Here's my .2 cents. Think about it, Management

[Dave Sweetman]

I have watched from a distance the ongoing battle to *regain" Truck.Net. I have kept quiet, with minor exception and I figure now is as good a time as any to hit the fan with it.

Let me think back a few years to when I lurked here. There were many, many posters...yeah, sure..the Wild West..I saw the other thread. But the truth is, it was a forum where we could come and discuss trucking stuff, gripe about trips, loads, roads, trucks and stoopit stuff. With a lot of humor thrown in. Zigzag, as big a ballbuster as he is, was on target most of the time and loved to stroke the newbies and some of the sodden old-bees. Bedspread, same thing. The cat had style, humor and life experiences, with a bit of flair. Lars? Well...he's Lars. You either agree with him or you're on a lower level and he would let his aire-superior tally forth. It didn't matter. You knew how to read him. Big Dave...the guy has his own style and is as amiable as any I have met, but he too tired of the flatulance here. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is, Truck.Net is not the old west anymore. Monty is on another planet, Rose, bless her heart is as well. It is not as it was. Boo Hoo...poor us.

In my estimation, because of over-moderation, censorship, political correctness and fear of advertisers and what they may withold, it is all changed. Do I like it? Not really. The flavor of the place has been replaced with pablum. There are no threads of interest. There are few related topics worthy of clicking on, so I pass. In many respects an internet posting board is only as good [or bad] as those who use it, but when the very color and flavor of those who do, get beaten back down, words and threads dissapear to never be seen again, because some pc goof is *offended*...well...maybe it's time that I wash my hands of it too.

Oh sure...here comes Karen to tell me how hard Ro works to make the place spiffy for all us unwashed heathens, but it's not Ramona. It's not a lot of things, but what it is has been is the constant chipping away of personal opinions, of the place to put them on T-Net without the hint of OFFENDING anyone. We can't discuss Obama without being considered a rascist. We can't talk about anything of topic sensitivity because someone might send a snitch report. It seems more like there has been an US vs THEM standard set here. Cross the line and you are one of "THEM" and you are banned, suspended or otherwise taken to task.

You've run off most of the people that had a clue about the industry, so,what's next? Only allow pictures of Freightliners? Only allow threads about where Shuffler is, because he lost his GPS again?

Think about it. I'm sure this thread will be gone in short order. Anyone who dissagrees is branded and the thread will be locked and whisked away. gee...maybe I'll get banned..for having an opinion. What are the chances?

How's that .2 cents hitting you?

ds

[corydon]

Good writing, as allways Dave.
It didn't hit me too hard, seen some real great posters disapear. (Where is Burky???)
But reading your post can't help you made fun off certain folks here placing pictures off trucks, hey, it is a hobby , and I have never taken a pic off a freight thing.
It is dangerous this moderating, allways make me think off one South American dictator talking with another dictator while looking at a cornfield. He tells him, People are like corn, most are exactly the same, but some stick out a little, just chop the top off make 'm all at the same hight.
And banning posters/writers, not smart I think. Are we grown man and woman here or what? If somebody writes tough or stoopid messages, 1st don't take it personal, or don't read it, so simple.........

Did you drive in CT today, seen a KW 660.
But this board has come to a stilstand, and advertisers should never have a say.

Hope you are doing okay, you are on my mind regulary.

[Ramona]

No, the thread won't disappear and I know this isn't a personal attack on me. Thank you for what you said Dave.

I know we've had some growing pains and a lot of that was due to my being a newbie at this moderation thing on a grand scale but, with the new rules in place I've seen some old faces coming back and let me tell ya, it's a good feeling because I know the steps being taken are steps in the right direction.

I have no problem with debates, opinions or having an adult type atmosphere but those can be done without the flaming, name calling and general disruption as was proved in the "Good Ol Days".

To add

it was a forum where we could come and discuss trucking stuff, gripe about trips, loads, roads, trucks and stoopit stuff. With a lot of humor thrown in. Zigzag, as big a ballbuster as he is, was on target most of the time and loved to stroke the newbies and some of the sodden old-bees. Bedspread, same thing. The cat had style, humor and life experiences, with a bit of flair. Lars? Well...he's Lars. You either agree with him or you're on a lower level and he would let his aire-superior tally forth. It didn't matter. You knew how to read him. Big Dave...the guy has his own style and is as amiable as any I have met, but he too tired of the flatulance here.

Can I git an AMEN!!! That is the TN I miss. As I was discussing today with some members, those are the days I want back for TN. Information, opinions on how to fix the world, a truck and yourself, complain without being flamed for having an opinion, and the general camaraderie that was felt here.

[pipeman]

???????????????????????????????

I just spent the last 10 minutes writing a post and i did click on SUBMIT............................. where did it go ????????????????????????

[corydon]

???????????????????????????????

