I’m pressing pause...

[spkennyuk]

Please lets have nobody from the forum having a positive start to 2021.

Covid wise that is

 

[Lozzer]

I hadn’t appreciated, until now, the depth of feeling against some of the threads I contribute to, most notably the shares thread, and I will rectify that. I’m glad that people are communicating this, otherwise I’d never know.

Nooooo!, your contribution to the shares thread is first class, if people don't like the subject the clue is in the title.

 

[Zep]

I really hope we can collectively kick 2020 out the door and make a fresh, positive start in 2021 ...

This, I could not agree with more.

That a lot of us have had moments of introspection around the recent tumultuous times is good, we all must consider what and how we say things. Balance is key.

I have read every post on the shares thread, you have been generous with your knowledge and it has been interesting to the point that I understand it. There has been little if any conflict that I have noted, so I don’t see any reason for you not to continue, if you see fit.

 

[spkennyuk]

Nooooo!, your contribution to the shares thread is first class, if people don't like the subject the clue is in the title.

That in a way is possibly a small part of the covid lock down issue. Normally people would just browse the section that either related to a car problem or a topic that appealed to them.

More free time on people hands has meant people are reading almost everything thats a new post on not only this forum but other forums too.

A thread appeared tonight called " What are you reading now "

Not something i would normally contribute too.

I had to resist the urge to put 3200 error codes so its going to take me awhile to get through

Ive tried my best over the last few days to inject a bit of humour into the threads where appropriate.

Yes i know i failed but coq au van and Rat a TUI are mildly better than the xmas cr4cker jokes this year.

Its impossible to monitor every post 24 hrs a day but just a thought for the new mods. Maybe worth appointing a 4th mod from the other side of the pond or world that could spring into action if needed even if its just to hide a post if it needed until others can assess or modify.

It would just give you more hours with mod cover in a 24hr period.

 

[Gazcw]

Jon, I’m delighted that you’re re-considering, and hope that you decide to stay - I’ve really enjoyed our exchanges over recent months!

I feel a huge sense of responsibility for all that is being said by everybody in this thread (and other threads).
My reply to Benny’s post has had consequences which I‘d not expected at all: I’ve suddenly found myself at the the centre of a storm. I apologise to all of you. Wish I’d bitten my tongue, but it’s too late now.

I hadn’t appreciated, until now, the depth of feeling against some of the threads I contribute to, most notably the shares thread, and I will rectify that. I’m glad that people are communicating this, otherwise I’d never know.

I really hope we can collectively kick 2020 out the door and make a fresh, positive start in 2021 ...

And again. If People don't want to know about shares then don't read the darned post. If people, are willing and generous enough to assist those interested in a particular subject whether it is mechanical, electrical, shares, gold or Jenny A then they should not feel like they should not. Keep it up if you want to and people can learn, read with interest or ignore it. I ignore you all the time

 

[Lozzer]

That in a way is possibly a small part of the covid lock down issue. Normally people would just browse the section that either related to a car problem or a topic that appealed to them.

More free time on people hands has meant people are reading almost everything thats a new post on not only this forum but other forums too.

A thread appeared tonight called " What are you reading now "

Not something i would normally contribute too.

I had to resist the urge to put 3200 error codes so its going to take me awhile to get through

Ive tried my best over the last few days to inject a bit of humour into the threads where appropriate.

Yes i know i failed but coq au van and Rat a TUI are mildly better than the xmas cr4cker jokes this year.

Its impossible to monitor every post 24 hrs a day but just a thought for the new mods. Maybe worth appointing a 4th mod from the other side of the pond or world that could spring into action if needed even if its just to hide a post if it needed until others can assess or modify.

It would just give you more hours with mod cover in a 24hr period.

I hear you, but when people take the minority view to heart and actually feel bad about what they post then that just isn't on imo.

 

[rossyl]

I think definitely right that less use of cars is part of the issue, people discuss cars less as they are currently using them less.

The other angle is that Maserati haven't brought out an interesting car in ages.
4200/Gransports, they're pretty old now, there's so much info already on the forum that new topics are less required.
Even GranTurismo's it's much the same, many many thread already, lessening the need for new ones.
3200s are all broken by now

The other fact is WhatsApp and Facebook are killing forums. I hate both as they aren't good mediums for car discussions and sharing tech help, but people on here communicate together on one or the other. Also, new members might be drawn to Facebook Maserati groups, not knowing what they're missing here.

