:-1
But you're getting nicer... I can tell.:yh_rotfl

mrsK · Post by **mrsK** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 2:47 pm

YZGI;1198578 wrote: But you're getting nicer... I can tell.:yh_rotfl

She is always nice:-6:-6

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:37 pm

Sunshine;1198220 wrote: Nomad, I am far from a prude. I have read things that others have written that are far more insultive than I have ever written. I guess my sense of humor is different than yours and for that I'm not sure what can be done. I enjoy your comments and am sorry if I offended you. That was not my intention.

Truce?:yh_peace

Of course.

If I ever offend you please just let me know. Ill jump through a ring of fire to mend your feelings.

Post by **Sunshine** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:43 pm

Nomad;1198742 wrote: Of course.

If I ever offend you please just let me know. Ill jump through a ring of fire to mend your feelings.
Ahh, peace and harmony again. :-4 Hopefully a ring of fire won't be necessary. We don't want our Nomie all crispy now do we?