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blw2 · 06-20-2018, 05:57 PM

I've written this idea many times across a few different forums that I participate in...

there seems to be two primary ways that folks tend to regard a forum

in no particular order

1)A bunch of friends sitting around a virtual campfire with their favorite beverage or snack. It's a conversation among folks that a) have a similar interest, and b) have vastly different experiences, opinions, and knowledge. It's a casual thing, a discussion.... and like discussions, they naturally drift...and we might be forced to listen to, or even consider things from a different paradigm than our own. Sometimes the conversation is useful and a person will stick around to throw another log on the fire. Other times a person may stand up, bid everyone a good night, and retire to their tent or RV till breakfast.

2) Reference Source
Wikipedia like. You have a question, or a piece of information...so a post is made, clear concise and to the point. If someone has a follow-up question or further comment, then it's ok to post that but nothing more. Who is to determine if the further comment is worthy? I don't know, but regardless...once the point is made or the question is answered, then it seems like the attitude of this type of thinker is to close the thread, publish the document 'in ink' for future searching, and move on with life.
...and as a side to this, if someone posts the same question that someone else did some time ago, then they are chastised for not using the search tool...as if someone might be if they had entered a new wikepedia page about a thing that already had a page. No duplication, not allowed.

Personally, I take the view #1, the conversation.... but to each, their own opinion they hold.
I'm guessing that the OP apparently looks at them as #2, the reference source....
and in response to the tag line at the bottom of that post...while it was polite and informative, so perhaps it could be considered constructive, I kinda get the feeling that the original post was not "nice"....just the feeling I took away....