Has this forum suffered such a fate due to trivial and sometimes unpleasant troll posts by a small number? Has this forum lost it's value as a useful information source or has it degraded into a mere 'twitter' for the few? Quantity v's Quality of content.

This is a genuine query bourne out of a sense of regret at the direction this forum has taken.

Why have so many of the interesting contributors left?

It might be interesting to read the views of "non regulars" and folks who mainly read the forum.

OceanFroggie



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/2012 15:07 by OceanFroggie.

I totally agree- its not surprising that IWAI loses new members. I joined to
get information about the Shannon, its' lakes and boating facilities. I can
get enough rants listening to Joe Duffy!!
Larry McCarthy
Iolar na Mara

Funny Noel, I was thinking just exactly the same thing, and my guess is as follows.
When someone needs something the forum works really well, but recently anyone who puts their head up about any contentious issues gets blown out of the water. The snide backbiting and generally nasty comments make me cringe. In a lot of cases it is a poor attempt at trying to be funny, but what's funny to one's face is not necessarily funny on a forum.
I am sure there are loads of lurkers, as can be seen from responses to any need, but my guess is most of them would refrain from commenting on quite a few issues in fear of of being smashed down.
Personally, I don't care, I know most of the guys on the forum, and a better bunch you couldn't find, I think it is just the medium that brings out the worst.

Having said that, last year we had some fantastic threads, and the forum really shone. Hopefully the same will happen this year when the cabin fever has retreated.

And a final comment to the posters, please think a little before you let fly, nasty comments do take their toll.

Les 41M

Noel I wholeheartly agree If I go off and do work on behalf of the association I am Elite Wow , if I dont I am a Pleb . If I explain that the Exe asked me to look into Fracking and its associated dangers it is taken that we have a seceret policy not available to mortal members . This forum was designed to help ,it has lost its way and perhaps a boards or facebook type forum may be a better IWAI bashing forum and return this forum to the information channel it was designed to be . understandably one of my few posts Paul

The rot set in with the web forum.
Ducking and running....

Regards, Nick

On Mon, 6 Feb 2012 16:07:24 GMT, IWAI forum Paul Garland wrote, in
<[AG]www.iwai.ie>:
>
>Noel I wholeheartly agree If I go off and do work on behalf of the association I am Elite Wow , if I dont I am a Pleb . If I explain that the Exe asked me to look into Fracking and its associated dangers it is taken that we have a seceret policy not available to mortal members . This forum was designed to help ,it has lost its way and perhaps a boards or facebook type forum may be a better IWAI bashing forum and return this forum to the information channel it was designed to be . understandably one of my few posts Paul

Reply Quote

As a "lurker' I see this forum as generally more civil than most others. There will always be varying degrees of back and forth - more so if the discussion slides off topic.

My wife and I have cruised the Shannon twice now - Sept. 2006 and again in Sept. 2009. We are planning again for this Sept. Reading the various threads brings back great memories of our previous trips - we particularly enjoy Paul Scannel's photo albums.

Every web forum seems to ebb and flow as various contributors come and go. This one still has great value to us non-regular types.

Regards to all,

Brian M.
Chicago, Illinois



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/2012 18:01 by Brian Mourning.

Has this forum suffered such a fate due to trivial and sometimes unpleasant troll posts

Noel could you please explain the type of thing you call a Troll Post for the B-Wildered

Donal

Problem is Noel, what you may consider informative and interesting, I may consider trivial and boring....and vice versa.

This does bring Conor Nolan's recent post to mind..... [www.iwai.ie]

M(W&W)F

Quote:

donaboland1
Noel could you please explain the type of thing you call a Troll Post for the B-Wildered

Hi Donal
Apologies, its an internet term. Here is one interpretation [en.wikipedia.org])
Noel

Quote:

Mick Farrell
Problem is Noel, what you may consider informative and interesting, I may consider trivial and boring....and vice versa.

Hi Mick
Understand, that is why I addressed the question to the less frequent contributors and forum readers.
Noel

OceanFroggie

p



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2012 12:26 by pj norris.

As one of the less frequent posters, I enjoy the banter - obviously people disagree (it would be a dull world if we all thought the same) but I sometimes think the personal abuse can be over the top. In particular the criticism levelled at the IWAI executive is, in my opinion, unwarranted & I speak as somebody without ties.

