As I prepare to go home for the evening I look back at our discussion forums with sadness. The most popular sections these days are the Milestones section where people rarely get offended and the Off-Topic section where non-geocaching threads are.
In the Off-Topic section the two most active threads are "Joke of the Day" and "Can You Explain This". There are other sections on the site with more posts, but once you edit out all of the fighting you are left with the Off-Topic threads. I don't often participate in these threads - my primary interest in this site is geocaching. The reason these threads are so active is there is nothing in there to argue about.
I think about all of this just two short hours after receiving my second "warning" about inappropriate behavior on the forums. I may be banned right now, I didn't check back to see.
I won't pretend I took the high road. In the end it doesn't matter. As a group we are afraid. Afraid to discusss the merits of ammo cans vs micros. Afraid to discuss urban caching vs rural caching. Afraid to see what is on the other side of the hill. I don't just mean GOWT or JAG. One group after all is simply a small but growing subset of the other.
I never wanted to argue. I wanted people to be able to rationally discuss geocaching issues/topics without some moron(s) trying to ruin it. We in GOWT were not prepared for morons to overrun our group. We were not prepared for a worthless stump to become our president. [Editor's note: The worthless stump resigned on May 3rd] I haven't given up on GOWT. I told some folks the other day: "It's not how hard you can hit, its how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward - how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!!" I didn't explain to them why I posted the quote (from Rocky Balboa) - why I find it relevant. I figured it would become apparent. Maybe it will.
The only thing I can guarantee is that I will get up tomorrow and keep moving forward.
I still have one question that I'll probably never get an answer to: What part of the "Jackson area" does Dyersburg fall in? I looked at a map but it appears that Dyersburg is not in the Jackson Area.... :-)
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Wasted days and nights...
Yesterday a real bonehead posted a message on the GOWT forums in a public area calling me a back-stabber. In a rare move for me, I ignored it. After I saw it was deleted I knew all heck would break loose that night. I went home and enjoyed a couple of movies and went to bed. When I checked the forums the next day I saw the moderators had been quite busy.
I read the previous night's posts (those that didn't get deleted) and laughed out loud several times.
One dude wanted a refund of his dues retroactively for two years.
He also has a fascinating signature: "IF YOU DON'T LIKE ME, LETS GET IT ON......"
I wouldn't "get it on" with him even if I still liked him. I don't swing that way.
[You can't ban me in here, genius!]
We have excellent moderators on our site and I compliment the fine work they do. Unfortunately it appears they will be busy for a while.
I read the previous night's posts (those that didn't get deleted) and laughed out loud several times.
One dude wanted a refund of his dues retroactively for two years.
He also has a fascinating signature: "IF YOU DON'T LIKE ME, LETS GET IT ON......"
I wouldn't "get it on" with him even if I still liked him. I don't swing that way.
[You can't ban me in here, genius!]
We have excellent moderators on our site and I compliment the fine work they do. Unfortunately it appears they will be busy for a while.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
JAG says hello
Fan mail I received today provided me with a good laugh!
// begin
Subject: Nice blog
I just read your blog, and just let me say.......GROW UP! Nice little session of whinning and crying.
If your that curious about JAG, ask a member, but if he gets caught......he's gone too!
_________________
There's a change a coming
// end
Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog, knows who sent it so I won't bother saying who it is. I will say that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The dude who sent me the message is proof of that.
// begin
Subject: Nice blog
I just read your blog, and just let me say.......GROW UP! Nice little session of whinning and crying.
If your that curious about JAG, ask a member, but if he gets caught......he's gone too!
_________________
There's a change a coming
// end
Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog, knows who sent it so I won't bother saying who it is. I will say that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The dude who sent me the message is proof of that.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Word of the day
cli·ché [klee-shey, kli-]
–n
1. a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, as sadder but wiser, or strong as an ox.
2. (in art, literature, drama, etc.) a trite or hackneyed plot, character development, use of color, musical expression, etc.
3. anything that has become trite or commonplace through overuse.
–adj
4. trite; hackneyed; stereotyped; clichéd
When asked on our forums as to the status of our 2007 GOWT President, I made the comment that he was spotted recently "guarding the Krispy Kremes at a recent JAG CITO". I took a bit of heat for that - some folks going as far to suggest I should be banned from the GOWT forums. I later posted the CITO log entry from said GOWT president where he specifically referred to the donuts. I then received personal messages asking why I was so bitter and hateful. Sigh. Subsequently I learned that a few in JAG adopted the term. JAG's leader even used the phrase in a "Will Attend" log for an event.
That is how a new JAG cliché was born: "guarding the Krispy Kremes". Glad I could help!
–n
1. a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, as sadder but wiser, or strong as an ox.
2. (in art, literature, drama, etc.) a trite or hackneyed plot, character development, use of color, musical expression, etc.
3. anything that has become trite or commonplace through overuse.
–adj
4. trite; hackneyed; stereotyped; clichéd
When asked on our forums as to the status of our 2007 GOWT President, I made the comment that he was spotted recently "guarding the Krispy Kremes at a recent JAG CITO". I took a bit of heat for that - some folks going as far to suggest I should be banned from the GOWT forums. I later posted the CITO log entry from said GOWT president where he specifically referred to the donuts. I then received personal messages asking why I was so bitter and hateful. Sigh. Subsequently I learned that a few in JAG adopted the term. JAG's leader even used the phrase in a "Will Attend" log for an event.
That is how a new JAG cliché was born: "guarding the Krispy Kremes". Glad I could help!
