I wonder if I'll be banned for this "over there."

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Originally Posted by archemedes

I think it will get to a point where you have certain groups, so far here seems to be technical related, clubgoofball seems to be punk kids, and gpona seems to be mostly younger guys wanting to chat (these are just my observations, and are not meant as a bas or argument for or against anyone) I will say this is the only one I don't send my son out of the room while reading due to avatars

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First, thank you for your last statement about your son. THIS was extremely important to me. You go to a car forum to discuss and learn about cars, not to get access to all sorts of objectionable stuff. Keeping this a family type forum is a TOP priority to me.

You also make another good point about how the groups separate out. Thats a good thing too because each group will have its own strengths and weaknesses. Each able to contribute to the community over all in their unique and special way.

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Originally Posted by archemedes

I will say this is the only one I don't send my son out of the room while reading due to avatars

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I'm glad that you bring that up because I'm not going to say which site it is but it pisses me off when I click on a page at work and see a chicks tits bouncing around.:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by SyntheticShield

I would welcome any of them over here just as I welcome anyone else. And I would caution anyone that would see the need to criticize any of them that joined here. It is simply the wrong approach to take.

I wont tell you that I wouldn't mind being the only Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, Regal site around. However, in a way Im glad we aren't. The competition keeps you on task and focused. We should, as a community, never have a problem coming together to make sure the community as a whole continues to flourish.

As I stated earlier there may be times when another forum may desire to do something that runs counter to our goals and vision and at such time we should be mature enough to say thats okay, shake hands and continue on until the next time that we can come together towards a common goal. Just because we dont see eye to eye, dont have the same goals or vision doesnt mean we dont have common ground and it certainly doesnt mean we cant work together at times or all the time for that matter.

The philosophy I hold to is this; I dont have to agree with you on all points to support you. I think the same holds true here. I may not agree with with other forums are doing or how they approach things, but we are still a community with common members and starting points. What I will do is remain true to this forums and this community's goals and vision and let the members of the community decide for themselves.

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I agree w/ this statement 100% as banning certain people from ever joining would just create bad publicity for this forum and actually hurt its credibility.

With all that being said, we as a group must police ourselves and make sure we do not become even 1/10th of a percent remotely similar to the forum(s) we dislike. So if you see something that offends you or you disagree with, or someone says something that you feel doesn't need to be said on this forum; Send them a pm and address the issue like an adult, that way it does not become a childish e-shouting match publicly. To me this is the #1 killer of informative/fun forums, and been the downfall of many I have been a part of in the past 7 years.
I think matters of people being offended or matters that needs apologizing for should be handled this way. If the member that offended people or whatever wishes to apologize and or address their actions to the public, they then can make a post and do so in a mature manner. That is the only way this forum can stay civil and informative In my opinion.

Bottom line, no matter how much babble I type, because I am not even sure where I was going with that. WE HAVE TO POLICE OURSELVES, and it really seems we are doing a good job of it.
-steven-

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Originally Posted by s1795so2

WE HAVE TO POLICE OURSELVES, and it really seems we are doing a good job of it.
-steven-

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Totally agree. That is why you have the little icons at the top of each post so you can report it if it is needed. It sends each admin and mod an email and makes a post in the moderation section so it can be addressed promptly.

We have to police ourselves but we also have to be adult and mature enough to say (if someone takes issue with something we have posted) okay, I may not agree with the person that take issue, but they take issue with that and I'll do my best to not go there again.

We all have areas we can flex in, and areas we believe strongly enough that we wont. When the issues hit the areas we dont or wont flex in, then we have a decision to make. Whatever that decision is, however, it MUST be done with maturity and respect irregardless of the situation.

I agree, at GPONA, we are taking similar steps to keep offensive material off the forums. where it is accessible to all.. I have 2 small children myself who love Daddy's GP's, love the car shows, and they also love to get on the car forums and check out all the COOL cars like "Daddy's" ... The last thing I need is to explain why some " balls " are bouncing around in a little square up at the left corner of some posts... The young prople on these forums who do not yet have children of their own are going to have to respect the fact young children are going to view these forums.

