I’ve been posting to this forum for over a decade, and we’ve had numerous conversations in the General Discussion area that have wandered. In this particular thread, the conversation is polite and friendly and is remaining centered around internal combustion engines. Never in the history of this forum have we been required to stay within a path narrowly defined. I hope this is not the direction this forum will be taking in the future. I hope we’re all not going to have to be careful what we say because we might be censured or have a good thread closed.
There are times when threads have gotten “testy” and those threads I agree should be closed. Vile posts, nasty posts, personal posts, these should rightfully be monitored for and deleted. The forum should not be a place to attack others. But it should also not be a place where we all have to walk on eggshells.
I also realize that this forum is a privately owned and operated forum free to us that post here, and the groundrules are not ours to make, but I would also be negligent in saying nothing. There’s no reason a privately owned and advertiser supported forum can’t allow freedom of though too. I personally would rather tolerate an threads that wander than to have to keep my thoughts within the margins of the original post. We are, after all, multifaceted human beings, and where someone might have a concern (for example) with people not using seatbelts, I might have a concern for criminalizing their non use.
I urge you, please reconsider your path and allow us to continue to enjoy the freedom to speak unless that speech is offensive. Offensive speech should not be tolerated by any of us.
Let us wander. It makes this a better forum. It’s one of the reasons many of us have enjoyed this forum for over a decade.
I’m sorry that my comment was taken in a spirit other than it was intended. Perhaps I should only say something when I’m going to affirmatively take steps to close something down. If I felt this was in violation of the community guidelines, I would have clearly said so, and closed it. Or even in this case if I was considering closing it, I’d have indicated that. Each time I pop up, it isn’t intended to be an encroachment on your freedom of thought. There are several who have been around much longer than I have, and I have a lot of respect for that. I recognize that this is different from the way moderation has been practiced in the past.
My neighbor was helping me out(I’d buy gas for the mower, he’d mow my yard for me) mowing my yard for me because he enjoyed using his rider, and his yard wasn’t all that big. His mower died on him before winter last year, and he moved out last month as well. This meant I’d be doing yard work myself again, and did not enjoy the prospect of push mowing my yard for an hour; my hands often go numb while holding the bars(self propelled and engine bar) down on the push mower.
Sears happened to have a sale on their riders and a 42" tight-turn(6" turning radius) Craftsman rider was calling my name with a good price(saved over $400 when you count free delivery) and a 12mo S.A.C. deal. Mowing takes half the time, and that includes getting the push mower out for a couple areas of the yard my rider can’t get to. The only bad thing is that I hit a tree stump(covered over by grass) the same day I got it home and bent the left side blade pretty good. I now avoid that area of the yard and use my push mower there.
Cdaquila, you have my sincere apology for overreacting. I interpreted your post as a warning, a prelude to a thread closure, when I saw nothing wrong with the discussion. I sincerely appreciate the understanding expressed in your reply and promise to try not to make such an error in judgment in future.
You are correct that this is a considerable change from the way moderation has been practiced in the past. Perhaps there’ll be a learning curve for a few of us.
I actually don’t think we wandered much at all. It started out as a test of Mobil 1 synthetic. Then there was some good info posted comparing motorcycle oil versus standard automoile oil. From there it just went to small engines which are similar to motorcycles. So question was if auto syn oil is just as good as motorcycle oil at twice the cost or Briggs oil at a good deal higher cost than Mobil 1. Seems to me it was a natural discussion of oils which not many people really know much about and I thought it was very informative. A couple jokes here and there isn’t really straying.
I for one went out and bought some 5-30 synthetic Mobil 1 last night to start converting my small engines after having the question answered that Briggs oil is probably no better at $10 a quart. I dunno, what are we all here for anyway if we can’t talk about oils genericly and their use?
TSM, thank you. I know it’s been an adjustment for you, and to be frank it has been one for me, too. Personally speaking, I enjoy reading what you all have to say on myriad topics, but when I look at things with my moderator cap on, I have to use a different frame of reference. I hope we can find a new equilibrium. I promise to be direct, and I will take my lumps if I screw up. Anyway, I can see that since you posted this, you already helped a bunch of other people. Keep it up.
Hi Cdaquila:
Here is another request to try and preserve the open discussion that TSM describes.
There is a value in letting a topic drift a little if it enables regular contributors to learn a bit from each other and about each other.
We understand and respect that you have your marching orders. Anything you can do in this area will be greatly appreciated.
Hi @JoeMario, thanks for the note. I agree and regularly observe how the core group of regular posters learn from (and about) each other. In addition to your technical knowledge, you all are people, too, who come from all over the country (and outside it). It’s a bit tricky to put the marching orders into practice, and I’m learning from it.
With respect to the drift - lots of learning takes place in the drift from the original topic, but at this point I’m in agreement with my senior lackeys that this is first and foremost a forum that deals with mechanics/repair/fuel/car culture/car history/industry and the like. Those areas touch on a lot of other subjects, like economics, politics, environment, and law, but once I see things go out two (or more) steps removed and stay out I’ll intervene.
My intentions are good, and I’m trying to balance the job with allowing the core group to maintain their relationship. I do speak to Doug regularly, and I communicate what’s happening in here. He also pops in periodically, as you’ve seen. I promise to calibrate my approach as necessary, and will be honest about my thought process.
Sometimes the best threads are the ones that go “off course”. My own spectrum of knowledge has been expanded by some of these threads & I always marvel at how these threads reflect the brilliance of our members. Yeah, sometimes there is ridiculous off topic stuff & there’s no need for marathon verbal feuds but…
Keep it up.