Default stances of negativity

[Kenton]

 

There is a 'follow this topic' box on each page if you're using the full website

At the risk of yet another moan ... that button (actually a link) doesn't work. This has been the case since an update to the software long ago and remains unfixed. (It did originally work!) It, and a few other less important "buttons", just does nothing yet the majority of the links and "buttons" work just fine. It just has to be a programming error - as it is an inconsistency - and just annoys.

 

Probably a bit like me going on and on about it. But complaining is the only way to get things sorted, sometimes. The really strange thing is that I use a couple of other forums that have this software and on them the button seems to work! So I think it is an upgrade or add-on that is used here that broke it and it has not been noticed/reported/resolved.

[cctransuk]

 At the risk of yet another moan ... that button (actually a link) doesn't work.

 

Works for me !

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Barry O]

Kenton, must be something up as it works for me.... just check out how many you are trying to follow as this does seem to affect it.

baz

[Kenton]

 

It's not just topics about manufacturers, it can be anything from X Factor to opinions about the monarchy.

Is this perhaps a disguised perennial call for the abolition of Wheeltappers

 

I'd like to think that most folk on here have a primary interest in railway modelling (in at least any one of its guises) and as such visit to see what is happening on layouts, kits, rtr and any one/many of its associated forums. After that they follow the latest news, some prototype info and the associated discussions. Finally it is the social nature of the forum that interests (the danger area perhaps) because that is where real people interact agree and yes disagree. I am sure that this perceived negativity is not confined to Wheeltappers but is surely more prevalent there?

 

And no, I don't wish to see it axed. But that is because I have been around here long enough to appreciate the site for the community it is with all its good and bad points and somehow the good always bring me back (most days).

 

I also find some of the negativity amusing - even if the poster didn't quite mean it that way.

[BigAndy]

'It's a lonely place at the top'. For the majority of us on here, we don't get to digest the majority of the negativity, either because we're not interested or we can ignore it and find something more interesting to read.

 

The point I'm making is that Andy, as Headmaster if you like, gets to see all the **** that goes on and has to deal with it accordingly, must wear him down some days. When you are in his position, it can seem like there is nothing other than whingers and whiners out there, but take heart as that these people are in the minority and the majority of the community enjoy RmWeb for what it is - a place to share and voice opinions.

Some negativity is good. If someone criticises my modelling, yes it can make you a bit downhearted but then that just makes me more determined to get it right next time. There are ways and means of doing this and for the majority, common sense prevails. Trolls get dealt with as Andy says and so do the few individuals who start to get personal, quite right too.

 

Don't get too down about it Andy, you do a great job on here as do all the mods. Today's another day and life goes on for us all.

 

I think we can all take a lesson from what Andy is saying. If you have something to say, just stop and think about how you are actually saying it. Like Mick says, the internet age has made it very easy for the keyboard warriors to easily just type away and hide behind their monitors - but I still think that these people are in the minority, fortunately.

For the rest of us, free speech is what makes this country great - just be careful how you voice those opinions. E-mails are a perfect exanple.

 

As Humans we are still hardwired for non-verbal communications to be an important part of a conversation. E-mails and any forums such as RmWeb remove that feature, so it can sometimes be extremely hard to understand the meaning behind a comment or an e-mail without having the benefit of having the person standing in front of you. I have seen it plenty of times at work, where someone has read an e-mail, become offended or angry and gone to find the sender and sort it out, only to find that it wasn't meant in the context in which they took it.

 

The only way for everyone to communicate on RmWeb is via the keyboard, so let's just try and hang fire on an immediate response and think as to how a reply or comment may be taken.......... after all, we are all on the same side here!

 

cheers

 

Andy

[Kenton]

 

Kenton, must be something up as it works for me.... just check out how many you are trying to follow as this does seem to affect it.

