HELP! So where do we go from here folks?

[Woodpecker]

I’ll be honest, I’m a “younger” member in age than a lot of the fellas here, but the homo/gay/bathroom humor gets real old, real fast. I personally know of a couple of people who have left because of it - what should be a place we can share some solid information, has to be weeded through a lot of BS sometimes. I understand the guys are going to bust balls from time to time, and I accept that and have been a part of it. IDK what I’m trying to say other than sometimes it goes way too far IMO. Take that for what it’s worth.

I appreciate your candor, and I’ve been guilty of that at times myself. Honestly though I can’t see that going away completely. It’s been like that from the beginning when a bunch of riff raff migrated from AS. It’s constructive feedback for the mods though. I think that perhaps trying to keep that in the many banter/off topic type threads and out of info threads would be a good standard to aspire to.

 

[hacskaroly]

I appreciate this forum, this is the only form of social media that I do and I don't do it for the social part...There is lots of great information here and lots of very knowledgeable people here. If I have a question that has not been answered yet, I don't hesitate to ask because I know someone has already been through it and can offer a good suggestion, part # or tool to use to accomplish the task. It is good to see new members coming on and getting active, its a bummer when some of the old ones leave due to drama (or dying), but it is the world we live in and people will be people.

Going forward? I’d say just be helpful to people by sharing the knowledge. Be an honest seller. Remember why you came here in the first place. Hate to see people disagree on things but that’s life I guess. I appreciate everyone that has posted useful information over the years and anyone that has helped me to find parts. Even the folks that give me a good laugh in the off-topic threads.

Amen!

 

[SawAddictedFarmer]

Grew up on forums for my hobbies over the years. It was almost the only public way at one point for people to come together with a common interest, share knowledge and buy/sell. Things changed when Facebook added the groups feature and a lot of forum users flocked that way. The upkeep on forum software such as Vbulletin and Phpbb became a pain for administrators to keep up with.

I was pleasantly surprised to find forums such as OPE and AS were still active when I got into chainsaws around 2018. A nice backlog of informational posts but you could tell things were aging by the number of broken photo embeds and no longer available URLs. I didn’t feel the need to participate in the discussion as much as I was basically combing through all the older posts. AS seemed more active At the time so I listed items for sale there. Then it seemed to lose the plot in 2020 leading up to the election.

I found my way back to OPE as I became familiar with certain names that were associated with port work. Some of the ones that seemed well respected and experienced were based here. It was definitely ‘old school’ to me that after sending a direct message to someone about buying parts etc, the response was ‘call me’. I don’t hang with any chainsaw guys locally, so it was good to have a chat about things.

This is a good forum. Good information is there, but maybe the conversations have gone a bit more off-topic because the members that have been here a while have ‘seen it all’. There are newer generations of OPE enthusiasts, and they need you.

I’ve been trying to let people get to know me by posting a bit more versus just dropping in looking for saws and parts. There are definitely times when I get the ‘who is this guy?’ vibe, but that *s-word is water off a ducks back for me these days. Not to say that this place isn’t welcoming…

Going forward? I’d say just be helpful to people by sharing the knowledge. Be an honest seller. Remember why you came here in the first place. Hate to see people disagree on things but that’s life I guess. I appreciate everyone that has posted useful information over the years and anyone that has helped me to find parts. Even the folks that give me a good laugh in the off-topic threads.

MOGA

Disagreements aren't necessarily a bad thing...
It's when people can't work around them that you have problems.
Good advice!

 

[59billy]

It’s constructive feedback for the mods though. I think that perhaps trying to keep that in the many banter/off topic type threads and out of info threads would be a good standard to aspire to.

I was just thinking that. I might make a crude remark in a cluster jerk thread, but a new member trying to find out what chain to buy for his cs590 doesn't need to wade through that kind of horsehockey.

 

[SawAddictedFarmer]

Who's responsible for username changes?

 

[SawAddictedFarmer]

@Gentleman isn't replying

 

[59billy]

Another thought about new guys and old timers. I've been reading a lot of old threads because im working on old saws, and it struck me that the guy asking naive, obvious questions today might be the Grand Porting Guru in 10 or 15 years. Let's make this welcoming place for beginners. That's how this hobby/pursuit/obsession/profession will grow.

