Why Can't There Be A Forum Only About Prepping And Survival...???

Maybe if you feel that there are better ways of doing things such as caching or living off grid than what is posted then you should lead others to that line of thinking . Why does what is written in another section of this forum such as movies or humor have any adverse effect on what advanced information that you may have as far as caching things or any other topic? I don't see why a humor section keeps you from sharing ideas or expanding other people's knowledge in a topic that you may be an expert in.

Because someone likes to post a joke every once in awhile does that make them any less serious about preparedness than someone who does not? I say it does not.

It sounds to me more like you are making judgements about people that you do not know in RL based on whether or not they post in a humor thread or not if that is the case.

Now because you like to cache things or live in a hermit hole in the deepest parts of Africa does that make you smarter or a better prepper or survivalist than anyone else?

Maybe it does and then maybe it does not. There are many different ways to prepare and many different things to prepare for.

To be honest I think there is a huge difference in preparedness and survivalist. You seem to me to be more interested in the survivalist aspect than in the preparedness aspect but then that would be me making a judgement call on someone I do not know in RL. Not my place to make that call.

I do post in the humor section as you well know but I would be very interested in the knowledge that you know about caching things. Why wouldn't you share it? What difference does it make if someone scampers off to plagiarize your post and share it with others? If that is an issue perhaps you need to start a blog to post your information and hire a lawyer to sue anyone who C&P your info and re-posts it as theirs. There is such a thing as copyright you know.

 

Good afternoon IBME,

I agree with the thrust of your point of view.

I go even further. A club for in-person meetings is required to teach / discuss certain prepper themes.

No way south of Polaris would I place on the web the criteria a prepper must develop for a successful evacuation, whether by private vehicle or infantry style. It's all valuable but just not for the general public.

Meanwhile, while huddling around the pot-belly stove, ......

 

I belong to many forms I post slot of stuff some that I know have never been seen by most people and I get people viewing it but never post it did not mean I did not help someone if you start talking about ham radio I pass viewing that because that don't interested me I been told a million times why gun is so much better than a bow but to me they're notand most guns and everybody talks about are AR-15 a high-powered rifles and stuff but to me Mr Keith has it figured out a flintlock or black powder gun and survival situation will probably do more than any of the other gun so as far as different topics and stuff and everybody has different interests I think a lot of these topics should be there made to fit the forum the ones that get me or the ones that started talking politics I hate politics I think then a lot of us here in the US there's a bunch of lies that a lot of people feed into if they only really knew the truth about half the stuff people they vote for probably the people that voted for.

 

IBME and Grizzlyadams you both make valid points that I agree with . Beginner preppers need to be presented ideas they may have not thought of . On the other hand I have noticed threads being started and members quickly contribute to , that have nothing to do with prepping or survival . I like the occasional humor but this trend to present threads that has nothing to do with prepping and survival is threatening the existence of this forum . I and , I am sure a lot of our members have clicked on a survival forum only to find out they have nothing to do with survival or prepping " a lost and taken over forum " by non preppers " . I for one would have no problem with the powers in charge to start deleting these off topic threads .

 

The off-survival-topic posts are pretty much posted in the "Hangout" subforum (which is why it was created, and every survival board I have ever seen has something similar).

The problem is that ALL of the posts show up en masse in the sidebar "Recent Activity" and "Active Threads" tabs, which gives the false impression that this is mostly what this whole board is about...

It would be wonderful if only survival type topics showed up there, and the Hangout posts stay IN the Hangout forum and not clutter up the feed so much. But, the forum software may not have this capability...I dunno.


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Polt, please re-read my earlier post... I edited it for more clarity.


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Just thought of something...

If there was another subforum here where you needed to get permission to gain access... none of the posts in that subforum would show up on the sidebar activity queue. Nor would it show up on Google.

THIS would also be the perfect place to put the "Advanced Survival" topics (some of which I suspect is running off more than a few folks).


