A new home for the Forum Cartel?

This is nothing new take my word. For years people have been derailing threads with their pie posts chuckling to themseves in smug amusement while the only person they amused were themselves.

I'd rather be chuckling to myself with smug amusement than insulting others with smug bitterness.

Wow, I have learned a lot today. And to think I was trying to protect this forum with my OP. Now I'd just as soon see it closed.

/me hands you some hot cocoa...

Thanks. I'll need it as I head off for a friendlier, less harsh place...Siberia.

Then don't be bitter! It's your choice to make.

We don't all have the same sense of humor. I can find no other explanation for the popularity of Adam Sandler.....

You can't create group forums any more, but you can still post in the ones that are left.

Here's one that has no pupose to confuse things: /280/1.html .

Awww Figs...*hands you a plate of warm sugar cookies to go with the cocoa*

Nine pages?!? eek! I read the OP and page one. Bradley covers most of my points.
I'm here to help first, learn second and lastly have fun. If you divide that up between two or three forums I'll probably jack it all in.

We had three forums in Starship Titanic for the three 'levels' in the game but we mostly loitered in the First Class forum spinning our yarns and having our adventures in between pouncing on those seeking help. The point is, we were there, ready .. not off somewhere else buried in nonsense.

I looked at third party forums some months back. This is the genuine one, the only one that holds any attraction to me.

Ohh kayyy, now *eight* pages of back-reading

Well, I've read this whole thread and finally figured I'd throw in my two cents as a relative outsider who has been following the FC stuff with great interest.
I appreciate Raymond for opening this discussion btw. (And no you can't have your thread back........ )
(EDTA: never realised these two cents would become this long..... feel free to skip)
Seriously, though, here's my two cents: at the time of my first ever post I felt a tad intimidated as others have mentioned. However, I had a genuine question so figured I'd dive in at the deep end. Found plenty of hepful answers and as I became a more frequent visitor ...... plenty of derailments.
As time progressed I also came to appreciate the occasional dose of pies and penguins.

I figure as long as resident questions are taken seriously and answered as such, there's no harm in it. Threads are generally derailed only when the time is ripe or when they were posted for the wrong reasons to begin with. Besides, there are also people posting here who will stear threads back on topic if need be, and last but not least, our friendly ResMod can always step in. The fact that Strife has left the FC threads run is an indication as to the general feel here I would say.

What bugs me more than the derailments btw are the threads that turn into unsavory warzones or personal battles on subjects totally unrelated to SL. THOSE would make me move away from this forum, not the ocasional dose of pie and penguin.

As for the FC moving to its own forum / board ....... if the forum cartel is a group that is open to all forum posters and or lurkers than surely it belongs in this forum, not in its own exlcusive location where it cannot be found. I for one am still hugely impressed with the way forum readers, posters and lurkers (not just cartel members) have come together on the Hangout project. It is a true example of the kind of community spirit this forum can purvey.
Also, I figure that some of the people who may be perceived to be part of the incrowd are also the most helpful people around and would be missed sorely.
I for one feel very much on the outside-side of the cartel thing, despite my throwing in of hangout t-shirts. (Not btw because I have not been made to feel welcome.) I am not even a part of the group. But to separate the FC from this forum would IMHO make it a far more exclusive affair than I believe was/is intended to be. As long as Strife is okay with the FC threads and, as they have, been move on after 200 posts, what's the problem? Perhaps a change in title (Forum Hangout?) would remove any impression of exclusivity and make it clear that all forum dwellers are welcome.

Like I said..... my two cents. And my favourite is blueberry.

I am completely unrequired in this venture, and I personally feel completely estranged from the whole Cartel thing. Perhaps others may feel this is not the case, however I do not feel wanted.

However, I think you should move somewhere which will be less chance of the bitterness, intolerance and hostility shown here.

**edit** Sally I hadn't actually read your post when I posted mine.

/me waves at Cherry, glad to see you making an appearance

I don't understand why people don't feel welcome. Nobody invited me to the group or the Cartel land...I asked Brenda for an invitation and just showed up, lol. I've had good experiences there. I've talked of issues dealing with SL lately. (with people I recognize and those I don't) I brought some friends there and had some voice chats. I played that Greedy Greedy game there with 2 members which was good fun! (cool game!) No one has thrown pie at me yet. I even dressed up in Brenda's underwear and have the tabloid photos to prove it.
Take a chance; come on down; you're the next contestant on the Forum Cartel! Don't be shy.

~balloons falling~

Just pm me in world if you want a landmark to the hangout.