 

[oddsaws]

@Gentleman isn't replying

Did you try changing your username through the profile setting?

 

[SawAddictedFarmer]

Did you try changing your username through the profile setting?

???

 

[oddsaws]

???

Go here https://opeforum.com/account/account-details

You can enter the new username and hit save. Then wait for approval

 

[59billy]

Go here https://opeforum.com/account/account-details

You can enter the new username and hit save. Then wait for approval

That link reminded me that I need to update my AIM and ICQ IDs.

 

[SawAddictedFarmer]

You may next change your username on or after Oct 3, 2025. This is all I'm getting. Maybe I'm too new?

 

[sawmikaze]

I’ll be honest, I’m a “younger” member in age than a lot of the fellas here, but the homo/gay/bathroom humor gets real old, real fast. I personally know of a couple of people who have left because of it - what should be a place we can share some solid information, has to be weeded through a lot of BS sometimes. I understand the guys are going to bust balls from time to time, and I accept that and have been a part of it. IDK what I’m trying to say other than sometimes it goes way too far IMO. Take that for what it’s worth.

I just Canceled the group hug in the shower.

 

[59billy]

I just Canceled the group hug in the shower.

One by one, the sacred old traditions are abandoned, and our tribe is diminished.

 

[Only the Tony]

There has been a lot of good done on this forum for members who have had a hard turn on life. I don't know what all was said or done behind closed doors for us general members, but there are several long standing members who have always stepped forward to do what they could to make things right. Offhand,I cannot think of a single waffle that Randy did not step up and offer saws or services toward, just as many of the other long timers. Several saws repaired with donated parts and time from the same people to right a wrong from a unscrupulous seller/builder. Sometimes that went south as well such as the case with the potted meathead. There comes a breaking point in every persons life, be it with age or experience, where we say we are tired of dealing with the negative side and sometimes lash out. I am far from a saint and as I age it takes less to end up on my crap list, but it is usually because I have tried to help and been taken advantage of too many times. We all chase or are chased our own demons.

 

[Only the Tony]

I just Canceled the group hug in the shower.

Offering one-on-one therapy sessions now?

 

[SawAddictedFarmer]

There has been a lot of good done on this forum for members who have had a hard turn on life. I don't know what all was said or done behind closed doors for us general members, but there are several long standing members who have always stepped forward to do what they could to make things right. Offhand,I cannot think of a single waffle that Randy did not step up and offer saws or services toward, just as many of the other long timers. Several saws repaired with donated parts and time from the same people to right a wrong from a unscrupulous seller/builder. Sometimes that went south as well such as the case with the potted meathead. There comes a breaking point in every persons life, be it with age or experience, where we say we are tired of dealing with the negative side and sometimes lash out. I am far from a saint and as I age it takes less to end up on my crap list, but it is usually because I have tried to help and been taken advantage of too many times. We all chase or are chased our own demons.

Spot on.
I would be the first to welcome Randy if he decides to come back.
I just don't feel like I would want him as a mod.

 

[Loony661]

I appreciate your candor, and I’ve been guilty of that at times myself. Honestly though I can’t see that going away completely. It’s been like that from the beginning when a bunch of riff raff migrated from AS. It’s constructive feedback for the mods though. I think that perhaps trying to keep that in the many banter/off topic type threads and out of info threads would be a good standard to aspire to.

I certainly don’t expect it to end. Limiting it to the Off Topic threads would be a great goal, IMO. But that would need to be moderated.

 

[JoeDirt]

I’ll be honest, I’m a “younger” member in age than a lot of the fellas here, but the homo/gay/bathroom humor gets real old, real fast. I personally know of a couple of people who have left because of it - what should be a place we can share some solid information, has to be weeded through a lot of BS sometimes. I understand the guys are going to bust balls from time to time, and I accept that and have been a part of it. IDK what I’m trying to say other than sometimes it goes way too far IMO. Take that for what it’s worth.

Well hate to break it to you but you’re gonna hate it when Dallas gets made chief moderator.

 

[Loony661]

I just Canceled the group hug in the shower.

Thanks, I’m shy when I’m cold, and there’s no way we can all be in hot water at the same time.