PLEASE READ: Negativity on GolfWRX

[Marrrk]

Irony. We were disagreeing at the same time! I guess we'll agree to disagree.

 

haha, no worries at all. plus, as far as i know, i dont start topics full of Tiger-love and you don't start topics ripping him, so we're all good.

[bbeard10]

Stage, you are very funny I have to say once again. I agree with Stage, but not completely, While the overwhelming positivity is draining, it isn't as bad as the negativity as of late. I was also thinking about posting a topic like this. However, I am considering posting a topic of "What happend to site activity? I remember when you could get on the putter forum and there were so many new posts, DIY'ers, refinishing tips, drills, information, and memories. What happened GOlfWrx?

[Jaylasvegas]

i've mentioned it a few times, but to no avail.

 

seems to me if you disagree with someone they take it as a personal attack. or if someone posts something a person doesn't like he takes it personally. examples include:

 

blades vs. cb's

tiger

phil

purity of game

miller

etc...

 

it does get old that people engage in name calling instead of engaging in civilized discourse.

 

i agree with you, but there is a big difference between the attitudes of people who love something and the attitudes of people who hate something. people who love something are filled with enthusiasm and joy, for the most part, and that's good. people who dislike something are filled with the opposite, and that's fine too, because people who dislike something tend to not waste time worrying about it.

 

ah, but then there are people who hate something, and that is where the problem lies. it's venomous. they feed off of the negativity. their anger brings them joy. they let their intense dislike or annoyance cloud their ability to reason, and there should be no place for that.

 

Sorry, I have to disagree with this. The joyful enthusiastic display of screaming "GET IN THE HOLE!!!" has an equal amount of douchiness as someone yelling "Manboobs!" at Phil. Both are wrong whether they are positive or negative. It's because both are going wayyyy too far.

 

The masturbatory bliss that some people post about shafts/putters/clothes/etc. is just as brutal of a read as someone that wants to talk about the burr in their colon. You can be critical of a product without being a hater, but I'll guarantee someone is going to label you as one. You can be positive and enthusiastic about something without acting like a hormonal teenage schoolgirl. (My apologies to the hormonal teenage schoolgirls. These guys make you look like saints.)

 

If you really think that you are contributing by typing "zOMG!!!!!! TIGER!!!!!!!!", think again. Your "positive" post is just as annoying as an "I hate Tiger" post.

 

It's not negativity. It's people acting like over the top drama queens.

Nailed it :good:

[307golf]

I would have to guess that golf SEASON happened to golfwrx. People are actually able to play these days so there's a lot less posting going on. Winter has to be the busiest season for internet golf...

[rrkman]

Stage, you are very funny I have to say once again. I agree with Stage, but not completely, While the overwhelming positivity is draining, it isn't as bad as the negativity as of late. I was also thinking about posting a topic like this. However, I am considering posting a topic of "What happend to site activity? I remember when you could get on the putter forum and there were so many new posts, DIY'ers, refinishing tips, drills, information, and memories. What happened GOlfWrx?

 

Take a look at the posts in the putter section and you'll see the same attacks made over and over....by the same people. I certainly don't post as much in there because of this. And I can certainly see the blind love as well but atleast most of that doesn't get nasty. I have enough stress and problems in my life so I certainly don't need to come in here and get into fights just because I like a certain brand or a certain golfer. Personally, I hate cleveland irons because of a bad experience with their demo van but I haven't made it a goal to find every comment about them and reply about the problems I've had.....I can't say the same for some other members when it comes to certain brands / golfers.

[Marrrk]

Personally, I hate cleveland irons because of a bad experience with their demo van but I haven't made it a goal to find every comment about them and reply about the problems I've had.....I can't say the same for some of you when it comes to certain brands / golfers.

 

bingo. that's what i think it's all about.

