stuartpengs
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2009
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It may in fact be something of a cyclical thing I feel the the original glory days of angling forums are over.
Many fairly edrudite anglers found themselves with computers and a means of being able to express themselves to a larger audience often for the first time and indeed many had their say and a great many friendships were formed and the was a cohesive whole to the feel of several of the angling forums.
Of the ones I used to be involved with there were siginificant identities to fishing magic , anglers net, fishing warehouse, RMC, and maggotdrowners.
Many of the earlier contributors to all of these sites felt that perhaps they could achieve something positive.
Then somewhere along the way things just somehow seemed to go a bit out of kilter and the positivity seemed to ebb away and many of the forums seemed to become dominated by two broad groups either (a) Grumpy old men or (b) wind up merchants. Personal attacks rose along with ever increasing staleness in content. The same tedious arguments kept being dragged out of the cuboard, so every year we will have the same old debate about the close season for example, many of us had those debates several years ago we have adopted the positions we all feel are right and none of us are prepared to change our minds, so yes when we see it coming up again we heave a sigh and do something else more constructive with our time.
Similarly time and again when angling politics heaves into view out will come the attack dogs, yet no-one seems to want to do anything constructive....critisising others work is easy doing something constructive requires effort we seem to have plenty of keyboard warriors who will do the former but not so many the latter.
I have already mentioned personal attacks and looking over the forums over time as both a consumer and on another site a mod I have seen some very unpleasant behaviour which must be off putting to those with a thinner skin who might well have some good solid input to give but who wont for fear of being on the recieving end of the wrath of some unseen keyboard warrior.
For some who have been around a while it may be a case that the novelty of the internet and angling forums has simply worn off.
Now it may well be the case that another generation of younger angling writers may come along and rediscover the net as a platform for the valuable exchange of ideas and knowledge and then forums will rise again or they may rise again for other reasons .......Like an outbreak of foot and mouth which leaves us with no choice other than to write about angling....S'funny that one as one of the busiest periods for forums was during the last outbreak........Just a thought!
My comment on this occasion are general ones and relate to a number of site forums rather than just this one.
How do we change this situation at the moment I am not too sure....
Many fairly edrudite anglers found themselves with computers and a means of being able to express themselves to a larger audience often for the first time and indeed many had their say and a great many friendships were formed and the was a cohesive whole to the feel of several of the angling forums.
Of the ones I used to be involved with there were siginificant identities to fishing magic , anglers net, fishing warehouse, RMC, and maggotdrowners.
Many of the earlier contributors to all of these sites felt that perhaps they could achieve something positive.
Then somewhere along the way things just somehow seemed to go a bit out of kilter and the positivity seemed to ebb away and many of the forums seemed to become dominated by two broad groups either (a) Grumpy old men or (b) wind up merchants. Personal attacks rose along with ever increasing staleness in content. The same tedious arguments kept being dragged out of the cuboard, so every year we will have the same old debate about the close season for example, many of us had those debates several years ago we have adopted the positions we all feel are right and none of us are prepared to change our minds, so yes when we see it coming up again we heave a sigh and do something else more constructive with our time.
Similarly time and again when angling politics heaves into view out will come the attack dogs, yet no-one seems to want to do anything constructive....critisising others work is easy doing something constructive requires effort we seem to have plenty of keyboard warriors who will do the former but not so many the latter.
I have already mentioned personal attacks and looking over the forums over time as both a consumer and on another site a mod I have seen some very unpleasant behaviour which must be off putting to those with a thinner skin who might well have some good solid input to give but who wont for fear of being on the recieving end of the wrath of some unseen keyboard warrior.
For some who have been around a while it may be a case that the novelty of the internet and angling forums has simply worn off.
Now it may well be the case that another generation of younger angling writers may come along and rediscover the net as a platform for the valuable exchange of ideas and knowledge and then forums will rise again or they may rise again for other reasons .......Like an outbreak of foot and mouth which leaves us with no choice other than to write about angling....S'funny that one as one of the busiest periods for forums was during the last outbreak........Just a thought!
My comment on this occasion are general ones and relate to a number of site forums rather than just this one.
How do we change this situation at the moment I am not too sure....