Yea I hear ya...rules were never clearly established, mostly implied, and well we know where thast can lead.

Also I think it's inherent in this linear, static if you will, form of communication. Real communication (F-to-F) is so much more dynamic and way easier to manage, control, interpret and clarify. The linear method presents many challenges, especially with interpretation..

I'm referring to establishing it more formally rather than just a topic in thread.

During the sign-up / registration process and in the FAQ section.

What could it look like? Well, 3 key areas readily come to mind.

Mission Statement

Rules

Guidelines

Hmmm....

Mission Statement

Rules

Guidelines

Truth be told Hoppy et al... David and I "assumed" everyone would follow the proper decorum of a PUBLIC gathering place, be it virtual or in the flesh. But, personalities and opinions being as varied as they are, "things" can be said and fires can start. Printed RULES per se won't alleviate that. The proof of this is in any other forum that has RULES/GUIDELINES. Disagreements/fires still start regardless of the posted RULES. Thus dealing with it/them becomes the same regardless. With that said...

We still have faith in the intelligence and self control of the typical sentient being that uses and enjoys our little vintage drum community. Truthfully, it's a very small percentage that causes the problems anyway... on any forum, again completely irrespective of posted RULES. I also deal with the "problems" privately for the most part. Absolutely no need to air anything publically if it can be avoided. The guys that I have chatted with privately know who they are. As far as the CLOSED sections... David has been contemplating that for quite some time. He feels that the site "may have" been redirected as time has gone by and more members have joined. Like any other entitiy, the VDF is in a small state of flux... but hopefully for the better and total enjoyment of our members!

Hopefully this shed a small amount of light on your query regarding rules, guidelines, etc. Best!

Tommyp/Moderator

It really depends on what you're looking for from a forum. This forum, as I understand it, is intended to be a historical repository of information regarding vintage drums. People also join to get drums evaluated and identified. If someone is having troubles with a vintage drum or might be looking for a resource for a missing part, etc., then this forum has come to the rescue many times.

Although a certain level of socializing takes place here, it's usually among the people who have been answering people's questions for a long enough time and have established a familiarity with each others' online identities.

For instance, if I see a thread about someone's job or personal relationship going down the tubes, posted here, it's very likely I won't be contributing to it. I will, however, try to answer any questions that I can about vintage drums....usually with some kind of icon at the end....Burger Kin

Tommyp,

We are in total agreement about behavior but I firmly believe that formalizing structure with detail would help govern content (which may have a net positive effect on behavior... but I doubt it, 'cause peeples r peeples).

I also don't have any issues with the deletion of certain sections like the video section for instance. The section may be gone but the ablility to link and embed isn't, so content may simply find its way into a different section like General Q&T.

When I re-read the thread VTM2000 linked to, this is what stuck out for me, and especially the highlighted part.

This is, after all, coming from the Webmaster.

Personally, I fall short of those objectives at times, and don't totally focus on their importance in keeping this forum on it's intended course.

I tend to, and do, throw out some humour, and occasionally some rather acerbic comments at times.....

Thankfully, there are no strict RULES about these indiscretions that would promote my dismissal from the forum. I can only speculate since I have the intermittent offering of a solid piece of knowledge or advice, I am allowed to remain.

My thinking about this is that if we, in general, make a reasonable effort to stay on course, even though we may falter at times, that the newer members will catch on to the "feel" of the forum, and static rules and guidelines will not have to be part of some indoctrination process when joining the forum.

I was offered a neat snare if I would refrain from posting on this one. I've got enough snares.

The bottom line is this ... if you are an immature individual that doesn't get invited to parties, you're most likely gonna cause problems on whatever form of communication you choose.

This is a vintage drum forum ... which presents two major obstacles ...

We are VERY passionate about vintage drums.

Superfluous crap threads annoy a lot off us.

The key is to remember that you don't need confirmation about your skills. You don't need anyone else to tell you that you made a good buying decision. And fineally, you are one person among many. You may be right, but life isn't about who's right or wrong. It's all about staying true to who you are and that which lives in your heart.

You had me up until the "you may be right or wrong" part.....that part bothered me. Why? Because I'm ALWAYS right! :p

Hi there Mcjnic, surely this is not a comment regarding my initial post?