Why is this forum so negative in tone?

Nic

We like coins, right? Everyone has different opinions, right? Don't make me quote R. King here. Over and over people with knowledge, experience, and the best of intentions get trashed. Insecurity problems, misquotes, and the inability to read and understand without prejudice abound. Do others agree with this opinion? Do we ignore or attack? I am a new member and have no right to criticize....but....is this what we want? K

braddick

Nic- You are insightful. Possibly we should all take a deep breath and rethink our approach to others opinions and threads. I know I will.

Legend

I agree w/Braddick, I WILL TOO!

I get frustrated too easily.

Laura Sperber
lsperber1@hotmail.com

Bear

No it is not what we want. However, we have many smart people on this Forum with strong personalities and forceful dispositions. Add to that the stress of working a tough job and you sometimes can get an explosive mixture. After a short time feelings settle down, often apologies get exchanged in public or by PM and life goes on. Even someone as cute as the little bear, has felt ill used at times, but I tend to be less bombastic then some. Sometimes we all have to stop and say were sorry

The amazing thing about this Forum is that it seems to work. You can learn more in a shorter period of time then anywhere else. I guess we take the good with the bad and the ugly, only it would be nice if we paused once in a while, before we unload on some poor dumb soul. Bear

merz2

Laura not you,say it isn't so. We(collectively)aren't that bad IMHO.
Our differences of opinions make this a more interesting place.It causes us to reflect and ,yes even learn.

itsnotjustme

Nic,
Most folks here are good. They help new folks learn, provide advice when requested, and have good spirited competition over registry sets. There are also those with strong opinions--nothing wrong with that on it's own, but sometimes when two or more of these people are in conflict it get's out of hand. There are also the resident trolls that seam to have no purpose other than to inflame any situation they can. They are best ignored.

crito

ROFLMAO, and I suppose NIC, Braddick and Laura think they're "people with knowledge, experience, and the best of intentions."

Petescorner

Anyone who thinks this forum is "negative" hasn't spent any time at Google's rec.collecting.coins!

-Dan

shylock

Bear's a wise 'ol woodland critter. The amazing thing about this forum is that it seems to work. It's had it's up & downs but gets a little more stable with each rebound.

DHeath

Nic,

It seems worse than it is, and one of the real problems with e-chat is that it is so impersonal and anonymous. It is easy to appear more aggressive than you mean to be, and frequently kidding or sarcastic comments can be taken as declaratives. Also, the anonymity promotes rude behavior without the normal consequences. I think it is sometimes challenging to learn and contribute in what is best described as an immature environment. I do however respect the numismatic ability of the forums. Almost any coin related question can be answered fully and expertly in minutes, and the advice one receives has untold value. I have found many friends here, and a few trolls, but mostly good people with good intentions. Lastly, although we all would do well to temper our words, I think honest disagreement is one of the strongest assets of these boards (even when it is rude and loud), and most of the arguments make me re-examine my own opinions and beliefs. When I set my ego aside, I always learn something. The only posts I don't enjoy are the ones in which some posters don't acknowledge the other members posts, and seem to just repeatedly shout their own point, even if it doesn't address the original thread. I like it better when everyone listens and talks instead of just talking.

IrishMike

Nice post Don, you beat me to it.

RGL

Here, here, Don! Bravo. And, all manliness aside, I love you all...

Bear

RGL - Even little bears?

coinfinder

Sounds good to me Nic.

braddick

<< <i>ROFLMAO, and I suppose NIC, Braddick and Laura think they're "people with knowledge, experience, and the best of intentions." >>



See? Not only did this get you to smile, but to chuckle out loud! This Thread has now served its purpose.

RGL

Bear: I steer clear of under-aged cubs, but if you have a sprightly looking sow ...

Bear

RGL- Sir, I am a bear, not a pimp!!!!!!

keets

imagine what it would be like if we didn't have the use of the little smiley faces!! even with them i know i still miss the boat sometimes. seeing as we are all relatively anonymous to each other, i think it's the issues at hand that are the division and not the personalities.

hey bear, pass around the sugar cookies and jelly doughnuts.

al h.

lathmach

We tried being positive. It didn't work.
some of the guys were being real nice, but then some of the others tried being even nicer and before long everybody was fighting over who was the nicest.


