Forums > General > Living, Working, Retiring

David McL

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #1 of 10 (899 views)

Shortcut

WebJefe returns . . .

Can't Post |

After 3 months of Victoria, B. C. dealing with family stuff, we are back home in Ajijic.Jennifer Rose - thank-you. You managed the Fora eminently well during a difficult period.
Moderators do not expect to be liked. Respected, yes. You have definitely earned our respect.I will be moderating the Ajijic/Lake Chapala and LWR forums for the next while.Consideration, respect and civility are the norm, along with relevance, appropriateness and helpfulness.The new Forum system should be on-line by October the 7th. I believe you will find the new system much more useful and powerful for you, the user, as well as going a long way to ensuring quality postings by genuine posters.
Some of you will be experimenting with the system before then, so it will be "as you like it and want it."I wish you all well this coming Fall and look forward to sharing in the further development of this site.David McLaughlin
WebJefe etc.

David McL

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #2 of 10 (899 views)

Shortcut

Mexico Connect Forums: Policy and terms of use

Can't Post |

Mexico Connect Forums: Policy and terms of use1. The forums are created with the intent to foster a useful community of people interested in Mexico and to allow free exchange of ideas, experiences, facts, tips and opinions.2. Constructive posts on different themes are encouraged. Please try to post to the appropriate forums for a better audience. Suggestions for new forums are welcome.3. All messages are the expression of the posters, who are solely responsible for the content. Mexico Connect does not endorse any views or particular opinions, except for expectations of consideration, respect and civility, along with relevance, appropriateness and helpfulness.The moderator may stimulate the discussion with his/her own remarks.4. Posting to the forums is a privilege (not a right). While we try to keep the discussions as open as possible, posts may be removed when they do not contribute to the discussions. Content that is rude, obnoxious, misleading, lewd, libelous, spam, or similarly objectionable will be removed. Repeat offences may result in the loss of posting privilege.Forum Etiquette:1. Choose a subject title carefully. Keeping it short and concise without using excessive punctuation or all capital letters ("screaming"), will convey your interests quicker and facilitate a faster response .2. In forums aside from Chit Chat, please stay on the topic. If a great new idea emerges, start a new thread to open up the discussions to others. 3. Respond to the issues, not the poster and not emotionally. Disagreements happen. Try not to take things too personally. Use tact. This also applies when critiquing another poster's posting. If you do not know how to say it, don't. We will not tolerate bashing, personal attacks, or harassment of any sort and such activity will cost you your ability to participate.4. These are discussion forums, not debates on who is right. If someone has a different point of view, be patient, tolerant and use tact. If the "other side" is more convincing or logical, admit it. We are all members of this community, proving you are right achieves nothing.5. Know when to quit before it gets out of hand. When individuals arguments escalate and no longer are on topic or are they are no longer contributing to the discussion, stop. To escalate creates a bad image for not only the posters but the community as a whole.6. Give new users some slack, don't chastise them for not reading all of Mexico Connect first. Make them feel welcome into the community. We were all newbies once.Tips:1. Check the forums and the relevant Mexico Connect sections before asking your question. If it already has been resolved, it will save you the wait for someone to answer or the aggravation to another user to search for you.2. Help others, this is a community and it works best when we share information. Though we don't have a Karma system running, however, we have a more powerful version: other members will remember your deeds and will go to greater lengths to help you if you've been good to them in the past. Final Note:Have fun! These are guidelines, they are intended to give users a set of rules we can apply if trouble strikes. It's really to protect you and others from feeling hurt or intimidated by others on the forums, we want you and your opinions to feel welcome here. Suerte!David McL
WebJefe Etc.

Andy in Aguas

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #3 of 10 (900 views)

Shortcut

I have noticed some definite improvements on these forums......

