Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Comments From a Veteran Collector

I read & have followed this site everyday since the beginning and I have to question where this site is headed. The site has provided a lot of helpful & useful information, along with some awesome photos for everyone to enjoy. In the last year or two this site has really brought out the worst in some of its members. Almost every day an argument followed by some severe negative posts occur to the point where the moderators have to lock it down or remove these posts. I for one am tired of reading such childish responses.

New or inexperienced members ask questions on value and many times those responses get out of hand. I don't believe this site is named "Antiques Roadshow" where every item can be accurately priced. This hobby is like the stock market where pricing changes every day. It has taken me 26 years of collecting to get a feel for pricing and the ability to hopefully spot fakes or questionable items.

Many members tell new or inexperienced members to go to shows and buy all the books they can to improve their knowledge. This is exactly what I have done and that experience can't be given in a simple response to a question asked. Log the miles, don't expect to know it all just by surfing the web.

I enjoy this site and I know many of the members who post on here or I have met you at the shows I have attended during the years. I understand why pictures are not being posted in fear of copy cat or fraudulant making of such items, but I sure miss seeing items I have never seen. I am asking that members who don't like something posted to contact that person via PM and not drag it thru the mud like what has been happening. I'm sure Jim Potts and the Moderators are also getting tired of this type of activity and I hate to see this site go away because of it. Stop the personal bashing and name calling, take a breath and walk away. If it keeps up, you never know where this site may end up ..........?

These comments are my own and are not intended to start a fight.

Mike Carr

WELL SAID...TOM

Mike, I agree 100%. In the past I have wondered about some of the things said on here? It seems that some people will type anything without thinking how it will be recieved? You'd think this site was a playground for insensitive children? My thoughts and like Mike, not intended to cause trouble. Paul www.severngaspumps.com

Mike, I'm tired of it and my 8 moderators are too. Thanks for your thoughts. From the feedback I get, the vast majority of members feel as you do. I ask the good and decent people out there to click on the "Notify" button when they see behavior that doesn't belong here.

I posted the following on a for sale topic that went to the dark side earlier today:

"The world changes and most of us just try to cope with it all. But there is a minority of people who seem to be on a quest to "fix" other people by pointing out what is wrong with them or their actions. Probably it is an offshoot of the trend in politics to find fault and go after that person, while seldom working toward a constructive solution for the benefit of all.

Some who see a problem on this forum will click the "Notify" button and let the moderators know about their concern. A few others post harsh comments in the public forum about the people they think need to be "fixed." This often leads to the piling on of harsh comments and/or a full blown conflict.

The moderators have the authority and resources to deal with problems and the people who cause them. Notify them instead of trying to "fix" it yourself in the public forum. If you don't like the item, the price or the way the sale is being handled, contact the seller or the moderators by PM or email. Or just take a deep breath and pass the thing by.

This site has always had a policy that a seller can decide for himself to sell "too high" or "too low" and how to do it, as long as he follows the Membership Agreement and the Forum Guidelines.

The irony is that even those who complain about the complainers get on the nerves of the vast majority who just want to enjoy the hobby and help each other out."

I AIN'T NO ANGEL & TOO FAT to Fly.
But IMO, it's too easy to spout off Hiding behind a USER name, NO City, NO State & in Profile NO Real Name, NO email listed.
What have they got to loose?

The time to ask a Value is Before you buy it. Not after to see IF you got a good deal.
IF you bought it for RESALE, List it on ebay. Eventually it will sell, you bought it HOPEFULLY someone else will buy it. IF your afraid of loosing $$ set the reserve $2 higher than what ya paid.

If someone is abusing the Value forum in some way, just ignore the topic posted by that person. No responses at all will send a strong message.

To address the "hiding behind a made-up name" issue, all new members have been required to state their real name in their profile since the middle of Summer. And the minimum location to be acceptable for new members has been their state or province for quite a while.

Members who have not included their real name, at least their state location and their eBay user name are encouraged to put that info in their Profile. Your Profile is only visible to other members who are logged in, not the general public. Edit your Profile by clicking on "My Stuff" and choosing "Edit Profile" from the list.

I don't think any of this is unique to Oldgas.com or the membership here. I believe, it's a human frailty to embellish ones self worth. There are people who believe that somehow they have been entrusted by society to fix all of it's issues. It is through this ignorant and arrogant belief that they feel they can fix/correct everyone and everything that offends them.

I learned a long time ago, that you can't change anyone or force change upon anyone. The only person you can change is yourself and even that is very difficult. Ever try quitting smoking, drinking or any other habit? I'm 45 and I still haven't mastered myself.

Cut people some slack. We have all been molded by our past and our respective lives have taught us all lessons. Others may still be learning their lessons. Let them make their mistakes.

Accept others for who they are...life would be no fun if we were all alike. It's our differing views and experiences that makes us interesting.

Creating conflict in a thread will never resolve anything. Conflict is disruptive and counter productive, emotionally charged posts are a waste of everyone's time.

Only you can bring change, it begins with "I". If we all practiced restraint, compassion, and respect then there would be no need for threads such as this.

Maybe yesterday was better, and today is not as good....but, the promise of tomorrow remains! Can't change the past, but you can create the future. Focus and commit to that...today and tomorrow will be yesterday. Do your part today, be the best you can, treat others as you want to be treated..... well you get my drift.

