Well now, it looks like I've struck a cord with people :)

@ECGordon:
Of course I'll give the benefit of the doubt to those that have proved that they think rationally. From time to time everyone has a "freak out"; we are human, we err. I'm talking more about those that do this on a regular basis or completely fly off the handle. It really is a judgement call as to where that line is, and I'm certain it isn't going to be in the same place for everyone.

@Kaele:
Excellent! Jokes are a great idea! I try to add them in when I can, if only to possibly defuse a situation before it starts. Perhaps I should make a habit of it :)

Also, your (1) and (2) have the ring of wisdom in them :) Something that I think we should all do.

"""
I like my 'verse shiny. If it means stepping over a few puddles, so be it. :)
"""

I actually LOL'd when I read this. It is beautifully put :)

Perhaps this blog among the other threads that have mentioned this will start to make people aware of the problem. Then we can start to purge the negative element from our little corner of the net. After all, people tend to go away if no-one pays them any mind.

@CBY:
Good observation! Thinking back it does seem that that is true.


@ForeverShiny:
RWD == Real World Discussions. It's where all the political "discussions" go on. A little while ago it got seperated from displaying on the front page with the FF related threads as it pretty much took over.


@SingleJack:
Definitly. I left some wing commander forums because, from pretty the first post, in pretty much every thread, it was a flame war. And I got told that I was the only one taking it seriously and if I didn't like it, I should go away.

Fine, I left and they lost a developer. I found this site shortly after; it was such a breath of fresh air :)


In general, for the most part, this site is filled with nice, happy, shiny people. But, as we all know, it only takes a few to ruin it for the everybody. So, let's not let this become a problem. I would even imagine that if it only was just us starting to do this, that we'd end up having a large impact in time. At least I hope.

I agree! Some people are so mean to each other that I don't get it. I mean, we're supposed to be Browncoats and stick together, not become petty and fight with each other. What's the point of that anyway?

Oh, and just an ignorant question: what's RWD mean?

There is a lot of over-interpretation going on right now which leads to weird arguments. The whole thing feels like a competition for the best Firefly watcher.

Maybe that's part of the problem.

Hope I'm not one of the offenders!

I do make a mostly serious attempt at keeping things lighthearted. Nothing dispells bad humor like a good joke. Or a really, really bad one.

From posting on boards, I've learned a few things over the years. Been on the 'net for a good long time (since '91) and have a bit of experience. A few years back, I found two good habits.

1) If a post ticks you off or really gets you angry wether it be by their opinion or by their content, wait a little while to reply. Gives you time to think up a good joke. HA!

2) If a person is seriously attempting to tick you off or insult you, don't even respond. Not even if they're doing it to someone else. Let the thread die and let it fall off the board.

I like my 'verse shiny. If it means stepping over a few puddles, so be it. :)

I agree with you to a certain extent, it is very common for things to get out of hand, although it has become easy for me to ignore things I don't care to participate in both here and on other boards. I haven't posted much recently myself and was never that prolific, but I still visit daily. I am most interested in news of the 'verse, and have already said pretty much all I can think of about Firefly and Serenity. I do enjoy reading the stories of new recruits however, and hope that continues.

Sigmanunki, you are so right.I don't post anywhere very often,for the reasons that you mentioned.
I noticed on a lot of sites that had discussion boards that it didn't take too long for the discussions to turn into name calling and flame wars.As a result, I generally don't bother to post.
Who needs that crap

Good for you! :) Don't drop to there level, they'll only beat you with experience.