I just spent the last 10 minutes writing a post and i did click on SUBMIT............................. where did it go ????????????????????????

It is OK Pipy, at your age cranking out one line every 10 minutes is not bad at all, now quit making excuses

[Ramona]

hmmm I ate it?

Try again and this time before hitting submit, highlight, right click, copy.

[mrs. greybeard]

It's not a lot of things, but what it is has been is the constant chipping away of personal opinions, of the place to put them on T-Net without the hint of OFFENDING anyone.

Ah, Dave, people will always be offended! I don't really see any chipping away of personal opinions, unless the personal opinions happen to be aimed at another poster in a personal way. Crap, I've had posts deleted, too. But you have to admit that some of the posters have gotten just a little too personal in the insulting department. Good natured joshing is one thing, but too often these days, it turns from good natured to serious meanness. And an adult should have the knack of getting his/her point across without being hateful, as some posters make a habit of.

We can't discuss Obama without being considered a rascist. We can't talk about anything of topic sensitivity because someone might send a snitch report.

I discuss Obama all the time, and have yet to be reported as racist. If you deal strictly with the ISSUES at hand, there is plenty to discuss without bringing race into it at all. I have plenty of gripes with his policies already, but they have nothing to do with his color!

Topic sensitivity? There are three threads floating around about abortion and gay marriage, and those are about as sensitive as it gets. Seems to me that for the most part, the debate has been relatively civil. Seems to me that management, i.e., Ro's boss(es), wants to avoid the "CB cowboy" type of posting, and I can understand that. Without the advertisers, there wouldn't be any forums at all, unless we would go to a paid subscription type of thing, like (I think it was) ProPilot suggested.

It seems more like there has been an US vs THEM standard set here. Cross the line and you are one of "THEM" and you are banned, suspended or otherwise taken to task.

Quite frankly, Dave, it seems to me that a certain group of posters has created that us-vs-them environment. I'm puzzled by some of the bannings, too, but some I understand. Some posters never contribute anything but insults and criticism. Some make every thread - no matter how neutral - into a political thread. Some love to hijack threads and turn a good discussion into a bashing session.

Right now, I'm not posting as much as I was, either. I'm tired of having my intelligence insulted simply because someone disagrees with me on some political topic. IMHO, where one is on the political spectrum has much more to do with personality than with intelligence, and I treat it that way. This is a good place to observe the polarization of US society, though. The media has certainly gotten the people (sheeple?) to dance to their tunes and turn on one another. And while we fight over Fox vs. CNN, the Banksters rip us off a little more. As long as we hate each other for being different, we can't threaten the status quo, can we?

Well, I digress. But since I think both sides are flailing blindly, it is hard to have a good debate. Maybe in six months when the sky hasn't fallen, we can once again have civil discussions about things that affect us. In moderation and without outside moderation!

[Ramman]

Sorry. It's all my fault. I have not been around as much as I would like. George Bush actually had me tied up so it is actually his fault! (OK, but someone had to find a way to blame it all on him!)

I have been checking in, but quite frankly I have not seen a whole bunch I cared to talk about! Of course there hasn't been many who usually argues with me to drag me into a debate!

Pretty hard to offend me though. I've been up against much bigger fish than usually attack me here! Too bad though. It was always fun no matter if we were discussing trucks or politics.

I'll be around though. This is the very first board I was ever a member of and it will always be home to me. Then again, TN is the only place I ever go, with the exception of a news site, but I will discuss that later when the time is right.

BTW Dave? Good to see you are still here. This place has always had its ups and downs, but it always TN!

[vongrimmenstein]

Right dead on. You said it all. And you said it right.

Now where in the h*ll is Gary (aka Bedspread) when you need him?

[Rockjockey]

Well said, Dave. Unfortunately, all this has been said before, maybe not as eloquently, and it does no good. PC rules and selectively enforced rules seem to be the rule here. Dare to question them and you get threatened with banning, even when you question them in pm. It's kind of like going to a big city. They're nice to visit, but you have to be careful where you walk. Sooner or later, all the looking over your shoulder will make the visit less than enjoyable, but until then, one just puts up with it.

[Skid Row Joe]

Well said Dave Sweetman, as usual. T-Net was the original (as far as I know) trucking BBS and most anything concerning trucking was always spoken here. I used to post meaningful things like how to drive the big grades in the West and how to tie down and tarp flatbed loads, which were generally well-received. I thoroughly enjoyed doing what I could to help those seeking answers and also heavily frequented the O/O forum because I enjoyed sharing my experiences. If those trials and errors I went through might keep someone from making a serious slip-up, then I slept well at night. But as the fighting and silly name calling slowly got out of hand, I didn't feel comfortable here anymore and started rarely hanging around. I especially got sick of the endless bickering about George Bush. Love him or hate him, but you hear that craap all day long on the CB, then hear it again as you unwind from your trying day amongst insane 4-wheelers over the radio and TV. I'll be danged if I needed to hear the umpteenth rerun of used up, worthless information just because I wanted to hang out on a trucking BBS.