Ray

Pushkin

My wise old grandmother once told me "What ever happens during the day, don't go to bed angry".

I'm not sure what that has to do with this thread, but it seemed appropriate. Thank you for your attention. Got to go pet the cat.

RGL

Bear: Of all Ursa Majors, I would have thought you would have known of the right of dominance claimed by gray back Alpha male grizzlies. (Did not happen to drop a top pop Wash down the couch you could spare, did ya?)

Bear

RGL- This alpha male is married to a woman with no sense of humour for such things and she is a damn fine marksman. A very bad combination to entertain any bad thoughts. Bear

DCAMFranklin

Hurray for Nic! Well said, my friend. Some Members are here to help other Members and others are here looking for help. Level headed, calm discussion of coin topics is what most Members are here for. Unfortunately, you have some Members whose sole purpose on the Internet is to prowl the bowels of Ebay to find the seller that has inadvertantly attached the wrong scan to an auction and then post a thread mocking his/her listing ability. Every waking hour is devoted to finding something NEGATIVE about someone else's post, topic of discussion or Ebay auction! Or even worse, to outright accuse an Ebay seller(s) of bad business practices, business ethics, being crooks, morons, or frauds etc., etc. Virtually everyone on this message board knows the guilty parties and hopes their NEGATIVE comments will disappear. Personally, I WELCOME your insightful observations and am most hopeful the NEGATIVE Members will make an effort to provide positive help to other Members.

supercoin

And SOME people EVEN will go so FAR as to MOCK another person's COLLECTING interests with NO provocation.

I recall this nice positive post a coupla days ago:
I was at a small show over the weekend and searching through proof sets and was able to pick out a 1964 set with an AH half in it. I was wondering, was there any information on how many of these may have been made?

I also want to thank all those on this board that have posted information on identifying them, it helped enormously. While the one I picked up isn't really anything special, no monster cameo or anything, it is cool to get my mitts on one still in the plastic.

A certain UNNAMED someone's RESPONSE:
It's a Modern, variety coin. Who cares??

Looking forward to more positivity myself, DCAMFranklin.

RGL

SC: I could not agree more. I have never -- and never will -- belittle anyone on the basis of what they collect or find interesting. To each their own ... whether circs vs. MS, classic vs. modern, dollars vs. cents, commems vs. bust (? you know what I mean), etc. ... we all enjoy collecting coins. And, if you can teach me something about what you collect and I can return the favor, we all are richer beyond the value of these slabs we fret about so ...

DHeath

Tad,

I'm with you. If you haven't got anything good to say, ....

Link to AH thread.

Pushkin

I think when we try to belittle others we are really just belittling ourselves?

RGL

I am charitable and would hope all of us can blunt any axes we have to sharpen and act a little more charitable to fellow board members. For you never know ... you could be dissing a top-notch numismatist with one coin worth more than your entire collection ... or a YN excited about cherry picking a modern variety, Both could be -- and have every right to be -- excited if it turns their crank. I'm not going to pi... rain on their parade. I share their enthusiasm.

Catch22

Seems like people being people to me. Although, some might have a little thinner skin than others. I enjoy the debates and opinions, even the wrong ones.

Russ

Negative? This place is MaryPoppinsVille compared to some forums. This place is a breath of fresh air, compared to most NG's. A pleasant sunny day compared to 90% of the rest of the web. This forum should be on the recommended list of stress counselors and relaxation therapists.

Russ, NCNE

shirohniichan

It is easy to appear more aggressive than you mean to be, and frequently kidding or sarcastic comments can be taken as declaratives.

I agree with Don, even if he collects pocket change.

DHeath

ROFLMAO..... Laugh now Shiro, about 200 years from now, I'll be right!