 

Thanks, but I do know it works for the vast majority. I even know why it doesn't work - my javascript restrictions - but that doesn't explain why it used to work and then suddenly stopped and why other buttons work and other sites work. As most folk browse with gay abandon to security issues they will never witness the problem. Which is why the broken software goes unnoticed. So I'm left with the only option of making some (potentially negative ) post. Though even that seems to be uncertain. Perhaps there is a limit as well?

[APOLLO]

Rum old hobby is model railways & rmweb

 

Some will never couple to each other, however you try, there are tension locks (!), horn hooks, 3 links and kadees amongst us

Some whine like a pair of Lima Deltics at full chat with 15 on

Some stall at a certain point and no amount of prodding will get em going

Some come from a true blue box, some are a bit lefty from a red box

Some are chip fitted (on the shoulder in some cases), most are straight DC, some need a good winding up regularly (as they are clockwork) and one or two I think are AC/DC

Some are old, some are new, some are borrowed, some are (rail) blue

Some are always on track, some derail at the slightest unevenness and go off at a tangent

Some moan and groan like an unlubricated Bachmann WD

 

Then we have the great "Andy" appearing from the sky, the almighty, who has the power to re-rail you, banish you to a siding, remove you to the stockbox, or heaven forbid, dismember you completely or flog you off on flea-bay !!!

 

Hang on, I've lost my "train" of thought, am I talking about rmweb, or my model railway in the loft !!!!!!!!!

 

Have fun, keep cool

 

Brit15

[The Stationmaster]

  Is this perhaps a disguised perennial call for the abolition of Wheeltappers

 

I'd like to think that most folk on here have a primary interest in railway modelling (in at least any one of its guises) and as such visit to see what is happening on layouts, kits, rtr and any one/many of its associated forums. After that they follow the latest news, some prototype info and the associated discussions. Finally it is the social nature of the forum that interests (the danger area perhaps) because that is where real people interact agree and yes disagree. I am sure that this perceived negativity is not confined to Wheeltappers but is surely more prevalent there?

 

And no, I don't wish to see it axed. But that is because I have been around here long enough to appreciate the site for the community it is with all its good and bad points and somehow the good always bring me back (most days).

 

I also find some of the negativity amusing - even if the poster didn't quite mean it that way.

Some Wheeltappers threads (I don't look at many so I might be getting the balance wrong) seem to be some of the most positive places on the forum.

 

In general I can understand that sometimes we might have a  negative opinion or feeling about something or, in reality more pertinently, a negative consequence but there are ways & means to put that over and there isn't really very often a need to come across as a moaning minnie.  However what does tend to irritate me, even more so as I get that better older, are those bold statements presented as fact in an extremely negative fashion but are really no more than ignorant totally uninformed opinion which bear little or no resemblance to the reality or actuality of what took place, what something is like, or how it works - on a sort of 'enter as appropriate basis'.  It might be excusable if someone presented something in a helpful and positive way but when they are clearly just moaning and spouting nonsense I really wonder why they are doing so.

 

We all like to present our point of view but could we perhaps stop and think before hitting the 'Post' button and maybe even go so far as checking the facts?  I never cease to be amazed by the appearance on the 'net (not just RMweb - although it does happen here) of total rubbish when original factual information or documents, not Wikirubbish, are readily available on the 'net if you bother to look for them.

[rovex]

I like to think that as a pessimist I will never be disappointed and often surprised but if I were an optimist I would often be disappointed and only occasionally get what I expect. Hohum

 

Oh and never be surprised

[coachmann]

Some days, RMweb looks like a 'Letters Page' for the disgruntled RTR buyer. 

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

 I just love the negative stuff. There's still nothing in model railway hobbydom quite at the pitch of the fondly remembered Electric Nose to enliven my day. But I live in hope.

 

...Don't get me wrong. In the "old days", people would take the time to write a letter if they felt strongly enough about a particular subject and because it took effort, that letter was given due regard. Now we can all be internet warriors and simply type and send without proper thought and regard for those actions...