[bbeard10]

Take a look at the posts in the putter section and you'll see the same attacks made over and over....by the same people. I certainly don't post as much in there because of this. And I can certainly see the blind love as well but atleast most of that doesn't get nasty. I have enough stress and problems in my life so I certainly don't need to come in here and get into fights just because I like a certain brand or a certain golfer. Personally, I hate cleveland irons because of a bad experience with their demo van but I haven't made it a goal to find every comment about them and reply about the problems I've had.....I can't say the same for some other members when it comes to certain brands / golfers.

 

The putter forum is getting so old with the Cameron/everbody else schism. There has literally not been a week in a long while where a Cameron bashing thread (maybe starting with good intentions) hasn't surfaced. It gets so old. I read the same topic over and over...just with a different topic name. Arggh, we need some reformation, FAST!

[rrkman]

Take a look at the posts in the putter section and you'll see the same attacks made over and over....by the same people. I certainly don't post as much in there because of this. And I can certainly see the blind love as well but atleast most of that doesn't get nasty. I have enough stress and problems in my life so I certainly don't need to come in here and get into fights just because I like a certain brand or a certain golfer. Personally, I hate cleveland irons because of a bad experience with their demo van but I haven't made it a goal to find every comment about them and reply about the problems I've had.....I can't say the same for some other members when it comes to certain brands / golfers.

 

The putter forum is getting so old with the Cameron/everbody else schism. There has literally not been a week in a long while where a Cameron bashing thread (maybe starting with good intentions) hasn't surfaced. It gets so old. I read the same topic over and over...just with a different topic name. Arggh, we need some reformation, FAST!

 

I completely agree.....something needs to be done or the putter forum will lose any usefulness that it still has.

[stage1350]

Being serious for one second (which is extremely out of character for me) I'd like to suggest that the commercialization of golf and this (and other) site is partly to blame. There are sponsors on this site and people from OEMs on this site. And while a lot of information we get is nice, the marketing has become a lot more obvious over the technical. With COR, length, grooves, etc. regulated, are you even able to improve performance any more? Or is it just badges, graphics, and finishes?

 

I have no dog in this fight. I work for a living outside of the golf industry and work on clubs for fun instead of profit. I've come to learn who is unbiased in their reviews and, more importantly, who plays equipment similar to mine. THOSE are the opinions I want to read because their views on equipment and what works for them is probably going to work for me. Even more important is what didn't work. While I may want to spend money on a shaft with positive reviews, I absolutely want to know if a shaft isn't going to work with my swing because I don't want to waste the time or money buying, installing, and testing it. That's a perfect example of "negativity" being something positive.

 

On the other hand, I see an awful lot of threads started by people that are either reps, getting free stuff, or have some obvious ulterior motive. Their opinions have to be taken with a grain of salt because of that bias and I'm less inclined to heed their advice. Is their opinion truly honest, or was the 30 pieces of silver enough to seal the deal?

 

It's hard in an economy like this to continue to release product and drive sales. My golfing budget was curtailed when family members started losing jobs and my dollars can be put to better use elsewhere. Some people, frustrated with the economy, start threads talking about the quick product cycles and how drivers that are less than a year old are now obsolete by another release. I think the industry is killing itself by doing this, but I love picking up 2nd gen on the back end for little money.

 

Times are tough for a lot of people and wallets are thin. I can understand the frustration of someone that bought an R9 a week ago only to find out that R9 460 is around the corner. I can even understand them venting about it on the site. Everyone needs to remember that we are on this site because we love the game. My frustration now is that it looks like rain on both my days off!

[Marrrk]

My frustration now is that it looks like rain on both my days off!

 

now there's a negative thread i can get behind! i slave away at work all week only to get the thing i look forward to most washed out on saturday and sunday.

[kekoa]

i agree, but its like world peace or ending world wars. probably never gonna happen. All you can really do is control yourself and hope others also act in a civilized manner.