Bear

When you think about it , the Forum is really a magical kinkdom of sorts. We have people dressed as elves, the occasional trolls, an ogre or two and even our very own dragon. In addition we have dogs, bears, geese, eagles and a large assortment of animals. We have knights that gallantly come to the aid of people in distress, wise and all knowing wizards, lovely princesses, a few witches and of course a handful of evil warlocks. All in all , we seem to have outdone even the world of the hobbit. Well Its nite nite for the bear so I will wish you all a good and safe sleep. Bear

BBN

<< <i>We like coins, right? Everyone has different opinions, right? Don't make me quote R. King here. Over and over people with knowledge, experience, and the best of intentions get trashed. Insecurity problems, misquotes, and the inability to read and understand without prejudice abound. Do others agree with this opinion? Do we ignore or attack? I am a new member and have no right to criticize....but....is this what we want? K >>




Trust me, I KNOW what you mean. I'll leave it at that.

This board is fairly tame though. This place is like Mr. Roger's Neighborhood compared to the weightlifting board I belong to. That sucker is a JUNGLE!!! Ya gotta be ready to get nasty sometimes or people will run over you

shirohniichan

One other reason we may seem harsh is that we've probably all been burned by shysters in the past. When we run across dealers who aren't completely honest we can get mean. We're trying to protect the newbies, though, so in the end it's positive.

Laugh now Shiro, about 200 years from now, I'll be right!
I'm 162 years old right now-- I ain't gonna be around then!

Bear

Shiro - At your age, are you one of the wise and all knowing wizards?

shirohniichan

You're gonna have to speak up, sonny.

BBN

Of course when u do get in an argument here these pics like these come in handy. You don't have to argue back. Just let the pics do the talking

DCAMFranklin

Well...... some people just don't understand when others are talking about them.

Bear

BBN- WOW, following those instructions will certainly put an end to any argument, and in addition, there is no need for a rebuttal.

BBN

There's about 150 more of those where they came from

KAJ1

Where is Glamdring when you need it?????????????

DCAMFranklin

Supercoin-
My apologies. Most of the coins I buy/sell/collect are of the modern and near-modern era. My post was a quick reflex as a result of my frustration with those on the Forum that are SO quick to belittle those of us who collect the modern coin. I think we all should be very happy others continue to collect. That is whatever coin(s) they choose to collect. I retract my sarcastic remark!

tradedollarnut

Collect what you love! It makes it so much more rewarding.

Just curious DCAMFranklin - why your choice of logo?

keets

hey bear, you suffering from a case of the late night caffiene jitters and can't get to sleep?

al h.

BBN

That's what I've done. Committed to half dollars of all types. I love them!!!

DCAMFranklin

Tradedollarnut-
You are so right. I love the Cameo/DCAM coins. As for the logo, I couldn't find a DCAM Franklin, so I chose a great looking coin. I almost chose your tradedollar, as I find it to be THE most beautiful coin of the 1800's! As a kind of "blend" between the 2, check out this Seated$ Cameo offered by Legend

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1373606143&rd=1

Now that is a BEAUTIFUL coin!

prooflike

Also, many people have a tough time expressing their intentions in written form, or they get misinterpretted.

I don;t think these boards are negative in tone. Sure, many comments about scams on ebay, etc., but those comments are to save people from making a mistake.

Overall, these boards are pretty good.

goyankeez

Its getting pretty nasty on the BST forum. No need to openly humiliate/bash someone on these boards. Take care of it privately.
If you don't like a thread, don't subscribe to it and don't read it. There's plenty of others.

At times this forum can consist of some of the most interesting debates and coin discussions; at other times, some of the most childish back and forth arguments. ??? But, there are mostly good threads in here.

Cam40

(Cam goes on a tangent).These web forums are like a Japanese film.Always haveing to read the sub titles,and theres ALWAYS something missing in the translation.
How would it be to have animated characters that spoke your lines.
It could run like a cartoon.

construct

Please, no animation. They take so long to download. I promise to use more emoticons. The emoticons don't have symbols, however, for things like "he says with an ironic smirk" and other such subtle nuances. I guess I'll have to put little stage directions in my posts.

Yes, it can get a little unpleasant at times. There are even a few people who (I believe) are truly unpleasant. I just make it a point not to talk to them very much.