Community's opinion on max. frequency of posts

[genmaicha]

This forum, that is thankfully organized by Sean, is set up so that everybody can enjoy it.

In the past weeks there has been a proliferation of posts by Mak Tin Si. I think on some days as many as ten new posts by him could be seen.

Now there are different opinions on this posting behaviour. Whether his content is of interest to people or not shall not be discussed here. Though, I think, most people would say that they find his posts interesting and are thankful for his sharing.

Some say that they wouldn't see his posts if they were posted somewhere else and are thus fine with the all these new posts in the discussion section.

Others find it a pity that the forum is swamped with Mak Tin Si's posts, making it difficult to find older or other interesting posts. They think it would be better if he posted in a special section such as the private practice area, at least the majority of his posts. A few posts in the discussion area would be fine.

So far, we don't know what percentage of users favours which alternative. The results of this poll will give us a better picture.

I'd also like to stress that this is a general poll for this kind of phenomenon. If someone came onto the board posting ten new topic posts everv day in the discussion section on the intricacies of the various schools of Tai Ji Quan that would also be covered by this poll. So, it's not about Mak Tin Si or the content of his posts, but a question of frequency and location of posts.

[pacala]

This forum, that is thankfully organized by Sean, is set up so that everybody can enjoy it.

In the past weeks there has been a proliferation of posts by Mak Tin Si. I think on some days as many as ten new posts by him could be seen.

Now there are different opinions on this posting behaviour. Whether his content is of interest to people or not shall not be discussed here. Though, I think, most people would say that they find his posts interesting and are thankful for his sharing.

Some say that they wouldn't see his posts if they were posted somewhere else and are thus fine with the all these new posts in the discussion section.

Others find it a pity that the forum is swamped with Mak Tin Si's posts, making it difficult to find older or other interesting posts. They think it would be better if he posted in a special section such as the private practice area, at least the majority of his posts. A few posts in the discussion area would be fine.

So far, we don't know what percentage of users favours which alternative. The results of this poll will give us a better picture.

I'd also like to stress that this is a general poll for this kind of phenomenon. If someone came onto the board posting ten new topic posts everv day in the discussion section on the intricacies of the various schools of Tai Ji Quan that would also be covered by this poll. So, it's not about Mak Tin Si or the content of his posts, but a question of frequency and location of posts.

 

 

Great idea with this poll - I hope it will make a difference in a forum infected by the dogmatic posts of a pathetic Taoist clown.

[Mak_Tin_Si]

How come this place is now setting up rules like communist in China?

 

Are you from China? Really have a feeling that you are from the China Government....

[wudangquan]

Mr. Mak,

 

Respectfully I would ask you to think about a simple question: "What else could it mean?"

 

It may be that some people here have some issue with you and in fact, do want to censor your speech, or that they may have their own agendas, and so on.

 

It could also be that there is a difference between controlling someones speech, and asking a person who is shouting in your ear for a hundred hours to excercise a bit of restraint, and to please quiet down a bit.

 

I'm not saying that the situation is this or that, but only suggesting that it might be something else besides what it initially seems to be and there may be other reasons involved.

 

Neither am I telling you what you should or shouldn't do regarding how, what or how frequently you post here, becuase it's not my business.

 

I just want to say that I like to read your stuff, and many other people have said they do as well, but also many people have said that the frequency is a burden for them, and that you could satisfy those people who are genuinely interested and satisfy those who feel burdened by the amount of information at the same time, rather than falling into a linear "this and that" trap.

 

This is that and that is this if you let it be.

 

Your friend,

 

Jonathan

[genmaicha]

How come this place is now setting up rules like communist in China?

 

Are you from China? Really have a feeling that you are from the China Government....

 

I don't know if you're referring to me, Mak Tin Si.

First of all as I wrote this is not against you but against the phenomenon of too many posts by you clogging the discussion forum.

Also, the problem with China is not rules I think, but to the contrary the rule of people (guanxi) versus the rule of rules (i.e. the law) that are the same for everyone plus of course the problem of censorship.

So, no one proposes to censor your posts. As I wrote I find a number (I haven't read all) very interesting and am thankful for your writing them here. I think others are as well.

Furthermore this is a general discussion among members on what to do in such a case. As I wrote if somebody came onto the board posting in similar frequency to you on Wicca it would be the same discussion.

Plus this is an open board; The idea of the poll is to find out what the members think of how to go about this. If the majority thinks it's better to post your stuff in your section, well I guess, it's up to you to do it. I'm not sure Sean would want to enforce anything upon anybody.

All that I can say is that I'll frequent this board much less if it continues like it has in the past days.

[Pietro]

How come this place is now setting up rules like communist in China?

 

Are you from China? Really have a feeling that you are from the China Government....

 

My dear Mak,

it was a pleasure to come and visit you.

And when I came in the temple, there were many rules. I might have broken a few. If I did I am sorry, it was not my aim. I remember that there was a clear sign: do not walk with the shoes. I took them off.

Then you pointed me the waiting chair, I sat there, and waited.

 

All this was a matter of manners. Manners are a bit more difficult to recognise when someone is entering into a novel environment. Just two days ago I was celebrating Christmas with my family. We had so many traditions, and manners. It took me many etrs to learn how to follow them. The reason for them is not so much to silence each other or to sontrol someone, but to permit to everybody to coexist.

 

But manners are often not written. It is not like laws. Are unwritten rules. And often the people who share some rules are not even themselves aware of them. But when someone arrives and changes them, everybody need to face the decision: is this new way better? Acceptable? Or should we remain to our previous way.

 

I know, it is change, and as spiritual people we are often welcoming change. But not all change is positive.

 

In this case, when you arrived, we had some uses. Those uses were that no single topic would dominate the scene. We had similar problems when the Kun Lun people were writing many topics. But if you were not here at the time, you might not know.

