Keeping the Forum Friendly

I agree with Caron a - I've picked up loads of useful info on here. I'm certainly no expert, just someone who enjoys myself and is eager to learn as much as I can, as quick as I can, so reading all the info that some of the posters on here have just fuels my enthusiasm to get back on the snow, and put in to practice as much as I can remember!

Juliet - please don't not post again - i'm sure that any hostility you feel is not intentional :)

Rossfrae, this is an interesting topic. If we reply honestly, we have to open our hearts, a la Pavel.

First, I believe that AJ and Rose sum up the site values, imparting quetions and knowledge to each other, at whatever level, and with good humour. Well Ok, AJ and Caron-A do go a bit overboard....

Then, I am sure that many folk think that Ise, Bandit, and Tony-H hold very strong opinions, and these often seem to clash. But this remains mostly informative, and when it steps into the piste verboten, we have a strong, humourous and fair Admin.

I think it is great to hear the views of people who have only a week or two ski experience, it takes me back... ermm, a year or ten. Every view is valid.

Juliet,

j2ski has found good skiers. I ski reds and I'm scared of blacks

This is about the most honest self-appraisal, I have read on any ski site. But I can remember being scared on the beginners slopes. Improving our skiing is about learning off each other, be that an instructor, friend, better skier, group, from books, whatever.

Therefore it follows that in order for us all to learn, we need a range of view, abilities, experiences, knowledge, and .....characters. You might find that you would not learn too much off a site where there were few experienced skiers.

Juliet, you must post again, your input is valid.

I do not care to compare with snowheads, or any other kind of ....heads. Logging in to J2Ski is a bit like calling into your local pub, or even the Bichlwirt.

Damn, I've plugged Niederau again. Sorry folks....

julietP wrote:I wouldn't like to think I was 'flagging' up an issue at all. However, I am sure that your message is aimed at me.

The reason j2ski is not the #1 ski website (when it should be really) is because it is cliquey. There are no show offs on 'snowheads' but then again there isn't the knowledge on snowheads that there is on so j2ski. J2ski has created a niche in that regard.

j2ski has found good skiers. I ski reds and I'm scared of blacks. I don't feel good enough for this forum and that is how this forum makes people feel.

I won't repeat myself but there are people on this forum who I really admire.

I'm not too sure I'll post again.

Fair points. Didnt realise anyone was linking their skiing ability with the feeling of "welcomeness" (if thats even a word haha) on here? As has been said, theres top level skiers on here and people who have never put their foot in a ski boot :lol:

Here's my tuppence worth:

There is no doubt that some posters are more expert than others and occasionally those views can be expressed in slightly trechant terms. However,I have rarely considered these to be intentionally hostile. Of course, there will be the odd time where a poster should really have reflected on what they were saying before hitting the "submit" button but I wouldn't let that influence my attitude to the forum as a a whole.

Like Juliet, I would be a competent red skier and manage black in most conditions but would be long way from expert, do not own my own skis and have little idea about the technology. However, I find the site is fun, helps me manage my obsession with the sport :lol:, is often inspiring (especially Pavel's posts) and provides a huge amount of information that ranges from the obscure of interest only to the experts who ski all reason through to the banal that anybody who has skied more than a few times will be familiar. The beauty is you pick what interests you an engage with that.

I don't think anybody should feel put out by the forum, even where they are the subject of a robust response :!: Like DaveMac, I consider logging on as meeting up with a few friends and like all groups of friends, the odd one can be a bit of an a***hole occasionally :twisted:. And like any group of friends, sometimes you have to put with a little bit of it, as long as it does not get too pervasive.

Stick with us Juliet :lol:.

Wanderer wrote:Of course, there will be the odd time where a poster should really have reflected on what they were saying before hitting the "submit" button

DOH!

having re-read my post this morning it sounds quite harsh and probably exactly the sort of thing you were talking about... sorry juliet :oops: [darn that rose wine!]

in all seriousness though, these people have helped me through the hardest year of my life with their encouragement, support and advice. It would've been a very different year had I never posted after my accident. stick with it juliet.

love you guys. thanks. gush, gush :P

When it all becomes too serious, and the fun is lost from it, it's time to move on.

We all have the same passion, albeit on different levels. We all come here to share our stories and learn something. Lets not forget we all started somewhere and we have all asked stupid questions, fallen on our arses (or usually head in my case), done lots we are personally proud of as well as lots we would rather forget.

I enjoy nearly everyones humour on this site, and ignore those I don't.

Lets be honest, until the day we meet, we are all just a set of code on a screen. Don't let it put you off or tarnish something you love.

Juliet, it would be a shame to see you go!! But only you know what you have to do and good luck with your choice )











Save the whales!!!

Ross, great thread and very timely – Thanks!

Juliet, there are very few times in life when ones experience can truly be said to enrich another’s, I think J2Ski may be one of them. For myself I post almost exclusively for the aid and interest of those who are either just considering entering our sport or who are keen to explore its deeper mysteries. What I absolutely don’t want is to have a contest going on between “experts”. Not only is that terminally boring for everyone but it creates a culture which is totally at odds with the “come on in and ask anything” one which I believe J2Ski enjoys so much of the time.

So Juliet PLEASE don’t go! I know how I felt when I joined a Mountain Bike Forum (about which I know very little) and got either ignored or laughed at by the sages there.

Which brings me back to my opening thought about the sharing of experience – I am very glad if even one person finds something I post of use.

The trouble starts when there is a conflict of personality and the written medium fails to express all the subtle nuances that exist in verbal communications. So for example it’s very hard to convey irony or sarcasm in plain text especially as most posts are really little more than a jotted down thought, created in the moment and submitted before any real censoring has occurred. I believe this is how the little bits of tension that arise here are started and then escalate.

The danger which exists it that everyone stops making spontaneous posts. All the life and fun would drain from the site and any posts would be more like essay submissions for an end of term exam.

One last thought – My person motto is “Teach a wise man and he will be wiser!” One of the reasons I so enjoy reading ALL the posts here – Even the ones I don’t like or agree with!

Vive la difference!

Jan

I fit in the category “never put a foot in a ski boot”. However soon after I’ve booked my FIRST skiing holiday I started posting here, one of the things that made me feel very welcome was the fact that everyone in here was pretty friendly and informative. I’ve exchanged PM’s with AJ and Tony and both have been immensely patient with my newbie questions that I’m ashamed to ask in the open forum, (I can come up with pretty silly stuff…believe me). It’s true that sometimes you get a hard answer but if you are chatting to your friends and someone gives you an harsh answer you try to put your point across don’t just walk away. I don’t hang around in any other ski related forum, but I’m a long term poster in a bass forum, and sometimes we disagree, there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as everyone respects others opinions, it’s all good. The ones that don’t contribute to the forum in a valuable way, you should just ignore and they eventually go away.