I belong to what would be considered a smaller regional board also, and it's going thru some of the same crap right now. Seems like the last month or everyone needs a prozak and and a Tampax(and that isn't seperated by gender either). The rate increase issue is in full force right now.....again.

The smaller communities seem to self destruct on a more regular basis. They all have their drama queens(of both male and female) and also the tightness of the board can actually be a cause for alot of the hassle.

Here, most of the regular posters know each other, but i would assume just on a board level(thru posting and emails, stuff like that). On the smaller boards the main players usually all know each other intimately also and after awhile it becomes almost like a family. This can cause alot of tension because everyone always knows what buttons to push to get anothers dander up.

My advice would be to take a break from the board, which it sounds like alot have. Or better yet, just totally ignore the drama and keep posting what you normally would, but only to threads that user friendly so to speak. In time enough people will get tired of all the bullshit and drop the bad threads(hopefully). You can only hash this stuff out so long before giving up.

Moderation can be a fine line to try and walk, especially if the moderator is the board owner. You like to have a community where the participants feel free to state their views, yet flaming is no good. Often times all people need is enough rope to hang themselves. The flamers true feelings come out and in the long run perhaps not removing the flames is more information for others about those indivuals than pulling the posts would have been.

Also, does the board you're on have a donations button? Are you a donar? Alot of times donating will open up another posting area on the board. On the one i'm on there is a seperate posting area for the guys who donate and for the girls. I don't know what the tone in the girls area is, but it's always alot better in the guys. It's liad back and pretty mellow and if disputes arise they are always talked out in great, respectful form. It can be a real refuge when the rest of the board is busy trying to eat their young.

-- Modified on 9/8/2004 12:52:01 AM

Mr. Man,

The best teachers teach by example.  If you truly value this board CONTINUE to participate.  Start and contribute to threads that YOU think are valuable and ignore the fodder.  Refrain from the urge to post in useless threads and therefore help them go away.  

These boards are supposed to be about ENTERTAINMENT and PLEASURE!  Let's not loose that perspective.  I once took myself off in a huff from a board for similar reasons to the ones you have stated.  As a result I lost a beloved resource.  

LJ

speaking of attitudes....

Sorry...I just can't help staring

Cheers!

Usually these things change back or the board just dies.

We had this on the SD board, and we just committed to changing it! Just as negativity can go like a wildfire, people can easily get on the bandwagon with positive change. You'll see!

All boards cycle to some degree .... just continue to post and post

and post .... You would be amazed at how many people don't read past the frist page on a board, this will piss many of your assholes off because they like to see themselves in print. The BS will grow old and soon the board will turn.. You and your friends must rise above it and make sure you don't stoop to their level.  good luck ....

Thanks all for adding your thoughts

It does seem that we are going through some natural cycle here. However, I would hate to abandon the site altogether. Yes, I have TER among others for general discussion, but the local info is not available here like on a site of a smaller scale. I am just at a loss for what I can do to help us rebound back to a more positive cycle. Ignoring, or not responding to all the drama and flames is like a tacet acceptance to me. I am looking for suggestions on how to bring about better morale, or start more positive thinking. Bearing in mind though, that there is little to no participation if you try to post anything uplifting.

Do I just ride out the storm and wait for things to improve after everone gets tired of themselves and hope this board does not self destruct in the meantime. It may have to get worse for things to get better.