Unhappy Members

[thebayougardener]

There appears to be quite a few members who are unhappy with the forum these days.  I’m getting tired of coming on the forum each day just to search for post of people attacking each other or complaining about how this forum should be run.  Maybe you should start your own forum and get a taste of what it’s like.  If you are not happy here all I can say is don’t let the door hit you in the behind on your way out.

I don’t have time for this and neither do the moderators.  There will be no explanations given when I start deleting accounts.

Thank you for understanding.

Donald

[knyquol]

 I'm glad I've been away and haven't noticed this. Sorry you have to deal with this bs Donald!

[kingtiger]

How in the world could somebody be unhappy with this forum smh.......what else could they want? MY, MY, MY, I for one love it and send out a big thank you to all that make it possible....God bless you all, for I know its got to be tough work at times!

[Jay]

Two Thumbs Up Donald!

Jay

[crazyhorse]

Mr Donald, I'm sorry this is happening.
I hope & pray everyone on here gets along .
This site is much needed .
It helps more people than we will ever know.
It sure has helped me many times & continues to
help me .
I just like this place & the folks on here.
If I ever hurt anyones feelings, please tell me
so I can apologize.

[tbird]

  You know folks we have a good thing here.  Not because I am a moderator but because it is a place that we can come in and talk gardens, tractors, bugs, animals, soils or a lot of other things with just a few rules.  What rules?  First no politics.  No one on this forum is more political than I am.  I often have trouble NOT commenting on another post and to be honest I find my self crossing the line that I should know better about.  If you all knew how many posts I have deleted before posting you would be amazed.  It is hard for me because I feel strongly about the happenings in this country and this world today.  We all have philosophies, wishes, hopes, ideas, solutions and blame to lay at the doors of those on both sides of the aisle that we feel are wrong, crooked, dangerous or just plain stupid.  The problem is that although we should all do something to try and make this world a better place,  we can not do it here.  This forum is not a political think tank, a lightning rod for either left or right or a place that left or right politics will help us in our gardening lives.  It is not burying your head in the sand and it is not turning a blind eye to what you think is wrong by not discussing politics here.  When the US government is discussing a bill that effects our gardens it should be posted for us to see, but when we start debating that Obama, Bush, Gingrich, Santorum or even Mickey Mouse is a nutcase, tyrant or maniac weirdo it crosses a line that should not be crossed HERE.  You don't like Republicans, Democrats or both?  That is fine, but please realize that here it doesn't matter.  It causes hard feelings, angers people to the point of arguing and name calling and even stirs up animosity that caries over to other threads.  One more thing is,  it solved nothing, did not improve the world situation and only drew a line down the middle of the forum which alienates member from each other.

  Another thing is methods or choices in gardening.  Whether you farm organically, conventionally, no-till, Raised Bed, Container or any other method that is fine for you.  It is not wrong for someone else to use another method that works for them.  You made your choice and I will respect your intelligence and  perseverance in developing a method that works for you in that environment and region.  If it is different than mine so be it.  Mine is NOT better than yours or vice versa.  Tell me and others about your method and do so without bashing other methods or choices.  Despite some popular methods in this world there is no one "Correct" way to garden.  We all do what we have learned or developed that works best for us.  Be tolerant.

  Whether you drive a 2 1/2HP walk behind tiller or a 275HP Twin Turbocharged Diesel Monster Tractor doesn't make one wrong or right for everyone.  If something you have tried and hated works for someone else, then accept it and move on.  There is no correct color, make, brand, model or horsepower that makes one piece of equipment the "Right" one for all things.  

  Courtesy. Tolerance. Friendliness.  Consideration. Respect.  Patience.  Understanding.   Those are things that should be practiced on this forum.  You don't like someone here?  No problem until you start showing it, picking their posts apart just to show them up or come in calling them names.  Just because you don't like their tractor model doesn't give you the right to call them stupid, ignorant, wasteful or anything that makes their choice bad.  Not everyone can afford to go out and buy an Orange or Green and Yellow tractor or a 50, 60 or 75 HP tractor either.  trade-offs are always made and money has a lot to do with the trade off motivation.  Sometimes when a person may be downsized in your opinion it wasn't lack of knowledge but lack of funds.  A 20 hp garden tractor can't and won't do what a 75 HP full size will but it will work a 1/2 acre better than a shovel and a hoe.  Give people a break.


