First I want to apologize for using the censored word. Although I don't use them often, but I wander between forums with varying rules and in the heat of the moment such a censored word may slip into a post. Sorry about that.




Stephen, in addition to the case in my corner of the owrld, I have seen it happen two times, one in the US and one either in the US or the UK. A big issue divides the forum members, and that results in one group leaving and establishing their own forum. They do become rival forums and without roles and moderators , some posts discussing the other forum ( or its founder ) may cross ethical borders.

Answering your question, yes, The good forum was the one asking for real names, but that was not THE reason it was good . LOL . The reason is that it insisted on staying above certain standards. Posting with real names was one of the ways to limit people from wandering too far on some touchy issues. Since I was in the "wiser" camp, I had no problem with that. The "other" camp didn't like it and went to the other forum.

Sadly, that situation proved that wiser people
are too few and far in between. The wiser forum shrank down until their was only a handful of members left. And it died a slow death. Then it closed.

You know,

After seeing you responses I am starting to undersatand what you mean by creditability. You are a tight knit group as as a new guy I really apologise if I come across as an A *****l, it;s not my intent.

It's 11:50 hrs and I am having an ealy Canada day where I am. For all the Canadian members of ETS I bid you an earl "happy Canada day"

For everyone else I say I am very happy you have welcomed me into your online community. I have come across as being an arse And I would apologise. I am new to this whole internet thing, so please bear wiyh me.

Chisel,

If you want to PM me and curse me out with "the censored word" then give er man i can respect that. I guess I asked for it.....

This is it for me man. 30 sompthing posts so I guess I should just sit back and listen rather than flap my gums eh? One thing you guys should do is give a thanks to your mods.

I have alread been warned by them. They are a serious bunch and have a lot of respect for this place.

My name is really stephen and the sexy guy in the pic really is me. Should I say anything (else) stupid in the future let me know and if I am wrong i don't mind saying so.

Respectifully. Stephen

Great thread! There's already been a lot of ground covered so I'll just add one personal observation.

One of the things I love about this forum is the respect we show to each other, newcomers included. We don't think so highly of ourselves that we discourage people from contributing. A couple of other forums that I have visited make it difficult for newcomers, by complaining about new threads or questions about previously discussed topics, like there will never be anything new under the sun. It,s almost like they're saying "If you haven't found your answer here yet, you must not be studying us very hard.". Those same forums tend to also give people grief for reviving an old thread, or for using terminology in a way that doesn't jive with the forum view. We're not like that here, for the most part and I really appreciate that.

Jacqui from Ontario, Canada, eh!
Happy Canada Day my fellow Canuckians!

We've had our share of liars, fantasists, trolls and just plain nutters.
I think the moderators stamp on them early now as they are rarer and rarer. We learn to ignore them.
And the simple fact is; who but an idiot is going to judge what someone says based purely on their claimed background:
'So after you were thrown out of NASA for being too clever and the spetznaz for being too tough, you decided to come here and give advice? Now you assure me I don't need a compass in the hills? Thanks I'll pass on that one.'
I recently got banned from Massad Ayoobs blog after asking him to produce some evidence for his absurd distortions of reality. Even other regular people on the blog pointed out I never said the things he claimed he was banning me for.
(Always a mistake to meet ones heroes).
Guess as people say it's down to us having good moderators without an axe to grind.

qjs

Hey, Stephen. Nice post. I think you're getting the hang of this place.

Happy Dominion Day to my fellow Canucks!

Cheers,
Doug (real name)

Thanks Doug ,

And here's a good piece of advice folks. Don't drink and post...


Bleauugghhh.........
Anyone know a survival cure for a massive hangover?

[quote=StephenI can't wrap my head around why you wouldn't post under your own name though actually. Maybe it's just me, but when someone posts under their own name I feel that persons information is a little more trustworthy for some reason [/quote]

To explain my point of view on this comment - If I had a years worth of supplies and a $1,500 automatic pistol in my nightstand and in my truck, I might, as Byrd_Huntr tell you that as part of a discussion on emergency readiness. I certainly would not tell you that under my full real name so anyone with Internet access could find me, and attempt to rob me.

As with your car mechanic, it's up to you to have enough background knowledge to avoid a ripoff. It's the same with a forum...read the posts to determine if what they say is credible based on your background knowledge. I think you will find the differences are based on regional and experience, not willful deception. We read, ponder, and then discuss to share different points of view on the subject information.

Your knowing my full name does not prove I am credible, but it would seriously suppress what I would be willing to share.

Byrd_Huntr...a fake but descriptive pseudonym

If I'm going to make something that might be life-or-death decision, then I'm not going to base that off a single point of reference. Be that an online forum, a book, or whatever. I gather information from multiple places and I COME TO MY OWN DECISION. I alone am responsible for what I choose to do.

I love reading posts about the latest stove review, or "how do you like this compass?", or "what do you have in your BOB?", etc. Tons of good info and experience there.

But for threads like "What is the best way to defend against bears?", well, that is more of a discussion that might be fun to participate in than a source of the end-all of information. I doubt ANYBODY here has had enough personal experience fending off bears to have "the answer". Most of us have seen a bear once or twice - in a zoo. My wife and I ran into a pair of 3 year old grizzly twins in Yellowstone decades ago, my wife took their picture and we left. But nobody is going to believe that a Nikon is the best bear defense based on my personal experience. So just because somebody recommends "give up your gun and get bear spray" or "give up your bear spray and get a gun" does not mean that I'm going to run right out and follow that advice. That's just one persons opinion, valuable for what it is - an opinion, but not the final word of discussion on the topic.

FWIW, I think that the vast majority of what is said on this forum comes from the heart with good intentions, and is a wealth of very good information. And I can read the words that are written and MAKE MY OWN DETERMINATION that the person writing them is an intelligent human being with good intentions who would probably make a very good friend to socialize with if we lived closer together.

If you want a cold, hard, "Just the facts" Joe Friday presentation, go buy a book instead. And hope that you bought a credible book with good information, and not one simply designed to get the author fame or money.

If it makes anybody feel any better, Doug and Blast know my name and address. They asked for it when I came on board as a moderator.

Posting under a pseudonym gives me some freedom that I wouldn't have otherwise. I would not, for example, feel comfortable posting publicly about the timing of a vacation, the guns I own, or a few other things.

Stephen, FWIW, I don't think your OP came off as being a jerk or anything. You have a legit question, and one that frankly hasn't come up here too often (that I can recall). So kudos for at least starting a new topic!

Chaosmagnet, when Blast and Doug wanted your name, did you get theirs too? Anything end up missing a week later?