The 18th Century Boards used to be the epitome of politeness and gentlemanly behavior, but of late, things have changed as a minority of people that visit the boards have a harder and unpleasant edge about them. I will not tell you about some of the "behind the scenes" things going on, but I have decided that the best thing for me is to simply not visit TMP for a long while and reduce my level of aggrivation. Let me say that the majority of the people on TMP and friendly and I enjoy interacting with them.
I will still keep my banner ads on TMP (as I have no beef with Bill, he is a good egg), but I will not be posting or visiting the site for at least the next 30 days.
Going forward, any information about Fife & Drum, my pictures from our wargames and other eye candy will be posted only on my blog.
Sorry to hear that. I've seen the similar decline in class on TMP and even commented earlier today in a post.
ReplyDeleteTMP is just no fun anymore and seems to be dominated by a handful of jackasses. Bill may be a good egg but he's letting his forum be run into the gutter
The Ancients board has never been quite the same since Allen Curtis was terminated; not many interesting posters there, now. Mind you there's not a lot of friction (possibly because there are fewer posters). This might be because there isn't much current interest in ancients though.
ReplyDeleteLast year I was on a thread where there was a great deal of rudeness, and I took six months off. There was a distinct lack of moderation...
Sorry to hear that, Jim, but I can certainly understand. Jackasses and ignoramuses about describe it. Funny how a bit of anonymity enables a small minority to turn online discussion boards into a virtual sandbox governed by the nasty loudmouth "kids," who otherwise have nothing to contribute to any exchange.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Stokes
Sorry. I have gone through the same aggravation. Then I "stifled" all the hecklers, and I haven't been bothered sense. Hallelujah!!
ReplyDeleteI find that the occasional TMP post does generate a fair amount of additional blog traffic... perhaps not as much as in the past, though.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you Jim, and you have done this in a fair and reasonable way. Maybe I should follow suit?
ReplyDeleteI've allowed myself to get "sucked-in" to too many discussions that I swore I would never engage in.
I've never visited TMP, and never will. From all accounts it became the haunt of trolls some years ago.
ReplyDeleteIt recently occured to me that the majority of my regular gaming friends do not participate in TMP on anything approaching a regular basis. They seem to do perfectly fine without it, so I thought that I would try doing without it too.
ReplyDeleteI am off TMP as well... didn't care for Curtis getting dumped though I don't love him but respect him for his strong opinions. Tired of Bill allowing a minority to blatantly make horrid remarks about other cultures and posters.
ReplyDeleteMy beef isn't with Bill, I'm more concerned by the rising level of intolerence that the TMP membership seems to have for anyone having a different opinion on something.
ReplyDeleteTMP is where I go to see what the new releases are and that's about it. I occasionally leave comments, but not that often.
ReplyDeleteI used to also go on forums quite a bit, but a few years ago switched quite a lot of my traffic to blogs where things tend to be more supportive and discussions handled with more respect.
Christopher
I'm truly sad to hear this news, but I do understand. You are a great inspiration and your absence will be felt, but as ever I shall continue to enjoy your blogs.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bill Dwyer
I will probably return in about a month, taking a more limited role ( low profile), but I felt that I just needed some time away from the dang pace.
ReplyDeleteI lurked TMP for approximately 10 years, but gave up reading it last year. I do not find out quite as much about new figures, but I do not have to read about so much drama either.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you will be away from it for a while - I browse it most days for something to read but agree with your comments.
ReplyDeleteHope to see you back there soon though
Marc (the plastics fan)
Jim,
ReplyDeleteI can sympathize with your being burned out by TMP as a hangout. I gave it up last year as I came to the conclusion that if TMP were a games shop or club venue, I would have chosen a new crowd to spend my time with. It just seemed like incivility was becoming too commonplace for my own liking. Yes, a few bad apples can spoil the whole barrel.
On a happier note, congratulations on the successful fund raiser! The results are a testament to your contributions to the historicals gaming community as both a hobbyist and as a businessman. :-)
I am moving this comment from Dave Hollins from the La Crenoil thread/post to this one, where it belongs. I had deleted Dave's original post as i deemed it not appropriate to my little oasis on my own blog. However, I can accept criticism, so here is Dave's post:
ReplyDelete******
Oh, I see, Fritz, you can hand it out, but not accept a bit of criticism (and some sympathy) over the activities of TMP's Idiot tendency - in a note I put here last night. I would also deplore their activities, even if you have inadvertently encouraged their ilk. It would seem that what goes around, comes around then, which is sad. Incidentally, if you think I was "belittling" Kiley and Bowden, then by implication, you are saying it is okay to mislead readers with fabricated sources and bibliographies, plus even making key information up. I had thought better of you. Dave Hollins on The Siege of La Crenoil, by Charles S. Grant
Dave: my blog, my rules, so I can post anything that I want and keep or edit any comments that I choose. As I said in my other post, "it's good to be king".
ReplyDeleteYour original criticism is fair, one shouldn't belittle another person in a public forum and if I hurt your feelings, then I apologize for that. I don't recall what was said nor do I wish to rehash it on my forum.
I'm not endorsing anyone in the Hollins-Kiley feud nor am I taking any position, nor do I wish for it to carry over onto my blog. Let us leave it at that, otherwise I will delete any more comments that refer to the same.
For better or worse I do look at TMP but I rarely post. It's not all bad. TMP would be a lesser place without your involvement. Nothing causes me to click off faster than reading unpleasantness there. There are better forums IMO eg WD3 for engaging in helpful/interesting discussions. I have enough grief in my daily life without letting it intrude on my hobby which is an escape for me. But at the end of the day TMP is a mine of information eg the 18th century boards and I would miss that. Please no long term boycott! I'll still come here most days to check out your posts/comments etc.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Guy
Jim, sorry to hear of your difficulties on TMP. I had major differences with Bill last year based on the OFM-bashing that persisted and spent the better part of a year away. I enjoy hearing your views on 18th century topics and am thrilled with the success of your AWI range.
ReplyDeleteregards,
Kevin
Jim, I know that like me you're a dad. Do you intend to continue frequenting and advertising on TMP in light of Bill's "charity" work in the Philippines? He says that his paying young trans-genders for their personal, "intimate" stories is charity work. I disagree and was wondering if there was anyone with a sense of decency left on TMP who saw through his charade.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I have been only going there lately for the rather useless but unintentionally funny polls and to see if anything 15mm in my AOIs is in the Hobby News.
ReplyDeleteRarely I will post a comment but since Bill locked my primary account and ignores the fact that I openly told him I was using an older account (work usage) to read the forum and he should lock it too (inconsistent rules enforcement) I have lost a lot of desire to go anywhere online (TWW and LAF even.)
The up side is that I am getting some painting done for a November convention locally.
TMP is so useful as a hobby recourse for information but yeah, I cant stand the place and its getting worse by the minute, for all the reasons you mention: the rudeness there, quite frankly, is utterly appalling. So in a similar vein, my friends and I all have stopped going in.
ReplyDelete