Forum Thoughts and Suggestions [Archive]

ghee-grose

Nov 22, 2005, 03:12 PM

Hey guys, in order to keep our thread streamlined I have become a moderator. I will assist Tommy632 in making changes like deleting unwanted threads, "sticking" important threads, combining threads, etc.

Use this thread to make comments and suggestions as to what WE want our forum to look like. I will base my changes on what WE want. :p

Gary

ghee-grose

Nov 22, 2005, 11:38 PM

I just deleted the old "freq list" and made the "essential flying info" a sticky.

nuevo

Nov 23, 2005, 10:40 AM

Deleting unwanted threads. :eek: Power has gone to his head already. ;)

ghee-grose

Nov 23, 2005, 11:29 AM

Yeah, I hear ya! Just trying to clean this forum up a bit. There was a flurry of aimless postings the first couple days. You can really tell we needed a forum can't you? :)

It's all good.

atjurhs

Nov 23, 2005, 03:10 PM

PLEASE do MORE house cleaning and SOON!!!!!!!

If this forum doesn't get organized (and soon), it will be so cluttered up with spurious threads, that it will become difficult at best to wade through.

nuevo

Nov 23, 2005, 04:08 PM

atjurhs,

I might be off-base here, I think you might be so used to reading only one thread, instead of a forum with several active discussions.

Instead of saving a link to each thread, just save a link to the forum. i.e. Alabamas Rocket City Renegades (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=292)

Or subscribe to the forum, then it shows up in My RCGroups (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/usercp.php?).

Then you just check the forum every so often so see what threads (conversations) are new to you. Ignore the ones you don't care about & read the rest. After reading, click "Forum Tools / Mark This Forum Read".

dee-grose

Nov 23, 2005, 04:17 PM

Good advice, Jon.

garrydaniel

Nov 23, 2005, 06:13 PM

[QUOTE=JonStone]atjurhs,

.......Or subscribe to the forum, then it shows up in My RCGroups (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/usercp.php?).

Jon, I've been looking around, without success, to find out how to go about subscribing to the forum. How do I do it? Thanks.

Garry

ghee-grose

Nov 23, 2005, 07:18 PM

I think it's close to the top, right side... FORUM TOOLS..."subscribe to this forum"

nuevo

Nov 23, 2005, 11:09 PM

Step 1 - Click on the forum name. Picture 1
Step 2 - Upper right, click on Forum Tools. Picture 2
Step 3 - Drop down menu appears, click Subscribe. Picture 3

garrydaniel

Nov 24, 2005, 04:11 AM

Got it! Thanks, guys! :)

ghee-grose

Nov 24, 2005, 09:08 AM

Nice avatar Garry!

garrydaniel

Nov 25, 2005, 02:32 PM

Thanks, Gary. I was worried that it might not be large enough or clear enough to be able to make out that it's my full-scale Cardinal. I have a lot to learn concerning how to set up and post in this forum environment but I'm certainly impressed with it. The automatic email notification of new posts is especially neat. I appreciate your patience!

Garry

ghee-grose

Jan 06, 2006, 10:42 AM

Just bumping this thread to the top.

Anybody have any suggestions lately for our forum??? What happened to everybody anyway? Ya'll still around?

atjurhs

Jan 06, 2006, 11:32 AM

ghee-grose

Jan 06, 2006, 12:28 PM

I think the popular ones stay towards the top anyway. You can change your view settings to show or not show older threads. That might be the best solution for those that don't care to see all the threads. ???

I think most of the threads in the first week have fallen to the bottom of the list of 34 anyway... because nobody uses them... that's where they need to be. When they get old enough I can delete them to clean up a bit.

Gary

GLIDERGIDER

Jan 06, 2006, 01:30 PM

Well it's been a little over 2 months and we have 34 threads in our group/forum!
I know that there are folks who are no longer posting because they don't want to wade through the mess of 34 threads.
This has gotten out of hand. In my opinion, it has become a monster!
I pushed hard at the start of this group/forum to only have about 10 threads (or less).
So now to clean up this mess, I purpose:
1) to ask the moderator to not allow new threads to be started by just anyone, only moderators?
2) to ask the moderator to lock certain threads (about 24) from new postings?
These two requests will force folks to post all new posts in one of the 10 or so selected threads of the general categories that will be kept alive, and over time this should clean up the mess that has been created.
BTW, I'm not hard-bent on which 10 or so remain.
Others probably have other ideas, maybe a group discussion on this topic over lunch next week is a good way to proceed and get a consensus among us.
Perhaps the Marine Corps' organizational influence is still overidding my thought process, but these are my thoughts.

