So… not sure anyone gives a rip about this …but in case someone is keeping track of alienating AHA members: I had a brew question typed up and ready to go this AM. But right before I hit the button I decided it was not really worth going thru with all the snarky ‘my way or the highway’ BS that comes with posting here. Instead, I went elsewhere.
Like I said, not sure anybody gives a rip but thought admin might want to know that what should be the go to place for home brewing advice has become the place that I for one am beginning to avoid.
There may be others. I may be the only one and need to simply disappear. Who knows.
I don’t post often but I do read many posts. I understand why you wouldn’t post your question. I’ve been frustrated with the frequent jabs as well. I was really disappointed that a recent first post quickly derailed into the type of back & forth you are referring to. I appreciate the constant drive to improve, or do things the way that works for you. However, when it gets to the point of beating others down then it defeats the purpose of the forum and homebrewing camaraderie.
I agree. The vast majority of threads go smoothly here IMO. While people being uncivil isn’t acceptable, no group of people this big are ever gonna agree on everything. Agreeing to disagree in a civil manner is healthy IMO.
I have become a complete lurker. These days I’m mostly interested in low oxygen techniques, because I have the impression that they improve my beers a lot. Unfortunately for me this is not a safe place to discuss them, so I have to go elsewhere.
I do agree there are plenty of threads that are constructive and stay on topic. However, for awhile it seemed that many topics were going down the toilet. The most important thing for everyone to remember is, it’s relatively difficult to communicate effectively on the Internet. Just like text messaging, emotion & intent can be lost in translation. Suggesting methods / opinions vs implying your method is the only correct way can help prevent heated bickering. Also, making derogatory comments doesn’t help anyone. It only continues to make a situation worse. Before you post a reply, especially when the thread is already getting heated, reread your post a couple of times. If your reply doesn’t add anything constructive to the thread (ie answer the OPs question) then perhaps it shouldn’t be posted.
FWIW this is the only homebrewing forum I read & participate in. There are a lot of great people and information here.
Conversely, maybe everyone needs to take a step back and gather themselves. Very few posts result in ad hominem attacks, nasty language or generally distasteful behaviors. Those that do are the exception rather than the rule. Disagreeing with people isn’t a bad thing!
This is beer on the internet. If you don’t agree with someone it isn’t the downfall of western civilization. Why any adult would feel they can’t post freely in an OPEN forum is crazy. This forum in particular has the chance to be in the vanguard for the advancement of brewing on our scale, if only because our small batches make experimentation something manageable. The problem I see is people being hamstrung by the term “homebrewer”, and all the amateurish notions it drums up. Does that mean you need to devour and comprehend every scientific article, textbook, industry technical paper, etc? Absolutely not, but it also means that as the hobby evolves, the whole RBWHAHB ethos is going to be less and less representative. It also means that from time to time you may have to confront the fact that a better way of doing things is out there. Doesn’t mean it’s the right way for you, but it also doesn’t mean that it isn’t the right way, in general.
As far as I know, no one is telling other people how to live, raise kids, run a business, etc. this is beer! On the internet! Brew how you like but know that you can’t just bury your head in the sand every time something new, controversial, or opposite your opinion comes up. I’ll gladly eat crow if it means a way to better beer, and I think I speak for more than myself on that point.
Actually we’re seeing the opposite of that. More people just want a fun and easy hobby to participate in. It’s hard to see that forest through the trees of our own obsession, but that’s the way it’s going.
Of course, but again don’t let your own thoughts color your view of the rest of the brewing world. We are not representative of many, maybe most, homebrewers. We are dedicated, addicted followers who love to geek out. But we are also only a small part of the hobby.
This is how my cynical, simplistic and possibly semi-paranoid mind perceives the situation: it is the mission of the AHA forum to bring brewing to the masses, and the discussion of very advanced techniques, especially the ones that go against the implicit consensus, is discouraged, as they only would confuse said masses.
Nope, not at all…the AHA exists to serve homebrewers of all levels and persuasions. I think you’re making “very advanced techniques” seem more radical than they really are. I know I didn’t say that very well. And I’m not sure there is anything approaching an “implicit consensus”.
Yeah but this issue is not addressing Joe Homebrewer. It’s addressing the niche of the niche. It’s posters here saying they feel they don’t want to post.
I guess people just have to now preface their posts with, “I’m not looking for X type of answers, only Y type.” What else is there to do? You have to parse potential responses by preemptively asking certain people to not comment? I have a feeling people around here are more thick skinned than that.
That’s a pity because it was the friendliest explanation I had. There is definitely something more going on than “let’s all be a bit nicer to each other, and all will be well.”
