Family, Brotherhood, & Kindness

[Gary Lewis]

Family - It has come to my attention from several people that sometimes our posts are not kind. In fact, one member apparently hasn't been back since he was badly treated.

 

Our guidelines, which govern membership here, include that "we do appreciate each other, which means we don't yell at nor talk down to others." Perhaps the "talk down to others" is too vague? Do we need to be more specific?

 

I hope we don't have to spell everything out. So let me tell you what that includes to me:

 

• Dogmatic Approach: This is defined as "the expression of an opinion or belief as if it were a fact: positiveness in assertion of opinion especially when unwarranted or arrogant". Just because we remember it one way doesn't make it so. And just because it is in print or on the internet does not make it so.

 

• Opinions: I have many opinions, but my opinions aren't any more important than yours. So if I try to tell you that mine are more important than yours then I'm "talking down" to you from my perceived lofty perch.

 

• Argumentative: Continually pushing a view/opinion and having to have the last word. State your opinion, gently, and let it go.

 

Let me put this another way. Our family got a subscription for Janey and I to a system that sends each of us a question each week for a year. My question this week was "What is the thing you've built that gives you the most pride?" And my answer was this website and forum - the website because it is the best in the world for Bullnose documentation, and the forum because it "provides a safe, friendly place for like-minded people to help each other without the anger, drama, and language that is typical elsewhere".

 

The "elsewhere" refers to Facebook. I am a member on something like 10 Facebook pages for Ford trucks, and I can't stand the way some people act on them. In fact, I've blocked many people from seeing my responses and me theirs because of the language they use and the way they treat others.

 

So I'm asking all of you to think about what you are saying, how you are saying it, and how often you are saying it. We must ensure this is a safe, friendly place to hang out.

[85lebaront2]

Amen to that, brother. I try to explain things as best I can, and avoid a lot of technical jargon as I know not everyone (a) owned a carburetor shop (b) worked at a dealership and © spent 30 years in materials testing.

I can dig up technical information for those so inclined, and post it, in fact I have in a discussion of best fasteners for exhaust manifolds. How many people know that there are two very different strengths of the common CRES bolts? Condition A is pretty soft, Condition B is pretty damn strong.

[salans7]

Amen to that, brother. I try to explain things as best I can, and avoid a lot of technical jargon as I know not everyone (a) owned a carburetor shop (b) worked at a dealership and © spent 30 years in materials testing.

I can dig up technical information for those so inclined, and post it, in fact I have in a discussion of best fasteners for exhaust manifolds. How many people know that there are two very different strengths of the common CRES bolts? Condition A is pretty soft, Condition B is pretty damn strong.

It's very sad that this has to be said, but it does. I can think of a few people from FTE who made my forum experience sour at times, and those people very well may be here also.

The biggest offender I've come across is "Use the search function". I've seen it so many times on other forums, and it's sad to see. Rather than spend time trying to point the person in the right direction, they'd rather spend the time to tell the person to find it themselves. I hope that I never come across that response on this forum.

[Gary Lewis]

It's very sad that this has to be said, but it does. I can think of a few people from FTE who made my forum experience sour at times, and those people very well may be here also.

The biggest offender I've come across is "Use the search function". I've seen it so many times on other forums, and it's sad to see. Rather than spend time trying to point the person in the right direction, they'd rather spend the time to tell the person to find it themselves. I hope that I never come across that response on this forum.

Thanks, Bill and Shaun.

Bill - I know you have documentation, and some of it is on this site.

Shaun - Telling someone to search for it isn't very helpful. And since our search functions aren't perfected it is even less helpful.

I did, however, tell someone on Facebook recently to search for it on here. Don't remember exactly what he was looking for, but I was out and about and didn't have the time to find it. Oh yes, it was repairing slide locks! Anyway, telling him there was something on here to answer his question seemed better than not saying anything at all.

[reamer]

Thanks, Bill and Shaun.

Bill - I know you have documentation, and some of it is on this site.

Shaun - Telling someone to search for it isn't very helpful. And since our search functions aren't perfected it is even less helpful.

I did, however, tell someone on Facebook recently to search for it on here. Don't remember exactly what he was looking for, but I was out and about and didn't have the time to find it. Oh yes, it was repairing slide locks! Anyway, telling him there was something on here to answer his question seemed better than not saying anything at all.

