I can remember when this forum was about guitars and pickups

[MDV]

Is this a bad time for you to ask me my opinion on religion, sociology, politics, authoritarian governments, infringements of civil liberty, substance abuse, substance indulgence, the difference between them, online freedoms, privacy in the information age, and cyclists?

See, this is a good point. Subjects like religion and politics don't really have a place on a musicians' forum do they? Divisive topics like those always cause friction and resentment. Which is why I tend to pop up in those threads asking what picks people use.

See, I dont think that you can compartmentalise that easily. This forum has, what, a billionty members? We're all people, and while we all share the common interest of guitary noise stuff, but have many other concerns besides , we cant realistically expect that we can segregate topics that many of us clearly think warrant discussion....

except through off topic forums, of which we have two, which I believe are serving their purpose perfectly well. I still dont really know what the difference is between time out and the dressing room, but you never see "David Camerons a bell end" in the pickups board so I figure provided there are funny pics and tits to keep everybody content along with the real world tedium, alls fine and well.

[MDV]

At these responses, I'm sort of amused, sort of depressed, and utterly repulsed.

[MDV]

Is this a bad time for you to ask me my opinion on religion, sociology, politics, authoritarian governments, infringements of civil liberty, substance abuse, substance indulgence, the difference between them, online freedoms, privacy in the information age, and cyclists?

See, this is a good point. Subjects like religion and politics don't really have a place on a musicians' forum do they? Divisive topics like those always cause friction and resentment. Which is why I tend to pop up in those threads asking what picks people use.

Now that I done gone made myself look at this thread and the the frankly vapid contents therein again, I have a better response:

There are off topic forums. 2 of them.

[juansolo]

[dave_mc]

I think we all "play fair" here and I agree that the standards we hold ourselves to are so high that I too feel like an @sshole if I'm not polite 99% of the time.

I don't see a problem here.

I read/reply to the threads that interest me and let the others pass me by.

I like to hear your opinions on anything and it's not the end of the world to disagree, it's not personal.

Please don't go Shob.

agreed :)

Right then

I got fags, a plan to binge drink for the evening, more EMG equipped guitars than BK equipped and nothing to do for the night.

Is this a bad time for you to ask me my opinion on religion, sociology, politics, authoritarian governments, infringements of civil liberty, substance abuse, substance indulgence, the difference between them, online freedoms, privacy in the information age, and cyclists?

Just dont talk to me about anything serious like PRS or PTP wiring. Keep it light hearted.

Speaking of, I have an SE in for setup. Good god. Better than most gibsons, I suppose.

:lol:

I think it has a way to go before it's as bad as HC  :lol:

+1. nowhere near HC. :lol:

See, this is a good point. Subjects like religion and politics don't really have a place on a musicians' forum do they? Divisive topics like those always cause friction and resentment. Which is why I tend to pop up in those threads asking what picks people use.

that's what off-topic's for, surely? I'd agree if they were popping up in the gear forums (that's what actually annoys me about HC, i have to wade through 3 pages of cr@p to get to 2 decent on=topic threads), here if you don't like the off-topic stuff you can just ignore those forums.

:)

[Toe-Knee]

that's what off-topic's for, surely? I'd agree if they were popping up in the gear forums (that's what actually annoys me about HC, i have to wade through 3 pages of cr@p to get to 2 decent on=topic threads), here if you don't like the off-topic stuff you can just ignore those forums.

:)

Hmm thats like someone saying

"Hey I'm going to shite on your doorstep but if you don't like it you can just walk around it"

[Philly Q]

that's what off-topic's for, surely? I'd agree if they were popping up in the gear forums (that's what actually annoys me about HC, i have to wade through 3 pages of cr@p to get to 2 decent on=topic threads), here if you don't like the off-topic stuff you can just ignore those forums.

:)

You should see Blu-ray.com - they have threads which run over 100 pages sometimes, debating some incredibly minor point which will run for 10 pages or so, then it'll go on to something else for another 10 pages, then someone new will come in and ask the same question which started the argument way back on page 17..... and so the cycle begins again!  :roll:

You can't really blame the people who kick it off again, because it would be impossible to have time to read the whole thread, but it's all so petty and tedious.

We're nowhere near that.  :)

[Dmoney]

that's what off-topic's for, surely? I'd agree if they were popping up in the gear forums (that's what actually annoys me about HC, i have to wade through 3 pages of cr@p to get to 2 decent on=topic threads), here if you don't like the off-topic stuff you can just ignore those forums.

:)

Hmm thats like someone saying

"Hey I'm going to shitee on your doorstep but if you don't like it you can just walk around it"

Not really. It's not that personal. It's like a bunch of dudes in a bar room bathroom chatting arguing with each other. You keep overhearing and you get upset... but do you go over and join in and try to make your point? Accept some people will just congregate anyway and have a good argument? Move to another part of the bar? Or move to a different bar?
If you're a regular with your own stool set aside and your own glass up on the rail... do you REALLY want to go elsewhere?

