Forum "Bullying"

As I bring myself up to speed on using SONAR in a production environment, I often return to these forums for info.  However, after reading hundreds of posts, I find a recurring theme of mean-spirited snobbery from some of the more senior posters.  Remarkably, much of the behavior is "explained away" with comments like 'he/she is a valuable contributor to the forums'.  That is quickly followed by a swarm of posts espousing the virtues of the poster(s) who was clearly acting in a way not conducive to a productive outcome.  (btw - If that isn't classic battered-wife syndrome, I don't know what is.  "He's a good guy.  He just gets that way when he's been drinking.")

In (too) many cases, a blindly sycophantic allegiance to Cakewalk/SONAR will derail many valid questions/thread into a "SONAR doesn't work that way -- Go find another product if you don't like it" bullying rant.  In other cases, the belligerent respondents are just dead wrong in their answers. But, alas, that is overlooked because of high post count.  (There were 5 threads of similar nature suggested before I posted this one.  However, they are all pretty dated, so a 'refresher' is needed.)

Of course, I wonder if these "discussions" were happening in a real venue if the participating parties would be so confrontational, crass, or arrogant?!  Further, I wonder how much more productive/helpful the forums would be if there was a greater level of moderation to squelch some of the bullying that goes on; especially in the Studio/Producer sub-forum. 

I 'rediscovered' SONAR after a 17-year departure.  It is a real contender with outstanding features and greater potential.  However, I am completely turned off by the forums tone and timbre the majority of the time.   I wish there was a feature where you could give some manner of demerits to posters.  The gold/platinum status of some of these folks would diminish to "troublemaker" or "troll".

I'm willing to bet that this post will have a bit of sting for those who read it and are guilty of contributing to the overall degradation of an otherwise positive and helpful atmosphere.  And I'm just as willing to bet that the vultures will start to circle and the usual suspects will defend their (and their cohorts) behavior.

Yep for sure there seems to be a definate lack of respect for each others views on parts of this site,thats one thing I noticed when browsing the coffee forum the other day. I think really all you can do is stop looking at threads where you know certain members have a rep. for bad attitude - avoid them.
Having said thats theres a lot of good people on the forum as well. You shouldn't let the rotten eggs tinge your appreciation of the people who are genuinely,very cool and helpful.I guess there is a balance at the end of the day - but sure sometimes that can be difficult to retain when people are at each others throats.IMHO people are the same wheter they are online or in person - its just human nature at the end of the day ?
Kev

Hey Jonbouys back!

I just reread the OP... now I feel like a vulture.

Is that bad?

I have another friend with another coffee shop... not the one mentioned in the wood post. This shop caters to the college prof and advanced degree seeker crowd.

He has a hand written sign in the office... someone wrote it on a white board and it has been cut out and honored as a special display.

It simply states:

"You can not be enlightened until you can not be offended"   <thanks for the edit>

I think this resonates with any of us who journey down the path of continual learning while attempting trying to pass on the little we know to the next crop of learners.

Every time I encounter that sign I find it refreshing.

This phrase provides useful insight regardless of what side of the disagreement you find yourself on.

all the best,
mike

mike_mccue


I have another friend with another coffee shop... not the one mentioned in the wood post. This shop caters to the college prof and advanced degree seeker crowd.

He has a hand written sign in the office... someone wrote it on a white board and it has been cut out and honored as a special display.

It simply states:

"You can not be enlightened until you can not be offended"

I think this resonates with any of us who journey down the path of continual learning while attempting trying to pass on the little we know to the next crop of learners.

Every time I encounter that sign I find it refreshing.

This phrase provides useful insight regardless of what side of the disagreement you find yourself on.

all the best,
mike

Fixed that for you there Mike, don't want people doing the can-can, enlightened or not

MIDIMINDS


some of the more senior posters. 

Oh no, dude, you are NOT dissing on the 'plats are you? Please don't upset them, they're really not that bad, at least not if we leave them alone. Oh, dear, this is gonna be a Blue Monday after after all.

not ALL plats are created equal

Amen to that Beag.

Of course, I wonder if these "discussions" were happening in a real venue if the participating parties would be so confrontational, crass, or arrogant?!

 
It is so easy to hide behind the veil of a PC it is so easy to be something else behind a PC keyboard.
 
I do have to confess to having once used the reply in the the form, "Go find another product if you don't like it",  I was a slightly more polite with suggesting that his time would better spent researching a product that met his requirements than wasting his time putting down a product that did not.
 
However I have always believed in a policy of never saying or writing something that I am not prepared to say face to face.
 
To the OP just ignore them as JB, (nice to see you got back OK), said learn whom to ignore, the other forums are a magic fountain of knowledge and useful information.
 
Just for the record I refer you to my signature as appropriate.

guitardog247


Well, maybe those that are "bullied". Simply "have it coming".

Amen to that, dog247.

I cant do anything about the conduct of people here or anywhere else

And it only took you a year of 'working on bapu' to finally figure that out.

It is a shame that on the web as in real life that so much energy is wasted trying to out cool the next guy.  I have found in my life, the A list folks are nicer than C and D grade people.  They have nothing to prove.

During my very short stay in Nashville, I learned an important rule.  Be nice to all the new guys, some will be stars next year.

Thanks again to all the folks that continue to help me. 

  So does this mean that when someone doesn't agree with my "POSTED ANSWER" or "OPINION" that if I don't agree with them and call them "WRONG" that I am being a "CYBER BULLY"???

EF

Electric Falcon™


  So does this mean that when someone doesn't agree with my "POSTED ANSWER" or "OPINION" that if I don't agree with them and call them "WRONG" that I am being a "CYBER BULLY"???

EF

Not at all!  Often the best ideas are spawned from alternate perspectives and healthy debate.  It's when you find a (usually) small, vocal lot who decide to turn the subject into something toxic or belittle the other posters that you're entering into the realm of cyber bullying.

As a rule, when an INDIVIDUAL chooses to 'act out' in a forum environment, he/she is labeled a troll and their posts/opinions are filtered.  But it is often the case around here that a few folks, clinging to some misguided, elitist mindset, simply shout down the OP (or other posters) with venomous, unhelpful commentary.

It is a shame, really.  I know that I've avoided certain threads in an effort to distance myself from the schoolyard antics of the folks in question.  I wonder how many others have done the same. (And how much more productive the forums would be if that wasn't the case.)

Goldtop56


It is a shame that on the web as in real life that so much energy is wasted trying to out cool the next guy.  I have found in my life, the A list folks are nicer than C and D grade people.  They have nothing to prove.

During my very short stay in Nashville, I learned an important rule.  Be nice to all the new guys, some will be stars next year.

Thanks again to all the folks that continue to help me. 

Ain't it the truth!