Is HFV community getting abrasive and is that a concern?

[arj]

Many people just seem to have forgotten the point of respecting another opinion or just try to be nice!
A discussion is about exchange of ideas.. Not a fight about who knows more.

 

[Bhaskar Jyoti Talapatra]

Thanks Sachin for this thread. I have been in this forum for some years so I can't comment on what happened many years ago. But it is true that recently some of the members are violating forum rules either knowingly or unknowingly, though most of the members are maintaining etiquette till date. Some members are here just to show how much they know and they are opinionated. Sadly, some learned members use words like Audiofool which I think may hurt the feeling of any educated person. In some discussions some members use abusive remarks which ultimately show their own nature to everyone. They have the least care about other's honour, dignity and feelings. This should be stopped. Mods alone can do nothing rather it is up to us. If we take care while discussing anything then our forum will keep its dignity. So far I don't have any problems with any member. I received answers from respected members when I asked them any question. I have learnt so many things from the knowledgeable members. I am an optimist and I hope that our forum will run smoothly and members will be cautious while discussing.
Regards

 

[reachkalyan.kr]

Imho .
We cant change the ppl attitude.

There are lot of such agressive discussion happening on and off in this forum. FM who involved the most on that particular discussion or FM who interested on that topic knows the intensity of the discussion.
Others just flip to the second page by just overlooking, may be i am one of em'.

 

[Nikhil]

This is great feedback for us moderators.

As mentioned earlier, please use the "Report" link below a post to flag any comments that violate any forum rules. Speaking of which the Forum Rules are pretty clear about what is the expected behavior on the forum. For the most part, we try to leave things alone when the occasional flare up takes place but if a post is reported then for sure we will intervene.

The code of conduct on here is like anything we would use when we meet a person face to face - be it in a social club, a group meet or any other social occasion. Be nice, be polite and when the occasion arises agree to disagree on a point. Someone mentioned about the tight moderation that occurs on other forums. I don't see the need for that. We are all responsible adults on here.

Thanks again to everyone for the great community we have on here. The pandemic has really reinforced what the really important things are in life. Let us continue to enjoy our interests and if we find some company to share them with - nothing could be better than that!

Regards


.

 

[Sean de Silva]

A thought: when we find someone’s post offensive or insulting, rather than respond on the thread, we could just flag it with a moderator who could possibly try to deal with it and prevent further unpleasantry?

Common sense advice. AMEN! Not too long ago, I was unnecessarily provoked into a slanging match with a well-known member. I should have simply flagged the offensive posts via the report tab to our moderators. Sigh! Realization dawned eventually.
Our species is biologically programmed with this eye for an eye and one-upmanship pseudo bravado mentality. Hyper-reactive to everything and everyone around. Covid-19 should've shaken us awake with the abiding fact that life is too fragile and too damn short for these meaningless puerile squabbles and ego trips! Reading some of the recent crude exchanges on the television section which rapidly degrade in civility, I'm shocked to realize that we belong to the homo sapiens species. (Homo latin for man and sapiens for wisdom)
On a lighter note, once I'm done with Jay Shetty's 'Think Like A Monk', I think I should pass it around to a few. Calm them down and get their heads out of the oven.

 

[Lizard King]

Isn't it so much nicer to be polite, kind and sweet to random unknown people, than to be rude?
After all it is an anonymous internet forum where nobody about who you are..
I mean, even if I have to be on an ego trip, I'd rather do that by being nice and helpful to others and pick up brownie points. Why should anyone be a nuisance and lose any following or traction?

 

[Hari Iyer]

I have felt the same a few times recently and now feel, even sharing one’s experience may not be soft sailing here as sometimes the reactions are on a war footing !!! I was actually quite surprised as my posts are purely intended to share my own experiences and someone may benefit from them rather than getting mis-influenced or even “forced” to endorse them !

Most extreme DIY endeavour by me are not shared by me off-late because of foul language by some forum members. Who am I to correct or debate with anyone. Neither am I or anyone else to loose. But I felt the DIY crowd lost a lot because of me abstaining from posting. I still continue to receive many many tips from my audio mentors from US, Europe and other locations, but I have stopped sharing here now.

 

[captrajesh]

Do we have a 'Code of Conduct' kind of thing for the forum? I have not seen it so asking. Sometimes, putting the expectations in formal words makes people more aware and careful. Regards

HiFiVision.com - Forum Rules

www.hifivision.com

No-one seems to read them. I had to lock one thread on Television section as participants were going overboard.

I have a bitter experience dealing with one of the most senior members here.

It happened months ago and the senior member still stalks me and reacts to whatever I post on this forum. Sigh!

#MeToo (different member though probably in his early 30's)

You could've reported it rather than grin and bear it.

 

[ssf]

It's a sad day when grown ups need rules to tell them how to behave but that is how we are.

At intersections, just posting a no right turn is not enough. Police have to set up barricades to restrict us from taking that right turn.

But, overall I think, we are a well behaved crowd, occasionally naughty but well behaved.

 

[arj]

No-one seems to read them. I had to lock one thread on Television section as participants were going overboard.



You could've reported it rather than grin and bear it.

It's a sad day when grown ups need rules to tell them how to behave but that is how we are.

At intersections, just posting a no right turn is not enough. Police have to set up barricades to restrict us from taking that right turn.

But, overall I think, we are a well behaved crowd, occasionally naughty but well behaved.

As @captrajesh has mentioned , anytime you see an infraction please report at least one of the mods can take action..based on a lot of reports many of the FMs have given we have either deleted or banned members

Newer forums like TV is where a lot of this is happening . the "traditional " Valve/Vinyl/Digital/Cable etc threads dont seem to have the same issue.

I have a bitter experience dealing with one of the most senior members here. I think I am 2 decades younger than him. The discussion was for a speaker sale and the member used F words in the convo and degraded my peace of mind. I didn't even negotiate. I ended up buying a brand new speaker of the same make. It happened months ago and the senior member still stalks me and reacts to whatever I post on this forum. Sigh!

there is no "Sr member" here
If you see an issue , report it so mods can take a call.

 

[Deleted member 15865]

The outpouring response to the thread suggests that this is indeed an issue that many of us feel concerned about. While it is souring the forum experience for all, it is also impeding original contribution by FMs who are wary of inconsiderate and rude responses.

Sure, we all want to preserve the open culture we have in here and don’t want to go the way of being an excessively controlled community as that would impact the quality of our members, their contributions and interactions. But on the other hand, we also run the risk of members dropping out or staying out if the issue remains unaddressed.

This discourse has also brought up some solutions:

1. Mindfulness, Openness and Self-moderation on part of us all. (easily the ideal, but not full-proof as it’s a dynamic group and none of us is perfect)

2. Perceiving the forum as a ‘community’ that one belongs to and feels responsible for. Not as an impersonal & anonymous social (?) platform where one can behave with no compunctions.

3 Reporting infractions to moderators (requires shedding the inhibition “am I being a whiner if I report?’). I suggest here that moderators, once they take action on the report, also give feedback (even if automated) to the reporting members so that it encourages them to report in future.

4. Proactive and periodic reminders (DMs) from mods to all members explaining aspects of forum decorum and underlining its importance. While we are supposed to read and agree while we sign up, it’s easy to get carried away and forget with time.

The one (possible response) I am still not sure about is whether a member, who observes inconsiderate/rude behaviour on part of someone, should call it out in the thread? I admit I tend to do that sometimes (either as post or as DM). But I also wonder if I am crossing the line in doing so.

 

[DB1989]

Common sense advice. AMEN! Not too long ago, I was unnecessarily provoked into a slanging match with a well-known member. I should have simply flagged the offensive posts via the report tab to our moderators. Sigh! Realization dawned eventually.
Our species is biologically programmed with this eye for an eye and one-upmanship pseudo bravado mentality.

I'll have to disagree. I've had a lot of time in my hands of late and after long hours of natgeo and bbc earth , I've seen all species exhibit it except in the case of humans, it's mostly psychological domination instead of physical (if anybody wants to watch a good and righteous Fight, it's Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 at 7:30am this Sunday)

But at the end of the day, its basic behaviour and those who exhibit it have very little self control or awareness. Simply put, they are succumbing to basic urges.

Hyper-reactive to everything and everyone around. Covid-19 should've shaken us awake with the abiding fact that life is too fragile and too damn short for these meaningless puerile squabbles and ego trips! Reading some of the recent crude exchanges on the television section which rapidly degrade in civility, I'm shocked to realize that we belong to the homo sapiens species. (Homo latin for man and sapiens for wisdom)
On a lighter note, once I'm done with Jay Shetty's 'Think Like A Monk', I think I should pass it around to a few. Calm them down and get their heads out of the oven.

On the contrary, COVID has given us too much time to indulge in it. An idle mind is the devil's playground.

 

[shyamv]

My 2 cents. Firstly, thanks @SachinChavan for bringing up this very important issue. I agree that some of the recents posts, maybe including a couple of mine, have become confrontational and have not adhered to the forum rules.

However, it is important that we don't swing to the other extreme and 'over-police' as it happens with other forums or is happening with all forms of media on the national scene now. I believe in 'laissez faire' approach and believe that over time social interactions will largely harmonize itself when regulations or interference are applied with a very light touch!

Our moderators have done a great job of keeping things under control as of now and any major infractions can be brought to their notice!

 

[arj]

.

4. Proactive and periodic reminders (DMs) from mods to members explaining aspects of forum decorum and underlining its importance. While we are supposed to read and agree while we sign up, it’s easy to get carried away and forget with time.

Point taken on 4. good input ! especially when put together with 3.

 

[ssf]

I have been in Programming and SQL Server forums where people register to learn and share information which is used by the majority of the members for work related issues / problems. These forums need very strict moderation.

Forums like HiFiVision is used mostly by members to share and further their hobby or passion. Forums like ours should not be over moderated in my humble view. And it is not being done too. The moderators are doing an excellent job of it and I don't see a lot that needs changing. This is of course my view and this needs to be said to balance the discussion on moderation.

 

[Analogous]

I wonder how many FM are reading this thread….

Are we talking about this issue in an echo chamber while many who may benefit from this discussion are unaware of this revolution happening behind their screens?

 

[sandeepmohan]

Definitely is or has.

I am generally a silent spectator and step in only when something interests me or if I find some misguidance or lack of thought going on.

I was active on one such thread discussing TV's and was taken aback by the responses of some folks on there. It was unbelievable. Granted I did hit back, a little restrained, but it felt like a pointless exercise. From what I have noticed, there are a lot of recommendations going on purely based on inter web or YouTube video references and that is being shoved down your throat. This I don't like and it needs to be corrected, especially for folks who are relatively clueless or new to something.

I've been around here for well over a decade and this was the first time I noticed a really low level of conduct on the forum.

 

[captrajesh]

This discourse has also brought up some solutions:

Mindfulness, Openness and Self-moderation on part of us all. (easily the ideal, but not full-proof as it’s a dynamic group and none of us is perfect)

Yes. It's not difficult IMO. All one has to do is, introspect before clicking the 'post reply' button; how he would feel if someone else writes such a reply to his post.

Reporting infractions to moderators (requires shedding the inhibition “am I being a whiner if I report?’). I suggest here that moderators, once they take action on the report, also give feedback (even if automated) to the reporting members so that it encourages them to report in future.

People ARE reporting and mods are taking action. And yes, we do send a automated message if someone is issued an infraction.

Proactive and periodic reminders (DMs) from mods to all members explaining aspects of forum decorum and underlining its importance. While we are supposed to read and agree while we sign up, it’s easy to get carried away and forget with time.

Sending periodic reminders isn't practical. How can we send thousands of messages just as a routine!?

 

[reubensm]

Personally, I have never taken anything to heart, every one has an opinion and is entitled to it, which we must respect. Its just that some have different ways of expressing opinions - some are aggressive and upfront, some are casual and relaxed, some are professional, etc and knowing that we have moderators overseeing everything, if its posted it should be deemed as fair (in my opinion). One comment I would like to make being an old timer (and perhaps this is controversial), is that I have noticed, over the last 10 years or so in India, a casual comment, friendly banter and simple harmless jokes are often taken over-sensitively these days and there are always people to attack with sharp counter-comments or spend a lot of time debating about it, mostly with little or no outcome. This is not just in social media or online forums but even during in-person conversations as well. Probably it has something to do with the changing times in India. However I have noticed that this is not the case abroad, especially in the west.

Yes, the fact that the posts have dropped and the threads dry out after a short conversation, and this aspect has worried me a lot, in-fact that's why i still come back and post and also prefer to use the for sale section in comparison to whatsapp groups or facebook groups. I am not very active in whatsapp groups and facebook groups but am a silent listener.

in my opinion a few factors have contributed:

• a lot of the enthusiasts have moved up the value chain and have become knowledgeable themselves, so less activity
• a lot of enthusiasts and even FMs are part of WhatsApp groups and Facebook groups where everything is talked about (and sold), its the changing times i guess
• a major hit for our forum in my opinion is the evolution of YouTube. Now one does not need to post and wait for an answer, go to youtube and there are loads of videos on the subject. Also if one has to reach out to a wider audience (outside our list of FMs), then youtube is a good option. For example, I am following one of our FMs on Youtube who posts videos on how to calibrate SME tonearms, reviews of bollywood music, etc which is actually really interesting and engaging (my son has also become very interested in watching these videos, more to uncover the methods used in producing them, but that's interest as well )
• one grey area has always been - how to differentiate between the real enthusiast and a poser. While most of us are into this world out of interest, there are those who are around for purely commercial reasons or a combination of both, as well. There have been some tricky folks around in the past and the experiences with these individuals have not been worth remembering. However we all forget and move on.

 

[Gerry_the_Merry]

My two cents - I don't visit often enough, but when I do, I do find some engaging threads, and the tone is a bit less abrasive than it used to be. A few years back, the For Sale section used to be very controversial with anyone and everyone posting opinions. Major clashes over sales were very frequent. There were vey heated exchanges on several topics, in which regrettably, I lost my cool too once. Folks were banned etc. - many I don't see these days. Things are a lot more friendly now, I feel.