Todd,
I disagree (I think this maybe the first time).
What happened to freedom of speech? I don't want to post at the bottom of a 25 page thread. I want to start a new thread with a new subject. People who don't like what I have to say, can ignore the post very easily.
If the subject doesn't hold any interest, it will fall to the bottom of the list. Assuming you sort by "last post".
I can't go to lunch next week, but you guys talk about it. I'll salute your collective decision.
Dave

dee-grose

Jan 06, 2006, 01:34 PM

I agree with Dave...let's leave it alone. Like Gary said, you can adjust the view settings to suit your taste.

atjurhs

Jan 06, 2006, 02:33 PM

Dave, please don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to stop freedom of speech. I'm just advocating a little more organization.

As I said, I do know there are folks who no longer contribute because of the forum's disarray. Some folks just aren't willing to wade through the spaghetti of numerous threads to find a post that happened 2 weeks ago - now what thread was that in ??? Oh, well....

These sugestions would help eliminate this because the threads would be general enough in nature/category that a sloping post will be found in the SloperSlab thread, etc. etc.

Yes, there are ways to filter/sort your own viewing of the forum, but with the suggestions I've offered the forum will become more organized which I believe will benefit everyone. Addtionally the time stamp of the individual posts will always keep the active threads (popular ones) at the top, and we can still ignore what Dave has to say :D

These are just my thoughts/suggestions on the current state of the forum, and I fully admit that I am biased twoard the overly organized side of things. But as Dave said, I too will salute the collective decision - that's the great thing about democracy and this is not my forum it is all of ours. I'm just offering what I think will help make it better.

ghee-grose

Jan 06, 2006, 05:25 PM

To the people who agree with Todd, PM the forum moderator (ME).

Ken Fidler

Jan 06, 2006, 06:06 PM

Todd,
I disagree (I think this maybe the first time).
What happened to freedom of speech? I don't want to post at the bottom of a 25 page thread. I want to start a new thread with a new subject. People who don't like what I have to say, can ignore the post very easily.
If the subject doesn't hold any interest, it will fall to the bottom of the list. Assuming you sort by "last post".
I can't go to lunch next week, but you guys talk about it. I'll salute your collective decision.
Dave

I agree with Dave; I will PM the moderator.

nuevo

Jan 06, 2006, 06:14 PM

I also agree with Dave. I like that many conversations are going on, and each is kept in it's own place (a thread). Some threads I'm interested in, and subscribe to. Others I ignore. I also do not think the moderators should be deleting any threads. Just let the old content lie dormant. That's the way every single group of rcgroups works, AFAIK.

One feature some readers may not know about is to "mark the entire group read". When you are done reading whatever interests you, go to the group, and use the Forum Tools menu. Next time I visit, I see threads marked unread that have any new content in them.

ghee-grose

Jan 06, 2006, 06:28 PM

If we go on and delete thread after thread, after a while we will wind up being back to our old Research Park Renegades thread and not our forum. :D

Johnnie Paul

Jan 06, 2006, 06:36 PM

Letting the threads lie dormant is for that search button that all the "Olds" tell the "newbs" to use to find a specific answer. If my search led me to one of only 10 or less continuous threads that were 45+ pages long, I sure would not like to weed through the thread to get my newby answer.

When I 1st joined this group I read every thread in this forum (Renegades) to get a feel for the history and type of flying this group does...unless a thread is just way OT and getting stupid, don't delete it, that would be like burning a book.

Johnnie

Miderror

Jan 07, 2006, 02:55 AM

I use to check in with 2 club threads to see what was up with the 2 groups I know of.
I was easy to look at Orlando and Research Park at a glace to see what flying or building was do in the last couple days.

I can still go to Orlando thread and get a good idea of what is up.
Rocket City is a bit more of a task.

Add that to some of the other threads and time is gone.

Just a view form me.
Don

atjurhs

Jan 07, 2006, 06:16 PM

Who said anything about deleting, not me.

ghee-grose

Jan 07, 2006, 07:19 PM

How do you plan to minimize the number of threads??? Then you must be talking about not "seeing" them with view settings.

GLIDERGIDER

Jan 07, 2006, 09:40 PM

How do you plan to minimize the number of threads??? Then you must be talking about not "seeing" them with view settings.
Gary,
When you signed us up to have a forum, did they give you a limit to the threads, or a meg-byte limit?
Dave

ghee-grose

Jan 07, 2006, 11:04 PM

no limits that i know of

nuevo

Jan 09, 2006, 03:10 PM

Who said anything about deleting, not me.

