Gail in Virginia Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 " The real reason for this thread got lost in the mud pages ago. An ATX client was having the same problem with rollovers on a NEW computer that I had. Since Jack fixed my problem, I referred that post to Jack. I believe Jack contacted the poster directly and helped him. From then on bedlam ensued. I thought this was supposed to be a tax board wherein we could help each other with program and tax issues. In addition, there are friendly and conversational threads clearly marked; between some of us who have "known" each other for a long time. I don't care how you resolve these jump-in posts that clearly lead the thread astray. But, please do try to put an end to them. I am getting a headache." I thought before I commented on this thread, that maybe it would be better to start a new, more clearly labeled thread. Quite often, as this board is conversational in tone, the subject of the thread winds up far astray from the original posting. I expected that to lessen once we had a separate forum for political posts, but since the tone is conversational I don't think it will ever completely go away. Most of the time I don't have a problem with that, and I think that friendly tone is what makes it hard for newcomers and the moderators to judge what and when to shut down these random offshoots from the original thread. Many times, all that is necessary is to ignore the off-topic posts and make a post that gets the thread back on topic. I really don't want this board to lose the informality we have had in the past, but I also don't want to see it degenerate into just a few posters arguing back and forth over everything that is said. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 I agree.It's Jan 6 - time to get down to business on this part of the forum.All the personal jabs and innuendo should be saved for the "Politics" section, which is still going strong for those of us who want to indulge the urge to lob a few grenades at one another from time-to-time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRS Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 " The real reason for this thread got lost in the mud pages ago. An ATX client was having the same problem with rollovers on a NEW computer that I had. Since Jack fixed my problem, I referred that post to Jack. I believe Jack contacted the poster directly and helped him. From then on bedlam ensued. I thought this was supposed to be a tax board wherein we could help each other with program and tax issues. In addition, there are friendly and conversational threads clearly marked; between some of us who have "known" each other for a long time. I don't care how you resolve these jump-in posts that clearly lead the thread astray. But, please do try to put an end to them. I am getting a headache." I thought before I commented on this thread, that maybe it would be better to start a new, more clearly labeled thread. Quite often, as this board is conversational in tone, the subject of the thread winds up far astray from the original posting. I expected that to lessen once we had a separate forum for political posts, but since the tone is conversational I don't think it will ever completely go away. Most of the time I don't have a problem with that, and I think that friendly tone is what makes it hard for newcomers and the moderators to judge what and when to shut down these random offshoots from the original thread. Many times, all that is necessary is to ignore the off-topic posts and make a post that gets the thread back on topic. I really don't want this board to lose the informality we have had in the past, but I also don't want to see it degenerate into just a few posters arguing back and forth over everything that is said. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all. I am shouting...THANK YOU GAIL!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRS Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 Even though I am now with Drake, (cost and concerns), I go on this board multiple times a day, looking for insight and problem solving not haggling and "sniping." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 I am shouting...THANK YOU GAIL!!!! I am also shouting ...THANK YOU GAIL!!!!! As the poster of the original headache post, I stand behind it! Yes, it is often better to say nothing at all. But, when a serious question about a serious problem is posted, it should not be railroaded into something it was not meant to be. I had that same problem and Jack fixed it. Posters on the other ATX board are clamoring for an answer to the same question. I thought this was a place that Eric (bless him) had created for us to come together to share our tax questions and answers. I have no objection at all to the Jokes or the NT posts, but none of that belonged in that original thread. What happened to our companionship and dignity? Others have left this board because of innuendoes and downright mud slinging. More will if this keeps up. Many of us have become "friends" over the years even beyond this site. Many PMs are posted and often. This is the place I head when I need a friend or a tax answer. I have learned more here than I ever learned from a book. I would like us to become a Tax Family once again. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFA Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 I am still fairly new to the ATXcommunity. I visit the site regularly and sometimes add a post. There are some really smart participants here, offering great information and strategies. However, at times it can be intimidating to some of us who do not want to feel belittled when asking a question, especially if it has unknowingly been covered in some way in a previous topic. I have read and felt that some "regulars" are exasperated by us newer participants because we are not always up-to-date with all the topics. I am uncomfortable with the squabbling. This site should lift us all up. I vote to keep this site friendly and professional. As for hi-jacking . . . any time it gets "personal" the thread is on its way down hill. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 I really try to focus on the technical aspects of keeping the forum going. I hate dealing with the squabbling. Sometimes I feel like my 2 year olds can be more civil to each other. I think Gail put it well -- it's not easy to strike a balance between keeping the informal/conversational tone and keeping the threads on track. I don't want the mods to go full-on police state, but it might not be a bad idea for the mods to be slightly more aggressive about hiding posts that are obviously derailing a topic. As always, suggestions are welcome about how to determine when a post needs to be hidden. We'll do our best to sort it out. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 I am still fairly new to the ATXcommunity. I visit the site regularly and sometimes add a post. There are some really smart participants here, offering great information and strategies. However, at times it can be intimidating to some of us who do not want to feel belittled when asking a question, especially if it has unknowingly been covered in some way in a previous topic. I have read and felt that some "regulars" are exasperated by us newer participants because we are not always up-to-date with all the topics. I am uncomfortable with the squabbling. This site should lift us all up. I vote to keep this site friendly and professional. As for hi-jacking . . . any time it gets "personal" the thread is on its way down hill. That is part of the issue. You should NEVER feel intimidated here. It never used to be that way. People get tense during tax season but it is inexcusable for anyone to belittle any question. There used to be an often cited quote used here. "No question is stupid". No question is too simple not to deserve a courteous answer. To the poster, the question might be huge. Let's all try harder to keep harmony on this site. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelmars Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 How about an "unlike" button and maybe after the post gets 10 unlikes it gets removed? that way the moderators are out of it. I get real tired of the in-fighting but especially in general chat, political chat lends itself to fighting and as long as its more than ad-homonym attacks, it can be interesting. A technical post that requires specific answers should never get hijacked or personal. For those that don't recognize the difference; if I say I hate ATX then I expect someone to blast me but if I say proseries loads in half the time for me then that is a statement that shouldn't get blasted. the proper answer would be, what is your hardware, configuration etc. [btw those are just examples, I am not endorsing ps over atx] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneInAlabama Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 >>How about an "unlike" button and maybe after the post gets 10 unlikes it gets removed?<< I think that is an excellent idea. Maybe something less than 10 unlikes. Maybe 5. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pencil Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all. I haven't said anything yet in this thread or the original, though I have otherwise been an active and controversial poster since joining last September. I have clicked the "Report" button twice, and both times got immediate action from the moderators. Both times (once here and once in Politics) I felt a post was improper even though it was generally on topic. The report allows a member to give a free-form explanation. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jklcpa Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 I haven't said anything yet in this thread or the original, though I have otherwise been an active and controversial poster since joining last September. I have clicked the "Report" button twice, and both times got immediate action from the moderators. Both times (once here and once in Politics) I felt a post was improper even though it was generally on topic. The report allows a member to give a free-form explanation. Mr. Pencil, thank you for mentioning the "report" function that I would like to encourage people to use. In addition to be moderators, KC and I use the forum just like the rest of you by coming here to share ideas, help others, or we might pop on to quickly search the forum for posts that address a specific issue we are encountering in our work that day. I have my notifications set up so that I see a red number at the top of my screen any time a post is reported, much like the rest of you see when a PM is sent to you. This allows me to very quickly go to that reported post and see what the problem is without wading through all of the new posts that have occurred since my last visit. What is offensive to you might not seem so bad to me or to KC, and without you telling us, we have no way of knowing that a post or particular topic is bothering some of you. You shouldn't feel bad about using the "report" function either; you aren't being a tattletale. Try to think of it as raising your hand in class and giving us a heads up that will draw our attention more quickly to a post or topic. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I agree, the 'report' button helps us do our job as mods. And I agree with Eric, we probably should 'hide' more of the hi-jack posts. Better to do that than to let it escalate to where we need to warn or worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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