A discussion on perceptions

[Monk]

Well guys, as a Newbie myself I think I covered some of this discussion in a few of my threads so I am happy to see this thread seperate and people being constructive. Shelby, glad to have you stay (and hopefully you to BPP). Us yunguns need some "elderly" guidance as cigarsarge pointed out.

-Will

[Bighardbrowncigar]

Hello.

I just wanted to say thanks to all those who responded to my post. I think we are all entitled to an honest opinion in life, and let's just keep things fair and balanced, to borrow the Fox News line. Anyhow, I'll sit back now, keep my eyes and ears open and hopefully learn a thing or two about the cigar lifestyle.

[bigpoppapuff]

let me "axe" you a question,brown.....have you been here before??......i'm thinking...yes...

[Bighardbrowncigar]

let me "axe" you a question,brown.....have you been here before??......i'm thinking...yes...

Negative on that puff. First timer here, just trying to keep everything real and in perspective. No crime there. One thing I have found is that in my almost 1/2 century of existence on this planet of ours, it pays to not always be on the attack.

I apologize if you were offended by that statement, but when your motto is "asshat's beware," you are probably a negative person. Cheer up. We really don't live that long. Let's make the most of it in a positive way.

[WOXOF]

Allright, I'll tune the transponder off of 7500 for a minute here Shelby07.

I'm glad you decided to stick around. You seem like a stand-up guy who has a lot to contribute to this BB. I think that once you get a feel for the members on here and see how many asshats come and go each month, you'll realize why Pguy got the responses that he did. I'm not a big fan of name calling and neverending flaming either so I normally will stay out of it.

I come here to learn and talk about cigars. I personally can't stand to see a 5 or 6 page thread bashing some asshat and then only see 2 or 3 replies to a legitimate question regarding cigars. You'll soon see however that we have to be suspsicious of new members at times in order to protect the small chunk of cyber space that we have. The occasional flogging is a neccesary to keep things in order.

I don't believe you have to "walk on eggshells" around the FOG's either. Just be yourself and show respect for the guys that help build and contribute to this forum.

Good thread, it shows a lot of maturity and class to handle it this way.

[Shelby07]

Allright, I'll tune the transponder off of 7500 for a minute here Shelby07.

I'm glad you decided to stick around. You seem like a stand-up guy who has a lot to contribute to this BB. I think that once you get a feel for the members on here and see how many asshats come and go each month, you'll realize why Pguy got the responses that he did. I'm not a big fan of name calling and neverending flaming either so I normally will stay out of it.

I come here to learn and talk about cigars. I personally can't stand to see a 5 or 6 page thread bashing some asshat and then only see 2 or 3 replies to a legitimate question regarding cigars. You'll soon see however that we have to be suspsicious of new members at times in order to protect the small chunk of cyber space that we have. The occasional flogging is a neccesary to keep things in order.

I don't believe you have to "walk on eggshells" around the FOG's either. Just be yourself and show respect for the guys that help build and contribute to this forum.

Good thread, it shows a lot of maturity and class to handle it this way.

Were you being hijackd???? (I think you mean 7600 )

One thing I can say about this place is that there is a lot of good information here if you look for it. I haven't looked for too much that I couldn't find. So, I guess, to be active on the board people talk about things other than cigars. That's a good thing. I guess it is inevitable that sooner or later someone will step on someone else's toes, intentionally or not, and the fur flies.

I am kind of surprised at the passion that appears on the board too. Being an Italian born and raised in the east coast I can understand it, tho. I find it hard not to jump in and shoot off replies right away. I have found over the years that it's best for me (knowing my personality) if I just walk away for a while and think about what I'm going to say or do before I make a reply or take action, and what the consequence might be. The trick, for me anyway, is to stay on point and ignore the emotional aspect. instinctively, that is very hard for me to do. I can usually figure out a way to say what I want to say without screwing up too bad. I didn't do that when I walked away from the board last time and realized pretty quickly that I screwed the pooch. I just got hot and fired a response without thinking what the consequences would be. After thinking about it for a while, I realized what GG was saying to me. So now I have resolved to get up, walk away and think about what I want to say before I reply to a post and which way my reply might move the thread.

The other unique thing about message boards is that everyone on the board is included in all conversations. We tend to forget that as we are writing. Right now I am replying to you, but our conversation is very public and it's easy to piss somebody else off without thinking or even meaning to. We are just not used to that. Of course, the inevitible outcome is that someone will get pissed, shoot off a reply, receive another scathing reply, and the race is on.

I get your point about asshats showing up occasionally. The trick is going to be not pissing on each other during the heat of the conversation. That's hard not to do.

All in all, though, I am enjoying the board and lots of the people on it. I hope with a little discussion we can make it even better, and I hope I can be a part of that.

On an off note, you've heard the old "squak altitude" story, haven't you?

Mark

[mauied1101]

Were you being hijackd???? (I think you mean 7600 )
I get your point about asshats showing up occasionally. The trick is going to be not pissing on each other during the heat of the conversation. That's hard not to do.

To your point, I think that people will piss each other off in conversation - which is natural - to a point. To GGs post, because this is a public board, you live with it and are judged (and possibly haunted for future use) by it. The hard part is to detach the person from the argument and take a step back and realize that the frustration is with the argument and not the person - which is why a reputation counts invaluably. That being said, the more a person does these kinds of arguments, the more they count toward their reputation. A slight paradox.

... my .02.

[WOXOF]

Were you being hijackd???? (I think you mean 7600 )

I guess either one would work.

On an off note, you've heard the old "squak altitude" story, haven't you?

I've heard a lot but that one doesn't ring a bell. Hope they weren't flying at 7500 ft. You'll have to tell me that one some time if you're in the Memphis area.

[ggiese]

If you've been reading the dust up in Sid's "I'm pissed off..." thread, then I believe you can surmise there is not "walking on eggshells". You can either choose to stay out of the discussions, or you can defend adding your .02. It's really as simple as that.

Remember, though - your reputation may be called into question and you're going to have to answer for that. If you don't have a reputation established in the overall cigar board community , it doesn't automatically mean your opinion will not be accepted. Each time you present logical, well thought out arguments lends to your credibility. Before you know it, you will establish your reputation (good or bad).

The other thing only time will do for you here is seeing people come and go. Especially those that are obviously complete morons. That doesn't happen very often, but when it does it certainly opens your eyes to why there is an unofficial "testing" of newbies (the wariness some express in new thoughts or opinions).

At the end of the day - no matter what - it's really about the cigar... I hope at some time in the not too distant future you get the opportunity to herf with some of the members of these cigar boards. It's a VERY enlightening experience - one that you will be EXTREMELY grateful for - and it will open your eyes as to the tenacity these boards are defended. You will meet some incredibly nice and generous strangers.

[WOXOF]

Allright, I'll tune the transponder off of 7500 for a minute here Shelby07.

Well my original post with the reference to squawking 7500 was because I thought the thread was shifting focus to bhbc. I didn't think anyone would get it except for Shelby07. But I guess in my attempt to get back on topic, I started my own little thread jack. Sorry Shelby. Since we are on the 9/11 topic, I work in the flight control dept for Fedex. I was working that day and I will never forget it. I have more than a few stories but thats for another time and place.