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I think "WE" should get down and dirty in this thread going forward. There is some stuff that that needs talked about. Or there is risk to the forum and the forum owner and maybe some members. So as long as we cross that line and ruffle a few feathers.......then Hells'bells, lets let it all hang out.

1.) We need a special place that is out of the eyes of Guests. and "Robots", and the bogyman. I have noticed several threads that lead to members talking about shooting people, yes they carefully word it, but sometimes not so carefully worded. Clearly when there is talk of "HUNTING" people down and shooting them, you can word it as cleaver as possible it is still crossing the line.

2.) So what do you think need consideration.......???

 

^^^This is true, and can be a problem in more ways than some may realize.

For one thing...some may think that speculating on future "what-ifs" is perfectly OK. Back in the day before terrorism became a household word, it might not have raised an eyebrow.

But now, because of increased government monitoring of social media (which forums are very much a part of) with "location-based tracking, persistent keyword monitoring, and access to one's personal social media history," that kind of speculation has the potential of putting the entire site and its members in an uncomfortable category.

Those who are not sure of what I am referring to, take a look the first post in this thread: https://mysurvivalforum.com/threads/fbi-to-ramp-up-social-media-surveillance.6755/

So, a good rule of thumb that most people go by is not a bad one: if something is currently a crime, you probably shouldn't be expressing an intent to commit a crime.

And, most folks who do not want to complicate their lives with unwanted attention from the government or rack up an FBI file by association with sites that are rife with this kind of talk, will NOT stick around.

That fact alone will run off quality posters.


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But something like this would probably help:

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I think the devil is in the details sometimes. A tighter focus on a single subject, even a minute part of a larger subject, can explain the nuances that can be missed in the general overview, but that can lead to more heated debates too. Taking threads off-topic into other areas, even when it's semi-related to the original post, makes it difficult to follow and I'm guilty of this as well.

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On suggestions for forum improvements, I'd agree with MsGriz (beggin' your pardon on the name shortening) on leaving the hangout (and News, Current Events, and Politics too) out of the sidebar, and not sure if it's just my having Javascript disabled, but having the option to view a longer history of Recent Activity would be nice. I only see the last 15 posts, many forums allow you to look back at the last 24 hours (for busy forums) or up to 10 pages back of the most recent posts. Nice to see what's been happening if you haven't logged in for a couple days.

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On advanced survival subject scaring some off, I'd offer that if someone just starting off wants to know "what should I have in my BOB" or "what's the single best survival firearm" then they should use a search engine because these subjects have been discussed and debated many, many times over on every forum, and usually many, many times over in different threads on the same forum. Why not raise the bar here? Personally I like randomized double-blind studies if we're discussing scholarly subjects, and at least some evidence the responder has actually done what they're suggesting to others for the more mundane topics. See my .sig for more info. /rant

 

It is not so much "advanced survival subjects" scaring folks off, but more specifically, over-the-top kind of stuff that is normally forbidden on other forums. (I really don't want to spell it out and draw even more attention to the kind of posts that may be a problem, but the gist of it is alluded to in a few of the posts in the thread that I posted a link to (the one with the news article).


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The best way to control a forum is to buy your own.
This thread could be considered "off topic" since it's not really about "survival".

 

DUH........

 

How STRANGE.........I notice the subject and word "SURVIVAL" in the nearly all of the posts, even yours. How very-very nice of you to stop by.

Please feel free to start a tread on a subject that interests you, I notice that you mostly just stop by to make negative comments. Glad you are well and healthy.

 

But it's not "about" survival.

Perhaps you should take your own advice and put me on ignore instead of acting so childish when things don't always suit you. We would all be a lot happier.

 

The thing that truly "threatens the existence" of this or any forum is those who constantly try to control what others do or say.

 

Good morning IBME,

You've got some good ideas needed for adoption here.

One aspect being omitted is the cost to do all the enhancements.

I've already suggested area groups develop for in-person periodic meetings.....for 2 reasons.