I also rarely see the point in cyberspace wrasslin', and tend to avoid it. But time and again nearly any good info posted here gets dragged through the coals by some grumpy cyberspace thug. Go read the post about the guy who's freightshaker burned up here on the RT. The driver simply asked legitimate questions directed towards anyone who may have had the same problems and promptly got blasted right off his chair for his efforts. Then everyone labeled him as a total idiot because he honestly had no idea there was a recent recall issued due to the fact many DID have those same issues. How many can raise their hand and say their company always tells them everything they NEED to know, such as recall information? There's been hundreds of posts similar to that, most of which receive the same response, and it drives me crazy sometimes. I have no illusions as to what T-Net should be. The founders built this place into one of the top trucking sites on the WWW once, then seem to have stood arrogantly by and simply watched as it began to crumble from within.

But there's no need for an obituary. All these political ramblings, however, need to go be in their own personal spot. I could care less about today's news headlines and don't need them rubbed in my face everywhere I go. I don't come here to get a stupid newsbrief. Once upon a time, T-Net DID have play areas for political postings where anyone who was into that stuff could go and fill their minds with whatever they were looking for. But nowadays everything gets dumped on the Round Table and it has seriously clogged the pipes like a huge turd. I would personally love a return to how this place used to be, but don't know if that's even possible. When Lars and IRR had their spats in the early years here, they were usually comical and worth reading mainly because they never degenerated into volitile personal attacks. It was just two truckers arguing over the CB, so to speak, and just how it is out on the road, you could always turn the channel if you got sick of listening to it. But this attacking stuff is all over this site now. And look over the Round Table postings. How many are actually trucking related? Most of them are political or mindless mumble and belong where those things need to be, which is anywhere but in the RT.

I don't know. I will say that if this place keeps down the road it's presently upon, I will leave for good. I don't even truck any dang more, so I don't really "need" this place like I once did. I don't frequent any other truck sites mostly because they all seem to have the same issues. The ones that are heavily moderated are even worse in my opinion, because you can't play mommy to a bunch of foul-mouthed punks who have nothing better to do than stir up trouble in cyberspace. Overall, I think Ro does the best she can with what she has. Those of us who actually know her understands she's up between a rock and a hard spot with this. She's a tough ol' gal and she's certainly got thick enough skin to handle most of the crybabies and punks. But perhaps the question of the day might be, SHOULD she have to do so much of the babysitting she does on a daily basis? People "should" be able to reasonably police themselves, but of course they won't for the most part. Perhaps tougher rules might thin the ranks of the troublemakers, but there's little a moderator can do realistically. As we've all seen hundreds of times, the banned simply reincarnate themselves into a new and improved (edited) and get right back aboard the bus.

Truck Net USED to be a clearinghouse of trucking information and full of fantastic tales of life itself. It was a good place to hang out and maybe learn a few things. Back in 2000 when I first signed up, I truly enjoyed coming here and did so every chance I got. A newbie freaked out in a snowstorm once and came here to beg for help. I got him to email me his phone number in the truck and I actually talked the poor driver into safe haven at Iowa 80, then told him he wasn't cut out for this life and needed to find something else to do for a living. He wanted to leave his load right there, but I managed to talk some sense into him and he did deliver his load on time and, last I heard, he was reloaded towards home where he was going to finish the trip and turn his truck in. THAT was why I came here and felt so comfortable. How many of you did something similar for the same reasons? When new people come here now, does anyone know what they're looking for? Or better yet, does anyone care? Answer these questions and I thing the murky picture will begin to clarify itself and ways of fixing these problems should be better understood. Truck Net can get back to its roots if it wants to.

[revvassago]

edited cuz I changed my mind. Is that still allowed?

[Monty]

If you desire a better posting board, then be a better poster, here or elsewhere.

Weeds have a difficult time flourishing in a healthy lawn.

[corydon]

Revv, 8 or 9 years ago most folks did not own a computer and laptops where only on the drawning board.
More forums, yes, but a lot more computers and users.

Some weeds can make the yard colourful, others are just a pain in the rear.

If you guys know I am an idiot, plase tel me , I can handle it.

[revvassago]

Revv, 8 or 9 years ago most folks did not own a computer and laptops where only on the drawning board.

You're kidding, right?

More forums, yes, but a lot more computers and users.

I dunno about that. Most of these forums tend to have the same number of active posters over any given period of time for a good size forum, usually about 25-35 active posters). The names may change, but the total number doesn't really do so. I think what everyone is REALLY complaining about is that they don't like what the names have changed to.