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[hoofing it]

....
 and there'd be a lot of explaining to the wife about why I'd be having to spend money on this, that and the other on a car that I insisted on getting.  ......

Many years ago we argued about me getting an A series Senator, she won ....... But ever since I decided that as I was the one who'd be driving & paying for it I'd decide what I'd drive ..... & that's what's happened. Silent meals only last for so long!     

who had the couch

[Nickbat]

I've read all the (one-sided?) comments above with interest, and thankyou for all your opinions , though we need to see, and understand the critisisms as well.


So it would appear that nobody thinks its broken, but most feel something isn't quite right?

Please post your ideas, publically or privately (I'll clear down my inbox in a sec), as I think we all believe something has gone amiss in the past few months....

This forum, being composed of ordinary and unpicked people, merely reflects broader society. Where broader society waxes and wanes, so too will this forum.

It is only natural, then (in my view), that he recent political turmoil has caused heated debate. It is only natural, too, that with our membership as high as it it is, that there will be a few members who act in a manner which is deemed "strange, rude or hostile" to the majority. It is also only natural that some of the older, established members drift away, either through giving up Omega ownership or personal reasons.

When I first joined here, there was a very forthright member (chickens anyone? ) whom I liked and for whom I had a great deal of respect. Nevertheless, there were, even in those early days, some acrimonious exchanges and toys thrown out of prams.

In other words, we have been here before.

It's no big deal, IMHO, and the forum will right itself (if, indeed it is broken, which I don't believe it is). However, this cannot be engineered.

At the end of the day, I see this as a pub.* We can't (and shouldn't) control or direct the conversation. We should be prepared for the odd fight and step in if necessary, but only if things really get out of hand.

*Older members may recall "The Nag's Head" which ran for a while as daily thread. Totally daft, it nevertheless did allow members to spout total crock for a couple of hours each night! 

My view is to leave things alone and let the forum realign itself naturally. It will!           

[TheBoy]

Should the Nags Head return?

[Debs.]

I don`t feel anything`s really broken.....but I observe that there`s a 'sharpness' to many posts and a distinct feeling of intolerance has crept-in, especially towards members whom prefer and exhibit polite/courteous posting behaviour.....There are many 'Gentlemen' (in the true-sense) here on OOF and yet they often get harangued for questioning any pejorative, harsh or unfriendly posting.
The all too common: "I`m free to say what I want; so deal with it" approach.......sadly, it`s the modern way, I fear.

Recently, there have been disruptive and downright rude new-members; but, they seem to implode and disappear with the same rapidity that they arrived.....The trolls, snipers and P.M hecklers are surely here too; but that`s as with all forums.

But, with such brilliant 'car-saving' knowledge and advice on offer and a variety (and majority) of kind, interesting personalities with whom to cyber-socialise, 'meets' to attend and the occasional OOF 'gender-swap' hilarity session; I`ll be here for a while yet.

Just my 2d. worth.....'no names, no pack-drill'

[Nickbat]

Should the Nags Head return?

Hmm. One member (called Dent if I remember) drank all the profits, while another chap from Yorkshire always turned up the worse for wear, and smelled a bit.
 

Seriously, though, why not? It did allow people to be silly and get involved, because there was no thread subject, just jocularity, joke-telling, ribbing and a sense of all-round pointlessness.

Like a real pub, actually!
 

[hoofing it]

I wouldn't say oof is broken it's more like a runaway train with failed brakes plus there is times when i'm like what the hell am I doing neck deep in oil and crud in your eyes.
if oof wasn't here well loads of these great cars would have ended up at the big shredder.
eveyone has there own limits to what they can do as said previous most of us have never met but will help out where possible.
Me I haven't got a clue about the petrol migs diesel is more my thing.
oh jamie I found the G/B ecu, petrol one nae good
Ive noticed that more and more posts are hijacked or wander from the original fault or help request.
why not put in a hand-bag section for the bitching
 

[Nickbat]

Should the Nags Head return?

Sorry, TB, couldn't resist it! 

[Vamps]

I don`t feel anything`s really broken.....but I observe that there`s a 'sharpness' to many posts and a distinct feeling of intolerance has crept-in, especially towards members whom prefer and exhibit polite/courteous posting behaviour.....There are many 'Gentlemen'[/i] (in the true-sense) here on OOF and yet they often get harangued for questioning any pejorative, harsh or unfriendly posting.
The all too common: "I`m free to say what I want; so deal with it" approach.......sadly, it`s the modern way, I fear.

Recently, there have been disruptive and downright rude new-members; but, they seem to implode and disappear with the same rapidity that they arrived.....The trolls, snipers and P.M hecklers are surely here too; but that`s as with all forums.

But, with such brilliant 'car-saving' knowledge and advice on offer and a variety (and majority) of kind, interesting personalities with whom to cyber-socialise, 'meets' to attend and the occasional OOF 'gender-swap' hilarity session; I`ll be here for a while yet.