See posts #16 and #23 on this thread.

ghee-grose

Mar 03, 2006, 10:01 AM

This might be a good time to bring up this old thread... maybe ?

It seems we have a few different opinions out there clashing.

GLIDERGIDER

Mar 03, 2006, 10:41 AM

Gary,
Thanks for the revival. Very timely, in light of the recent issue with the cookout thread. Now I don't know all the background, but I'm disappointed with the result. All of us should keep in mind, that to post on the internet, you have to grow thicker skin, and I think the thicker skin growth needs to happen on both sides of the recent problem.

I think we all need to loosen up a little, play nice, and lets not be so critical of our neighbors. Take a deep breath, and before you hit that "submit reply" key, take another breath and reconsider the result. If our neighbor is cussing and acting rude, thats cause for action, but if they are being silly, turn a blind eye.

This forum is the best thing to happen to North Alabama model aviation. Its all about having fun, learning to fly, flying, and making friends in the process. I think I've accomplished all of those goals. I think 99% of you folks feel the same way.

Gary, being a moderator is probably a thankless job, and so I want to thank you outloud. Keep the reins loose and let the horses run. Thanks again for the thread revival.

Dave

ghee-grose

Mar 03, 2006, 10:48 AM

I agree with you Dave... on everything you said there.

Thanks for the support. :D

nuevo

Mar 03, 2006, 11:58 AM

FYI, I have not been following this recent issue closely, and have not dug into the details.

That said: Excellent post Dave. Eloquent words. Well said.

Gary, Andy, and all the other regulars. We have a very special place here, and you guys are doing an excellent job keeping things friendly. My compliments. Sorry I have not had much to add to the conversations lately.

ChromeDome

Mar 03, 2006, 12:42 PM

................... All of us should keep in mind, that to post on the internet, you have to grow thicker skin, and I think the thicker skin growth needs to happen on both sides of the recent problem.

I think we all need to loosen up a little, play nice, and lets not be so critical of our neighbors. Take a deep breath, and before you hit that "submit reply" key, take another breath and reconsider the result. If our neighbor is cussing and acting rude, thats cause for action, but if they are being silly, turn a blind eye.

This forum is the best thing to happen to North Alabama model aviation. Its all about having fun, learning to fly, flying, and making friends in the process. I think I've accomplished all of those goals. I think 99% of you
folks feel the same way.

Gary, being a moderator is probably a thankless job, and so I want to thank you outloud. Keep the reins loose and let the horses run. Thanks again for the thread revival.

Dave
Amen! This could not have been said better. We need to remember that the computer is really a lousy communication device. The "smiles" don't help much. We misunderstand things in text that would be clear face-to-face and reply in a way we never would face-to-face.

I've accidently started two threads on this forum. All it takes is to hit "New thread" when you meant "New reply" and not pay attention after that until you submit and find out it is a new thread. Then only the moderator can delete the thread.

Tom

Jim_W

Mar 03, 2006, 01:40 PM

I agree as well. In the near 700 previous post I have made on RCgroups, I've never had a problem until this issue. I am a very passive and easygoing person by nature. It is impossible to resolve these type problems on a keyboard. It's too easy to misinterpret ones tone.

Regards,
Jim

ghee-grose

Mar 03, 2006, 01:55 PM

Water under the bridge?

The sun will come out tomorrow??

It's gonna be a bright, bright, bright... sun shiny day???

Let's get along here... friends?

Jim_W

Mar 03, 2006, 02:11 PM

Sounds like a plan to me. :)

wheatfly

Mar 03, 2006, 04:29 PM

Wow .... go a day without checking rcgroups and you miss all the drama. I hope everyone is feeling alright? :)

ghee-grose

Jul 25, 2006, 03:57 PM

OK guys... just checking in here.... any issues that I can help with as moderator?

ghee-grose

Sep 28, 2006, 01:35 PM

Here's the place to speak up and get things resolved. I believe this would be a good time to dig it up. :p

GLIDERGIDER

Oct 05, 2006, 09:22 AM

We've had some arguements 10 days ago and I've had time to reflect. Its sad really that we as individuals and as a group can act rather childishly, but we do. Lets forgive, forget, and get on with this hobby stuff.

Here are a few do betters that everyone needs to do, starting right now.