<pant .. gasp ..phew!> caught up!
<cough> .. My name's Bilbo and I'm a forum thread derailer.
I don't want to be in a 'clique'
I don't want to be one of the 'cool guys'.
I don't want my shenanigans scaring off newcomers.

Welcome Bang and Cee. Bang, don't apologise for intimating we are a 'clique'. It's a wake-up call believe me! If you feel/felt this way then how many others who may never have posted might have. Thankyou for your post!!!

Some have said derailing only or mainly happens when the thread has run it's course. I've been thinking on this for a couple of days oddly enough. Some months ago I would see people asking things and being replied with links back to relevant and still on topic threads. Derailments destroy these and make them of no use to the newcomer. Such a waste of resources no?

Raymond, I really see your original point. Travis, thankyou for the history ..*and* vote of confidence!!!
Cherry, your post alarms me. I see only a very little bitterness here but when you have such a large number of people anywhere at anytime you're going to have a little friction somewhere. This isn't Utopia .. but it's a hell of a lot better than some other places *hug*

I was a little wary of the name Cartel. It did smell a little elitist. I liked 'Forum Follower' cos that is what I am. 'Pie Thrower' was never my choice LOL

I'm just a noob who's nearly a year old.

Has anyone else noticed ..... It's Friday!!

So well said. That about sums it up for me.

I'm not shy.

**edit** No I really should qualify this. I guess that this post probably says why I don't actually feel wanted ... the whole thing is blossoming and that's great, but it's not something I am involved in emotionally or intellectually.

That's very sweet of you Gaybot, bless you.

Bilbo don't be alarmed, not everything can include everyone.

Oh yes ... Pie Thrower was my choice, sweetie. Sorry.

Maybe having ONE thread for all things is a better way here for you guys? Love you all anyway, you know.

Ah this is how it starts, they lure you in with that and before you know it Malachi is taking you to the cleaners, then they get around to the devil worshipping.

There's devil Worshiping? ohhhh count me in

1) The main priority of every single regular who posts here is to help others, especially the new resident who really needs help getting through the early stages of what can be a daunting world

2) There is no clique. Cartel is just a clever word, nothing more

3) A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men

4 Dozens of people donated their time and lindens to the Hangout project and every act of kindness was appreciated by all. The core group worked their asses off to not only create a lovely gathering place, but to make every single avatar feel welcome there

5) You are responsible for whether you feel welcome or not on this forum or at the hangout

6) For those who were hoping some people WOULD go to another forum and are sad to see they are not, "Ignore" is your friend

7) It's just as easy to be constructive as it is to dump on someone

If any of this feels like real drama or that any of it truly matters in any way to our real lives, we should step away from the keyboard for a while and reassess our priorities

9) Sometimes we need to take our own advice

As far as forums go, there is relatively little bitterness and intolerance that comes up here. When it does unfortunately come up, there is a context for it. The recent VAT discussions were an example of that -- basically impossible to have that discussion without reference to RL laws and customs, and because these vary, and because people on both sides have strong opinions, political and other issues crept into that discussion. SImilarly discussions about the propriety or not of online affairs are going to get into a lot of RL opinions that are going, in some cases, to be passionately held and will be, in any case, wildly different. That's life, folks. In spite of that, most of the discussion here is civil, which is more or less a credit to the forum group here.

But in any case, I prefer civil debate type discussions, personally, to one line witticisms about pie and biplanes, so I guess I'd have to say that on average I find those derailments more annoying than most posters. But I accept that they are a part of the forum community here, and I work around them. I do not think that the forum cartel is a clique, despite how things may appear from time to time with the plethora of inside jokes -- because there is no real intention to exclude.

As far as changing the group name, we can't. We would have to start a new group. I don't want to go through all that myself, but it is something that can be considered I guess. If you are someone who is feeling like an outsider, I don't know waht to say. Come to the clubhouse, even if you aren't inthe group, talk to whoever is there, use the toys that have been put outIf you want to join, JUST ASK. Every day I get requests from 2 or 3 people asking to join, many who don't even post here onany regular basis. No one will be refused.
I have to go now, I'm flying Figtree to Siberia.

Maybe that's where I got it wrong, I've got it backwards. My bad.

Heck Brenda! I'm not saying I'm right, you're wrong. We all have our own priorities .. and I wasn't digging at the Cartel .. we stick with it, we keep it good!

What about "The SL Forum Club"? It's kind of like the Mickey Mouse Club....plus panties, pies, and hamsters! lol

I belonged to another forum (might have been Second Citizen, I can't remember) for a while but found that a lot of the content was posted by foul-mouthed Linden-hating idiots. Now, I'm broad-minded enough to not be upset by a the occasionsl f-word etc., but the atmosphere on there was spoiled by these few.