Can't Post |

...when it comes to deleting comments by rude posters. Thank you very much David and all who are moderating these forums!I have gotten a lot of useful information through reading these forums and posting on them. Some day I would like to list all the benefits that I have received. Some people have been discouraged from posting because of some of the rude posters, but I notice that the rude posts are being deleted now more than ever. Thank you! : Mexico Connect Forums: Policy and terms of use: 1. The forums are created with the intent to foster a useful community of people interested in Mexico and to allow free exchange of ideas, experiences, facts, tips and opinions.: 2. Constructive posts on different themes are encouraged. Please try to post to the appropriate forums for a better audience. Suggestions for new forums are welcome.: 3. All messages are the expression of the posters, who are solely responsible for the content. Mexico Connect does not endorse any views or particular opinions, except for expectations of consideration, respect and civility, along with relevance, appropriateness and helpfulness.: The moderator may stimulate the discussion with his/her own remarks.: 4. Posting to the forums is a privilege (not a right). While we try to keep the discussions as open as possible, posts may be removed when they do not contribute to the discussions. Content that is rude, obnoxious, misleading, lewd, libelous, spam, or similarly objectionable will be removed. Repeat offences may result in the loss of posting privilege.: Forum Etiquette:: 1. Choose a subject title carefully. Keeping it short and concise without using excessive punctuation or all capital letters ("screaming"), will convey your interests quicker and facilitate a faster response .: 2. In forums aside from Chit Chat, please stay on the topic. If a great new idea emerges, start a new thread to open up the discussions to others. : 3. Respond to the issues, not the poster and not emotionally. Disagreements happen. Try not to take things too personally. Use tact. This also applies when critiquing another poster's posting. If you do not know how to say it, don't. We will not tolerate bashing, personal attacks, or harassment of any sort and such activity will cost you your ability to participate.: 4. These are discussion forums, not debates on who is right. If someone has a different point of view, be patient, tolerant and use tact. If the "other side" is more convincing or logical, admit it. We are all members of this community, proving you are right achieves nothing.: 5. Know when to quit before it gets out of hand. When individuals arguments escalate and no longer are on topic or are they are no longer contributing to the discussion, stop. To escalate creates a bad image for not only the posters but the community as a whole.: 6. Give new users some slack, don't chastise them for not reading all of Mexico Connect first. Make them feel welcome into the community. We were all newbies once.: Tips:: 1. Check the forums and the relevant Mexico Connect sections before asking your question. If it already has been resolved, it will save you the wait for someone to answer or the aggravation to another user to search for you.: 2. Help others, this is a community and it works best when we share information. Though we don't have a Karma system running, however, we have a more powerful version: other members will remember your deeds and will go to greater lengths to help you if you've been good to them in the past. : Final Note:: Have fun! These are guidelines, they are intended to give users a set of rules we can apply if trouble strikes. It's really to protect you and others from feeling hurt or intimidated by others on the forums, we want you and your opinions to feel welcome here. : Suerte!: David McL
: WebJefe Etc.

Richard Ferguson

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #4 of 10 (899 views)

Shortcut

Bruce McGovern = visitor

Can't Post |

Despite Bruce McGovern's use of the pseudonym "visitor", some of us remember him. He was kicked off the forum for personal attacks some years ago. He obviously has a strong personal grudge against me. This started because he feels extremely strongly that Mexico City is safe, and that anyone or any organization that says otherside is completely biased and completely wrong. Unfortunately, he went way over the top in attacking people who disagreed with him. He had gone elsewhere for a while, but now he returns under pseudonmyms. Obviously, he resents the moderator who threw him off the board for bad behavior. Clearly he is a man who carries grudges for years.Richard Ferguson: ...We will not tolerate bashing, personal attacks, or harassment of any sort and such activity will cost you your ability to participate.: If your highly respected moderator had fairly and evenly enforced this policy over the years, many people who are no longer here would still be here. Even today, Richard, who is definitely Momma's fair-haired boy, eventually drives away anyone who actually knows anything about Mexico City, and continues to provided false and inaccurate information about the City.: Also, Of course, I would be identifying myself.: As far as a posting below, which stated it was hard to take anyone seriously who did not provide his mail address, some of the nastiest people on this URL over the years have identified themselves, yet were permitted to be nasty.: I think it is obvious that I, and certainly others who have been mistreated on this forum with the acquiesence of the moderator(s), will not be joining you with your new forum. It would be interesting to see if you still have the same traffic; I don't think so, but it is not clear if only those posting will be limited to registered members, or if all can read but not respond without registering. Buen viaje.

visitor

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #5 of 10 (899 views)

Shortcut

Mexico Connect Forums: Policy and terms of use

Can't Post |

...We will not tolerate bashing, personal attacks, or harassment of any sort and such activity will cost you your ability to participate.If your highly respected moderator had fairly and evenly enforced this policy over the years, many people who are no longer here would still be here. Even today, Richard, who is definitely Momma's fair-haired boy, eventually drives away anyone who actually knows anything about Mexico City, and continues to provided false and inaccurate information about the City.Also, Of course, I would be identifying myself.As far as a posting below, which stated it was hard to take anyone seriously who did not provide his mail address, some of the nastiest people on this URL over the years have identified themselves, yet were permitted to be nasty.I think it is obvious that I, and certainly others who have been mistreated on this forum with the acquiesence of the moderator(s), will not be joining you with your new forum. It would be interesting to see if you still have the same traffic; I don't think so, but it is not clear if only those posting will be limited to registered members, or if all can read but not respond without registering. Buen viaje.

tony ferrell

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #6 of 10 (900 views)