 

This is the coming world, like it or not. Everybody's opinion can get exposure, and 'we' have to learn to deal with it. Historical reference time: the 'internet' (read as modern comms capability) which makes 'everyman' a publisher, is as large a change to the world as the coming of printing, which made 'everyman' a reader. There were fears back then about what all this reading would mean, (and savage attempts at repression of that development) but taken overall, I believe the verdict on universal reading has been favourable; and have no reason to believe that this present transformation in communication capability will ultimately be any different.

 

But the world will change as a result. As great a change as the transformation from the late medieval to the 'modern' period that universal reading brought about? Oh yes. Will it be comfortable? No. Thus the famed Chinese curse 'May you live in interesting times'.

[Waverley West]

I must admit I've taken a break from posting on this forum a couple of times due to what I perceive as excessive negativity. I come on here to interact in a positive manner with like-minded modellers. If coming on here isn't a positive experience for me, then I have enough hassle in my everyday life thanks, and I'll go elsewhere or just go back to being a solo modeller.

 

I think as many posters have said there is a way of saying things and also a need to check your facts before you say something. I also find it hard to believe how heated debates can become, not about religion or politics or subjects like that, but about 00 vs. P4, red boxes vs. blue boxes, etc. It's hard to believe sometimes that, barring the relatively few people on here who do it for a living, this is a hobby we're all in purely for the sake of enjoyment. 

 

I have at times been critical of Hornby on here in recent years, but whenever I've said anything critical it has always been backed up with hard evidence based on my own frustrating experiences. I don't see anything wrong with that kind of negativity as long as it is presented objectively and doesn't become excessive. What I do get frustrated over is the inability of some to accept another person's viewpoint and not to "have to have the last word". I was involved in a thread a while back about the value of lighting in coaches. There were completely diametrically opposed views on that threat, yet the banter remained both friendly and enlightening throughout. That's the way it should be in my view.

[trisonic]

And there you have it.

 

The “famed Chinese curse ‘May you live in interesting times’ has no factual source in China. It is apocryphal.

 

There is really nothing anywhere close - though Wiki quotes “better to live as dog in a time of peace than a man in times of war”.

 

Perhaps if everyone kept to facts than the world would seem better. No offense meant to you "34 the etc., etc."

 

 

Best, Pete.

[griffgriff]

I have read the thread thoroughly and after careful consideration I have come to the conclusion that all the posters are right and everyone has done a jolly good job of justifying their respective points of view.

 

Well done everyone.

 

Have a really fruitful, hearty and congenial day that fills you with feelings of enormous well being

 

(I've just attended a course on 'positive framing' and am feeling fine and dandy  )

[PeteScR]

Switch off RMWeb for a month.

Lets see if the world stops revolving.

Will the persistent malcontents find another outlet for their never ending angst ?

Will those who have promised new products have to do a bit of real marketing as opposed to lobbing the odd post on RMWeb?

Will those who constantly post up rubbish that has nothing to do with modelling start to think about the stupid topics they start or contribute to?

Will people start to realise what the M in RMWeb means?

 

Many of us saw this coming, its maybe time for members to consider whether RMWeb needs some major recalibration or if it is on a long slow lingering demise due to members just getting fed up with people who in a pub or other setting would avoid.

 

Pete

[edcayton]

 

 

Perhaps if everyone kept to facts than the world would seem better. 

Best, Pete.

 

Really? I think it would be dreadful. No literature, little music, very few model railways but, worst of all no opinions. That is surely what makes us individuals, and without difference in opinions there would be little point in conversation. Sorry Pete.

 

Ed

[Taz]

......

 

Many of us saw this coming, its maybe time for members to consider whether RMWeb needs some major recalibration or if it is on a long slow lingering demise due to members just getting fed up with people who in a pub or other setting would avoid.

 

Pete

I don't think this is happening. I believe the vast majority of us when coming across some of these 'negative' posts just think 'yeh, yeh, heard it all before' and move on or ignore it completely.

