A kinder more gentle BB

[slope-nz]

I can't help but wonder if we (as a group) haven't gotten rather harsh to some of the posters on this BB. I'm not going to say that we are narrow in our idea of what the perfect 911 is, but there dosen't seem to be much room for ideas or cars that differ from our own. I see comments to people that I'm sure would never be made face to face. Perhaps we would serve ourselves and our sponsor better by trying to slowly convert others instead of just insulting them till they go away. We have a OT board for the thick skin with ideas of there own. Just my $0.02 worth. Randy

[gerard vaglio]

HARSH, WHAT THE @#%!^&!! ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT !!!! #@%^&#* %$#@^&*^%!@)(*^^%^&^%)$#%^^$##$% ^%$#%&%&$ #$#&^*&*&$%#$#^&* (^*&%^%& (^^%$##^&#$@)**%$@%*(&^%#@#$%^**(&^%....

[Tooth911]

Ok then i feel its time to tell you all how iam feeling.... about my proposed 911 project for everyone here pull all flat sixes out and install 1.8L 4cylinders in there place ok? wheres the love man? NOT! hit the gas and DRIVE

[jtratza]

You want to read some messages that are OT you should read the Yahoo Duke Energy message board! I check it every once and a while when I think sanity has returned to the internet. There's more kooks calling each other names and posting all sorts of insanity then this board will ever come even close to approaching.

[UTKarmann_Ghia]

Do you have a specific instance or point to this? I betcha some of the regular posters didnt even respond to this because of the "lack of point".

I dont think I've ever seen a more helpful group of people than the people on this forum. So if there's something specific on your mind, let's have it. Otherwise it's just noise...

[slope-nz]

Thanks for the views and comments.I think all I'm trying to say is that this BB has inflenced me over the years.In the late 90's I started out with a 1975 S that had been converted to a W/B slope nose and was a real rat car.(not to say that I don't still like slope nose cars because I do but mine was junk)Over time I have put in 2.7 RS MFI engine, rebuilt my trany (added a7/31 gear and quafe) upgraded my suspension and spent dollar after dollar in so many other places. When it comes off the jack stands the body will be that of a 1974 IROC with a duck tail. I hope that after all of my work I will have a car that any Pelicanhead would be proud of. My point being that I had been run away from the BB 4 years ago I would have never found the way to porsche zin. Randy

[turbo6bar]

I feel the thread about rdane's 3.4 "torque wins races" got a bit heated over nothing. The guy obviously built a great street engine, and guys end up second guessing him the entire time. Oh, and on the Cars for Sale forum, one guy is looking for a 930. A fellow responds and says"Wanna buy my car?" Well, the guy looking for a 930 says "I don't want to buy a car that's been screwed with." Sounds very tactful, eh?

Maybe it's a southern thing. Ya'll have a nice day.
jürgen

[slope-nz]

I'm gratified by the # of views,and I'm not concerned with responses. I would hope that there might be a few less comments like DUMB!!!!. UGLY!!!! ,NOT!!!! and the like.Yes, this group is most helpful, there is a great deal of info passed along here. The curious thing is that the posters who know the most seem to be the most respectful even when there is a difference of opinion. thats all Randy

[Craig 930 RS]

Do something different (like Dane did) and one tends to get thine hiney ripped.

Do something like critique Steve Timmins
www.SteveTimminsfanclub.org (I swear there must be one)
and one gets the same result......

Craig
@RS

[rbcsaver]

The Rennlist and Pelican boards have been a tremendous help in my everyday ownership and DIY mechanics, as well as, a place for a second opinion, on work performed, or to be performed by others.
A percentage of ppl in society are just plain jerks, no matter what the soap box., and a number are bound to show up here. Best option=ignore their posts and name calling. They certainly have Porsches and little "parts."
regards,
Steve

[Icemaster]

Not sure I'm seeing your point completely, but MHO:

Sarcasm doesn't always come through properly in text messages posted on boards like this, neither do tongue in cheek statements or straight line opinions. Unfortunately, things can be taken out of context and/or misinterpreted rather easily in a medium like this - we're obviously missing the ability to smirk, nudge and wink when all we're essentially dealing with is words. Combine this with the inalienable right (in some cases obligation...) we all have to talk smack about another persons ride, and a lot of things can be misconstrued.

Is this BB harsh? Sure, but in a good, constructive way. I've been known to make comments about cars that some folks have found on Ebay or other places so I'm not trying to position myself as guiltless. But the most important issue is that if your asking for an opinion, you can't expect them all to be good. Tastes and perspectives vary and are extremely subjective. Bottom line, if you don't like my opinion of your car, why does it matter? I don't drive it, you do. If you like it, why does my opinion count?

