Murph
02-15-2006, 01:13 PM
These forums are one of the most informative places I've visited on all of the internet for handicappers looking to improve their enjoyment with all aspects of "The Greatest Game". The variety of the experience and worldwide residences of the folks who make PA what it is today are truly remarkable. This makes the forums a very popular place that handicappers KNOW can help them become better at what they do.
PA is a community in every sense. In that regard, understanding how to peaceably co-exist with your "neighbors" is essential in any successful community. I have every intention of contributing to the success of our community here. I also want to take advantage of any opportunity to learn as much as I can from everyone who posts in the forums.
I was invited to join PA by a personal friend and an internet acquaintance who I've handicapped with. I was told that there were dozens of friendly people posting great information and I'd probably fit in well there with these folks. After lurking for awhile I decided that it would be worthwhile and fun to join in and share my thoughts. Well , I'm having fun now.
I have been an avid handicapper for more than 15 years. I have been using computers to help evaluate and handicap horseracing since 1992 with varying degrees of success. I've yet to reach a point where I was totally satisfied with my results or my knowledge of the handicapping and wagering game. I want to move my play to a higher level, as many of us here are striving in the same vein.
I'd like to appeal to the multi thousand post users to try and put themselves in a new members' perspective. I arrived just as the SteveO posts and all reference to them were being deleted. I decided to form no opinion based on what happened in the past and simply look forward positively to see for myself.
The situation did not effect me except that the mood and tone of the boards were emotionally charged and it was intimidating to tread into this unknown. "Hmmm... I've joined a discussion board that just deletes entire topics, then shuns the guy that started them. It won't be any picnic trying to post anything here, these guys must be brutal", I thought.
I've fount that the truth is almost the exact opposite of that thought. I've yet to see another user here who hasn't made a positive contribution or an entertaining insight at one time or another. Nearly to a man individual users are generous with their time and in sharing their specialized knowledge. I've contributed in a positive manner several times with reviews (I KNOW - they were lame:), some speed figures on maidens and looking for ways to fit into the discussions. Finding a spot to contribute in a manner that doesn't arouse detractors hasn't been easy for me. I doubt if it is easy for any new person here trying to do the same.
Would posting off-topic, snide remarks with meanings not readily apparent to a casual reader be a better way to find common ground with other users? I do not believe so, even though it appears (from examples that could be taken in MANY of the threads I've read), this is a perfectly acceptable method for driving an individual post count into the thousands.
The PA community has evolved into so much more than just a "pace" discussion forum. It's scope is widening every month. Travelogues compiled BY handicappers FOR handicappers are a beautiful expression of this growth. Invaluable information for folks like me who enjoy traveling to visit racetracks during their live race meetings.
Is a distractive and disparaging comment in the middle of a thread such as this necessary or informative? Certainly not, and I don't mind to voice my opinion on the matter. My public reply was equally out of line though. Personal remarks like those belong in PM's and IM's. A prolific poster knows they risk being flamed for them as well as I certainly recognize that I risked censure when I made that reply. I want to apologize to everyone for knowingly causing a negative distraction, it was a knee-jerk reaction that I made too quickly.
In hindsight it would have been more prudent to politely ignore this offending post as others (likely smarter than me) had done. I do wish now I had not contributed in a destructive manner to an otherwise excellent thread. In the future I'll always attempt to post my various opinions in more positive ways. I wish no hard feeling to anyone and that none are harbored for me.
A serious handicappers time is likely one of their most valuable assets. It is imperative that information gathering and sharing not contribute to wasting any of it. Unlike the spammers that fill our inboxes daily, posters in any online community are subject to immediate peer review feedback via the reply button included on each post.
It may not hurt if many of us posting here reconsider this fact a bit more carefully when we use it. I know that in the future I will.
Sincerely, Murph
PA is a community in every sense. In that regard, understanding how to peaceably co-exist with your "neighbors" is essential in any successful community. I have every intention of contributing to the success of our community here. I also want to take advantage of any opportunity to learn as much as I can from everyone who posts in the forums.
I was invited to join PA by a personal friend and an internet acquaintance who I've handicapped with. I was told that there were dozens of friendly people posting great information and I'd probably fit in well there with these folks. After lurking for awhile I decided that it would be worthwhile and fun to join in and share my thoughts. Well , I'm having fun now.
I have been an avid handicapper for more than 15 years. I have been using computers to help evaluate and handicap horseracing since 1992 with varying degrees of success. I've yet to reach a point where I was totally satisfied with my results or my knowledge of the handicapping and wagering game. I want to move my play to a higher level, as many of us here are striving in the same vein.
I'd like to appeal to the multi thousand post users to try and put themselves in a new members' perspective. I arrived just as the SteveO posts and all reference to them were being deleted. I decided to form no opinion based on what happened in the past and simply look forward positively to see for myself.
The situation did not effect me except that the mood and tone of the boards were emotionally charged and it was intimidating to tread into this unknown. "Hmmm... I've joined a discussion board that just deletes entire topics, then shuns the guy that started them. It won't be any picnic trying to post anything here, these guys must be brutal", I thought.
I've fount that the truth is almost the exact opposite of that thought. I've yet to see another user here who hasn't made a positive contribution or an entertaining insight at one time or another. Nearly to a man individual users are generous with their time and in sharing their specialized knowledge. I've contributed in a positive manner several times with reviews (I KNOW - they were lame:), some speed figures on maidens and looking for ways to fit into the discussions. Finding a spot to contribute in a manner that doesn't arouse detractors hasn't been easy for me. I doubt if it is easy for any new person here trying to do the same.
Would posting off-topic, snide remarks with meanings not readily apparent to a casual reader be a better way to find common ground with other users? I do not believe so, even though it appears (from examples that could be taken in MANY of the threads I've read), this is a perfectly acceptable method for driving an individual post count into the thousands.
The PA community has evolved into so much more than just a "pace" discussion forum. It's scope is widening every month. Travelogues compiled BY handicappers FOR handicappers are a beautiful expression of this growth. Invaluable information for folks like me who enjoy traveling to visit racetracks during their live race meetings.
Is a distractive and disparaging comment in the middle of a thread such as this necessary or informative? Certainly not, and I don't mind to voice my opinion on the matter. My public reply was equally out of line though. Personal remarks like those belong in PM's and IM's. A prolific poster knows they risk being flamed for them as well as I certainly recognize that I risked censure when I made that reply. I want to apologize to everyone for knowingly causing a negative distraction, it was a knee-jerk reaction that I made too quickly.
In hindsight it would have been more prudent to politely ignore this offending post as others (likely smarter than me) had done. I do wish now I had not contributed in a destructive manner to an otherwise excellent thread. In the future I'll always attempt to post my various opinions in more positive ways. I wish no hard feeling to anyone and that none are harbored for me.
A serious handicappers time is likely one of their most valuable assets. It is imperative that information gathering and sharing not contribute to wasting any of it. Unlike the spammers that fill our inboxes daily, posters in any online community are subject to immediate peer review feedback via the reply button included on each post.
It may not hurt if many of us posting here reconsider this fact a bit more carefully when we use it. I know that in the future I will.
Sincerely, Murph