As elementary as this seems when we are reading it...the challenge and difficulty is in practicing it in every moment.

Enough said by me.

I have recently put forth as much effort as I can to contribute to the site in as positive a way as possible, as opposed to being argumentative as I once was. I hope to be able to continue on this path.

I will say this however. Part of my initial hostility towards some was because they were judgmental without getting to know me.

Dick is the first person to say he is forward and etc. etc. He is, but he is forthcoming with knowledge and advice, not judgement.

Others, Dave, Bob, and more have always been respectful, and never made me feel like a criminal, ignorant, or anything of the sort, even though they have probably forgotten more than I'll learn.

I hope more of the tenured members will help multiply this feeling, and I hope this will help prevent new people from feeling like I did initially.

I also hope less tenured members take the time to read the rules, and grow up. Respect the hobby and quit being so defensive.

I'm certainly guilty of a lot of things, but admitting my imperfections isn't one.

I'm always happy to lend an ear or a hand if it will ever help anyone.

It's a good thing to protect a forum that you enjoy. I would point out that for those having been in the hobby for 15 - 30 years that the manner in which people new to the hobby will learn will not be the same. People now turn to the internet for information, not books and they expect others to reply.

When you post a forum labeled "value questions" you should feel fortunate you don't have to skim through 300 posts a day to find one real hobbyist. It's super easy to make a forum access restricted if you don't want under educated, naive, non-veteran collectors to ask silly questions.

Maybe add a second forum for open questions and make the first just for the venerable few who know to only ask an appropriate question.

Just like every public forum of this type, you eventually end up with a few dozen "original" members, or the most knowledgeable float to the top of the respect food chain and the general concensus becomes down with the newbie. All i'm saying is don't look down your nose too much at them, they're the future of the hobby regardless of what you think.

"Accept others for who they are...life would be no fun if we were all alike. It's our differing views and experiences that makes us interesting."

Someone else said it better than I could..

Its just the nature of the beast folks... Go onto a large website if you want to see some real bickering, something with 100k members or so. The Administrators/Moderators basically just give up when a forum gets that big. As much as I want Oldgas to grow, I hope it does not get too big LOL.

Its just how forums work.

Lots said here that makes all too much sense, and there isn't much to disagree with. I like the views that Mike Carr had laid out, and seldom will I ever disagree with the wise words from Dave Gill.

I see many here like Dick, Dave and a handful of others who contribute daily through their experience and knowledge, and I see others who simply drop in to stir the pot such as the for sale thread Jim stepped into yesterday. There's no reason for that at all and it shouldn't be happening.

Maybe it's time for a 3 strike rule with little black pots beside a users name. Get three pot stirs and your gone for 30 days or something along those lines. On the same token, issue golden pots to those who regularly contribute so everyone can see who helps out with information.

There's nothing wrong with newbies on the site as they will be the future, but make it mandatory they read posts like this. Hell, after a whopping 6 months in the hobby, I've already adopted two other newbies who I'm starting out with their own pump restorations. First thing I did was tell them what books to get. I have 5 books now and they're all within arms reach whether I'm at home, in the office, or in my truck.

Thanks for a great site here Jim. I really think the pots beside the usernames is a good way to identify the good from the bad. Peace

I'm fairly new here but do appreciate the fact that this is one of the most drama free sites I can go to. I, for the first time last week came really close to piping into a thread on a personal level because I felt that someone had a real bad attitude and needed my guidance. It took everything I had to stay out of it. I was unaware of the power of the notify button. Now I know that in the future I can just click it and move on with my life. By the way... I've done a little business with a few people on here and have found them to be first class, so thanks to all that keep this place what it is. Tom

I have been on here just long enough to understand both sides. Members with decades of experience and collecting must get frustrated answering the same questions over and over. It does take a while to figure out how to best search for old threads on a particular topic (Thanks DB).
Some of you guys have been fantastic to help me with juvenile questions while getting started (and I'm sure there will be more to come). It can be very intimidating to even post when you need help, but are afraid you will offend someone by asking.
To the veterans: Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience, and be patient with us.
To the newbies: Be polite, respecful, and do a little homework on your own.
This is a fantastic site with lots of really good people on it. Thanks to all of the moderators and site managers for their dedication to keep this thing up and running!

I'm a newbie on this site but have been on many a forum related to autos and bikes (and other topics) for years. Hell I used to write the software to run sites like this. Gotta take the good with the bad sometimes but my experience is mostly good. Like what was previously said things do get heated sometimes but filter that out and you have a valuable tool for people to get together and share ideas and information. Thats is a good thing. A little patience all around goes a long way.

I used to 'collect' back in the 60's and 70's.... at the stations I worked I would take things home and mom would say 'what are you going to do with that junk' kind of thing. I did it because I love this old stuff...it certainly never had anything to do with $$. One thing I have noticed elsewhere and on this site is the market has created a strong focus on dollar values. I'm not judging as there is the business side of collecting anything but my point is it can create an atmosphere of hostility sometimes. But the people I have dealt with thus far have been very nice.

Since my short time here I've learned things and met some good people both here and locally in my area. Even aquired my first pump last week and another project today! Thanks to all who supply and maintain this site, and those who have even took the time to call me to help out! (special thanks to Flatland and Old Iron).