Those who seek to deny access to information
Like many/most here, one of the main reasons I frequent audiogon is to gather information. I am looking for ways to enhance the enjoyment I get from listening to music on my system. The information most valuable to me comes from those who share their actual experience with products that I am interested in, but have not heard in my system.
The audio community is a diverse one, with many opinions, ideas and perspectives. Many of them differ from mine, and that is fine. Those who disagree with me are free to make posts and start threads about whatever they choose. This doesn’t bother me, I am free to choose what I read, and what I don’t.
What does rile me up up is deliberate attempts to deny me (and others) access to the information that I value. There are some here who repeatedly seek to disrupt, sidetrack, derail, and shut down conversations about topics and products that trigger them. They do not contribute any useful information or experience to the discussion, and make disparaging comments about things they have zero experience with. They are bullies who mock, ridicule and provoke those who use, make and sell certain products. They seek to stifle any discussions about, and especially positive opinions of, the products and people they clearly have a vendetta against.
They can start their own threads, and talk about what a fool I am all day long, I don’t care. Their deliberate and repeated attempts to deny myself and others access to the information we value, however, are intolerable.
no need to abandon anything. simple to sign up for another forum and sample it. observe how both places deal with your question. you may find many familiar members there as here, but more focused discussions and not the crazy ’fly by’ attacks and distractions from ’ne’er-do-well’s’.
then decide where your focus should be. just don’t wait for Audiogon to change to post. not ever going to happen. |
you have chosen Audiogon as your forum. no one holds a gun to your head to stay here. if you want a different forum culture where listening is more respected, and price does not get many members panties in a bunch, then go somewhere like that. like this place; https://www.whatsbestforum.com/forums/ there is plenty of information there, with generally much more depth than here for the most part. this is an egalitarian ’everyman’s’ forum. any sort of viewpoint is tolerated. this is a commercial enterprise, and being all inclusive is the very tip top priority. it’s not run by members, it’s run by a company. nothing wrong or right about that, but many audio forums are run by the members. personally i like Audiogon, and have been here for 2 decades. but it’s not my main hang out place since it does not fit me that well. i’m here when it works for me. i’m not judging, just calling it like it is. Audiogon is not changing. so you might need to. |
@grannyring thanks. i keep coming back to the ’Gon’ and look-see a couple of times a day. and post occasionally. plenty of quality posters. many times i see a topic that might offer some interest, but then look and it’s already blown apart. not always, but more times than not. i just don’t align with a high portion of posters here, i take the hobby more seriously. their hobby goals and thinking is vastly different than mine. so it does not work for my place to hang. more pick my spots. which is ok. love the hobby and forums don’t have to be anything but what they are, then we go where it’s satisfying to go. |
Audiogon is past the point of pulling it back to only serious users. it’s the wild wild west and you can’t un-ring the bell. about the only thing i can think of that would change the culture immediately, would be to mix system page posts with the forum feed threads. all of a sudden then the system building activity would get attention, and the trolls and non listener know-it-all’s would be marginalized since they would not be relevant. someone’s personal system has a different vibe than a regular thread topic. it holds a person and a life. the members would push out rabble rousers. that is how it was to begin with, and system pages got lots of action. it held serious users here on Audiogon. like me. would it be good for Audiogon, Inc.? don’t know. you’d have to ask them. btw; i have suggested it a few times but it went no where. |
it has nothing to do with money. it is about having a serious interest in enjoying the best possible music reproduction. it’s about having the passion to appreciate the process of advancing toward better sound and musical enjoyment. and also to want to learn, or help others learn. you don’t need to even own a system, it’s more a state of mind and attitude. one of the most active passionate serious audiophiles i know does not own a system. but he is all in on the hobby and the music. i could get into what it’s not, but one only needs to read this and other threads to easily see about that. people get caught up in all sorts of agendas or hang ups and miss the joy and fun of it. |
i manage a medium size retail company and have to deal with the most difficult situations all day. it’s my job. damned if i will put up with any of it on a hobbyist forum. if Audiogon is a cross section of our current society as a whole i want no part of that. if i won’t go physical places where my security and comfort is not protected, why would i do it on line? where i’m just chilling having a good time. observe 10 or 20 random threads here that get attention. how many have 80% relevant responses? how many have multiple disruptor type responses? there are multiple other forums where that is not tolerated. how many serious hobbyists will put up with that? not many.....and we see them gone. do we like that? |