COURSE YOU DON'T! you pick up your bar stool and glass and start on some playground level nonsense! A bloodbath ensues, everyone ends up butt hurt.

this is basically how i view life.

[Dmoney]

The internet isn't real life and one forum can be as silly as the next. It just acts as a place where people who would otherwise never socialize in reality can be drawn together over one common interest and share opinions or bang heads. here, that common interest is music/gear.

Imagine if everyone who liked a beer could only buy or consume beer in a weatherspoons. no other outlets existed. How long would small talk last between newcomers before it turns into division and sporadic bar fights?

[nfe]

that's what off-topic's for, surely? I'd agree if they were popping up in the gear forums (that's what actually annoys me about HC, i have to wade through 3 pages of cr@p to get to 2 decent on=topic threads), here if you don't like the off-topic stuff you can just ignore those forums.

:)

Hmm thats like someone saying

"Hey I'm going to shitee on your doorstep but if you don't like it you can just walk around it"

No. It might be, at a push, like someone saying ‘I'm going to shite in the park ten minutes walk from your house, the one you never have to pass through unless you want to make a point of doing so, are you going to go out of your way to step in it?’

Probably the only response that needed to appear in this thread is: If you only want to read about gear, don't go into the sub-forums that are specifically not for conversations about gear.

[Toe-Knee]

that's what off-topic's for, surely? I'd agree if they were popping up in the gear forums (that's what actually annoys me about HC, i have to wade through 3 pages of cr@p to get to 2 decent on=topic threads), here if you don't like the off-topic stuff you can just ignore those forums.

:)

Hmm thats like someone saying

"Hey I'm going to shiteee on your doorstep but if you don't like it you can just walk around it"

No. It might be, at a push, like someone saying ‘I'm going to shite in the park ten minutes walk from your house, the one you never have to pass through unless you want to make a point of doing so, are you going to go out of your way to step in it?’

Probably the only response that needed to appear in this thread is: If you only want to read about gear, don't go into the sub-forums that are specifically not for conversations about gear.

Well to be honest i used to see this place as kind of a home on the internet.

Somewhere where everything was decent. What i'm trying to say is it's getting less like that day by day.

[Dmoney]

 Its the same as when you really want a jam doughnut, but you can only find custard, and the guy in the queue behind you in sayers really wants a jaffacake halloween special doughnut, but then some upstart comes in and buys all the doughnuts. And the point is... why on earth did you even want a doughnut.

so now this is all cleared up, lets get this thread locked up and everyone back to jammin'! oooowwwwwwww!

[dave_mc]

Hmm thats like someone saying

"Hey I'm going to shiteeee on your doorstep but if you don't like it you can just walk around it"

no, it's nothing like that at all. it's a bit more like walking through the doggy toilet in a public park and then complaining when you get dog cr@p on your shoes.

there's going to be dog cr@p in the park, it's unavoidable unless you ban dogs, so there might as well be a place for it where people who don't have dogs can avoid it. as opposed to having it randomly scattered throughout the park where it's almost impossible to avoid it.

ditto off-topic posts and threads. it's pretty obvious from this thread that some regulars here do want the option of off-topic (and clearly the mods etc. want it too or there wouldn't be two off-topic forums), so the best way to deal with it is to have an area for it where those who want it can post, and where those who don't can easily ignore it.

As opposed to say, HC, which has already been mentioned.

You should see Blu-ray.com - they have threads which run over 100 pages sometimes, debating some incredibly minor point which will run for 10 pages or so, then it'll go on to something else for another 10 pages, then someone new will come in and ask the same question which started the argument way back on page 17..... and so the cycle begins again!  :roll:

You can't really blame the people who kick it off again, because it would be impossible to have time to read the whole thread, but it's all so petty and tedious.

We're nowhere near that.  :)

haha

No. It might be, at a push, like someone saying ‘I'm going to shite in the park ten minutes walk from your house, the one you never have to pass through unless you want to make a point of doing so, are you going to go out of your way to step in it?’

Probably the only response that needed to appear in this thread is: If you only want to read about gear, don't go into the sub-forums that are specifically not for conversations about gear.

+1

Well to be honest i used to see this place as kind of a home on the internet.

Somewhere where everything was decent. What i'm trying to say is it's getting less like that day by day.

i remember the odd thread got heated even back in the day. I definitely remember at least once or twice, a good while ago, getting into arguments here (and then feeling bad :lol: ).

granted there are a couple more at the moment, but i don't think those arguments are anywhere near as heated as those old ones were, and you're still talking maybe 5-10 threads out of several hundred which are active at any given time...

[Frank]

so what picks does everyone use?

I use pink ones

although I have a few green ones too

[Philly Q]

so what picks does everyone use?

I use pink ones

although I have a few green ones too

SHUT IT!!!

 :P


Sorry.

Transparent blue ones.