Hopefully some new cars might spring some new car threads. Using them will certainly help.

But, in spite of the above, I do take the point that the forum is dominated by about 30 people. I'm sure things will pick back up.

 

[Manc5]

As a none Maserati owner I lurked as a guest on the forum from just before lockdown and joined as a member at the start of June to research the cars and get a feel for the real world ownership experience with a view to buying one. I am a petrol head, I was bought up by one, I have owned quite a few good cars over the years and it is in my DNA to want nice cars.. so obviously Maserati is on my list and an itch I need to scratch

Since I joined much has changed, Covid was not a flash in the pan as we all hoped.. mine and plenty of other peoples whole work model has changed.. my wife lost her job and remains unemployed since July, in my role I used to travel and work pretty much across EMEA and Africa .. but since Feb 20th I have pretty much existed within the 4 walls of my study apart from 2 office visits to collect new kit.. 2 weekends away with my wife and of course the obligatory shopping trips for toilet roll and to exfil my daughter from her tier3 University accommodation under the cover of 11th hour pre lockdown v2........

We as a family have gone from 2 salaries to 1, from owning 4 cars with a view to replacing 2, adding 1 more and keeping 2 of the originals down to selling 2 and keeping only 1 for me and my wife + my daughters car... and barely needing those as we clocked up a combined mileage since Feb between 3 of us of 3900 with most of that being from Feb to August. As a comparison in the previous 12 months the 4 cars racked up a combined mileage of just over 27000.... and worst of all recently had a family member contract Covid whilst in hospital.

I work long hours and spend a lot of time on the internet due to my work.. and since lockdown I appear to more or less constantly be working.. even as I type this message I am waiting for work to complete in the background.. So as someone said you do end up reading EVERYTHING that gets posted on the forum and even I , as a newbie, can see the change in content during lockdown on this forum and gradual tolerance shifts as the content broadens beyond core values. But this is not just a localised issue, I see the same pattern of changes on other forums I participate in from IT geek type technical forums, (they have the oddest arguments), to house building forums, employment forums, company internal forums etc. It does appear that at the moment this is the new normal we find ourselves a part of, people seem more angry / frustrated generally and are becoming more vocal.

In defence of the various people that are demonised or demonise others on this forum, they seem to do it only about the same things that have divided the nation generally or my own peer groups both professionally and personally . I do not believe it is normal or intended as personal attacks rather, as someone else said, there is nothing going on with our cars, (read your cars for this as atm I am car-less as we kept my wife's car), so other "stuff" fills the void.

You have a great forum, run and contributed to by true enthusiasts, with excellent technical content and people that genuinely appear to help each other at any and all opportunities. Yes you have members with polar opposite ideology and some that are more vocal than others.. but that is one of the things that makes it great. Yes sometimes some of the comments can be edgy or even cause offense but people have the ability to choose the ignore user.. or employ the ability to just plain ignore the thread due to it's title.. or even dip in for a taste and then decide to ignore it with moderator governance as backup.. the weapon of last resort...

Oh.. by the way.. i still want one once my world returns to something I recognise and I need a car again. I am not put off by the scary stories / potential for financial ruin etc because the more content from this site that I have consumed the more prepared I am when I finally purchase and likely it will be a members car as nothing beats an enthusiasts car for a great start to ownership.

Just my opinion in an over opinionated world.
David.

 

[Moz1000]

Jon, I’m delighted that you’re re-considering, and hope that you decide to stay - I’ve really enjoyed our exchanges over recent months!

I feel a huge sense of responsibility for all that is being said by everybody in this thread (and other threads).
My reply to Benny’s post has had consequences which I‘d not expected at all: I’ve suddenly found myself at the the centre of a storm. I apologise to all of you. Wish I’d bitten my tongue, but it’s too late now.

I hadn’t appreciated, until now, the depth of feeling against some of the threads I contribute to, most notably the shares thread, and I will rectify that. I’m glad that people are communicating this, otherwise I’d never know.

I really hope we can collectively kick 2020 out the door and make a fresh, positive start in 2021 ...

Froddy
I also find your 'shares' thread contributions interesting and worthwhile. Please continue, and this applies to the other contributors to the discussions also.
Moz

 

[lifes2short]

All - thanks for the comments... and thanks to those who got in touch through other channels.