Support, support, support, That's what I get and try to give here, hope I'm not on the naughty-dog list....

[Randy]

Thanks for working to maintain this.

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

It's very sad that this has to be said, but it does. I can think of a few people from FTE who made my forum experience sour at times, and those people very well may be here also.

The biggest offender I've come across is "Use the search function". I've seen it so many times on other forums, and it's sad to see. Rather than spend time trying to point the person in the right direction, they'd rather spend the time to tell the person to find it themselves. I hope that I never come across that response on this forum.

Guilty as charged.

I think it was last week that I told someone to RTM, and that the '86 EVTM was under: documentation -> electrical -> '86 EVTM.

There's no way I could walk someone through a schematic, and list all the connectors and splices along the way.

Since I'm always on my phone, even if I had the time I don't have the space to open windows side by side and map it out. ....it just isn't happening.

So, like Gary, I tried to tell the OP where the information could be found.

When I do post in the wdydtytt I try to have clear photos with concise descriptions.

I try to make it big enough that X is instantly apparent, and not so close that there 's no frame of reference.

Rarely will I say (as I did to Gary, about the 250-460 cross member) go to *this url, and look around for it.

But he did go to my Flickr Re-power Set and instantly understood the difference between a diesel/460 crossmember and a 300/Windsor/335 cross member.

I'm here because I want to share. So others don't have to learn by failing.

Being able to help is one of my very few rewards in life.

Besides, I like having plaques with my name on them plastered to people's firewalls.

A great big Thank You to Gary for his tireless work to build and maintain this home for us.

 

[Gary Lewis]

Guilty as charged.

I think it was last week that I told someone to RTM, and that the '86 EVTM was under: documentation -> electrical -> '86 EVTM.

There's no way I could walk someone through a schematic, and list all the connectors and splices along the way.

Since I'm always on my phone, even if I had the time I don't have the space to open windows side by side and map it out. ....it just isn't happening.

So, like Gary, I tried to tell the OP where the information could be found.

When I do post in the wdydtytt I try to have clear photos with concise descriptions.

I try to make it big enough that X is instantly apparent, and not so close that there 's no frame of reference.

Rarely will I say (as I did to Gary, about the 250-460 cross member) go to *this url, and look around for it.

But he did go to my Flickr Re-power Set and instantly understood the difference between a diesel/460 crossmember and a 300/Windsor/335 cross member.

I'm here because I want to share. So others don't have to learn by failing.

Being able to help is one of my very few rewards in life.

Besides, I like having plaques with my name on them plastered to people's firewalls.

A great big Thank You to Gary for his tireless work to build and maintain this home for us.

Randy - You are more than welcome.

Besides, I like having plaques with my name on them plastered to people's firewalls.

A great big Thank You to Gary for his tireless work to build and maintain this home for us.

So YOU are Florida Man?

Seriously though, we built this, not me. You are a big part of it, and I certainly appreciate your help.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Randy - You are more than welcome.

Besides, I like having plaques with my name on them plastered to people's firewalls.

A great big Thank You to Gary for his tireless work to build and maintain this home for us.

So YOU are Florida Man?

Seriously though, we built this, not me. You are a big part of it, and I certainly appreciate your help.

Gary, your humility is showing..

Seriously, your name is the url!

And it is your tremendous drive and organization that has built the foundation that we all stand on.

It is your passion for these trucks that shows in everything you do here online.

Don't be shy. I'm not putting you on a pedestal.

But recognition and accolades are absolutely deserved.

Soapbox off/

[Rembrant]

These forums are really great stuff. Since 1999 when I got my first real decent home computer, I have been loving forums like this. Although you usually don't get to lean over the hood of your project vehicle with your forum friends, you do get to "hang out" with like minded people, and that's cool.

Most of the time, the people nearby not only don't have any interest in your rusty junk, they also think you're out of your mind for investing any time or money into it...lol.

I can't tell you how many times somebody has asked me, "So, uh, when you're all done with this thing, you can at least sell it and make some money on it, right?".

HAHAHAHA....uh, no...that's not the way it works. Never mind.

Thanks for all you do Gary, and thanks for creating a place a bunch of OCD guys with dirty fingernails can hang out.