1. Respect your neighbor's opinion
2. Do not post frivious posts.
3. Do not mix religion into your opinion of a person.
4. If you don't have something constructive to say, don't say anything.
5. Respect established RC clubs, which means, respecting the radio frequency allocations around the city.

I remember the beginning of the Renegades. We actually have a sticky thread with our frequency's identified. The intent was to enjoy a flying sight in the research park area that we wouldn't worry about getting shot down. We need to return to those roots.

The older I get, the more I understand the need for rules. Be it the common sense rules of civility, or AMA rules, I understand and desire them too.

Gary: You are the father of this Renegades Forum and therefore I know you feel ownership and pride. You are the moderator. But you are the one person that must never become embroiled in the type of arguments we saw 10 days ago. If you just want to be one of the guys in this Forum, I suggest you transfer your moderator duties to someone else. I continue to be 100% behind you.

Looking back over the past 10 days, I can say that I committed a few errors in judgement myself. I offer my apologies.

So, what say you people? Its time to get back to the business of our hobby.

Thanks for the band width.
Dave

ghee-grose

Oct 05, 2006, 09:40 AM

I can agree with you again Dave. However, I speak only for myself... you will have to leave it up to others to "come around" also.

*Something to add to your #1 do-better above...

Don't jump on public bandwagons unless you want to get somebody ticked off.

This forum comes and goes and has so for nearly a year now. I know I'm addicted to this thing, and yes I feel responsibility for it, but I'm gonna defend myself the same as anyone else on here. I agree a lot of the past couple of weeks had some unneeded stuff in there, and a lot was blown out of proportion. There are a few members on here that seem to like to butt heads and don't mind taking a cheap shot every now and then to get something started. Every time these things stir up between a few people, the "rest of the guys" suffer the trash that's being typed. ALL sides of this needs to stop! ALL... as in you know who I'm talking about when I say this... I'm not innocent here either so I'm not just pointing at others.

Like you said once before Dave, things get typed that would never be said face to face. I've done it, and I've seen others do it. I for one will try harder to not do such things. Hopefully others will too.

Thanks for the thoughts and the support. Let's get this Renegade forum back on track to #1!!! (and I don't mean by number of posts) ;)

UAGrad2001

Oct 05, 2006, 10:47 AM

I believe Burt Bacharach said it best:

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.

Lord, we don't need another mountain,
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross,
Enough to last till the end of time.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone.

Lord, we don't need another meadow
There are cornfields and wheat fields enough to grow
There are sunbeams and moonbeams enough to shine
Oh listen, lord, if you want to know.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone.

No, not just for some, oh, but just for everyone

Jim_Marconnet

Oct 05, 2006, 02:12 PM

I'd agree with a lot said here today. I'm hoping for even better and trying to be better myself.

One thought I've had lately is that flying-site-wise, we Renegades have become completely fragmented:
*AMA The NASF guys at SJP nearly every Saturday and Oakwood many Sundays.
*AMA Don M. and Ken F. driving up to Tennessee.
*AMA Brad S. at Brindley Mountain RC.
Jim W. in New Hope at his neighbor's beautiful Golf Course.
North Discovery Drive.
Numerous other sites in Research Park.
WBC.
Intergraph.
Horizon Elementary.
The new site Gary just found in SE Huntsville.
*AMA RCRC, which I'm on the verge of joining, or not.
The slopers.
The several Grose family aerodromes.
Wherever Tram flies way West of here.
The field at the corner of Wall-Triana and Browns Ferry Road in Madison where Ken Fidler has flown and where I may start flying since it's within walking distance (3 blocks!) from my home, Well Duh!
Johnyrockt's 40-acre bean field.
Wherever chuckand flies that he says makes NDD seems so tiny and cramped.
Devliner's close to home neighborhood aerodromes.

Other than the NASF guys, and possibly the slopers, there is almost never a critical mass of flyers together at one place and time any more.

The lunches at ATDRAN seem to have died out. We've never managed to get together for an evening social event.

I don't know exactly what to suggest other than somehow I think it would be nice if several, or more than just several of us could get together someplace and fly and have fun, like the good old days at NG and then NDD.

Perhaps a group would like to go to Brindley Mountain this Saturday. I know there is a NASF contest Saturday, and probably other conflicts (Tennessee last cookout of the season?). And some flyers don't have and refuse to join *AMA. An individual decision, of course.

Anyway, I'm trying, sometimes Very Trying! :D

dleviner

Oct 05, 2006, 04:07 PM

Would love to fly sometime during work hours... but been travelling lately and will be out of town on vacation all next week.

