In Reference To Many Of The Conservation Topics

[ozark trout fisher]

It's winter. Most people don't have much to talk about in the fishing department. So everyone is arguing with each other.

And another point.

The tone is just different here from other forums because there is such a wide variety of users here, from St. Louis city folk and people who live way out in the boonies. There are tournament bass anglers, there are fly fisherman and trout purists, there are bait fishing catfisherman, there are "catch and release only fisherman" and there are "catch and fry" fisherman. That diversity is what causes the friction on here, but it's also what keeps things interesting.

[flytyer57]

That diversity is what causes the friction on here, but it's also what keeps things interesting.

When Phil shut down the last thread, I was a bit disappointed cuz I was having fun and not being bored out of my mind freezing my butt off.

[EddieRay]

It's been going on for along time. But put it in perspective- 6500 members and there's only a handful who are always the ones who take the arguments to heights of attacks and endless points when no one's mind is changed and no one really cares besides the 3 or 4 doing the posting.

One thing I would point out though - this forum is like a TV. There are stations you like to watch like the Outdoor Channel and those who don't like - MTV. I never tune into MTV cause I know I won't like it. If you don't like the bickering... don't click the topic. I don't till someone brings it to my attention that member #1 is bashing member #2.... again.

I'll keep warning members, closing topics, advising members to edit their posts and even deleting topics. I don't want to micro manage the forum and I don't want to start deleting members.

Would like to hear from others on the subject- thanks for bringing it up.

Those are some very good points, Lilley. I do agree that we can just choose the forums we want to participate in but the trouble I perceive is there aren't too many people participating in the fishing forums. This is the Ozark Anglers Forum after all. I guess I think that if some members weren't so busy arguing they would have time to impart some of their knowledge in the other forums. Also, many of these threads aren't overtly provocative so you don't know they are argumentative until you start reading them.

Regarding numbers, I don't think that 6500 members is an unmanageable number and, as you stated, it is always just a few members who carry it too far. The forum I have participated in for 6 years has an extremely diverse membership of over 30,000 members from all over the nation and from other countries. This problem doesn't exist on that forum. However, that forum chose to prohibit threads of a political or religious nature a few years ago and there is an emphasis on agreeing to disagree.

I will take your advice and "turn the channel off" on the threads where the bickering occurs. I just wish more people were interested in talking about angling rather than putting others in their place.

[ness]

If it goes to 3 pages, just don't go in there. That's a sure sign of people talking past each other. That guitar thread might even blow on us.

[The Tactician]

With all of the topics on here and different areas to post topic specific items, I don't think reading something I don't want to has ever been a problem. If I see a topic that says "Halltown man eaten alive by chipmunks", I will not click on that topic to find out how to set up a Carolina rig. The idea of a forum is to have a variety of inputs and opinions. This forum is easy to use and find what you are searching for if you post/search under the appropriate location. I really enjoy this site and I personally don't want drastic changes made to anything. Last thing: What you read is something that you have 100% control over.

Thanks Lilley!

[Stoneroller]

With all of the topics on here and different areas to post topic specific items, I don't think reading something I don't want to has ever been a problem. If I see a topic that says "Halltown man eaten alive by chipmunks", I will not click on that topic to find out how to set up a Carolina rig. The idea of a forum is to have a variety of inputs and opinions. This forum is easy to use and find what you are searching for if you post/search under the appropriate location. I really enjoy this site and I personally don't want drastic changes made to anything. Last thing: What you read is something that you have 100% control over.

Thanks Lilley!

I laughed so hard tears rolled down my face. You have the right idea when it comes to what a forum really is.

[Al Agnew]

Did I miss the man eaten by chipmunks thread? Dang.

[Al Agnew]

Actually, it always surprises me when people say they don't participate because it's too argumentative. Geez, say what you want to say if you want to say it, and if somebody disagrees tell them you think they are wrong and then go on to the next thread. If you have a dozen guys sitting around a campfire on the gravel bar, they aren't always going to be singing Kumbaya. Only difference between there and here is that you're gonna be a little more circumspect about how you disagree with the guy that's 6 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than you are!

[jdmidwest]

This forum is more than just a "fishing only forum" and should have been renamed to Ozark Outdoors a long time ago to reflect what it represents. Phil has tried the offshoots, a Hunting forum that failed and a broader Mid States Angler that fizzled too. Nobody seemed to stray away from this forum. So it covers Hunting, Fishing, Conservation, and other outdoor related topics. And sometimes a little humor.

If we were just to post fishing reports, I really don't think there would be much interest. If you post a report that crappie are hitting good at X spot, tomorrow, you will probably have to go somewhere else because many will be fishing the X spot. I think many on here have learned that lesson. Trip reports, methods, lures, tactics are something entirely different. Lures and tactics will always lead to discussions, probably some you don't want to hear.

Personally, I think things would be pretty bland on here if we only discussed fishing reports.

[trout fanatic]

Personally, I think that the "my scientists are smarter than your scientists" arguments are silly and childish. When it progresses to the "shut your big fat mouth" stage, the red x needs to appear. Some folks need to learn about self control.