A Humble Plea to the ECF Community

[Thrasher]

Im not a facebook status, you dont have to like what I say.

vaping as a sport or for cred isnt what this about. And its fightin time when people who didnt even smoke lecture me about my choices becuase I dont want to run 90 watts through piano wire So therefore I cant be enjoying my setup.

Video killed the radio star
internet killed the video star

Its the internet, ignor it and move on

 

[OlderNDirt]

Thanks for the much needed reminder! I'll do my best to revert to my childhood days when I was told "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." But I'll update it to "think before you hit enter", which I have done on occasion and hit cancel.

 

[Alien Traveler]

Yup. I'm 33 and I've been online since, before Google. MySpace was the end. The average came and they ruined a good thing. They started spelling things all stupid, ending every sentence with a smiley.. Cause we had 3 at the time happy sad and wink. Now there's dogs and pizza..

Anyways, you can't get bent out of shape about how people act on here. It's terrible because that's the true nature of people. Sad but true. The old days of the repressed coming online to escape those people are long gone.

I agree.
I am online for 20+ years.

 

[SueandCootie]

I try to always be kind, here and everywhere...

You can disagree with someone completely, yet be polite and thoughtful in your response, if you take a deep breath and think about it.

I've thought this to be easily the most friendly and helpful forum I've seen, and even though we enjoy different aspects of this thing called vaping that gathers us here, I always hope that everyone here, in pursuit of a healthier life, will continue to welcome and help each other.

A fantasy, perhaps, but after all these years I still wish to come here and enjoy a positive vibe...a rare thing these days as others have pointed out. Sadly there will always be people everywhere who enjoy confrontation, but I hope new members will recognize that and enjoy everyone else's company here.

 

[AndriaD]

Wow that's a lot of writing to basically say "I wish people were better."

Its the Internet. It sucks. 15 years ago you kinda had to be smart to get on forums and usenet groups, but with smartphones and ipads and Tapatalk, the average got in, and the average is stupid. That's just what it is. I ignore it. You can't get offended by everything you see, and you can't assume everyone else is going to get offended either. Most people know to ignore the idiots. It's like spam, or that obnoxious person in front of you at the super market that wants their pasta price checked because they could have sworn they saw a sign that said 9 for 99 cents.

So true. Some years ago, I received an email from someone I had known back in the old (late 80s-early 90s) BBS days when the internet was still just a gov't thing -- his comment to me: "remember when you had to ACTUALLY KNOW SOMETHING to get online?" Nowadays I bet very few even know what a UART is, let alone why they might need a high-speed UART that was capable of port-locking. For which you needed a FOSSIL driver.


Andria

 

[Robino1]

Don't really need to know what a UART or a FOSSIL driver is, unless I really want to delve into what makes a computer tick.

I still can't grasp the concept of how they get sound to carry through the telephone.

Just because I don't know what those things are or how things work, does not mean that I am open for facepalms or abuse verbally.

I am sure there are things that I do know that others do not. I will not make fun of or deride someone just because they do not.

It is called respect.

 

[Ou2mame]

Hahaha yeah.. I remember bbs', thats way back. On my compaq 386.. Oh man thats a memory. When I was 14 i moved from Florida to NY and took a train cause my desktop was in my suitcase and I didn't trust the airline or shipping companies. I totally forgot about that. On the train ride I read the caldera Linux Bible lol

I used to hack into netzero though their email server to get free dialup before we got an isdn, years before cable trials were in my neighborhood. Back then you needed to be smart to get online, and you also needed to have a reason. Now everyone is online all the time. It's very different. It was more respectful back then. There was even irc etiquette. You logged in and nobody knew what you looked like but they said hi. Didn't know your sex didn't care. Then when AOL came out, it brought ASL!! Ugh. That was the end.

 

[OlderNDirt]

So true. Some years ago, I received an email from someone I had known back in the old (late 80s-early 90s) BBS days when the internet was still just a gov't thing -- his comment to me: "remember when you had to ACTUALLY KNOW SOMETHING to get online?" Nowadays I bet very few even know what a UART is, let alone why they might need a high-speed UART that was capable of port-locking. For which you needed a FOSSIL driver.