My sense of frustration is not linked to any single individual, and I completely get that COVID has been sh.it for all of us and therefore tempers and manners are fraying...

However, I’m honest enough to admit I may have over-reacted, I like the introduction of the new mods, and let’s see how we go...I am also going to experiment with the ignore feature...

good to hear you've pressed the "play" button

 

[Felonious Crud]

As a none Maserati owner I lurked as a guest on the forum from just before lockdown and joined as a member at the start of June to research the cars and get a feel for the real world ownership experience with a view to buying one. I am a petrol head, I was bought up by one, I have owned quite a few good cars over the years and it is in my DNA to want nice cars.. so obviously Maserati is on my list and an itch I need to scratch

Since I joined much has changed, Covid was not a flash in the pan as we all hoped.. mine and plenty of other peoples whole work model has changed.. my wife lost her job and remains unemployed since July, in my role I used to travel and work pretty much across EMEA and Africa .. but since Feb 20th I have pretty much existed within the 4 walls of my study apart from 2 office visits to collect new kit.. 2 weekends away with my wife and of course the obligatory shopping trips for toilet roll and to exfil my daughter from her tier3 University accommodation under the cover of 11th hour pre lockdown v2........

We as a family have gone from 2 salaries to 1, from owning 4 cars with a view to replacing 2, adding 1 more and keeping 2 of the originals down to selling 2 and keeping only 1 for me and my wife + my daughters car... and barely needing those as we clocked up a combined mileage since Feb between 3 of us of 3900 with most of that being from Feb to August. As a comparison in the previous 12 months the 4 cars racked up a combined mileage of just over 27000.... and worst of all recently had a family member contract Covid whilst in hospital.

I work long hours and spend a lot of time on the internet due to my work.. and since lockdown I appear to more or less constantly be working.. even as I type this message I am waiting for work to complete in the background.. So as someone said you do end up reading EVERYTHING that gets posted on the forum and even I , as a newbie, can see the change in content during lockdown on this forum and gradual tolerance shifts as the content broadens beyond core values. But this is not just a localised issue, I see the same pattern of changes on other forums I participate in from IT geek type technical forums, (they have the oddest arguments), to house building forums, employment forums, company internal forums etc. It does appear that at the moment this is the new normal we find ourselves a part of, people seem more angry / frustrated generally and are becoming more vocal.

In defence of the various people that are demonised or demonise others on this forum, they seem to do it only about the same things that have divided the nation generally or my own peer groups both professionally and personally . I do not believe it is normal or intended as personal attacks rather, as someone else said, there is nothing going on with our cars, (read your cars for this as atm I am car-less as we kept my wife's car), so other "stuff" fills the void.

You have a great forum, run and contributed to by true enthusiasts, with excellent technical content and people that genuinely appear to help each other at any and all opportunities. Yes you have members with polar opposite ideology and some that are more vocal than others.. but that is one of the things that makes it great. Yes sometimes some of the comments can be edgy or even cause offense but people have the ability to choose the ignore user.. or employ the ability to just plain ignore the thread due to it's title.. or even dip in for a taste and then decide to ignore it with moderator governance as backup.. the weapon of last resort...

Oh.. by the way.. i still want one once my world returns to something I recognise and I need a car again. I am not put off by the scary stories / potential for financial ruin etc because the more content from this site that I have consumed the more prepared I am when I finally purchase and likely it will be a members car as nothing beats an enthusiasts car for a great start to ownership.

Just my opinion in an over opinionated world.
David.

Thank you for taking the time to write that. Good post.

Personally I think there are a handful of threads that do the forum no credit and encourage a polarisation of opinions from a number of people with too much time on their hands. You almost want to hang a sign on the door saying enter at your own peril. With some topics it’s hardly any wonder some people find the time to get vexed and invest effort being antagonistic.

PS - Matt tells me I need to stop using the ‘block’ feature. Perhaps that button will get replaced with a ‘ban’ one instead.

 

[rossyl]

Thank you for taking the time to write that. Good post.

Personally I think there are a handful of threads that do the forum no credit and encourage a polarisation of opinions from a number of people with too much time on their hands. You almost want to hang a sign on the door saying enter at your own peril. With some topics it’s hardly any wonder some people find the time to get vexed and invest effort being antagonistic.

