What is it about this place?

[TheTrueReview]

Yep, that's right - what is it about Shottalk? Or more to the point, what is it about the good culture here.

A more decent bunch of online people, I've never "met". I'm a member of a couple of other forums and words fail me at the crap that's gone on in them over the last few weeks. I've never seen so many online arguments. The belly putter saga featured highly in those arguments but if a person expressed a viewpoint, someone with an opposing view would come in with personal insults and put downs. ... and there was plenty of it going on. So much so, that I'm checking into those places less & less.

Having said that ... it never happens here. Not everyone disagrees about things but generally the right to a viewpoint is well respected by the members. For me, it's a bit of an online oasis.

Why do you think it is?

 

[azgreg]

Shut up.

 

[eclark53520]

I think its a mutual respect that does come with a lot of the members here meeting face to face on multiple occasions.

I have met almost all the Wisconsin members and several non Wisconsin members. All great guys, and one of them sadly is no longer with us. RIP MdDubya.

Meaning this isn't anywhere near as anon as most forums.

Plus, WG weeds out anyone with thin skin, lol

 

[Dogfish Head]

As we grow we will run into problems that any large site currently has. We just have to try to handle it the best as we can. The anonymous part is the single biggest hurdle.

My Mustang site was created with a small group of close friends and I learned a lot about taking a site that had just a handful of close members and then watching it grow into one of the largest Ford Mustang websites on the internet. Hopefully I can be of some help when ShotTalk reaches that point

 

[TheTrueReview]

What would you know DogFish Head?

But seriously, I've actually met the owner of one of the (anonymous) forums that I mentioned. Good guy. He likens a discussion forum to a group of people having a discussion in a bar. He doesn't like to stifle discussion (fair point) but I suppose there can be a difficult fine line at times between "lively" discussion and downright abuse. Having said that when personal abuse starts being leveled as a counter-point in a debate between forum members (IMHO) that's when mods should step in. That particular forum in some of its recent discussion threads has become a bit of a "Lord of the Flies" type situation with roving gangs of online bullies picking arguments. Thankfully, we don't have that here. Although Irish Golfer is a bit of a weird character but then again he is Irish.

 

[SilverUberXeno]

I really think it has to do with the level of traffic. How many members on this forum posted more than 5 times over the last week? 10?

 

[Wi-Golfer]

I think its a mutual respect that does come with a lot of the members here meeting face to face on multiple occasions.

I have met almost all the Wisconsin members and several non Wisconsin members. All great guys, and one of them sadly is no longer with us. RIP MdDubya.

Meaning this isn't anywhere near as anon as most forums.

Plus, WG weeds out anyone with thin skin, lol

I agree with the meeting of folks here because it puts actual live people that you physically know into the mix. And yes I do weed out think skinned people if they are liars. Don't know what it is but the older I get the less time I have or rather I should say less time I want to deal with anyone who flat out tries to bs their way about anything and it's not just this website. I'm the same way on my weight lifting site, someone starts with crap I will call them on it every single time.

 

[limpalong]

And you're all a bunch of dipweeds who don't know golf from tiddlywinks!! You don't know how lucky you are to have someone like me who hits his 8-iron 230 yards and carries a 'plus' handicap. None of you will ever develop your game to as high a level as have I!! Why? Because I have more golfing ability in my left pinky than you guys do in your entire bodies!!!!!
Forged is better than cast!
Anyone who doesn't play blades should be banned from the game!
Tiger Woods will never win another major!
Jim Furyk has the most fundamentally correct swing on Tour!
The Packers need to go back to 8-man, high school football!!

Woops! Someone just took a dump in my oatmeal! The on-duty orderly wants me to get back in the straight-jacket. Gotta go!!!!!

 

[nututhugame]

I joined a couple other sites when this place was really really slow thinking maybe I would get some of the effect that I got here when I first joined. That and I wanted to sell those Ping irons that Dogfish now owns (thanks, hope you like em). There was only one I spent any time at and it was pretty short lived. I commented on the Haney situation and some dick tried his best to attack me over it. He would not let it go... quoting me and telling me what I said and meant and so on trying to break down the newbie. Like the Wigolfer of said site, only he wouldn't keep it simple and factual and I wasn't telling fables. I played along a little bit, but for the most part kept it light and let him dig his own hole and by the time it was over there were mods and other members telling him he was wrong and he kept digging. He may still be over there trying to figure out a way to get me.

This site does get slow. I wish some of the guys that were here a lot when I first got on came more often, like ezra and a few others. I would like to see more action, but at the same time it'd suck if a bunch of dicks decided to come and turn the place upside down ya know.

 

[eclark53520]

This site does need some new blood. Will it lose some of the hometown feel? Maybe.

But with the mods and member base we have a rogue a hole won't last long.

 

[TheTrueReview]

When DogFish Head took over & changed the forum software etc, it seemed have have a blip in sign ups. Now it seems to have stabilised a bit. I have a funny feeling though that it is slowly but surely growing organically. Time will tell.

 

[limpalong]

I have a funny feeling though that it is slowly but surely growing organically. Time will tell.

"Organically"??? Does that mean no PED's or other performance enhancers? Or, does that just mean we have to eat rabbit food is we are members here?

 

[xamilo]

If you are talking about the OZ Golf forums they just suck big time hehehe

 

[TheTrueReview]

If you are talking about the OZ Golf forums they just suck big time hehehe

That's just one of them Xam. Too many knuckle-draggers.

 

[MCDavis]

I've been a mod on 2 sites (the other, oddly enough, was a Mustang forum DFH knew at a different time), a member of many. ST, the stang site, and my main Jeep site all have that local bar feel mentioned above. It's due to the members, and also to the mod style. Sling preferred mods being as low key as possible while not tolerating spam and personal attacks, and DFH hasn't changed that one bit. I think that makes this site, any site really, more enjoyable for all involved. ST is very lucky to have had 2 owners in a row who care more for the site than for their own ego.

We're also lucky to have a core group of members who like each other, and who can take it and dish it out with a smile.

And, finally, you rat bastards are most lucky to have me!