Andria

UART probably right about that! But I prefer the Ping over the FOSSIL driver.

 

[AndriaD]

Hahaha yeah.. I remember bbs', thats way back. On my compaq 386.. Oh man thats a memory. When I was 14 i moved from Florida to NY and took a train cause my desktop was in my suitcase and I didn't trust the airline or shipping companies. I totally forgot about that. On the train ride I read the caldera Linux Bible lol

I used to hack into netzero though their email server to get free dialup before we got an isdn, years before cable trials were in my neighborhood. Back then you needed to be smart to get online, and you also needed to have a reason. Now everyone is online all the time. It's very different. It was more respectful back then. There was even irc etiquette. You logged in and nobody knew what you looked like but they said hi. Didn't know your sex didn't care. Then when AOL came out, it brought ASL!! Ugh. That was the end.

I once *ran* a BBS on a Tandy 1000SL with 2 floppies and 640k, and a 2400 bps modem. Since I had that whopping 640k, I could run a "RAMdisk" to handle stuff that needed faster response -- like logging in.

I sure don't miss having to have a 2nd dedicated phone line!

Andria

PS: this is especially amusing to me in light of the laptop I just got -- 64-bit quad-core i5, and 16 GIGAbytes of RAM.

 

[Ou2mame]

I had a coleco Adam...... Haha still have it somewhere at my dad's. We had a tandy, an IBM XT with the best keyboard ever produced. Click click click...I setup a bbs when I was a kid, but it was just me, my neighbor, and my science teacher.. nobody had a computer back then

My phone is more powerful than most of the computers I've owed.

 

[Bigflyrodder]

I too am very grateful for ECF and all of the wonderful people here and agree that there is absolutely no need or place for condescending attitudes here. Who's to say what is right or wrong as far as style and taste goes? I have jumped in in the past to try and impart some safety wisdom as there seemed to be a big influx of younger people brand new to vaping that wanted to "blow clouds" without any knowledge of battery safety but that was just to try and be helpful, not to judge in any way.

I have been in a fairly constant state of flux when it comes to vaping and like to try it all. Case in point I have carto tanks, mech mods, Reos, RTAs, RDAs, and DNA40 devices all in use right now and love them all for what they are.

What I do know is that vaping has kept me away from smoking for over a year now and for me that's the whole point. OK, it has become a hobby or maybe even an addiction of its own but not smoking is a win in my book.

I agree the internet can be an aggravating place as electronic communication often makes people brave/foolish enough to say things they would never say to someone's face. When that happens I just remind myself of one of my favorite sayings....

"You can't fix stupid"

 

[CMD-Ky]

I have a REO. My daughter has an EGO. We are both happy, I spend hours fooling with stuff as I like to do; she spends minutes, she hates fooling with stuff she is the original plug and play gal..

Hi ECF,

I've been a member here on ECF for nearly 4 years now, and one thing that keeps me coming back is the positive atmosphere and sense of community. There are many helpful, knowledgeable, and kind people here that go above and beyond when it comes to helping out fellow vapers, and for this I am extremely grateful. Unfortunately, for some time now I've noticed an increasing trend of being judgmental and condescending towards other people's vaping style and preferences.

Whether vaping with an eGo battery at 7 watts or a .2 ohm build on a 150 watt box, we are all still vapers. We all made an extremely positive change from smoking cigarettes (well, most of us) to the fun and enjoyable world of vaping, but it seems some people are forgetting our common interest and accomplishment and instead focus on the differences, and use those differences to deride others.

Not everybody needs a high-powered device, plenty of people are perfectly happy with a more moderate vape and they aren't any less of a "real vaper" than those with high power or high-end setups. Alternatively, not everyone is satisfied vaping at lower power levels or with cheaper gear, and it does not make someone an immature showoff because they seek out higher performance and/or higher end equipment.

I have seen more examples than I can even begin to remember of thinly veiled insults aimed at people looking for bigger clouds or more power, just as I have seen plenty of useless suggestions when people pressure someone into a piece of equipment that they have made perfectly clear they have no interest in.