[stage1350]

Take a look at the posts in the putter section and you'll see the same attacks made over and over....by the same people. I certainly don't post as much in there because of this. And I can certainly see the blind love as well but atleast most of that doesn't get nasty. I have enough stress and problems in my life so I certainly don't need to come in here and get into fights just because I like a certain brand or a certain golfer. Personally, I hate cleveland irons because of a bad experience with their demo van but I haven't made it a goal to find every comment about them and reply about the problems I've had.....I can't say the same for some other members when it comes to certain brands / golfers.

 

The putter forum is getting so old with the Cameron/everbody else schism. There has literally not been a week in a long while where a Cameron bashing thread (maybe starting with good intentions) hasn't surfaced. It gets so old. I read the same topic over and over...just with a different topic name. Arggh, we need some reformation, FAST!

 

I completely agree.....something needs to be done or the putter forum will lose any usefulness that it still has.

 

Those camps are entrenched deeper than western Europe in 1917. Thank God mustard gas has been banned.

[DavePelz4]

If I post the words John Hawkins can SOMEONE...ANYONE hit the violation button and make him go away???

[BILLYMALOOLY]

Great post william. Wish i had thought of it.

[chaley6077]

I'm still very new on here, so take this opinion for whatever it's worth. But I really do think this site is a fantastic resource and I'd like to see it stay that way. I can honestly say that in the three or four months I've been on this site I've learned more about equipment, courses, technique, and other general golf "stuff" than I did in all my previous years of playing golf combined. I've also been really impressed by how open and willing to share everyone is. I mean, honestly, almost every day someone puts a video of their swing up for total strangers to view and critique. And as a credit to this site, these posters generally get friendly and helpful advice rather than ridicule. Pretty cool.

 

Okay, the endorsement for Golfwrx is over, back to topic. I definitely have noticed posts becoming more negative (maybe "combative" is a better word) even in just the short time I've been on here. Personally, I don't think the problem is so much with original posts being too negative or too positive. There certainly are, and I'm sure always have been and will continue to be, the "I hate Scotty Cameron" or "I worship Tiger Woods" types of posts. Are those maybe a little obnoxious? Sure. But I don't think those types of posts really have any major effect on the general tone of the discussions in other areas. You can either choose to ignore those kinds of posts and let them die a quick death or you can join in. Sometimes people joining in end up with a fun and spirited debate (which is a good thing that I don't believe necessarily equates to "negativity"), sometimes it gets stupid and devolves into name calling or yelling match. Either way, people know what they're getting into when they reply to those kinds of posts and, as long as it's done in a somewhat respectful manner, I don't see a huge problem. Obnoxious but benign.

 

In my opinion the much bigger problem is with the sniping replies to honest and genuine posts asking for information or advice. I've noticed a lot more of that in the posts I've read recently. Sometimes replies can be outright hostile, think the "I don't know why you even posted this" types of posts. More often it's subtle: condescension, sarcascim, etc. I don't know if people making those kinds of replies are even aware they're doing it. Maybe they're trying to be funny. Whatever it is, it's not good. People come here for information. If someone has a question, that means they're probably already a little insecure because they don't know the answer. Just like anybody else, they don't want to look foolish even if it is in front of a bunch of internet strangers. So, when they get a snarky reply back it has a chilling effect in that it encourages that poster (or those reading the posts) to be even more cautious or possibly not even ask something they have a genuine question about. That's really bad and that's the type of situation that I think has a negative carry-over effect to this site as a whole.

 

I'm certainly not calling anyone out and I'm also certain I've been guilty of this same behavior myself. I don't know what can be done other than self-policing. Let somebody know (in a constructive and respectful manner) when their reply is disrespectful or inappropriate. By the same token, don't go overboard and recognize the difference between an opinion and an insult (i.e. - "blades are way cooler than cavity backs", while a highly played out topic starter, is not an insult). I really noticed people did a great job of this when I first started reading the posts here. For some reason, I've noticed that the self-policing (i.e. - the "what you said in post #22 was out of line and you should apologize") types of responses I saw before, have started to be replaced with responses in which someone attempts to take a barb at the rude poster in a t**-for-tat. While that's possibly more satisfying in the short run, it doesn't really resolve anything and in fact usually causes things to spiral down in a back and forth of negative posts.