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Join the "JAG NATION"
It is comforting to note that my friends in the Jackson Area Geocachers are actively seeking new members. They decided to start fairly small, limiting their membership to those who were a "good-fit" and whose character was "personally vouched for" by an existing member. They now have an open invitation to anyone who wishes to be considered for membership. A charter member of this "elite" group has this to say: "WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR VISIT TO THE JAG NATION LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU!!" To join this fine group of folks just go to: Jackson Area Geocachers
Of course, I will not dirty up their ranks by joining myself. Have fun, JAG NATION!!!!
Of course, I will not dirty up their ranks by joining myself. Have fun, JAG NATION!!!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Word of the day
in·noc·u·ous [i-nok-yoo-uhs]
–adj
1. not harmful or injurious; harmless: an innocuous comment that implies someone likes donuts
2. not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive; an innocuous remark that our GOWT president is MIA
3. not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid: an innocuous forum thread
Many of our GOWT discussion forum topics start out like this:
1) Someone states an opinion. Maybe informed, oftentimes not.
2) Someone else responds -maybe with some humor, maybe not.
3) Someone makes an innocuous (on the surface) comment.
4) Someone takes the bait.
5) All hell breaks loose.
...
6) Thread is locked.
The relevant thread today almost got me banned from the site. The funny thing was who wanted to ban me. I really was not trying to do anything other than convince a new member who had stumbled across our "conflict threads" that although things seemed out of control that we as a group are good people and the organization would continue regardless. I believe that I failed. My bad.
Props to my friend spencersb who attempted to calm things down only to be drug into the battle once again.
Bonus word of the day:
lu·di·crous [loo-di-kruhs]
–adj
causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision; ridiculous; laughable: Dalls' ludicrous attempt to moderate a forum thread left me laughing until my sides ached.
I was not at my diplomatic best today, I admit. Oh well, there is always tomorrow...
–adj
1. not harmful or injurious; harmless: an innocuous comment that implies someone likes donuts
2. not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive; an innocuous remark that our GOWT president is MIA
3. not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid: an innocuous forum thread
Many of our GOWT discussion forum topics start out like this:
1) Someone states an opinion. Maybe informed, oftentimes not.
2) Someone else responds -maybe with some humor, maybe not.
3) Someone makes an innocuous (on the surface) comment.
4) Someone takes the bait.
5) All hell breaks loose.
...
6) Thread is locked.
The relevant thread today almost got me banned from the site. The funny thing was who wanted to ban me. I really was not trying to do anything other than convince a new member who had stumbled across our "conflict threads" that although things seemed out of control that we as a group are good people and the organization would continue regardless. I believe that I failed. My bad.
Props to my friend spencersb who attempted to calm things down only to be drug into the battle once again.
Bonus word of the day:
lu·di·crous [loo-di-kruhs]
–adj
causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision; ridiculous; laughable: Dalls' ludicrous attempt to moderate a forum thread left me laughing until my sides ached.
I was not at my diplomatic best today, I admit. Oh well, there is always tomorrow...
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
GOWT 2.0 - The Reboot?
What happens when progress to repair a damaged organization is stymied by a lack of responsiveness by some of the members of the leadership?
Of course, there could be many reasons that some on our leadership committee might choose to "silently filibuster" efforts to move forward. Much like in regular politics - the minority party may feel that the majority don't take their views seriously so they stall in order to force compromise. Maybe they have chosen to focus their efforts somewhere else and simply don't care whether our problems ever get resolved.
In our case, it appears to me that the latter is true. We as a group can not simply wait until the next time for elections for change to happen. It must happen now. In the grand scheme of things GOWT's problems are relatively minor. As many people have noted, we can continue to hunt and place geocaches without any formal organization. I will not document in this entry what I perceive our problems to be. I laugh when I actually think how this all started.
As my friend and founding president of GOWT, spencersb, noted a comment to an earlier posting - "GOWT will survive, maybe in a reduced form, but it will survive". I agree with this sentiment and have observed that within the group that I have contact with we are stronger and closer than ever. I will also note that it is not just a core of the Memphis members that are making it better, the many members scattered throughout west Tennessee also play a very important part in our success!
Will we have to reboot? Will there be a GOWT 2.0? We shall see. The vast majority of our members care about our direction and the future of our organization. They will not let GOWT go gently into that good night. They will not give up without a fight.
Of course, there could be many reasons that some on our leadership committee might choose to "silently filibuster" efforts to move forward. Much like in regular politics - the minority party may feel that the majority don't take their views seriously so they stall in order to force compromise. Maybe they have chosen to focus their efforts somewhere else and simply don't care whether our problems ever get resolved.
In our case, it appears to me that the latter is true. We as a group can not simply wait until the next time for elections for change to happen. It must happen now. In the grand scheme of things GOWT's problems are relatively minor. As many people have noted, we can continue to hunt and place geocaches without any formal organization. I will not document in this entry what I perceive our problems to be. I laugh when I actually think how this all started.
As my friend and founding president of GOWT, spencersb, noted a comment to an earlier posting - "GOWT will survive, maybe in a reduced form, but it will survive". I agree with this sentiment and have observed that within the group that I have contact with we are stronger and closer than ever. I will also note that it is not just a core of the Memphis members that are making it better, the many members scattered throughout west Tennessee also play a very important part in our success!
Will we have to reboot? Will there be a GOWT 2.0? We shall see. The vast majority of our members care about our direction and the future of our organization. They will not let GOWT go gently into that good night. They will not give up without a fight.
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