I definitely agree about the questionable avatars/posts (maybe limit them to 1 NSFW section if that's what the community wants).

I also think there's room for several GP forums. When I was looking at 350Z's as a possible fun/weekend car, I checked out several Z forums. They all have their own flavor, but each one has good information and a couple even link to the others. I'd like to see that kind of community form here instead of all this bitterness.

About posting links to other forums, I think part of the reason Mike N. is so hardcore about it is because of Frosty spamming ClubGP with links to GPONA. I remember seeing links to other forums (RegalGS.org, FullThrottleV6, 3800Pro, etc) before all this started and nobody cared. I don't think you'll be banned for posting respectfully and in line with the intentions of the original thread.

We have a ways to go yet and there will be most assuredly some growing pains. What I hope to see during that process is the maturity and patience of the community. We have three admins here because we had similar views on the direction that ClubGP was taking and the actions being carried out. But it also serves another purpose. It keeps any one person from running the place in the ground. We discuss things, we vote on them and so on. There are things I would like to see done that its ultimately decided that we wont do it right now or at all and it frustrates the crap out of me because I like my ideas of course. But you know what, I respect the decision and move on because the others have had ideas that I dont necessarily agree with and Im allowed to voice that and discuss it. In the end we come out on the other side with a collaborative and unified effort that is a mix of everyones efforts and input and in my opinion that is WAY WAY better than a single minded effort.

But that does not mean we will get it perfect everytime and its those times that we count not only the input from the community because the communities voice is equally important, but also maturity, patience and understanding from the community while we try to make corrections.

I believe that this is one of the big things that sets us apart from others. We arent a forum controlled and run by one person and so the community benefits from a set up that is truly focused on keeping the community alive, vibrant and expanding it and keeping it exciting. Focused on the community and how we can help it overall, not necessarily what it can do for us. Will we benefit from that? In time, I believe we will. Does that change our goals and vision? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Our benefit will come BECAUSE of our goals and vision for the community and if we should stray from that I believe we will quickly see the results.

If you come out and start a forum like this and say to the people, Okay, my goal is to start a profitable enterprise built around your enthusiasm for this vehicle. I think people will participate and contribute because you were open and up front and honest with them. Those that dont mind that goal will sign up. But if you start a forum for the purpose of the community and it turns its focus elsewhere such as becoming profitable then you have betrayed the community and are taking advantage of their collective influence, which in that circumstance, is wrong to me.

I have stated it here before and I'll say it again. Our goal is to remain on task, focused on the community and helping it thrive. I want to create an environment that spurs on such a level of excitement, contribution, cooperation and enthusiasm that anyone on the outside looking in cannot stand it to such a degree they go buy a Grand Prix, Regal, Monte Carlo, etc. JUST so they can be a part of what is going on here.

I will continue to drive in that direction as long as I am a part of this.

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Originally Posted by archemedes

what is funny to me is I am a member of 4 or 5 Camaro sites, and every one of them refers people to another one (one of them has a couple hundred thousand registered members)

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Same here. The main site I go to is LS1tech, but plenty of others still exist and have regular visitors. LS1tech was started from people sick of the BS and off topic discussions on LS1.com, and decided to start a new TECHINCAL site without all the crap, and look what happened there. It is now the premier site for LSX-based discussion on the net. LS1.com is still around (albeit not the the degree it probably was back then), but it shows that multiple sites can co-exist, just each one might have a slightly different focus.

I will post a link to this site on my myspace page. I have alot of gp friends that visit it.

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Originally Posted by gp4u2c

I will post a link to this site on my myspace page. I have alot of gp friends that visit it.

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That would be much appreciated. Its always good to have people that come here and feel that this is such a good place that they are willing to support us in that manner.

thats not a bad idea!!! I have quite a few myself