The future of this forum

[rjack321]

Probably wouldn't stop the controversy anyways.

I would welcome some tech1/cave1 or above controversy. Something proceedural rather than gear. 90% of the threads here are gear related which is kinda ironic considering 90% of DIR isn't.

Anyway, it would be refreshing to stop talking about the mythical "balanced rig" for a change. Or is my monkey diving reg DIR? But I suspect I'd need to make liberal use of the ignore function in order to have that conversation with those "DIR-enough" to make it worthwhile though.

 

[The Anchor]

To the OP, somewhat... I think that this forum needs a notice that tells people that they are posting in the DIR forum. I think that might cut down on *some* of the non-DIR answers to questions.

I will leave the question of Moderating and banning to the DIR divers who legitimately belong here.

Just a thought from a non-DIR diver. Not because I don't want to be, but because I don't know what it is. Now I am off to search the forum so I don't ask a question that has been asked a dozen times before.

 

[Rick Inman]

To the OP, somewhat... I think that this forum needs a notice that tells people that they are posting in the DIR forum.

There is. It is the Sticky at the top of the forum (actually, there are 3 of them).

 

[ArcticDiver]

Nothing wrong with that ... but in this case, it's not the purpose of this forum.

From the first post in the first thread in this forum ...


If your "thinking diver" process involves non-DIR answers, then it doesn't belong in this forum....
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I"ve not quoted the rest of your post because it flows from this statement.

I totally agree that all answers should be within the DIR mindset. For example: If someone asks whether an Air 2 is DIR(of any flavor) they should be simply told "No" and the forum moves on. Instead, today such a question elicits a cascade of posts.

At the same time there seems to be a tendency to endless controversy, some of which has been mentioned in this thread, about conflict about just what "DIR" is. It reminds me a lot of controversy between churches on their doctrine.

You are not advocating that a person not be a Thinking Diver are you? From our other conversations I don't think that is the case. What I was trying to get at is that each person should know Why they do everything; and that answer should not be "because that is what my instructor, or my leader said so".

Now I'm going to do something that I wish more folks would do. I'm going to stop posting in this thread. I'm stopping not because of any emotional reason; but because I've said what I wanted to say. If someone wants to argue or wants to discuss something we can do so elsewhere.

 

[rjack321]

There is. It is the Sticky at the top of the forum (actually, there are 3 of them).

I think excluding this forum from the "new posts" list may help. Since people often seem to end up here by accident - and have never read those stickies

 

[Rick Inman]

I think excluding this forum from the "new posts" list may help. Since people often seem to end up here by accident - and have never read those stickies

Yeah...or maybe we can put a red warning, like you get on all the medical threads.

I'll bring that up in the back Room.

 

[limeyx]

Yeah...or maybe we can put a red warning, like you get on all the medical threads.

I'll bring that up in the back Room.

How about some big red text that comes up when someone attempts a first post in the forum that has a summary of the "rules" and some text like "a lot of similar questions are asked very frequently, maybe try a search before you make a first post, and/or try to make sure your post is appropriate for the forum by taking the time to browse without posting for a period of time"

or something like that.

 

[nereas]

Well, I'm kind of seeing a dichotomy of answers.

One group would like the forum to adhere strictly to the original rules . . . DIR answers only; basic questions answered briefly and threads closed, and space for people to post more advanced questions and hope for educated answers.

Another group believes that the forum should be moderated as little as possible, and if someone posts a question and non-DIR answers are offered, the DIR users will make it clear that those answers are not appropriate.

Unfortunately, the noise that results from that approach, as well as the nastiness and ill-will, are things I see as having detrimental effects on the original purpose of the forum, which was to be a place where people could ask those, "Do I have to have a long hose to take Fundies?" questions and get them answered without being attacked for having asked them.

Thanks, everybody, for the input here. I think I have my marching orders as I see them, and everybody has helped clarify my ideas of what I should be doing moderating this forum.

"The noise" results when people who are not instructors attempt to play that game.

You really need a GUE-DIR or an AG-DIR instructor to tackle the questions raised.

Or else all you get is lots more noise.

 

[rjack321]

"The noise" results when people who are not instructors attempt to play that game.

You really need a GUE-DIR or an AG-DIR instructor to tackle the questions raised.

Or else all you get is lots more noise.

Most of us with even the beginnings of actual DIR training and experince can offer coherent discussion about all the DIRF level (or pre-DIRF) questions (which are 90+% of this forum) quite nicely. Its the reticence to bother asking more advanced DIR questions here which leads to the same basic questions being so overwhelming, people get bored, they move on. I am guilty of this too. Its probably a function of me knowing who/where to ask more advanecd DIR questions already. I don't need or want to deal with 8+ pages of DIR wannabe answers. I go direct to the DIR divers I respect when I'm puzzling over the best way to approach something.

 

[nereas]

Most of us with even the beginnings of actual DIR training and experince can offer coherent discussion about all the DIRF level (or pre-DIRF) questions (which are 90+% of this forum) quite nicely. Its the reticence to bother asking more advanced DIR questions here which leads to the same basic questions being so overwhelming, people get bored, they move on. I am guilty of this too. Its probably a function of me knowing who/where to ask more advanecd DIR questions already. I don't need or want to deal with 8+ pages of DIR wannabe answers. I go direct to the DIR divers I respect when I'm puzzling over the best way to approach something.

This is precisely the inherent fallacy in non-instructors playing at that game.