Online Utopia...

I joined these forums about four months ago. Apart from here, the only other online community of which I am a registered member is the COW (where I will occasionally go for specific AE expressions advice - I think we can all acknowledge that Dan Ebberts is pretty much The Man in that department)…

As I mentioned in another fairly recent thread, I bought an HV30 not too long ago to take on holiday over the summer (rather than dragging around my XM2), with the intention of checking it out more seriously once I got home. Well, it’s only been in the last week that I’ve really had a chance to put the little bugger through its paces, during which time I’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of having to visit HV20.com in order to do my homework…

Now I don’t want to go off on one, slamming that particular site (and I’d also like to add that I think TCindie is a valuable member to both those and these boards)… Let’s just say that I think that that site’s moderators seem to spur on just as much trouble/noise as they puport to ‘moderate’…

There are, of course, many other sites with genuinely moderate, sensible, and clued-up moderators (Jack, Jason – if you’re listening)…

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think it’s remarkable – and a testament to the all-round ‘good egginess’ of this forum, its owner, and its members – that we have never had, nor seem to NEED any form of moderation… Also, we don’t have – nor have any need for – automated language filters, as no one here seems to habitually use words in an aggressive or unnecessary context, and such a filter would disable us from using them when they ARE appropriate, like, for instance, when Stu told us last week that he ‘fucking loves [us] guys’… (which is, I guess, the same sentiment I’m trying to express here)…

No one here seem to berate newcomers for their questions, are always understanding when it’s a language barrier that seems to be the problem, and are always polite in directing a user to an existing thread if they post a ‘new’ topic that already exists…

As someone who had never spent much time on online forums in the past, I now realize quite how much I had taken for granted the maturity and civility of this place and its members… and all of this SANS any kind of ‘moderation’!… Online Utopia!

So I suppose it’s this recent revelation that has prompted me to make a record THREE (and counting…) posts in one day (in addition to a short comment on Stu’s most recent blog entry)…

I’ll admit that there have been many times since joining this place that I have (foolishly, and indeed self-defeatingly) refrained from posting either possibly useful advice, and/or some kind of (hopefully) witty retort, just because I felt like I hadn’t ‘made myself large’ enough in the community yet… Well, I hope that I have finally got over that, and I hope to have more interaction with some of you stalwarts here, whom I feel I already kind of know, but with whom I haven’t necessarily had any kind of direct contact…

DP

(P.S: You can, of course, all tell me just to piss off…)

And (P.P.S: @ DannyM – I couldn’t help but guess that your emphatic ‘with an M’ in a recent ‘w/ a crew’ thread was intended to differentiate between the two of us… I’m sorry that I didn’t check the members’ list before registering, and I hereby offer you the the chance to choose an avatar for myself (which should hopefully help people differentiate). Here are two great Dannnys of the silver screen to choose from…

Option #1: Danny the Dealer (Ralph Brown, Withnail & I)

Option #2: Danny Torrence (Danny Lloyd, The Shining)

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"If we can't be free, at least we can be cheap" - Frank Zappa

Resisting the urge to tell you to "piss off", I will just say that I agree, and it's good to have you here.

Well, I agree with MOST of it.

	Quote:
	Well, I agree with MOST of it.

True - you can be a little harsh at times...

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"If we can't be free, at least we can be cheap" - Frank Zappa

"a little" harsh?

I'm gonna have to try harder. Psssh!

And swallowing a squeegee is going to help how?!!

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"If we can't be free, at least we can be cheap" - Frank Zappa

Is that one of those wacky British sayings?

You... do know what "wacky" means over here, right?

Just... I'm starting to feel slightly uncomfortable about now...

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Kidding: I was referring to whatever the hell your smiley was doing before covering its mouth...

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"If we can't be free, at least we can be cheap" - Frank Zappa

That's a "time out" hand signal.

There are plenty of people here who've been around the block more than I have. Nevertheless, I consider that what I've learned in the trenches is worth sharing, just another view of the hologrammatic topics that radiate here. So don't hesitate to stick in your oar.

Have I used enough metaphors?

-- Paul

OK enough of the love-in already.

i'm banking on the rebelsguide forum to remain reasonably crap-free for a while yet, but only up to the point where Stu makes color correction so easy that morons can do it.