  Free Speech?  No privately owned forum is a "Guaranteed Free Speech Zone."  Donald has decided that politics, rude behavior, adult jokes and language, obnoxious behavior or bullying is not acceptable.


  Donald Ducote is not just some guy that lives somewhere down in that bassackwards State of Louisiana, he is a friend.  A person I have spent time with on many occasions face to face,  a man that after I had gardened for over 40 years taught me to farm and a person I respect  more than almost anyone I have ever known for being fair, honest, real and just plain darn enjoyable to know and spend time with.   If you can't get along with the environment that he has established here then I would ask you to please just bow out of this forum gracefully.


  I am sorry of anyone is offended by this.  It was not meant to offend but to try and maybe bring a little more peace and understanding here.  I am 60 yeas old living in a place I moved to after losing almost everything I ever owned by a hurricane.  I am in a different culture, weather pattern and geography.  This forum is a larger part of my life than maybe it should be and I have 10X more friends on this forum than I have in real life.  Maybe I should get out more,  but I like the people here and would rather not see them play tit for tat and one up-manship with each other.  One thing I learned a long time ago.  No one on this Earth is irreplaceable.  NO ONE including me.  So I will act right to keep my key to the "Executive Wash Room."  


  God bless and keep you all.  

[fespo]

Wow, I didn't know this B s was going on. I know I have made alot of new friends, learned alot of new things, traded alot of things. It just seams some people are never happy no matter what they are doing. I enjoy this site very much, even though I don't post much. I read it a few times a day. Thanks for the work all the hard work Donald !!!!!!!!  Frank

[Alblancher]

It is up to all of us to help keep the rhetoric down by being tactful and respectful.    I'll never change anyone's mind about their politics or their religion so I don't bother trying.

Thanks for the forum guys, this is my go to place for gardening advice.

[LSU2001]

Well said as usual tbird.  I too have noticed the tone shifting lately and would like to chime in on the value of this forum.  I have learned a tremendous amount in the year or so that i have been reading and posting on this site.  I would hate to see it deteriorate into a place of bickering and discontent.  I would imagine if that happened then Big D would shut it down rather than continue to deal with the problems on a daily basis.  
I hope that we can go back to helping each other with advice and with a spirit of brotherhood.
Thanks,
Tim

[Steve]

Great post tbird,
Thanks for all you do to make this site great.
Steve

[mudfish2]

How in the world could somebody be unhappy with this forum smh.......what else could they want? MY, MY, MY, I for one love it and send out a big thank you to all that make it possible....God bless you all, for I know its got to be tough work at times!

Ditto for me.

[Soilguy]

Conflict is inevitable among human beings. How we deal with differences of opinion is what makes a community. I sincerely hope I have not contributed to the angst that drove Donald to start this thread...sometimes I just don't know. What I do know is that one has to be very careful when using non-verbal communication. The fact that we type our opinions, answers, and questions constrains the give-and-take that normally happens in a face-to-face talk. We miss the inflections of the voice, facial expressions, and body language that normally make us comfortable in the presence of others. The result of that is potential misunderstanding. What is taken from a written conversation can be very different than what was intended. That's why it is very important that we consider how others who read what we write will take it. Responses can be a knee-jerk reaction to an unintended understanding of what was written, and then the whole thing escalates to nastiness.  It's important to craft our messages carefully. It takes some of the spontaneity out of the exchange, but that's the price we must pay for civility.
The other aspect is a bit darker, and I certainly don't mean to imply that this is going on here. I'm guessing that most of us have not personally met most of the other folks on the Forum. That fact opens the door to the anonymity effect. There is, in some, a feeling of control and aggression when in a situation where little or no personal accountability is in effect. This is a well-known psychological concept.
I suggest that we can avoid most of these unintended problems by carefully crafting our posts. This is a great forum. We can keep it that way with a little diligence.
I hope to meet all of you folks at some point, and I look forward to that. I always keep that in mind when posting. I don't want to create a preconception of me or anyone else that would make that meeting anything other than a distinct pleasure   Larry

[MAYOR]

Sure hope it wasnt me causing any problems out there......all I want too do is get along with EVERYONE!
Donald.....your doing a great job here and the reason I spend a good deal of my free time here is simple......its the only place I've found period that we can talk too friends about common interests and make a good deal of new friends.  I cant even do that with most of my family or neighbors!.   
Keep up the great work and too all the moderators......."GREAT JOB"!.   I know how hard it is too keep up with all this as I was a moderator on a garden tractor site for a few years.  Folks...you cant believe the work that is involved too keep this up and running.