Shortcut

Misleading Stats

Can't Post |

Wade,
I must agree with you. Richard throws out alot of stats and some
are very misleading. For ex when he states how many people have
been the victim of crimes. Part of the equation he left out at
least once was the time span. When questioned there was no response.
There may be some people who live their life by stats but not many.
And he does tend to quote only crime stats which tells very little
about life in mexico or any other place. They are ALWAYS seen as
negatives. IMHO. tony: Richard, in fairness to Bruce it should be noted that you tend to set yourself up as an expert on crime stats but your emphasis tends to be very negative. Awhile back on the rec.travel.latinamerica forum I asked about Bolivia and got a very negative, biased response from you painting Bolivians as primitive and violent. Further research revealed Bolivia as one of the world's most culturally rich and fascinating countries!: I'm on Bruce's private email list and have learned alot about the everyday lives of ordinary Mexicans. If he would take my advice and publish a book of his essays it would be easily the best book available on life in Mexico! And I don't believe he's ever stated that Mexico City is perfectly safe, only that it's not as bad as the media portrays it.: Wade K.:

Observer

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #7 of 10 (899 views)

Shortcut

I agree and I use

Can't Post |

a new name and new ISP. There have been several here on this board who say things they would never say to your face.

Wade K.

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #8 of 10 (899 views)

Shortcut

Bruce McGovern = visitor

Can't Post |

Richard, in fairness to Bruce it should be noted that you tend to set yourself up as an expert on crime stats but your emphasis tends to be very negative. Awhile back on the rec.travel.latinamerica forum I asked about Bolivia and got a very negative, biased response from you painting Bolivians as primitive and violent. Further research revealed Bolivia as one of the world's most culturally rich and fascinating countries!I'm on Bruce's private email list and have learned alot about the everyday lives of ordinary Mexicans. If he would take my advice and publish a book of his essays it would be easily the best book available on life in Mexico! And I don't believe he's ever stated that Mexico City is perfectly safe, only that it's not as bad as the media portrays it.Wade K.
: Despite Bruce McGovern's use of the pseudonym "visitor", some of us remember him. He was kicked off the forum for personal attacks some years ago. He obviously has a strong personal grudge against me. This started because he feels extremely strongly that Mexico City is safe, and that anyone or any organization that says otherside is completely biased and completely wrong. Unfortunately, he went way over the top in attacking people who disagreed with him. He had gone elsewhere for a while, but now he returns under pseudonmyms. Obviously, he resents the moderator who threw him off the board for bad behavior. Clearly he is a man who carries grudges for years.: Richard Ferguson
: : ...We will not tolerate bashing, personal attacks, or harassment of any sort and such activity will cost you your ability to participate.: : If your highly respected moderator had fairly and evenly enforced this policy over the years, many people who are no longer here would still be here. Even today, Richard, who is definitely Momma's fair-haired boy, eventually drives away anyone who actually knows anything about Mexico City, and continues to provided false and inaccurate information about the City.: : Also, Of course, I would be identifying myself.: : As far as a posting below, which stated it was hard to take anyone seriously who did not provide his mail address, some of the nastiest people on this URL over the years have identified themselves, yet were permitted to be nasty.: : I think it is obvious that I, and certainly others who have been mistreated on this forum with the acquiesence of the moderator(s), will not be joining you with your new forum. It would be interesting to see if you still have the same traffic; I don't think so, but it is not clear if only those posting will be limited to registered members, or if all can read but not respond without registering. Buen viaje.

sparks

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #9 of 10 (899 views)

Shortcut

Attitude

Can't Post |

There are many knowledgeable people when it comes to Mexico but a few of them think they are the last word. I remember when Bruce and Masterson used to post here and it was hectic to say the least. I shied away and/or posted under aliases because of it. I'll be the first to admit I was the naive Mexico traveler ... but taking the abuse a few "experts" want to dish out is unnecessary and discouraging.No idea what the new forums will bring but I do hope for less confrontation.

Esteban

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #10 of 10 (900 views)

Shortcut

Your tarnished image

Can't Post |

I have read this type of criticism on a regular basis, here on Mexconnect, but I think you'll find, there is no perfect system. Whether your accusations are true or not, the forums here, still, are the best you'll find in the online world. You always have the choice of starting your own forum. It's your call. Personally, I find the Mexconnect forums moderated with intelligence, patience and tolerance. I'd like to note that I too, have had messages deleted. You never know where the line is until you cross it right? It doesn't bother me in the least. If you can't appreciate the overwhelming amount of time and energy that has gone into the Mexconnect site and the well deserved success then you must not be familiar with what it takes to do such a fine job with a monumental task. If you truly have the facts to refute or describe what seems to be bugging you about life in Mexico City, then I'd suggest you put it all together in a coherent form and submit it for publication here. I'm sure your efforts will be appreciated. Bitching someone out in a simple paragraph doesn't accomplish anything and more than ever, tarnishes your image.