Most committees these days are filled by 'Russian volunteers' & the IWAI is no different - there hasn't, as far as I'm aware, been an election at the IWAI AGM for several years so the only conclusion I can reach is very few people wish to take on these roles so it's a bit unfair to criticise those who do

That relatively minor gripe aside, I think the forum is superb - Noel loses me with his techie bits, Mick goes off track with his Canal ramblings, Les has his annual wash gripe, Duncan goes off into hibernation for all of 2 minutes and John K puffs around Derg whenever he gets a bit of wind - sure where else would you get such entertainment!

Terry
?

T



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2012 12:27 by pj norris.

PJ wrote

"Volunteerism, why isn't it working for IWAI?"

Given the IWAI has something like 15 branches, all working away (relatively) independedly there appears to be no shortage of volunteers but I still believe there is a reluctance to move to more exalted levels - perhaps this is, as you say, due to a perception of a closed shop, but at any of the AGMs I've attended there has been a general invitation to contribute at Committee level - I haven't done so but this is due to time pressure rather than any feeling of not being wanted.

Anyway, as is often the case on the Forum, we digress - again proof positive of the ability of this Forum to meander - long may it continue

Terry
?

Mmm, as someone who logs onto the forum on a daily basis but makes relatively infrequent posts, I think that part of the problem is the perception that sometimes comes through in some posts (and this may very well be entirely unintentional and not at all indicative of the poster's point of view) that their particular way of enjoying the waterways is the best/only way of doing so. I believe that there there is plenty of room on our system for all of the following;

canoeists
fishermen
walkers/runners
cyclists
barges
dinghys
ski boats, jetskis and even TSDYs (who should also be allowed to open up their engines on broad stretches of open water provided that they take account of, and show respect for, other vessels nearby)
single-engined plodders (that's me, by the way!)
boats constructed from steel, fibreglass, wood or any other material which can be made to float!
those who enjoy the broad loughs, the canals, the rivers, the towpaths or anywhere else
people who may wish to have their boats festooned with fenders (even old car tyres!)
those who like having their VHF aerials inclined at jaunty angles
those who enjoy the bustle of rallies as well as those who enjoy the quiet and solitude of a lonely mooring/anchorage
owners of boats costing from €500 to €500,000
boats in need of a little TLC as well as those in pristine condition
boats which safely use gas as a means of heating water/cooking/refrigerating as well as those purely electrically powered
all ages - 0 to 110

For me, it is the wide variety of waterways users which one meets that provides the interest and delight. The waterways are there for the pleasure and enjoyment of everyone. Roll on the 2012 season!!


Rich
COOL BLUE

"Has this forum suffered such a fate due to trivial and sometimes unpleasant troll posts by a small number?"

Accusing any fellow contributor of Trolling is a very serious allegation would you care to identify any of the contributors and their posts you see as being Troll's.

"Has this forum lost it's value as a useful information source or has it degraded into a mere 'twitter' for the few?"

I certainly wouldn't share that point of view with you.

"Quantity v's Quality of content."

Rather subjective I would say. But I suspect that with nearly 7,000 posts you are in a far better position to answer this than anyone.

Why have so many of the interesting contributors left?

I'll use a quote from one of the many offline messages I get from people who will no longer post on the forum.

" Apologies for off-line response, but as I'm sure you're aware, the majority of folk won't participate on this list, because of the behaviour of one or two (which unfortunately excludes some far more knowledgeable and experienced folk, that I know of)."

It might be interesting to read the views of "non regulars" and folks who mainly read the forum.

These people wont post for fear of being jumped on by the Nowall's or at least those who consider themselves such.

If this really is your view of the forum and its contributors shouldn't you consider removing yourself as a moderator.
Moderators are supposed to be impartial and you obviously have your own views on the value of the contributions of some posters. If you really view a post as malicious or inflammatory remove it and see what happens.