 

Anyway, those are my thoughts - useful or not. Now that golf season is here for most of us, maybe the negativity will go away since people can get the hate out by going all Woody Austin with their putter.

[JakeBarnes]

Take a look at the posts in the putter section and you'll see the same attacks made over and over....by the same people. I certainly don't post as much in there because of this. And I can certainly see the blind love as well but atleast most of that doesn't get nasty. I have enough stress and problems in my life so I certainly don't need to come in here and get into fights just because I like a certain brand or a certain golfer. Personally, I hate cleveland irons because of a bad experience with their demo van but I haven't made it a goal to find every comment about them and reply about the problems I've had.....I can't say the same for some other members when it comes to certain brands / golfers.

 

The putter forum is getting so old with the Cameron/everbody else schism. There has literally not been a week in a long while where a Cameron bashing thread (maybe starting with good intentions) hasn't surfaced. It gets so old. I read the same topic over and over...just with a different topic name. Arggh, we need some reformation, FAST!

 

I completely agree.....something needs to be done or the putter forum will lose any usefulness that it still has.

 

Those camps are entrenched deeper than western Europe in 1917. Thank God mustard gas has been banned.

 

 

Now that is a great quote. :D Well played.

 

I agree with a lot of the sentiments in this thread. It really is a shame to see personal attacks in the forum due to the "positive" or "negative" threads. An I am not claiming innocence as I am sure somewhere along the way one of my snarky comments was directed at others. I joined the site originally because I found it to be a lexicon of golf knowledge and information, particularly because I liked getting the "straight shot" on reviews of clubs from individuals that had tried them out and had similar profiles to me.

 

I have always found the game of golf in the area of equipment is one of justification. Many individuals purchase a club they enjoy and look to others to almost justify it to some varying degree. Although I am not sure if this is what you were getting at stage (and please let me know if I am missing your point altogether), this leads to some of the saccharine involving equipment. At the same time, this saccharine needs to be accompanied by a degree of teflon that I thought (perhaps nostalgically) was prominent a year ago: if there are (rationally) negative reviews about an item, the urge to jingoistically defend your equipment simply by the nature of owning it needs to be suppressed. As I stated, the intial draw to this site for me was for the "straight shot" on equipment; that means taking the good with the bad. That is the beauty of information: some may have good experiences, others may not. I have sadly received PM's threatening me and calling me a liar due to my attempts to inform others of my experiences in order to better serve the individuals of the site, rather than mud-sling. I expected others to post in response and share their equally negative or positive experiences. Moral of the story: I just believe that rationality, honesty, and a degree of personal judgement and thought need to be put into posts in order to avoid the issues brought up in this thread.

 

Hopefully this post draws a few "violation" button responses. I'd just like to presumptively and preemtively state my thanks! :cheesy:

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

I find the "hating" is usually posted in direct correlation to the amount of "man love" threads we have.

 

Ridiculous and over the top is the same whether it is positive or negative. Reading some of the man crush threads on here raises the bile in my throat much more than reading a thread about something that pisses somebody off.

 

 

I agree with you 100%! You'd think we had nothing but 6yr olds with adolescent crushes around here sometimes. Respect for a players ability is one thing, but often the stuff here is something completely different. Just have to wade through the fluff to find the substance....no biggie.

[Stix]

Great post TM! I was thinking the same thing earlier today reading some of the posts (especially the one about tiger). Everyone can have their own opinions, but there is absolutely no reason for anyone to be abusive, especially when we're talking golf on the internet. I always find it funny how the anonymity the net offers leads people to want to pop off.