Reason 1 is to collect and "send in" a few bucks for the website.

Reason 2 is that some material I'd never discuss here. At an in-person meeting, I'd discuss public but advanced evacuations and some squawking seven five zero zero but not here.

My other web sites were properly maintained because we contributed to the maintenance. We dissolved because of deaths, relocations to more pleasant areas for retirees, etc. These site were focused to emergency management and much neglected material was rehabilitated.

For the lower 48, it's relatively easy to develop a club, org, society, institute, any name can work. Where you are, because of the distances, a cyber group could work. I've worked both types.

End transmission

 

I'm not talking about reasonable moderation.

I'm talking about individual members who act like everything about a site has to meet their personal approval.

If it doesn't, they complain rather than just accepting the fact that it's not their forum, and their thoughts are largely just opinions which are really no more valid than anyone else's.

 

Who is this "We" about which you speak. You got a little mouse in your pocket.

Lets just tell the truth..........if the moderators carefully reviewed all 100% of your posts, they would see that more then 98% are directed at discrediting me. You have a very sick obsession with me.

I think this is the best forum available today that deals with Prepping and Survival. I am a man that feels there is always room for improvement. I have lived my entire life, subscribed to that belief.

See I believe in improvement, both of my self and my prepping for my own survival. You believe if you can somehow finally after ten plus years of attempting to discredit me, that in some sick way you will be bigger, that the whole world will worship you, and bestow gifts to you, and elevate you to a high position, name buildings, and cities after you.

 

I'm actually finding the attitude that the some members, guests, general public or civilians etc should be excluded from information a little annoying.
This forum was set up for the exchange of information, when I give information on this forum I give it freely as do the majority of members. If the information is too sensitive or might be detrimental to your safety DON'T SHARE otherwise share it freely for the benefit of everyone.

I could try telling a joke to ease the stroppy atmosphere but I doubt it would go down too well...pity really because you guys need to lighten up or take it to a PM
One thing that really does put people off a forum is not too much in depth information, it's seeing grown men allowing threads to descend into tit-for-tat argument.

 

I have all along.

Actions speak louder than words.
Put me on ignore or stop the constant whining.

 

swatted

 

Prepping and survival topics are great and certainly needed and appreciated. But related topics are needed. For instance, I saw a TV program on some preppers in New Hampshire of nearby. They had a great location and everything anyone could ask for there. But they were against fire arms and had none. I am sure people immediately rewound that video and tried to learn their location since they really would never need to prep themselves if they could stroll in with a couple of guns and oust the inhabitants. Firearms go hand in hand with prepping. I don't know how you can consider one without the other.

 

Good morning Ystranc,

Some information is detrimental to readers' safety if not acted on and this same information is too sensitive to elaborate on here.

This is why some here support a "members only" concept for elaborations, clarifications, and examples of pertinent experiences.

Advanced-level prep - survival is just not for all here as currently configured. Every early AM I log on here, there are about 3-6 members and over 100 guests.

Recently I wrote here to minimize MILSPEC clothing and personal equipment for planned evacuations. There are reasons I wrote this that involves matters that could be detrimental. The background to these reasons I find too sensitive for the general public logging on here.

IBME has the correct philosophy.

 

Most of those 'guests' are 'bots' or search engines conducting keyword searches that aren't even relevant to the thread but have just picked up on one or two keywords. Very few of these keyword searches translate into actual clicks (where a human being actually opens a page on the forum)

With respect I disagree with the entire concept of advanced level prepping being a reason to exclude members from accessing information and I would repeat, if you don't feel safe sharing take it to a PM or if it may endanger others don't discuss it at all.
I will also reiterate that this forums stated purpose is the free exchange of information, if for some reason that information should not be shared (perhaps for legal reasons) maybe it should not be published at all since there is no real privacy on the Internet.
While I welcome all new members and the sharing of ideas and knowledge I'm less keen on an new members demanding that the basic tennant of the forum be changed to accommodate them.
Maybe it would be a good idea to read Branch's welcome message and forum rules over again. They're available for all to read on the home page.

