OK ... What the heck is going on here ???
 

I go away for a week to tend to some other business and the roof falls in!! My partner - Steve (among others) - has informed me that mayhem has erupted!!

For those of you who know me ... talk to me. You know that I always try to be neutral and fair. Give me the abridged version of this past week and what has been going on. All I am hearing are a bunch of people complaining about this and that.

In a nutshell (from what I can tell) we dropped the ball a bit by not stepping in soon enough to stop a bad trend that simply got worse.

You all know that I have always been lenient when it comes to controversy. You also know that I have stepped in when it simply got too hot. I know Steve was trying his best to allow the tide to ebb and flow. He was basically giving everyone the benefit of the doubt in hopes that the controversy would burn itself out.

If this is the case which has caused all the mayhem to occur ... you have my (and our) sincerest apologies for not being more diligent. We know that we have no hope of ever pleasing 100% of the members but we also know we can probably please 85% of them as long as we use common sense and do our jobs as moderators when and if the time comes.

For those of you who have been on the Board since day one (Too Old, Wally, Waterfoul, etc.) you guys know me. You know I have always been fair. You also know that OSO has grown from our few hundred members to thousands. The good old days of it being some small group of members are gone.

We have to accept what OSO has become and do the best our best to adapt to the situation. Hey ... remember Neuspeed? Neuspeed was nothing to contend with compared to what goes on these days!! Ha ha!

If you have a problem ... send an email to me directly at [email protected].

Jeffrey

Seems like some of us were like kids with a new toy, this will wear off. I would rather have this than Neuspeed!
Tim T.

I remember NewSpeed!
 

I also remember him at the OSO party in Miami!!!!

You guys are doing a great job, both Steve and Jeffrey!

Jeffrey,I think the board let it take its course and that is the only thing that could have happend. This trend,getting off topic only got worse with the ability to post pics freely. Too Old started a very sincere post of readers rides, it was going great. Then someone started a O.T. thread that just went to hell.It has worked itself through with one seriuos casualty...TOO OLD has retired. this is a great loss to those of us who have read his threads. He truly is a gentleman and will be missed. Perhaps you can speak to him. Thanks for a Great Tool and Forum, Mark B.

Jeffery,if you want to see what is going on,cruise over to the other site(I think you know who I mean) and read some of the threads about things here at OSO. I have to be honest here,a lot of crude stuff has been posted here in the last week,but I think that stuff will soon wear off.But I actually seen one of our members actually belittle another on the size of his boat,how did he put it ,a 23 footer thats not an offshore boat(you know who you are) Man I got to say with all the junk posted here in the last week that offended me the most. My point is words can be just as bad as pictures. The guy who made that statement has actually stooped lower than I could have imagined. I know I dont post a lot,so i am sure my opinion wont matter as much as some of the older members,but I just had to stick in my .02. Thanks for listening

1Boatnut
 

Everyone's .02 matters to me. Thanks for the heads up. I will check it out. Hopefully - as you put it - things will blow over and people will come back to earth and realize that we're all here to have a good time, meet new people, help one another, and simply be sociable.

Jeffrey, I'll be blunt. I'm disappointed in a few of the members' use of the board's resources. I personally don't think this is the place to be posting pictures that aren't prudent for family viewing. I know some members have already left the OSO family because of this, and I suspect more will be leaving if this trend continues. I have enjoyed this website for more than a year and have been able to help people as well as ask for, and receive, help when I needed it. I don't have any plans right now to stop using this board, but I have to admit that it has crossed my mind. Please feel free to contact me. Dave

Jeffery
I go away to sunny south FL for a little fun and games and come back to find out that all hells broke lose. I don't know what happened nor do I want to know. It must have been bad for TOO OLD to retire. I don't understand why everyone can't just get along. I enjoy this site very much and am appreciative that it exist. If someone says something that I don't like, I ignore them. To all that I saw in the Keys, BCC, Plastered, Rivergirl, Stinson, I hope that ya'll had as much as I did, even though it rain one day.
Thanks again,
Robert