 

Everyone, take a deep breath, drop in a few chill pills, and get back to talking GOLF. And as its been said many times today, if you don't like a thread topic, DON'T READ IT! Why get yourself worked up over it.

 

I think this site is great and would like to see it stay that way so "can we all just get along?" (sorry, couldn't help myself)

 

Peace... :D

[Pure745]

I vote that TM be submitted for a "moderator" position.. i mean look how many posts he has!

[glcoach]

This thread included the phrase "masturbatory bliss" therefore should be a sticky and an instant classic.....funny

[LBlack14]

I hate this thread! ;)

 

Seriously, I never knew there was a "Violation" button either and what happens if you do hit it?

 

Not surprised as you like to stir up things as you know what I mean.

 

 

Would you like to clarify that statement? My PM box is OPEN.

[krustyburger]

I find the "hating" is usually posted in direct correlation to the amount of "man love" threads we have.

 

Ridiculous and over the top is the same whether it is positive or negative. Reading some of the man crush threads on here raises the bile in my throat much more than reading a thread about something that pisses somebody off.

 

This is 100% true. And I'll never understand the need for some people to go around pushing the violation button. There is absolutely nothing anyone could ever post on an internet forum that could offend me to the point of crying to the mods. Call me any names you want, I don't care. I think these people that feel the need to report everyone are the same people who never left the side of the teacher's aide during recess.

[bloodredsun]

When a website reaches a certain size, it always seems to acquire a few people who treat it like an extension of reddit or digg where consideration is a foreign concept. To be honest, there's never been some mythical golden period when everyone was thoughtful, there's always been few people who either jump to conclusions or post unhelpful comments. Now the site is a little bigger, it's a little more common than it was.

 

There has definitely been greater involvement from the manufacturers too. We are now one of the biggest golf sites on the web (last month golfwrx had 8.5 million page views) so they are definitely going to try to benefit from this audience. But we get the advantage of pre-release sneak peeks and giveaways (now who hasn't been blown away by the tour player giveaways in the last few months - Camilo, Paddy, Luke and Boo - I mean come on!) so it's a two way street. We might have lost some of that small community feel but I think we've benefited a lot more. The recession has also hit a lot of people so I think that tempers are a little frayed right now. Hopefully this is just temporary in more ways than one.

 

There are always going to be bash threads or negative comments or people taking things the wrong way. We just have to report them to the mods and let them deal with it, that's why they are paid the big bucks! :tongue: .

 

Edit - just as I posted I read the comment that appeared above mine which said 'And I'll never understand the need for some people to go around pushing the violation button.' When I (rarely) hit the violation button I won't always expect the mod to go nuclear and delete the post or ban the user. I would expect them to use their judgement and maybe just shoot them a PM with a heads up that they are a bit too close to the line. It's the noise to signal that concerns me, not whether I am offended or not.

[tatumcat]

I guess it just going to happen with so many differences in opinions. Good post though TM well said.

 

I agree that people will have different opinions,and thats normal,but some posts have got downright ugly lately.

[smithjohnjr]

I dont really agree or disagree with anything said so far. The way I look at it is this- this is a population and in that population you will have all kinds and the bigger golf gets, the bigger the population gets. The bigger the population gets, the more different people will differ in opinions, beliefs, and actions. I agree with the mod concept, they are the "police" of the site and the violation button is to me the 911 of the site. Use them both. I dont really believe in being "PC" but some take it too far and need to be reported. There are always going to be "trolls" and people will always use this forum to take out frustrations, poke fun or pick fights. It is very easy to do sitting behind your computer in a somewhat anonymous fashion. The key is how it is dealt with. I have been on other sites for several years now and watched good people leave because of the way they were dealt with. I certainly dont want to see that happen here cause it is a much better place than other so called "forums". We arent all going to get along as much as we would like but we do need to deal with the "trolls" in a quick and harsh manner to not only keep this site informative and fun but to keep the good guys/girls from going somewhere else to relay their knowledge.

