57 replies to this topic

[Steve Heard]

That's a cop out, nobody can blame the politics section, it's very well hidden so UNLESS people go there on purpose, they only have themselves to blame for sticking their head into the political section.

You demonstrated my point. Instead of saying, 'I don't see it that way', or 'I disagree', you say 'That's a cop out', implying that I am not being honest, unless you think 'cop out' means something else.

For your information, I have been a moderator and member of myfolsom for over 10 years and there is nothing that causes more headaches and more people to be offended than the political attacks that go on constantly. People have grown tired of it.

It happens to be a topic most of us are interested in, and it was one of the most popular sections on the forum, but many left citing the political fighting and resulting personal attacks as the reason they stopped.

Sure there can be other reasons, including those mentioned above, but I'm telling you that when people send their good-byes, the political stuff is cited as THE reason over 90% of the time.

Perhaps their just copping out.

[Carl G]

Hi John - Here is a suggestion for the front page. Are the local high school or college journalism students that may be interested in writing articles to be published on MyFolsom's front page? It could be good exposure for them and possible extracurricular activity material for college admission. We could have a suggestion thread of ideas that students could write about.

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

Hi John - Here is a suggestion for the front page. Are the local high school or college journalism students that may be interested in writing articles to be published on MyFolsom's front page? It could be good exposure for them and possible extracurricular activity material for college admission. We could have a suggestion thread of ideas that students could write about.

That's a great idea.

[cw68]

You demonstrated my point. Instead of saying, 'I don't see it that way', or 'I disagree', you say 'That's a cop out', implying that I am not being honest, unless you think 'cop out' means something else.

For your information, I have been a moderator and member of myfolsom for over 10 years and there is nothing that causes more headaches and more people to be offended than the political attacks that go on constantly. People have grown tired of it.

It happens to be a topic most of us are interested in, and it was one of the most popular sections on the forum, but many left citing the political fighting and resulting personal attacks as the reason they stopped.

Sure there can be other reasons, including those mentioned above, but I'm telling you that when people send their good-byes, the political stuff is cited as THE reason over 90% of the time.

Perhaps their just copping out.

Funny, a coworker today asked me if I still go to MyFolsom. He said he used to be very active but stopped visiting the site because there were way too many attacks and nastiness. He missed getting good local knowledge, though, through it so he popped on yesterday (maybe the day before?) to try to find information on the cyclist fatality. He said he read Supermom's response and saw nothing's changed so he left.

His story, IMO, is all too familiar.

[stacycam]

I agree with the above posts about how the site has become less informative and more argumentative. It seems like every subject turns into a fight. It can be a question about swim team, and there will be rants about too much volunteering, someone can ask for a restaurant recommendation, and it will turn into complaints about kids misbehaving in restaurants! Nothing ever seems to stay on topic!

That being said, I was so happy to see the post about rattlesnakes! We live in ER, and my kids love to go exploring and visit this tree that is off trail. So great to know that the snakes are out now. Hopefully some of the helpful threads will keep the site alive and eventually increase traffic. It's a shame we have those few bad apples.

[TruthSeeker]

You demonstrated my point. Instead of saying, 'I don't see it that way', or 'I disagree', you say 'That's a cop out', implying that I am not being honest, unless you think 'cop out' means something else.

For your information, I have been a moderator and member of myfolsom for over 10 years and there is nothing that causes more headaches and more people to be offended than the political attacks that go on constantly. People have grown tired of it.

It happens to be a topic most of us are interested in, and it was one of the most popular sections on the forum, but many left citing the political fighting and resulting personal attacks as the reason they stopped.

Sure there can be other reasons, including those mentioned above, but I'm telling you that when people send their good-byes, the political stuff is cited as THE reason over 90% of the time.

Perhaps their just copping out.

Sir, I mean no offense but you don't need to be defensive. It wasn't you I was referring to copping out, but rather the people using the hidden politics forum as an excuse for not liking this place.

To those I say, if you don't want to watch a train wreck (the politics forum), then stop going out of your way to watch train wrecks. That should be easy to do no?

I would like to cite the bicyclist thread as a prime example of what turns people off. The snarky mean spirited posts in the regular sections are what turn people off from this site, we cant continue to blame the politics section that's scaring people off anymore, it's the snarky attitudes in the non-political discussions. I don't know what you can do about that other then continue to delete posts

Too many people drinking the haterade

[The Average Joe]

I think a lot of it is a reflection of the effects of anonymity on discourse. People say things online that they would never say to someone's face because they can do so anonymously. I guess it goes to the old adage about character being what you do when no one is watching, or in this case, when no one knows who you are
Another part is that people seem to have a hard time separating someone's IDEA from the person themselves.. So instead of attacking an idea, they attack the person.
As for me, I certainly enjoy a vigorous debate, and I don't take the opinions of others personally so I won't be leaving due to posters that make my eyes roll. I just skip over the negativity, or block that poster (works wonders). If I leave, or cut back, it will be due to real life requiring more attention.
Also, I have been consciously trying to post more positive stories in non-government sub-forums, but that is due to a desire not to be seen as just a curmudgeon rather than for strictly altruistic reasons.
It's something we can all work on....or not.