For now, I just settle for the soccer fields near my house before and after I coach practice or the front yard in the cul-de-sac.

nuevo

Oct 05, 2006, 04:38 PM

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.

Bugs Bunny has an answer to this kind of sappy song... (you'll have to open the .zip file and play the .mp3 inside)... :D :D

nuevo

Oct 05, 2006, 04:43 PM

One thought I've had lately is that flying-site-wise, we Renegades have become completely fragmented

Small electrics have created opportunites to fly at many more places, and smaller place. Thus the need for a centralized mowed flying field with a smooth runway is less needed than it used to be. More choices mean people make more different choices. (similar to cable TV in the past few decades. More choices lead to fragmentation of the market).

dleviner

Oct 05, 2006, 05:08 PM

LOL!!!
:D :D :D

Hey Jon... I saved this for next time a "bashing" thread like the one Gary started gets going again.

Bugs Bunny has an answer to this kind of sappy song... (you'll have to open the .zip file and play the .mp3 inside)... :D :D

nuevo

Oct 05, 2006, 05:49 PM

I saved this for next time a "bashing" thread like the one ...that wasn't my intention. I just wanted to make fun of the 'lets all hug' song.

Tram

Oct 05, 2006, 11:23 PM

Like you said once before Dave, things get typed that would never be said face to face.

Therein lies a huge problem.. You both are right, those posts need to be avoided..

If you wouldn't walk up to someone and say it.. simply don't type it..

I wouldn't type anything I wouldn't say to anyone's face...

ghee-grose

Oct 06, 2006, 07:26 AM

Dleviner, that wasn't a "bashing" thread... believe it or not. You might have taken it that way, but that's not how it was meant. I think you contributed a great part to talking the club racing to death... just look at how the thread progressed from start to what looks like the finish. There were several interested at first, then as the "rules" got thrown around somehow most of us got disinterested.

I would say this to your face, so I'm typing it here.

Jim_Marconnet

Oct 06, 2006, 09:42 AM

The following is just some food for thought. Nothing concrete. Feel free to skip reading it.

IMHO the RCRC is the exact opposite of the Renegades.

They have 185+ members with no organized email or discussion group whatsoever. We have about 20 visible actives.

They have a single permanant flying site with everything except a phone and running water. We fly anywhere and everywhere with no site preparations, no shade, etc.

They seem to fly for hours at a time, much of it on the weekends. We tend to fly individually or to occasionally get together for less than an hour at a time before work or at lunchtime.

They seem to fly mostly glo. We're mostly into small and medium electrics, with some hand- and winch-launch sailplanes and a few motor-gliders.

They require AMA plus $50/year membership dues. We laugh! :)

They have rules, rules, and more rules. Rules? We don't need no stinking rules!

They have monthly meetings at their air-conditioned clubhouse year-round. We have met for lunch at ADTRAN, but not lately.

They seemed to get along reasonably in what little I've seen of them. We get along when flying, but seem to have plenty of hurt feelings to go around on-line.

At their flying field, there appears to be much more chatting than flying. We fly mostly and chat elsewhere.

Some people have suggested I would do better in an organized club. We refuse organization.

What does this all mean? Beats me! As I said, food for thought. Participate where you want. Read what you want, ignore the rest. Don't worry, be happy.

Praise in public, chastise in private.

nuevo

Oct 06, 2006, 10:59 AM

IMHO the RCRC is the exact opposite of the Renegades.

They seemed to get along reasonably in what little I've seen of them. We get along when flying, but seem to have plenty of hurt feelings to go around on-line.

At their flying field, there appears to be much more chatting than flying. We fly mostly and chat elsewhere.

Since the RCRC guys get together at the field, and mostly at the field. Those folks might have something us renegades lack... they talk with each other, build personal relationships, and rapport.

Email (and even forums like this) are POOR ways to communicate. Even with the smiley's, winks, roll-eyes, etc, people cannot infer someone's true intent. Some people come across very emphatic and strong in writing, when in fact, they were just playing the "devil's advocate" in a discussion. Then other people interpret that as "attacking" their position, then emotions on everyone's part start rising, blah, blah, blah.

All I'm saying is perhaps the Renegades should get together more often (lunch, flying, meeting, whatever) and just talk airplanes, shoot the breeze, or whatever. That first lunch at Adtran was a great relationship building session for me.

For me, personal relationships build a lot of tolerance for the other guy, when I read his stuff online.