Just my 2d. worth.....'no names, no pack-drill'

Thanks Debs....

[zirax]

I've not been here long but I will say from what I have seen this is a cracking forum. The wealth of technical knowledge available on the cars puts a lot of forums to shame. The fact that we do have members that will go around and help each other out is great.

I'm a man of few words anyway but I do enjoy catching up on the forum (mainly through working crazy hours).

[Vamps]

Tb mentioned in answer to a recent post that he believed the OOF to be broken in certain respects? Well he may have a point to a certain degree since he and the other original & longstanding members have 'the good times' to ponder on & compare to how it is now. However, i'm a relative Newbie of just 1 year standing, but my opinion for what it's worth, is as good as the next (or last!) , and I believe that when i stumbled on this Forum by accident last April, I struck Solid Gold! The technical & practical help obtained here is in my opinion, second to none anywhere, and by & large, the membership are representative of that, being both helpful & caring without being patronising or dismissive of the non mechanically minded among us No this place isn't perfect, but then nowhere is where humankind gather? I just know this.... I now know a lot more people than I did a year ago, and even though I have never met any of them, bar one, I like & respect almost all of them for what & who they are, & most nights I sign off here with a glad heart & a smile on my face, and I can't wait to sign on again in the morning! As Entwood always says when he signs off, 'Just my opinion' 

Bloomin Monkeys, get everywhere...
Klicked on the wrong bit and caught you age, and along with your avatar, did you go to Ganges?

[JesterRT]

I've been lurking in the background of OOF for a while (August 2006) so fairly near the beginning I think - can't remember the day OOF was born - when should the birthday bash be booked for?

I think the forum has grown in both good and bad ways.  The help on offer through the community that frequent the forum is second to none.  I've met some members, made an all too brief visit to one of the lakes meets and even though I'm no longer an Omega owner I still visit almost daily.  What draws me back is the mixture of mechanical knowledge, to sometimes to incredible depth, that is shared up on these pages.  I certainly wouldn't own half the tools I have, and would know even less how to actually use them.  The offer of help from within the community seems boundless, and it goes some way to restore a little bit of faith in human kindness.  I've really enjoyed reading about the various cars that have been saved from the edge of the scrappers and brought back to life with little more than sound advice and a helping hand.
So, that's the good side.  The bad side?  Well it would seem the community has grown, and grown quickly.  I think that has made the job of administering this place probably much more difficult.  I suspect threads got locked/deleted/etc faster in the past, and perhaps because the content didn't explode daily.
The General Chat varies enormously, as you'd expect with such a wide and varied community.  I'm glad the election is over and done with.  I hope the politics chat fizzles out now as I think it's had an overwhelming presence for the last few months.  The thing that drew me to the forum was car mechanics, and that used to be the common ground that sparked the majority of the general chat off - mechanics, engineering, construction, design.  The bus/train threads are fascinating btw    On these subjects there seems to be much less confrontational posts.  As soon as people move on to the more subjective areas of life - politics, justice, principles then it's usually just a matter of time before one or two posts become obviously targeted towards other members.  I'm not so sure that this used to happen quite so frequently.

So it's changed - good, bad, worse, better?  Well, different - and the good outweighs the bad by a ton.  This still remains one of the best forums I've encountered, and I'll continue to visit, daily, and my next car will be another Omega - purely because I know the support here is worth so much more than any service manual or dealer network.

Long Live OOF 

[BigAl]

good, bad, worse, better?  Well, different - and the good outweighs the bad by a ton

I believe this sums it up nicely - the forum is a mix of all social spectrum's, from not just the UK,  but any country that the Omega has been sold, which from memory is most of the developed world (apologies if i have missed you're country  out - but add it to the thread to show the diversity) - i recall posts from mainland Europe, the US, the Middle East, and Oz

[2woody]

haven't been here long, but it seems all-right to me.

people join for different reasons, and these are linked to the cars themselves. Let me explain, a forum for "new" cars will have devotees who will have bought them new and won't carry out any of their own maintenance. As the cars get older, the average owner will change and you will eventually get a mix of people who either want just to keep them running or who want to modify, etc. Then eventually, you'll be left with the people who are really devoted or who want to preserve the cars.

At the moment, we're right in the middle, so we have a mix of people all from different backgrounds. There's no way that they'd all get on in normal life, so it's perhaps unreasonable to expect them all to get on on here.

For reference, I joined to get access to people breaking cars and to buy bargains - I currently have five Omega Bs, three Omega As and a closely-related Holden to look after. And the supply of decent cars from breakers is beginning to dry up. I might also be able to help out some other people, mainly with the real technical and legal stuff ( I design vehicles for a living ). I fully expect everyone else to have joined for completely different reasons

just some ramblings, really