 

As for being negative, I have a rule I apply whenever something annoys me. I think what it would be like if I lived in Eastern Ukraine, or Syria or Northern Iraq. Or if I had just been given the news that someone close to me had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. It soon puts into perspective the insignificance of being wound up by someone here or not being able to get the RTR model I wanted, in the timeframe I wanted at the price I wanted. It's a frame of mind thing.

[Fenman]

It felt like that on Saturday when Minerva announced their first O gauge RTR loco.   We were hardly past the first page when folk were posting 'Nice, but I would like xx' or 'Can I have a yy please?'. ...

 

There is something similar happening on an APT-E thread, where people seem to be getting positively tetchy that a manufacturer has so far, inexplicably, failed to release the dimensions that they need to know, right now, in order to plan their layout properly.They are now using bold type and italic and underlining, just so everyone knows how important this issue is.

 

The fact that the manufacturer may have other things to do doesn't seem to occur to them.

 

Meanwhile, someone seems to be estimating to the nearest one hundredth of a millimeter how much overhang there will be from the APT's nose on 2nd radius curves. Really?

 

We do all get a bit carried away sometimes. Personally, I yearn for the simpler days when I could just click "disagree" before moving serenely on...

 

Paul

[PhilH]

There's a great deal of humour to be gleaned from these posts though...me, I just imagine the curmudgeonly old s*d behind the 'i'd like to moan about the cantrail colour on Bachornbyitrains latest 37', laugh, shrug my shoulders and move on.

 

One thing is for sure though...everyone is entitled to an opinion on who I am, what I think, what I write or what I opine. The trick is, in my opinion, not to let it bother you, act as above, don't retaliate.

 

 

 

Just think that they are a complete tw*t.......

[chrisf]

 

 

(I've just attended a course on 'positive framing' and am feeling fine and dandy  )

 

You should have put the money towards a Bachmann auto trailer ...

 

Chris

[PeteScR]

I don't think this is happening. I believe the vast majority of us when coming across some of these 'negative' posts just think 'yeh, yeh, heard it all before' and move on or ignore it completely.

 

I dont read them either but it obviously annoys people hence this thread, in fact I only read about 1% of what appears on this forum.

When I do its usually because someone has directed me to something, I don't have time for all the useless "Noise"

 

Pete

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

And there you have it.

 

The “famed Chinese curse ‘May you live in interesting times’ has no factual source in China. It is apocryphal.

 

There is really nothing anywhere close - though Wiki quotes “better to live as dog in a time of peace than a man in times of war”.

 

Perhaps if everyone kept to facts than the world would seem better. No offense meant to you "34 the etc., etc."

 Are you disputiing the factual existence of this expression? It predates my existence, by the earliest cited sources, and appears to originate in China. Good enough for me!

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

.....I'm always grateful to those with a more detailed knowledge than myself who actually point out errors in models, as it isn't possible to have a thorough knowledge of all stock required for a layout and I always want to know of any shortcomings before parting with cash, even if I still decide to buy. In the past I've pre-ordered new releases but known instinctively that something isn't right from the moment that they arrive, or else I've read about a dimensional error e.g. the Heljan 33/0 roof profile once I've ordered my own (committed the cash). Is it negative to know/share knowledge of issues/defects in models before you or others buy them? I don't think so. If manufacturers don't want to see/hear such criticisms then the answer is simple....make better products.

 

As for threads/posts which contain whining/negativity just for the sake of it, I vote with my feet and simply ignore such content. Everyday life contains excessively negative people so why should RMWeb be any different?

 

Dave

[Mark Dickerson]

(I've just attended a course on 'positive framing' and am feeling fine and dandy  )

Lesson #1: That painting isn't wonky, it's Differently-Square.

 

(Sorry.)

[edcayton]

Two psychologists walking through a subway come across a man who has been seriously beaten up and robbed. They stop to help and one says to the man "Heavens, whoever did this to you has real problems".

 

Ed