 

My .02

[MBA-J]

i've mentioned it a few times, but to no avail.

 

seems to me if you disagree with someone they take it as a personal attack. or if someone posts something a person doesn't like he takes it personally. examples include:

 

blades vs. cb's

tiger

phil

purity of game

miller

etc...

 

it does get old that people engage in name calling instead of engaging in civilized discourse.

 

i agree with you, but there is a big difference between the attitudes of people who love something and the attitudes of people who hate something. people who love something are filled with enthusiasm and joy, for the most part, and that's good. people who dislike something are filled with the opposite, and that's fine too, because people who dislike something tend to not waste time worrying about it.

 

ah, but then there are people who hate something, and that is where the problem lies. it's venomous. they feed off of the negativity. their anger brings them joy. they let their intense dislike or annoyance cloud their ability to reason, and there should be no place for that.

 

Sorry, I have to disagree with this. The joyful enthusiastic display of screaming "GET IN THE HOLE!!!" has an equal amount of douchiness as someone yelling "Manboobs!" at Phil. Both are wrong whether they are positive or negative. It's because both are going wayyyy too far.

 

The masturbatory bliss that some people post about shafts/putters/clothes/etc. is just as brutal of a read as someone that wants to talk about the burr in their colon. You can be critical of a product without being a hater, but I'll guarantee someone is going to label you as one. You can be positive and enthusiastic about something without acting like a hormonal teenage schoolgirl. (My apologies to the hormonal teenage schoolgirls. These guys make you look like saints.)

 

If you really think that you are contributing by typing "zOMG!!!!!! TIGER!!!!!!!!", think again. Your "positive" post is just as annoying as an "I hate Tiger" post.

 

It's not negativity. It's people acting like over the top drama queens.

 

 

 

Dead. Solid. Perfect.

 

:adding masturbatory bliss to the lexicon:

[glcoach]

"Masturbatory Glee" may be a term that could be used as well

[Pweb44]

I agree as well. Some of the worst threads I've read for neagtive posts and hostility towards comments/posts made have been ones with Tiger and John Daly as the topic. Sometimes it seemd once the negativity creeps into a thread it goes down hill from there and the mob mentality comes out. So lets just play a little golf and enjoy this wonderful game......

[Russ Arnold]

I have clicked the violation button more times today than I have the entire time I have been a member of this site. What is up with all the negativity and personal attacks? If you don't like a topic or post, THEN MOVE ON. There is no need to call anyone out. Arguing on the internet accomplishes NOTHING. Lets not forget why we are all here, because we love golf! I would hate to see this site get negative because of a few bad seeds. This is my favorite site to visit, and I would like to keep it that way. So come on guys (and gals) lets all remember why we are here and get along. :friends:

 

+1. Well said. Life is too short. Let's play golf.

[InTheHole]

You have a site with 70,000+ members, there are bound to be a few bad apples.

 

This has been a problem on the Internet in general for years. It is very difficult for the average non-professional writer to convey emotion in their writing. Many misunderstandings could be averted by understanding the true meaning of the writer.

 

But, the bottom line is that many, many people try to influence the opinions of others. For whatever reason, if someone dislikes Tiger, any thread praising him will become a magnet for this person who will invariably be annoyed by another Tiger lover who has raised his head.

 

Add to the list of "negative" topics the following: John Hawkins, the Golf Channel, Andrew McGee, and Kelly Tilghman. There are also a multitude of threads posted about what someone said on the air ("did you hear the comment Johnny Miller just made?")- invariably posted within seconds of the "offending" comment.

 

I think the first thing we need to do is recognize the problem, which, as it seems, a good size group of people have done. The next thing is to not participate in those threads!

 

Like what you like. Dislike what you dislike. Stay out of the threads that are nothing more than topic-bashers.

 

I boycott any threads with these infammatory topics. Just stay out and let the hate-mongers have at it. Maybe they'll piss each other off to the point where none of them come back.