Posted by Ken Kurtis on July 24, 2002 at 22:45:31:
In Reply to: Re: BBS user poll posted by CB on July 24, 2002 at 12:14:36:
CB asked: "Ken, could you expand on the reason why Rodales and rec.scuba do not keep your interest?"
Bear in mind I used to be a rec.scuba and AOL Scuba Forum junkie, spending WAY too much time on-line. But, the thing that really attracts me to this type of a forum is the vibrancy and quality of the disucssion.
Similarly, there's nothing that turns me off faster than a dull discussion or letting the whole thing get personal &/or nasty. (I mean come on folks - it's only sacuba diving!!!!)
In the old AOL Scuba Forum, we had some really good threads going. But (and this is not meant to be a threat or anything against Chris), they had some severe censorship issues (couldn't post anything negative about AOL, nor discuss the fact that you couldn't post anything about AOL) and a bunch of us organized a boycott and then just left for a month. Really took the steam out of the place and it simply was never the same.
Rec.scuba also used to be a great marketplace for ideas. There were tons of discussions going on, and many of them very interesting. But then the board seemed to get dominated by DIR discussions and while they were interesting at first, hearing the same argument 100 times by the same people saying the same things calling everyone else jerks (or worse) just got dull. And then the whole thing turned REALLY nasty (and still is in some respects) with some well-pulbicized personal feuds being carried on via the forum and it's like, "Why bother?"
I've spent very little time on Rodale's but it seems to be the most active of the bunch. Part of the problem there is just there's too much info to sift through and a lot of it simply doesn't stimulate my intellectual curiosity.
There's also this stupid little idea I have about actually having a life that does NOT involve sitting in front of a computer and espousing theory all day.
So, you aksed, and now you've got . . . the rest of the story (with apologies to Paul Harvey).
Ken Kurtis
NAUI Instr. #5936
Co-owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
Beverly Hills, CA