PS - Matt tells me I need to stop using the ‘block’ feature. Perhaps that button will get replaced with a ‘ban’ one instead.

For anyone having too much time on their hands isn't good, for some dangerous, for some it should be outlawed!

Point I was making about Maserati is that, for example, neither you nor I have a Maserati. How many of the top posters of this Forum have a Maserati. How many of the Mods have Maseratis? It is not a criticism, but it is looking at the title of the forum and wondering how that translates into discussion. If the top posters don't have a Maserati, they might be less inclined to lead topics on them.

Not to say that we aren't all petrolheads, but as the "Sports" part of Maserati's own offering has shrunk, it is not surprising that people on this forum have moved away from the brand as well.

Maybe, and here's a suggestion, instead of being annoyed by the various "off topic" threads, we expand out the Off Topic threads into their own section. They currently seem to dominate the "Humour Jokes and Other Topics" section. We could adopt a PH style where there is a section of the forum called "Off Topic" and within that sub forums for: "Money," "Food/Drink," and (the one I'll be avoiding) "Politics".

This would simply be replicating the "Other Marques" section.

To continue my suggestions...I would also scrap the "Latest Forum Threads" side bar.
In my view, that tends to fuel the fire. I would at the least experiment with removing it whilst COVID still has its grip. People are drawn to what they see is active and, as everyone seems to agree, the wrong "type" of threads have been the most active during this.

Just my thoughts, from my perspective and what I believe might improve the forum - I hope they are taken in the good natured and helpful way that they are given.

 

[CatmanV2]

Maybe, and here's a suggestion, instead of being annoyed by the various "off topic" threads, we expand out the Off Topic threads into their own section. They currently seem to dominate the "Humour Jokes and Other Topics" section. We could adopt a PH style where there is a section of the forum called "Off Topic" and within that sub forums for: "Money," "Food/Drink," and (the one I'll be avoiding) "Politics".

I'm not sure that people are being annoyed by threads specifically. It's never been an SM thing to be 'pure' OT even in the OT threads. I mean I don't see that anyone can be offended by the presence of a 'Shares' thread. But some of the posts in it....

I'm not keen on putting words into others' mouths but what seems to be the issue is some small percentage of the posts in those threads. And I fear it's spreading.

C

 

[Zep]

Just my thoughts, from my perspective and what I believe might improve the forum - I hope they are taken in the good natured and helpful way that they are given.

These thoughts are very similar to what has been discussed as potential next steps on this journey.

Just by talking about it, there is a difference. Let’s see where it goes from here.

 

[whereskeith]

I don’t post on here that much but read bits that interest me even though I sold my GS.
Compared to the GTR Uk forum sports mas is full of life as the former is pretty quiet and empty, to me that’s what makes this place interesting(Plus I still love Maserati’s)
Every now and then it goes a bit to far but that happens way more on every topical Facebook post these days .

 

[Felonious Crud]

But some of the posts in it....

Is there a way of re-directing some posts to the Daily Mail..?

 

[Zep]

I have also moved away on a similar basis. There are probably 20 members who account for 90% of the posts on this forum.

I was intrigued by this as I didn't hold a particularly different view to you, I thought I would crunch some numbers.

In the last 7 days:

Total posts: 1584
Total posts by top 20 members: 823
% of posts by top 20: 51%
Number of members posting: 157
Number of members for 90% of posts: 77
Average number of posts per member: 10

As of right now there are 60 members online and 129 guests. Today is not a great example though as there are normally well over 100 members online at any given time.

 

[Phil H]

Let's be honest, anyone with an SM forum is asking for trouble

PH

 

[CatmanV2]

Let's be honest, anyone with an SM forum is asking for trouble

PH

Or just begging for it.....

C

 

[rs48635]

Hoping to sell enjoy the time together here. Dropped off FB about a year ago and have no regrets.
In each of the "clear the air" talks so for in my life, the punctuation was the payoff of reconciliation. You know , the kiss and make up part?
With that in mind I am off for a drive now

 

[MarkMas]

Any forum can get a bit dull / irritating after a while, and taking a break can make lots of sense. I still find the SM forum 95% useful / amusing, and after a while I learned that it is pretty easy to stay out of the most argumentative threads, most of the time. Just 'unwatching' a thread that is making your blood boil can be very effective. Also avoiding any thread with over 100 replies has to be a wise precaution!