What I miss most....

[cgutzmer]

Do you all remember the days here when you could log in, check out a couple new build threads, pick up a modeling tip, or even just read a good joke? It wasnt that long ago, just a few weeks ago.

I for one miss those days. Now we argue copyright law, demand public apologies and post on inflammatory subjects until we are blue in the face.

I want those days back. This is not directed at any one person, do not take it as such. As one person pointed out (I paraphrase here) - its nearly impossible to convey your message in print - someone is almost always bound to take it other than how you meant it.

If I were someone new just looking to get into cardmodeling and I came to this site today. I wouldnt take a second look, I would turn around and look elsewhere. Is this the message we want to convey to people that are trying to get into this hobby? I know I am not.

Personally I love this place - I have lots of great friends here. I want it to stay that way. What I ask is that when you post think to yourself - Would I say this to my best friend, mother, sister, neighbor, boss or would I want someone to say it to me?

I think the posting as of late is a wake up call to us. Myself for sure.
Thanks for listening.
Chris

[Lex]

That dollhouse buddy sure stirred things up for us... It's a miracle already that we don't this kind of person every day (we really do on some other forums). It'll still take a while for everybody to sit down and enjoy again...

[Mark_1984]

I'll second that emotion

[paulhbell]

OK. I'll third that motion. It's the weekend and I'm going to get some serious carding done. I need to finish the builds I've got going, so I can start my first design/build.

I don't like the 'steelers' and I will still watch the copyright threads, but I'm going to take a bit of a back seat when posting on them. I will still report sellers to ebay though.

[barry]

I'll go along with that Chris

[Bowdenja]

Ditto barry!

Ummmmmmmm........... I think paul a was one of the recipients of a flame message. He PMed me he was taking a break from the site, and is not excepting PMs back.

As one who almost left, Thanks barry, Thanks Russell for talking me out of it!, I know how they feel......................BUT I do hope both Phil and Paul come back. As much as they contributed to this site they did more for the hobby itself!

Piracy is a BIG problem and will eventually bring this hobby to a stand still if uncheck............ some folks are very passionate about it. I believe more so on the other side of the Atlantic than the side I'm on. Maybe because it has been around there longer, I don't know.

But like Chris infured............... this supposed to be a fun hobby and lets all just get back to that................... HAVING FUN!

[Art Decko]

Since I'm a relative newcomer to card modeling and this forum, maybe that gives me a different perspective. I can't help but wonder if some of what you are worried about is the (possibly unavoidable) result of the hobby spreading and maturing -- at least in it's internet-era incarnation.

If things were friendlier and more casual before, could that be because there were relatively fewer people in the hobby? Maybe then it was more like friends who all knew each other, passing around free models they designed.

But cardmodeling seems to be expanding and becoming more popular, at least if newcomers like me are any indication. That means more strangers on this site, and a broader assortment of people getting involved. I expect that will have consequences, both good and bad.

The tedious legal issues and the like may well also be a sign of the hobby entering a new phase. Increased attention to matters like IP law may be an indication of a growing number of serious designers and more valuable designs, which should be a big net benefit for the community, even if it's accompanied by some new issues.

That being said, I still think this is the most civil internet forum I know of. I spend most of my surfing time on political blogs, and by comparison, this is a like a group of fine ladies and gentlemen on a genteel countryside outing. The level of support, friendliness and civility is still far above average for internet communities.

Card modeling, and this forum, will probably continue to evolve. That may mean losing a bit of some nice things, but hopefully it will also bring new benefits to offset them.

But no matter how it changes, I suspect that this forum will remain overall a friendly and welcoming place, because that culture is already firmly in place here. And that says a lot about the site owners, administrators and posters alike.

[Golden Bear]

Yeah, AD, I think that you are on the right track. For my first 6 months or so of membership there were probably no more than about a dozen actually active posters. I've noticed that with an expansion of posting that seems to have occured over the last few months that there have been more incidents of agitated behavior... most of it invisible to me since I don't necessary frequent all the forums all the time. Personally, I don't understand the issues but that doesn't mean that there aren't any.

I build models and I play with designing them. I support people who do the same. I decry people who poormouth others and particularly their efforts. I felt that this forum was an oasis in the sea of poor internet behavior and I fell in love with it. I now feel that the change perhaps is the result of spreading the popularity of CMing into other areas that attract non traditional modelers in who are perhaps somewhat younger and who have been raised in the abysmally poor, IMO, behavior that pervades almost all corners of the WWW. Sometimes different people don't really have a grasp on how much work it takes to get along with others but how great the rewards are. It can take surprisingly little to upset the cart when people do not have trust in each other.

I've worked hard to follow the maxim about, "if you don't have something nice to say, then don't say it," which has really not been at all difficult to follow around here. I keep my tiny amount of venting out of the forum and in PMs if I feel it necessary.

One last observation that I have is that I have myself felt less comfortable in this place since sometime last Fall. As a result I post less and read and participate less. Frequently I yearn for a return to how things used to be... which is a useless thought. I enjoy having lots of people around who post pictures and who answer and ask questions. I just wish that... there could be more of that.

Sorry about the ramble. I'll go back to my building and posting now. If anybody finds any reason to object to any part of this, I apologize. It is all kindly meant.


Carl

[EricGoedkoop]

It'll be fine.

The site is growing and attracting new members, and it's unavoidable that a small percentage of us are going to be wackos. There WILL be issues and conflicts along the way, but they're temporary. From a broader perspective, Growing Pains are a better problem to have than stagnation and lack of interest in the site and in the hobby.

[cgutzmer]

Originally Posted by Golden Bear

Sorry about the ramble. I'll go back to my building and posting now.

Carl

Yeah Carl - get on another biplane - I love those
Chris

[Golden Bear]

I've actually been entertaining thoughts of **gasp** a jet model! But I have the Dresden to finish first.

[cgutzmer]

Are there any jets with two sets of wings?

[Rick Thomson]

Originally Posted by cgutzmer

Are there any jets with two sets of wings?

Belive it or not...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WSK-Mielec_M-15_Belphegor

[Mark_1984]

Originally Posted by Rick Thomson

Belive it or not...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WSK-Mielec_M-15_Belphegor

10/10 - what a corker of a reply

[Rick Thomson]

One really has to wonder why they built it.

Just because they could?

They were drunk and it seemed like a good idea at the time?