Jeffery
I go away to sunny south FL for a little fun and games and come back to find out that all hells broke lose. I don't know what happened nor do I want to know. It must have been bad for TOO OLD to retire. I don't understand why everyone can't just get along. I enjoy this site very much and am appreciative that it exist. If someone says something that I don't like, I ignore them. To all that I saw in the Keys, BCC, Plastered, Rivergirl, Stinson, I hope that ya'll had as much as I did, even though it rain one day.
Thanks again,
Robert

All I can say is that all of us have to contribute to keeping the bad elements in check. It's partially my fault for not being around this past week to monitor the Board. Steve was doing the best he could and who knows ... even if I was here I may not have been able to alter the outcome. Either way ... we plan to be more proactive and diligent in the future.

Thanks to all of you who believe in our effort. It may not always be perfect but it with each passing incident ... we learn.

Jeffrey I for one am most upset at the loss of some of our valued LONG TIME memebers. I just shrugged a lot of the stuff off myself as "just the guys playing with the new features" It was not until I saw that members were leaving or upset that I as well as some others started to speak up. I wonder if I could impose on you to write Too Old and Magicfloat and some of the others personally to maybe explain to them that you were out of town and see if they are willing to come back. I know that one of their complaints was that they felt ignored with their concerns. Just a thougth I know that I as well as others are very disapointed in their leaving.

Jon

That has already been done.

Then that is all we can ask. I thank you very much for that!!!!!!

Jon

Magicfloat is back to see how things go.

I must admit, I for one have been a lurker for the past few weeks, as Magicfloat said, life is too short to put up with more stress. This board was very stressful lately.

Lets hope we can keep it normal.

Jeffery, before I could get registered on OSO I was a major lurker ( url) couldnt do... REMEMBER the Jennifer Cohen battles?? it got to those extremes... Hopfully we can blame it on winter doldrums and a new "toy to play with"... it seems to getting back on track,this is still the best boating site on the web ... thanks for providing it and I truly hope those who departed will return...my .02 Dave

Thanks for setting us back on the right track. I was getting worried that the internet police here at work weren't going to let me play anymore. I sincerely hope that the long-time members who left, like Too Old, will consider coming back.

Jeffery,

My take:
At first (Janurary) there were lots of Off Topic threads. Then when the new board came on line, the OT stuff got out of hand. There were pictures posted that were not family related, the posts got nasty (if you don't like what I post the F*** off), and the posts attacked people personally.

I can't speak for others; but I come to OSO to read about boating and boating related things. I find it humorous when we spat about this brand or that brand, but in the end it is about our passion for boating.

I don't want to read about who is dating who, or babies with huge schlongs, etc. That type of material is not for OSO. You have worked hard to bring us this board and I for one really appreciate it (as well as the party in Miami. . . .whew!)

I too feel it is like kids with a new toy, and I hope it will wear off, but at what expense?

I too have enjoyed this site from virtually day one, and I would hate to see a few of the members ruin it for all of us.

Hope you had fun in Fla. Welcome back to "work"!

BTW: this "new" board is SO slow, could this be fixed???

jeffrey & steve-

i appreciate all of the efforts you have put into the planning, development, and maintenance of this board. as a member, the last thing i want to see is "mayhem" among the members. this board has been a "melting pot" for thousands of members that may not have anything else in common except "boating." i find it remarkable that we get along as well as we do! in most groups with such large array of diversity, the opinions, backgrounds, morals, values, and expectations of each member may differ to a great extent. this is both a strength and weakness, but it is imperative that we keep this at the forefront each time we encounter a snag. attempting to keep 85% of the membership satisfied is, without a doubt, a full time job. though i'm not an advocate of censorship, a moderated forum has become an almost necessity for the safety of the entire membership. i will have no problem with the censorship of certain "adult-oriented" pictures or posts that reside on this board. there is a time and place for everything, but this is not the place for such material. granted there is a fine line between provocative pictures and pornographic pictures, it seems as if we have crossed that line numerous times since the inception of the new board format. by no means is this your fault, in fact, it may be our fault as members. as founder and creator of this board, you must do what is in the best interest of OSO and its participating members. as a friend, i know you are an intelligent and levelheaded person and will continue to do the best of your ability. if you need to "bring the hammer down" on offensive posts or even members abusing their privileges, then so be it........you reserve that right. never the less, i will continue to be an active member of this board through and through. jeffrey and steve, you have my support in whatever decisions, actions, or no-actions you feel necessary to help OSO to continue on the road of success.

~Chad Faller

Thanks to all of you for understanding and being supportive of Steve and myself. I received a number of emails last night and this morning and it appears that everyone is okay (including Fred) and optimistic about the future.

We can only learn from the situation and move onwards and upwards from here! Hey!! At least we're going INTO boating season instead of coming out of it!! That's reason enough to be cheerful and optimistic!!:D

HERE, HERE!!!!! :D :D

Glad to see things turning around. :)

Me Too!
:D

I truely hope it all does smooth out and return to our normal happy family. All it take is but a few to spin it in a sour direction and deter alot of others from coming back...
I know you cant please 100% of the people all the time and that is not to be expected. We all know that with this many people on here and it growing everyday things will get out of hand.... But lets just try and not let it get personal.

I remember more then a few original members that have quieted down over the times. MEDICIN MAN being one of them (I dont mean to point you out Robert...you just posted and i havent seen ya around in a while) Between MEDICINE MAN, Too Old, and a few others, i looked forward to reading what they had to say because of their experiences and knowledge. Not to say there isnt a GREAT collection of minds here i just dont want to see any go away is all!

Jeffery.....I dont know if its possible but is there a feature you could possibly add like on AOL Instant Messenger that we could possibly hit people with warnings? Like if someone crosses WAY over the line we can hit em with a warning and if they get enough they go into a "cool down" time frame? I know not everyone will react the same to all posts but if someone lets say pisses off a few hundred people with their action i think it would be a better way of letting them think about what they did as opposed to this ranting back and fourth! Just a thought....

OK....fingers hurt! :D Enough for now......i'm going back to sleeping at my desk and checking for light leaks in my eyelids! :D

1Boatnut I know who you are talking about when you speak of the size remark. I can tell you that in dealing with that person that I don't believe that's the way that he thinks. Everyone including myself got to a point where they were overly sensitive to what they percieved as attacks on themselves and their friends, often retaliating with their mouths before the brain kicked in. When he dealt with me he knew I had a small boat and that never was an issue. He spoke to me as if I were any other performance boat enthusiast. Anyway I really just wanted to say that, and hopefully you wont take his remark to personally as I think it was an off the cuff remark that he regretted later.

Les

This same type of thing has happened on about all other web boards I have been a "member" of. The solution is really quite simple, like having porn channels on your TV - *** if you don't like it, if you are offended by it, you don't have to watch it (or in this case, read it) ***. If you got a beef with someone, try to clear up any misunderstandings once on the board - if that doesn't work, send private messages or e-mail.

I like Wally's idea a lot!!! It would help us "police" ourselves for those times when the board gods aren't there to monitor what's going on. ;)

Welcome back. Next time we will behave when you are out of town. Thanks for the support. This site is bigger than any one member. You have a lot to be proud of. Keep Strokin!!!!!!!!! DMAN2

Jeffery, As probably the newest member to comment, this forum is great. In just two weeks, I have already received lot's of good information and made contact with several members concerning specifc issues and problems I have not been able to solve on my own.

However, the problem with the internet is that it is impersonal and safe. People can post pictures, write things etc etc while still staying relatively anonymous and safe.

It's good OSO stepped in, but I think it is better that the majority spoke up, as they have here, on what is appropriate and what is not for this forum.

As we all know, there are those that love boating and there are those that just love the party.

The water attracts them both

Just my .02:)

re: heck
 

Hey Jeffrey,

While I was busy congratulating you for the excellent job you guys did at Monty's party central, I neglected to tell you that, as long as I am the chief editor of Poker Runs America, I will do my utmost to support you and your org. Despite the "naysayers" (who will always be present) you are making some incredibly penetrating moves in offshore. Keep it going, man!

PT

Jeffrey, great site. Thank you for providing it to us all.

As for what has happened of late, well I just think that the focus of the board has shifted slightly. Back when I joined, along time ago (I think I'm member 17 of the October '00 board and was on long before that) there were mostly hardcore performance boater types on the site; Too Old, DJD, Waterspeed, DaveP, Sean, Wes_Smith, Medicine Man, Lobsterboy, Boatracer46, batboatracer, jb, BCC, Sean Stinson, Speedmaster6, Superboat, ActiveThunderTodd, Gordo, Devil Man, C_Spray, Chris_C, etc., etc. and most of the topics were about boats. Lately many of the names above have either stopped posting or toned down their frequency and, as the board has expanded, the list of topics on any given day has also grown to include many non-boating topics. Those who come to the site to share their love for all things performance have found less and less to read and to respond to of interest.

Add to that some of the racier and possibly offensive posts in past couple of weeks and you have seen some of the original members walk away (Too Old being one). I understand the sentinment that perhaps the board is no longer what they had grown accustomed to. That's too bad. I think the board is just going through some growing pains as more people, with different backgrounds and interests are attracted. Unfortunately, we may lose a few more before it's over.

Again, you've provided all of a forum for entertainment and education and a place to meet new friends. For all of that I thank you.

How bout creating a subsite for strictly boating related topics, and hardcore enthusiasts, won't have to check the General Disucssion unless they want to talk about jsut that general topics. I think testing and upgrades, technical does this to a certain degree, but there are topics of general boating interest that fall out of those categories, without talking about your kid's braces. I am more of a reader than a poster, and skim thru, the board for points of interest, rarely looking at topics that sound like personal stuff. I f you happen to befriend someone on this board that is just an added plus. I am with the old originals in that I want to read about how to improve my boating fun, not much else outside those guidelines. I am not seeking a thrill, or looking for entertainment, by coming to this board, mostly interested in sharing information strictly related to boating. Wasn't that the original intention of the board. It gets too JERRY SPRINGERISH for me, to start talking about girlfriends, wives, and other BS. Finally all these big egos who want you to think they are all that and a bag of chips, probably aren't. People do a great job of hiding who they really are, I've definitely learned that along the way. Generally they are the same one's who want to attack others and compare material shows of wealth, to make them feel better about themselves. The same guy that tells you he has an SL convertible, but fails to mention it's 25 years old, so you'll have the impression it's an $85,000.00 car. Most of the time they aren't any more wealthy than the next guy. I know a lot that fall into this group, in my hometown. Demeaning antoher board member for their boat size certainly shouldn't be a part of what this board is about, its's about boating.
Thanks for a great board, for a place to share boating thoughts and ideas, by the way.

I'd like to echo Miller's sentiments. I have found that there are many threads non-boating related. This has cut down my interest on the board. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge on this board, but has been too quiet of late becase of the nature of the postings. I hope think that it will come back once the boating season is upon us and we all need some opinions on how to get more out of our boats and also report back the results of our off season "tweaks".

It has been a while since i spoke to d-man but at last count I was a poster boy for this bueatiful site and if all whining and crying continues i will frequent less often. I have poker ran an vacationed with several of the scope members and cherish the friends i have made. We had a gathering last night and all agreed that if oso didn't exist we would have never met

I just want to be a poodle member.:D