[TruthSeeker]

I think a lot of it is a reflection of the effects of anonymity on discourse. People say things online that they would never say to someone's face because they can do so anonymously. I guess it goes to the old adage about character being what you do when no one is watching, or in this case, when no one knows who you are
Another part is that people seem to have a hard time separating someone's IDEA from the person themselves.. So instead of attacking an idea, they attack the person.
As for me, I certainly enjoy a vigorous debate, and I don't take the opinions of others personally so I won't be leaving due to posters that make my eyes roll. I just skip over the negativity, or block that poster (works wonders). If I leave, or cut back, it will be due to real life requiring more attention.
Also, I have been consciously trying to post more positive stories in non-government sub-forums, but that is due to a desire not to be seen as just a curmudgeon rather than for strictly altruistic reasons.
It's something we can all work on....or not.

Extremely well said! Great post Joe

[Steve Heard]

Sir, I mean no offense but you don't need to be defensive. It wasn't you I was referring to copping out, but rather the people using the hidden politics forum as an excuse for not liking this place.

To those I say, if you don't want to watch a train wreck (the politics forum), then stop going out of your way to watch train wrecks. That should be easy to do no?

I would like to cite the bicyclist thread as a prime example of what turns people off. The snarky mean spirited posts in the regular sections are what turn people off from this site, we cant continue to blame the politics section that's scaring people off anymore, it's the snarky attitudes in the non-political discussions. I don't know what you can do about that other then continue to delete posts

Too many people drinking the haterade

My reaction was also an example of how people can react differently to different people, based on ones personal and/or political beliefs. For example, if John called it a cop-out, or if CW68 did, although I would have disagreed, I probably would have reacted differently, at least less defensively.

Probably because you've posted things I strongly disagreed with but did not argue with you on, I was more ready to fire back at you.

My apologies for not treating you as I would others.

[sat]

I miss the old MyFolsom, where people were kinder. When people would reply to your posts in a positive way. It has been for some time, that I have been weary of posting as I did not want negative feedback. I mean, I could ask what kind of tree should I plant, and it could start a debate. I can take politics, as long as it is separate. I feel strongly enough in my beliefs that I don't feel I need to constantly defend those beliefs, yet for a while those political posts from others were hogging the forum.

That said, I am grateful for the forum. I have made friends and met people that I might never have had the opportunity. I have eaten at restaurants based on reviews here. I have learned about rattlesnakes, traffic issues, new stores opening, realtors (Hi Steve!), etc. I have seen compassion when my beloved dog was lost, and the helpful tips on finding him. The gardening tips, the questions and answers about home repair, the updates about City Council. I even found my landscaper and pool service from this site. I even liked when someone would just post on a Friday "What are your weekend plans?".

[MikeinFolsom]

I like the debates. 95% of the people on here really have it out for public employees. I understand that. I can choose to engage them or just let them be. Someone is always going to have an opinion. It may differ from mine or it may coincide. So what? I have a much different view of the bicyclist accident the other day. I was there. In no way would I ever attempt to levy blame on the rider or LR. It was just a bad set of circumstances. Sucks. Does that mean I hate cyclists or the bike bridges or whatever? Nope. Do I hate the 'mom' for her points of view? No. She's one piece of the pie in what makes up this forum. I have been on here long enough to be able to anticipate what each member's post will be on certain topics before I even read them. Big deal. They're merely opinions. Everyone is free to have them.

[doj_gal]

Personally, I left because many of the top posters are negative with a huge chip on their shoulder. Everyone should be able to post an opinion without being called names or viciously attacked.

I haven't been on here for quite some time and now that it has calmed down, I may start posting again.

<----Also, what's with the 2 warning points?

[folsom500]

Personally, I left because many of the top posters are negative with a huge chip on their shoulder. Everyone should be able to post an opinion without being called names or viciously attacked.

I haven't been on here for quite some time and now that it has calmed down, I may start posting again.

<----Also, what's with the 2 warning points?

Both are from July 2010 though do not know how to get rid of them. John might.

[Carl G]

I tend to be interested in topics that may be considered to be political in nature, or could easily turn into political discourse. For example, the other day I ran into an article talking about how rich you are compared to the world population. You enter your income on a website and it would tell you where you fail within the range of wealthiest world citizens. I fell within the top 1%, but then again so does the majority of Americans. I was about to post this, but felt it probably should go in the political section because the conversation would likely go that way. I didn't bother since only 2 - 3 people seem to check that section.

[eVader]

Sir, I mean no offense but you don't need to be defensive. It wasn't you I was referring to copping out, but rather the people using the hidden politics forum as an excuse for not liking this place.

To those I say, if you don't want to watch a train wreck (the politics forum), then stop going out of your way to watch train wrecks. That should be easy to do no?

I would like to cite the bicyclist thread as a prime example of what turns people off. The snarky mean spirited posts in the regular sections are what turn people off from this site, we cant continue to blame the politics section that's scaring people off anymore, it's the snarky attitudes in the non-political discussions. I don't know what you can do about that other then continue to delete posts

Too many people drinking the haterade

Actually it is even easier to avoid the train wrecks - just ask a Mod to add No Politics filter to your account. This will greatly reduce the idiot liberal, no the conservative is an idiot, your Ford sucks, Chevy is better, the sky is blue, no it's a soft baby blue rants.

That said, I may be like many site veterans and just skim the new posts for something of interest then move on to see if John or others have posted News like a new business, restaurant, activity on the front page before surfing off to another site.