 

Good morning Ystranc,

I did not know most of the "guests" are bots. The presented material identifies both by number.

The "free exchange of information" is really too vague a term for our purposes here. Some quality information can hurt newcomers to the prep field.

I am a new member here with NO demands for changes. My ideas are suggestions for review.

Am familiar with Branch's welcome message.

 

If you check down the list of forum rules pragmatist you will see a rule that should prevent dangerous information being posted, should you see any information which in your opinion could be illegal or endanger any person (either member or visitor) please report it at once to one of the moderators using the green link at the bottom of the offending post and they will either edit it or take it down.
In a previous forum back in the days of Tribe.net there was a fool who posted explicit instructions on how to manufacture pipe bombs, even though that tribe was moderated with a very light touch the posts only lasted for a few seconds before being deleted so I think I understand what you mean.

 

I request that you produce even one tiny instance where this demand has been made, just one. Perhaps you confuse a request for consideration with a DEMAND.

 

They can also be members who just aren't logged in.

The reality is there are less than 20 truly "active" users on this site, and some seem to want to only hear those who always agree with them.

 

On reading the bright red shouted reply from IBME I've finally got annoyed enough to hit the ignore button. I'm sick of his hysterics.

 

Self control is a highly desirable survival skill.

 

That is classic.........you can't comply with the request.......because you realized that you had trapped yourself.
So you put the member asking on ignore.

 

As a newish member here, I’m not sure if you are also referring to my suggestions as well. (They certainly were not worded as demands, so maybe not. But I also see that you are addressing new members in the plural sense of the word.)

I hope you keep in mind that this thread took a different turn after posts (on this thread and another one) that expressed concerns about discussions of a highly illegal nature, and the fact that convos of this type could be detrimental to the entire group, not just individuals. Over the years, some of us have witnessed thriving forums go down the toilet because of things like this, and have seen them abruptly and permanently shut down by government intervention overnight without warning. (Of course, having convos of that kind in a private subforum would NOT prevent this from happening, lol.)

Also, suggestions were made to have a private subforum (admittance by request only) so that off-topic convos do not clutter up the “Recent Activity,” “Active Threads,” and “New” threads that show up in the sidebar. New people (both experienced and inexperienced preppers/survivalists) come here and see mostly non-survival topics (or over-the-top convos of illegal topics). So they leave. And the forum will continue to be a group of only a few people talking in an echo chamber, simple as that.


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nothing ventured , nothing gained. I'm game to give it a try, if it doesn't work out, nixnay it.

 

It's all academic until Branch checks in, until then simply asking a moderator to deal with dangerous or illegal posts will have to do. They're also perfectly capable of reigning in thread drift or offensive behaviour when asked to do so.
Griz, by the sheer volume of great content that you have already posted and your ability to make your views known in such a clear and balanced way, you have earned my respect many times over. If my comments offended you I can only offer my most sincere apologies.
The ongoing conflict between Snyper and IBME on the other hand has been a continuing irritation, one of them had to be blanked in order to make this forum bearable again and IBME "shouting" at me in red text pushed my buttons in the worst kind of way.

 

Not at all offended, and thank you for the kudos.

It takes a lot to offend me. And if I get caught on a bad day, I am quick to forgive. I value peace in my life, and unity on a forum more than a diddling around with a tube of butt-hurt cream, lolol.

But I know everyone has their own limits...and I've been pushed there myself.



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Well there are many things to that end to consider. The first is the stage of the desaster and what kind. Viral,solar,interplanetary, natural and in that water, volcano,it all differs. Then there is a week,a month a year or more a total leave and start over. each is different. which one you want to tackle first

 

Ok...Karen!!! You win...by default!!!

After all....your sitting on the only one in town!!!!

You get to "herd" everyone else.


Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite.