Observation re "touchy" subjects

[CrownGal]

In reviewing many posts on various topics I have observed that reference is made quite often to the fact that someone is bringing up a "touchy" subject and may have, in fact, opened themselves up to lashing out from other members.

 

Why? I thought boards were places to come to post your question. Yet, people are sometimes subject to adverse reactions and told that they are discussing a touchy subject and "be prepared" for the consequences. Who are these members that feel they have the right to lash out at the questions of newbies (or even not so new)? Does having cruised multiple times, or having been a member of this forum for a certain period, or having a certain amount of posts entitle a person to lash out and make others feel uncomfortable?

[noobcruiser]

To your question, no. However, it's no different than not talking about religion or politics within a group of strangers.

 

Well, there is a difference...everyone is invisible on the internet. The behavior you describe is the result of the anonymity of the internet...because I guarantee you, very few of the venomous posts you have read would have been said out loud by there authors in "real life".

 

As for "touchy" subjects, while it is true that some frequent posters need to lighten up, it would be helpful if people did some research before they posted a new thread. Then at least they would know they were opening a virtual Pandora's box.

[PattyG12]

I truly believe it's touchy because the same questions are asked over and over again. Perhaps if someone wants a specific question answered, they could do a search to see if it's truly a question that was asked earlier in the week.

[moniquet]

Whats a touchy subject? you've lost me:confused:

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

Whats a touchy subject? you've lost me:confused:

 

tipping, smoking, passports, your favorite cruise line...

[sunsurf]

tipping, smoking, passports, your favorite cruise line...

 

oooh. and don't forget all that formal attire talk--another touchy subject. It's actually quite comical to read any of the threads mentioned, and even though 99.9% of the time the OP's question is answered right away, people tend to veer off in another direction, often times "losing it"

 

To the OP, I wish I had the answers to your questions. I often ask myself why as well. I think some of those people are like that in their every day life (aside from the internet), but I guess that's what makes everyone so unique . It would be a rather boring world if we were all the same. ;)

[ottergal]

In reviewing many posts on various topics I have observed that reference is made quite often to the fact that someone is bringing up a "touchy" subject and may have, in fact, opened themselves up to lashing out from other members.

 

Why? I thought boards were places to come to post your question. Yet, people are sometimes subject to adverse reactions and told that they are discussing a touchy subject and "be prepared" for the consequences. Who are these members that feel they have the right to lash out at the questions of newbies (or even not so new)? Does having cruised multiple times, or having been a member of this forum for a certain period, or having a certain amount of posts entitle a person to lash out and make others feel uncomfortable?

 

I think it's an unfortunate side effect of the internet - that whole anonymous thing. What I don't understand is why people don't just ignore something if they don't like it. If you've seen too many smoking/tipping/cruise air/formal night threads and are tired of them, then don't read it or don't post to it. There's probably nothing new there anyway, right?

 

As a side note, I don't think the search is that great. I've tried to find things like roll calls, when I know they are there, and they don't come up. So, although people SHOULD search, keep in mind that unless you search very general and then wade through the mess, you might not find what you're looking for.

 

I think the rudeness is too bad, personally. I read these boards a lot and have referred people to them for information, but I always have to preface it with a caution. Which was exactly the way it was initially presented to me... and it's not a caution about what subjects to post/not post, but a caution about some of the responses and attitudes you might find. I think that some people won't bother to sort through it and will miss some great information - and we all miss what they know but won't stay to share.

 

Just my 2 cents. :)

[CrownGal]

Thanks for all your feedback and light comments. It is true that it is frustrating when people ask the same questions over and over, but to be honest, when you have something on your mind, do you really feel like seaching and sifting through thousands of posts? It can be mind boggling and in today's fast past world who has time? Posting a question seems so much simpler sometimes.

 

And true, those who do not want to talk about a certain subject because it may upset them should just pass it by and move on. Life is too short to focus on the negative.

 

And true again, if you were in a room everyone would be polite. Could you imagine the brawls that would start? Add some booze to the mix and WOW!

 

Thanks again for the pleasurable comments. :)

[JDinWA]

To be fair, it isn't particular to the Cruise Critic boards. In any Internet community of any size, there will be topics that become "touchy", there will be those who answers questions with "seach for it", there will be the figurative rolling eyes when a new person does something that has been done a zillion times. It's always been that way, and I'd wager it always will. :)

[sliderturk99]

I truly believe it's touchy because the same questions are asked over and over again. Perhaps if someone wants a specific question answered, they could do a search to see if it's truly a question that was asked earlier in the week.

 

 

+1

 

I consider my self a noob when it comes to cruising but an expert when it comes to message board usage, i have found all my information simply by using the "search" option.

 

Its not that hard. Maybe this site would be easier to use if moderators locked threads to questions that have been asked 6 ways from sunday.

 

How about making a sticky thread that lists the top 20 questions asked on this board, such as what to wear for dinner, or can i bring alcohol on board, or do i need a passport etc.

 

Better yet have a sticky thread that is solely for noobs to ask questions that can be answered by veteran posters.

 

message boards should be like fast food..you come in, you get what you want, and you leave.

don't get me wrong i enjoy looking at peoples pictures, but when it comes to facts, and information i want it straight and to the point.

[Cuizer2]

In reviewing many posts on various topics I have observed that reference is made quite often to the fact that someone is bringing up a "touchy" subject and may have, in fact, opened themselves up to lashing out from other members.