[mhpgardener]

  If you all knew how many posts I have deleted before posting you would be amazed.  


  So I will act right to keep my key to the "Executive Wash Room."  
  

If you all knew how many posts I have deleted before posting you would be amazed.   That sounds like me. I try to choose my words carefully, in an effort to make sure that I leave no doubt as to what I'm trying to say. By the time I get to the end of the post, and read it back several times.... aw heck..click..its gone.


So I will act right to keep my key to the "Executive Wash Room."      Yea, they offered me a key to the wash room too, but only because they needed someone to clean the toilets. LOL                             Ok, not really...but it sounded good !   

[bordercollie]

Thank you for a great forum Donald. I also thank you for the moderators you have chosen. It is real nice coming to a place where it is fit for the family.  THANK YOU!!!     judy

[robie robinson]

I appreciate this forum and i apologize to all those who are required to use equipment that isn't green.(just kidding folks,one of my tractors is red)

are tractor color wars off limits?  Robie

[tbird]

I appreciate this forum and i apologize to all those who are required to use equipment that isn't green.(just kidding folks,one of my tractors is red)

are tractor color wars off limits?  Robie

  Not if you, "Smile when you say that!"       

[sirhc62]

I also have deleted posts before posting. So I tend to offer my ideas to others in PM just to stop the chance of a argument on the open forum.

There are alot of great folks here and I enjoy reading how they do things. I find myself always trying different ways. This is my first year using the netting for beans. I'm very happy with how much easier it was then how I was doing it in the past. There are many things I want to do and plan on doing and the folks here are a great source of help.

To Donald and Mods. I think you all have done a great job keeping things pretty smooth here, thank you all.


Chris

[mphymel]

I hate that the moderators have to deal with unpleasantries associated with this site, it really is my favorite indoor pastime, and it never crossed my mind that they have that too deal with.

I have to admit that I learned a bit about how to deliver a suggestion from reading posts on this site. We can't just fire from the hip like you would if you were talking to someone you grew up with. If you do, you will notice (if you read back your message) that you might come across in a way that you didn't intend. I think I did that with a comment on one of Don's videos, before I even knew about the forum. But you know, he was big enough not to take my comment the wrong way.

I feel like I have gotten the measure of character of several regulars here on the forums, and these folks inspire me to be a better person.  How many people can you say you know in person who are capable of that? These are the types of folks who frequent these forums, and we can all consider ourselves lucky that they do.

This is really an awesome site, and I can't say how much I appreciate the efforts you mods put into maintaining it, and you experienced folks in weighing in with your input and suggestions.

As to the tractor colors, I hope that stays fair game, even though T left out the blue ones

[texasfarmer]

I love this forum and check it daily.I consider all of you friends and would love to meet you in person.I know there are many different ways and opinions on how to accomplish the same result,that is to produce safe nutricous food for our families or customers.THANK YOU Donald and moderators.   William

[tbird]

As to the tractor colors, I hope that stays fair game, even though T left out the blue ones

  I had to leave Blue ones out MP because I have a Blue one.     It may be a Mitsubishi,  but it's BLUE!          

[TheOntarioGardener]

I am glad that I found this forum when I did. I learned so much and continue to learn.  Hopefully all the nonsense is now behind us and with the new Spring season comes a new, happier forum, and members.

The gardening season is just starting and I hope we all have a great year and a great time with gardening and the forum!

~Jake

[Crysti1980]

I agree with all the posters above. I love this forum. The only time I am unhappy is when I am not able to visit the message boards at least five times each day
That's not your fault though. That's courtesy of my internet provider and work.

Crysti

[Redbug]

Sorry, Donald and the group...I am fairly happy.

Seriously though, I have not noticed any or hardly any...bad behavior on these forums. These are some of the most mellow forums around. Some of the other forums I get on have a different feel and don't have that "friendliness" we have here. Maybe that's because of good moderation and good people, too. There's going to be some squabbles amongst people now and again...that's part of being human.

[cornbread]

Thumbs Up Donald!