So I make a humble request of my fellow vapers here on ECF:

Please show respect towards the vaping style/preference of others.
​

Thanks for your time

 

[classwife]

I love it when a thread like this pops up - and we were due

It's always good for a reminder and an adjustment to curb the enthusiasm, to help the new person and to actually read what they are asking for.


Reply to their needs...they may change later...but the need that they have at the time of the question is the one that needs attending.


There's nothing worse than being told that what you just spent your hard earned money on is crap just because you have bigger/better.

 

[Vicman]

Thanks for the much needed reminder! I'll do my best to revert to my childhood days when I was told "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." But I'll update it to "think before you hit enter", which I have done on occasion and hit cancel.

I do that a lot. Kind of think I have more posts that I hit cancel on than posted ones. Sometimes it's because I know it will cause me to become part of the drama in a thread, others because I did not fact check something which I was unsure about and too lazy to search, and others because I felt what I was going to say would not add to the conversation. Much like this post of mine

 

[CMD-Ky]

Like you, I like that cancel button. Many times when I was a worker, I could have used it or a large piece of packaging tape. I finally had a sign made which I put in front of me, "Think it, don't say it".

Thanks for the much needed reminder! I'll do my best to revert to my childhood days when I was told "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." But I'll update it to "think before you hit enter", which I have done on occasion and hit cancel.

 

[Robino1]

I love it when a thread like this pops up - and we were due

It's always good for a reminder and an adjustment to curb the enthusiasm, to help the new person and to actually read what they are asking for.


Reply to their needs...they may change later...but the need that they have at the time of the question is the one that needs attending.


There's nothing worse than being told that what you just spent your hard earned money on is crap just because you have bigger/better.

About the time one is due, it does come up mostly because it becomes Needed.

 

[Niten13]

Well spoken UncleChuck, I have been waiting for an ECF Veteran to post something similar for the past month or so! That Veteran Status gives you respect in my eyes as it should other vapers, new and experienced.
Lets all keep the peace here in the community so that we can function with unity while being individuals.

 

[Grimwald]

I must admit that there are many times that I bite my tongue (or should that be bite my fingers) when someone starts criticizing someone's set-up.

I was a new guy once, chasing all of the new shiny objects. Back then it was Vivi Novas or Protanks on a Vamo or Provari or--god forbid--an Ego. At some point I stopped chasing new shiny objects and just settled down with my old not so shiny anymore objects. That doesn't make me any less a vaper.

It does mean that I can't really chime in to most of the discussions these days, but I do occasionally find a thread (like this one) where I can offer an opinion.

Just remember that many people still start with blister packs or simple starter kits. It's not wrong or bad. I bet that thousands of current vapers started with those, so there must be some redeeming value.

 

[DC2]

It's not just a rant about people being jerks, it's an active request for people to think about how they interact with other members here. I don't believe everyone who behaves the way I described does so because they enjoy belittling others, but because they just don't really put much thought into what they are posting unless someone brings it up. Hopefully at least a few people will think quietly to themselves and say "hey, maybe I'll just keep quiet next time that snide remark pops up in my head"

The internet in general may suck, but ECF does not, and I'd like to keep it that way. It's us, as members of the community, who need to demand higher standards to avoid things devolving into something akin to YouTube's comment section.

For those who haven't been around as long as I have...
It has been slowly changing, and slowly getting more like other forums...

But it's still better than most.

Having said that, it is sad that this place is becoming more like others each day.
That's the price to be paid when a forum becomes this large.

In fact, it's quite amazing it has been taking so long for this change to come about here.
I guess that's due to the rules here, and the diligence of the moderators.

But it's happening, and those who have been around for years can see it pretty clearly.

All we used to care about around here was helping people learn to vape to get off the smokes.
Now it seems there are people that care way too much about a whole lot of other meaningless crap.

 

[CMD-Ky]

And, not to be complete sycophant, the moderators do a good job keeping things in line - except when they delete my posts and then they are nothing but arbitrary, capricious and dictatorial. But for all the others it's OK.