 

I have always supported you, because I feel that your presence here is important, as part of the great family of taoists. But as this is a family we all need to coexist. And asking everybody to compete by writing more is not the way. It is not The Way.

 

So what the community is asking you (quite strongly as nine people out of ten would agree) is that you focus what you want to say in a smaller number of threads, or keep them in a separate area of the community. We all have a room in this community which is our own. In this each of us is maintainer.

The rooms are here:

http://www.thetaobums.com/Personal-Practic...ussion-f15.html

 

and they are easily reachable from the front page.

 

This is mine:

http://www.thetaobums.com/Pietro-f71.html

 

And this is yours:

http://www.thetaobums.com/Mak-Tin-Si-f93.html

 

So we are not trying to censor you, nor to put you down, nor to rule you out.

We are also not making up rules to stop you, but we are just trying to share how things are being done over here, were done before, and we in the great majority, would like to keep on doing them.

 

Like in your temple there were rules and manners.

I tried to follow them.

Will you try to follow ours here?

 

With my Best Regards,

Pietro

[Mal]

Well said Pietro,

 

I've noticed Mak_Tin_Si is great to talk to and has lost (ha ha should be lots) of information.

 

But he also misunderstands us quite a bit. Hopefully this will be on the same wavelength.

[genmaicha]

Allright. Here its is.

Right now out of 30 taobums that voted 27 (90%) would appreciate MTS post similar posts under one topic or in his own section. 3 (10%) are happy with his current posting frequency and location.

[teopakees]

Great idea with this poll - I hope it will make a difference in a forum infected by the dogmatic posts of a pathetic Taoist clown.

 

Perhaps there should be a special place for those who post adolescent humor or deride other human beings. The nazis are getting closer;beam me up Scotty

[genmaicha]

Perhaps there should be a special place for those who post adolescent humor or deride other human beings. The nazis are getting closer;beam me up Scotty

 

You're using heavy words here, man.

It's a question of balance and I think that most people have a normal feeling how many new posts are fine and how many will probably be annyoing. If someone posted ten jokes in separate topics or funny youtube videos it would get the same reaction. Don't you think?

[Wayfarer64]

Mak has begun to actually annoy me. He demands respect and gives none. He has narrow-minded and DOGmatic views on a plethora of subjects that can and should be contained in far fewer threads and or posts.

 

He seems much more ignorant than wise to my old eyes. I have met many masters and practitioners all over the world, from the Dalai Lama, Shao-lin Masters and yogis to the Guru Maharaji. I will not waste my time with this fella-

 

When his answer to so many asking him to be less intrusive is to call us communists - a plain mis-nomer and as ignorant a response as any I've encountered here. I'll add the "- -ck-off " to his fu...

 

and add him to my IGNORE LIST,

 

too bad I'll still need to wade thru the line after line of his fascistic crap to get to anything of real interest and open-minded value here.

[thelerner]

How come this place is now setting up rules like communist in China?

 

Are you from China? Really have a feeling that you are from the China Government....

 

 

I appreciate Mak Tin Si's presence here, his views are closely aligned to what we'd get from a Taoist temple. One that makes income off of Fu dontations.

 

His style of writing and the frequency of his creating New Topics create surprisingly nasty blow back. He comes off as impolite, I know its not intended that way, but it is. He doesn't see it that way and its a loss for the community here.

 

To: MTS

No one has set up any rules. There are a dozens of posts and many Discussions asking you not to over Topic. You ignore them. You either don't understand the board etiquette or feel you're above it. Its not China who is after you, its a part of the community here, that would rather see you volumous postings be done on the Personnel Discussion site that Sean created for you here.

 

If you used it your topics and thoughts would be in one section, easy to find and not quickly forgotten forgotten as more topics move them several pages away. As I pointed out earlier, a few days ago page 2 was mostly your topics, over 15 of them. When people overtopic it makes the site worse and tend to be more about Them then Taoism.

 

 

Michael

[Baguakid]

I think part of MTS's problem (if you can call it that) is ppl in China are rarely challenged or debated so he doesn't know how to respond to some of the challenges or responses and also, because of not being challenged, hasn't fully developed critical thinking. So, he responds emotionally when as a Taoist Master should be totally different.

 

IMO

[Mal]

Allright. Here its is.

Right now out of 30 taobums that voted 27 (90%) would appreciate MTS post similar posts under one topic or in his own section. 3 (10%) are happy with his current posting frequency and location.

 

It's hard to know how representative the stats above are, 30 responses vs ~100 reads for every MTS post. Although I feel 90% is possibly accurate enough as long term members are voicing opinions along those lines.

 

Mmmmm this is an interesting case. Information that the majority want, but delivered in a way the majority find unacceptable.

 

We always have our cyclic debate about the posts in Taoist Discussion, along the lines of

1. There are too many threads on Topic X
   
2. The behavior of poster Y is unacceptable
   

#2 is easy, just ban the poster, or if it's personal just use ignore.

 

1 is difficult and ignore does not "solve" it and banning is not really appropriate.

 

 

But. If you want good exposure you need to be in Taoist Discussion. And we do get some discussion in a few MTS threads, but the signal to noise ration is not good.....

 

Have we grown so much that a forum split is needed or should we be more proactive posting in the "correct" place.

Personal Practice

or

Contributed articles

[YMWong]

Others find it a pity that the forum is swamped with Mak Tin Si's posts, making it difficult to find older or other interesting posts.

 

Funnily enough, I had not seen this thread for the same reason until by chance it was bumped up ...

 

YM

[Mal]

Funnily enough, I had not seen this thread for the same reason until by chance it was bumped up ...

well there are 3 (or 4) threads discussing the same issue so it's hard to keep track