AJ

Well, I think Noel has made his point. A reasonable post set to obtain views from the mostly non posters, and there you are, one after the other berating him. And noone seems to stand up for someone who does a tremendous job on the exec and as moderator, and for organising events, and for in my opinion providing very reasonable and acceptable arguement when challenged. And has introduced many boaters to the salt, and provided a fantastic set of charts, and so on and so on.
Would the general twitters on the forum leave this thread to the lurkers please, we have loads of those and this thread simply wants to hear their views. Noel has a view and he is entitled to it, I don't agree with the view, but that is no reason the blast anyone.

And now I suppose, I'll get blasted, but I don't care. I think the forum is fantastic and don't miss a day logging on, but I do hate the few posts that blast people unfairly.

So, lurkers, can we have your views please.. do you want a forum or not. Even today some posts have had brilliant answers unobtainable by any other means, so there is hugh goodness, and only a few poor ones I think.

Les 41M

I'm not fond of interfering but I thought I'd add my view of the forum. I'm only new around here! However to me the forum has helped and encouraged me greatly and without it I don't think I'd have a boat at all now, I've met some truly outstanding dedicated people who I feel now are friends and hope to meet more of the people that have advised me Over the last few months. Like the vintage scene which I was involved with since a kid you meet all sorts of people the majority of which are helpful and want to encourage others no matter if they've a dingy or abromavichs super yacht , I'm electronically challenged but have learnt a good bit , I've been around mechanical stuff all my life so hope to help if I can, as for the rest adventures and information , great and all from the forum.
Well said my piece
Not into bickering! Or tracking
Donal

Hi all,

I am a frequent reader and very rarely add my opinions to the forum.

Firstly, well done to all who volunteer in the IWAI but I have to
agree with PJ. The impression I get (as well as many others) from the
Exec is that they seem to be doing work but is it for the overall
majority of the organisation??

I am a hands on person and like the idea of Dublin branch (as well as
many others) that get stuck in to do something productive like work
parties and day trips. The sense of snobbery from some members on the
forum and within the organistaion has a negitive effect on many users
of the foruma nd the different navigations.

So to answer the question: I do like the forum and would like it to
remain as it is. Im not a satnav/GPS/echosounder etc type of person. I
don't like logging in to find more threads about shannon charts and
GPS etc but I accept it. If people don't like what is posted either
press the delete button or leave.

Regards
John

Do not feed the trolls" and its abbreviation "DNFTT" redirect here. For the Wikimedia essay, see "What is a troll?".



A Troll or To Troll[center][/center]

The "trollface", or "coolface", first appearing in 2008, is often used to indicate trolling in contemporary internet culture.[1] Modern usage of the word itself dates from 1980s.
In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4] The noun troll may refer to the provocative message itself, as in: "That was an excellent troll you posted".

While the word troll and its associated verb trolling are associated with Internet discourse, media attention in recent years has made such labels subjective, with trolling describing intentionally provocative actions and harassment outside of an online context. For example, mass media has used troll to describe "a person who defaces Internet tribute sites with the aim of causing grief to families."[



So now I know what a troll is or does A question


Noel--Moderator


Is there a Troll on this forum ?
If there is can the moderator block him ?
If there is no troll causing a problim then are the posters as a group behaving as trolls ?
Are the people who are posting not posting the material you want ?

What in your opinion is the problim, please give exaples

I sit here wondering am I aTroll is P.J, Mick, Andy, The Man at the top of the river, John.
God we could all be infected, is there a cure ?

You need to be clear as to what you want on this forum


I sit here wondering is this a Troll post, Geeeeee I could be aTroll or even a Troll-up,

Noel,
I doubt you could describe it as death or anything so dramatic!
I honestly can't see a post which really fits the "trolling" desciption.You should see the carry on in some other forums!
More a fit of the jitters on a contentious issue which will pass in time.
In the last two days someone got a loan of a trailer and another person was offered a toilet - where else would you get help and cooperation like that? The advice on the wiper motor was a model of sense and good advice.

Nick may be onto something when he mentions the transition to the forum as a possible source of, shall we say, disengagement. I was a great fan of the immediacy of the email version but in November I was going away for a month and didn't want my inbox filling up so I changed to the forum. I find that since switching over I tend to log in and read posts and then put a response on the long finger. As often as not someone else has covered what I want to say or I just don't get around to it and the posse has headed off in another direction.Like my school reports used to say "must try harder"!
Regards Paddy
.