 

Why? I thought boards were places to come to post your question. Yet, people are sometimes subject to adverse reactions and told that they are discussing a touchy subject and "be prepared" for the consequences. Who are these members that feel they have the right to lash out at the questions of newbies (or even not so new)? Does having cruised multiple times, or having been a member of this forum for a certain period, or having a certain amount of posts entitle a person to lash out and make others feel uncomfortable?

 

The flaming that you refer to is not limited to those with several cruises or posts under their belt. I've seen flaming from people with one cruise or only a few posts.

 

Everyone has a right to post their opinion. Some just do it with a little more class than others.

[cruisefanatic01]

tipping, smoking, passports, your favorite cruise line...

 

Apparently travel irons too.

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

I've also found on CC that you recognize the frequent posters who give out good information and those who just want to be irritable. I know there are certain people who I like to get advice from and their opinions are clearly stated as their opinions...and don't be fooled with the 10,000+ club...sometimes they just post and post to get numbers up and half the time make no sense...but that's just my opinion, of course not all of them are like that.:D

 

I have found the search feature to be OK...most of the time it works, sometimes it doesn't.

[CrownGal]

The flaming that you refer to is not limited to those with several cruises or posts under their belt. I've seen flaming from people with one cruise or only a few posts.

 

Everyone has a right to post their opinion. Some just do it with a little more class than others.

 

You are absolutely right about both comments. And the final comment hit the nail on the head about class.

[CrownGal]

Apparently travel irons too.

 

Oh yeah! One time I replied to a thread and said something about packing my iron! WHEW! Did I get nailed. I left the site quacking my shoes. Next time I boarded the ship I kept checking over my shoulder for the iron police!

[CrownGal]

+1

 

I consider my self a noob when it comes to cruising but an expert when it comes to message board usage, i have found all my information simply by using the "search" option.

 

Its not that hard. Maybe this site would be easier to use if moderators locked threads to questions that have been asked 6 ways from sunday.

 

How about making a sticky thread that lists the top 20 questions asked on this board, such as what to wear for dinner, or can i bring alcohol on board, or do i need a passport etc.

 

Better yet have a sticky thread that is solely for noobs to ask questions that can be answered by veteran posters.

 

message boards should be like fast food..you come in, you get what you want, and you leave.

don't get me wrong i enjoy looking at peoples pictures, but when it comes to facts, and information i want it straight and to the point.

 

You are right, the search feature is not that difficult, however, what happens is you have to sift through all the threads that go off topic because someone got touchy. It's very time consuming. Then, add to that if you computer isn't that fast, it's just plain annoying and so much easiter to post a new thread. If I post something, I read the first few replies and then never go back because I know at that point it's totally off topic.

[GORDONCHICK]

Many times, the OP already knows the answer to their question (and even say that in their post), but are still looking for either validation or someone to agree with them at the minimum. But they still get indignant when people respond they way the OP expected........ :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Name Of The Game]

Another one that causes a stir is asking if you can bring someone to the "past guest party" who is not a past guest.

[AZjohn]

You are right, the search feature is not that difficult, however, what happens is you have to sift through all the threads that go off topic because someone got touchy. It's very time consuming. Then, add to that if you computer isn't that fast, it's just plain annoying and so much easiter to post a new thread. If I post something, I read the first few replies and then never go back because I know at that point it's totally off topic.

 

I remember the first time I used the search function here on CC. The default is to look at all posts in all the threads which might have a specific word(s) I’m looking for. Thus, you might have a thousand threads show up on your search which can be overwhelming.

I found that if I change the search to only look at specific word(s) in just the title only, I will get fewer threads with much more relevant answers to what I’m looking for.

Have fun!:D

John

[Clutterlady]

My take is that this is an information board. If you have a question, ask it, even though it's been asked a hundred times. You will get the correct answerer in the first couple of posts. After that.....well that's when it may get nasty! Some people just love to bump up there post count:rolleyes: Just my opinion:)

[CC Help Michell]

To be fair, it isn't particular to the Cruise Critic boards. In any Internet community of any size, there will be topics that become "touchy", there will be those who answers questions with "seach for it", there will be the figurative rolling eyes when a new person does something that has been done a zillion times. It's always been that way, and I'd wager it always will. :)

 

I agree with that -- it happened with usenet and on bbs servers. There was also a convention on the internet back in the days of 1200 baud modems that, before posting in a new area or on a board new to you, it was expected that a newcomer would read some posts and get a "feel" for the community. It kept the board free from repetitive questions and let newcomers know what the commonly-discussed topics are.

 

As the web has evolved it's become less common for folks to do that, but for old boards like this one (the roots of this board go back to the mid-90's on AOL) many of the posters who have been here a long time still sort of expect newcomers to at least make an effort to find their answers before posting. Based on the numbers of members of CC, versus active posters, I suspect the vast majority of newcomers and lurkers do just that -- search for their answers.

 

If a newcomer did read just a few pages here, or use the search function and put in "smoking" or "tipping," it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to realize that these are common questions. Reading a few of those threads might help a newcomer realize that coming here and posting something like "I paid enough for my cruise! Can I remove these tips they say they'll add to my bill?" is GOING to generate some commentary. :D

 

To the OP, sometimes a reply to such a post saying "this is a touchy subject" is just a caution to the OP that they might want to be prepared for heated replies. Most of the time I don't think it's intended to be unfriendly or "lashing out" -- I suspect quite the contrary.

[CC Help Michell]

Man, I hate it when I think an OP is sincere and find out they aren't. :( http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=964281

[sail7seas]

Sometimes people make posts/start threads just to get conflict raging. I've seen that happen from time to time during the years I've hung around CC.

 

BTW.... Welcome CrownGal. Happy you found CC. :) Pull up a deck chair and hang around. ;)