In answer to your original question, I look at threads like this -

PLEASE READ: Death of Fellow Pelican BBS Member...

to help keep things in perspective. This is a community that is unique in it's own way, I've got a lot of respect for the knowledge that a number of the folks on this board have, and most importantly, their willingness to share it freely and without hesitation.

Think this board is harsh? You should check out some of the Kid Ricer boards. See? There I go again...

[Randy Webb]

The question of whether levels of discourse here could be improved is separable from the question of whether it is nontheless valuable.

There are some people here with a lot of experience in various disciplines (Steve Timmons is a prof. at U. Del. for example; Jim Simms apparently does something at Los Alamos, Bill Verburg may be a mathematician, and nostatic is also an academic, and there are others).

Tehn there are people with a great deal of race car building level experience, like Steve Wiener (Cary Eisenlohr even put in an appearance on Rennlist). Plus people with a great deal of mechanical and rebuilding experience inclunding pros (John Walker) and amateirus (Zeke/Milt) - I'm sure I left out dozens...

There are lots of others too - eg.g Ron in LB (as opposed to a Ronin) with a lot of electronics experience.

I made a joking reference to a mass spec. or GC a few weeks ago and lo and behold - several chemists popped out of the woodwork.

So, there is a lot of experience and education on this board -- Porsches have always attracted the "technologist" as one magazine put a few decades ago (comparing the 911 to the XKE, MB and others).

The problem is that Email is not the best communications medium and jokes can be misunderstood. Also, one can never be sure that you are not conversing with a teenager who happens to have a texbook out on his computer desk or with a real expert.

Well... my mom is calling me to dinner so I gotta go....

[rbcsaver]

FWIW,
I agree with Ice and Randy, though he left out many like Steve Weiner, but I am also suspect about MOM calling him for dinner..LOL.
regards,
Steve

[Por_sha911]

All I can say to Randy is "Mom always liked you better!"
On a more serious note, we do have a tendency to be a little harsh at times but hey, welcome to the real world. I think we should try to welcome outsiders with odd thinking (the air cooled motor is considered odd to the rest of the world) but lets not start sensitivity training, OK?

[BGCarrera32]

One biggie to keep in mind with this board, as with any, is that with a tremendous amount of information comes just as much dis-information...don't comment on that which you don't know about/have never done yourself, and when you do have something to offer back it up with an experience you've partaken in/done/attended/whatever. Makes this all much more useful...

[Randy Webb]

"though he left out many like Steve Weiner"
- Ooops - I did include Steve Wiener, tho.

"don't comment on that which you don't know about/have never done yourself"
- Generally agree with this, altho it is very useful if somebody has collected a lot of info on a subject even if they haven't done it themselves. Part of my reason for including the first group was that they are folks who have a lot of basic knowledge, tho they may not have the specific experience in a given area. It can be very useful to understand the fundamentals of a subject - as an example, I offer my favoirte -- heat exchange enhancement ("increase the radiation") by polishing a part (No) and in 2nd place, the idea that painting a metal surface will inhibit heat transfer because the paint will "insulate" it. Then there's the drool collar....

[geof33]

Well, isn't this post all F-n touchy feely...

Seriously, opinions are what they are. This board is very civilized in my opinion. There are many that will throw out some off hand comments and that's how it goes. Usually, if they get out of hand there is a reconsiliatory post or something. You'll find the names that show up most, and we all have a reputation... Based on your post #'s you haven't been around too long... Get to know the board and accept the occasional heated debate. It's all about opinions and a-holes... we all know the saying...

[geof33]

BTW isn't this OT???

[Bob Goding]

My opinion is worth exactly what it costs.

[banjomike]

I've seen people here with bone stock original cars, or who are going for that perfect original restoration. I've seen people here going for full race. There are the HP junkie crowd going for fantastic 1/4mile times. Many lower their cars, some are interested in the ralley look. There are even some Porchev proponents here. You'll find pro-K&N folks and pro-cool collar folks as well as the detractors. There are people who are doing complete to bare metal rebuilds of every part and others who never turn a wrench. So what is this about a narrow idea of an ideal 911?

As for harsh comments, this isn't face to face conversation, it's the internet. One person's wit is another's twit. I've been reading and posting in discussion groups on the internet since the late 1980's and I've never come across a forum with more tolerance, community, and courtesey and fewer bad apples.