Modeling Spoken Here - 2003/10
As modelers we are all used to working with tools. We try to have a selection of tools that are used to do a proper and complete job. We use them constructively to build and assemble. Build and assemble: positive words, wouldn't you say? I believe all tools should be used in positive ways for making things better or for repairing things that are broken. Tools are the physical things we use to implement changes and create new structures. This magazine is a tool. It is used to inspire, instruct, and inform our members. In fact, those three words are used in the new Model Aviation Mission Statement that has been approved by our AMA Executive Council.
Communication devices such as magazines and newsletters are important tools for those who are sincerely trying to learn more about our hobby or sport, and they rely on the information they receive there to be positive, constructive, accurate, and relevant. In recent years another type of communication tool has become very popular: Internet bulletin boards and forums. No matter what your interest, there seems to be a forum to cater to it. There are many modeling forums, and you can easily access them to ask questions, answer questions, or simply state an opinion. The immediacy of this type of communication yields a potential for these forums to be incredibly useful tools. If you have a question, you can usually get a quick answer. In fact, you will likely get several answers from which to choose.
Most of those who post regularly on modeling forums are dedicated, sincere, and knowledgeable people who are there to use that tool in a positive manner. They post answers to questions, comment on subjects about which they have opinions, and add to threads in a mature, responsible manner, and their only thought is to be constructive. Unfortunately, there is a small percentage who are determined to use this new tool as a weapon. I have visited many of these forums as a nonposting observer (I think the term is "lurking") and have found that there is always a small faction that apparently feels compelled to make a negative or derogatory comment about every subject thread that is started. Many of these negative types will then expound on what they believe is wrong with everyone else's thinking, and try to prove that they are the only ones who have the "true" answers.
Obviously, most of those who are regulars on any given forum know who the troublemakers are, and they simply ignore them and go on with the business of using that forum in a constructive manner. The real problem is when a newcomer or beginner tries to use a forum as a learning tool and doesn't know who is giving out bad advice or wrong answers. There are many who can "type the talk, but not walk the walk." Forum hosts are usually good about jumping in when something gets out of hand. They will delete flagrantly wrong information or grossly inflammatory remarks. Most hosts try to be as impartial as possible, however, and sometimes they allow messages from known troublemakers to remain posted, knowing that most will simply ignore them.
A lot of time can be spent online arguing with these individuals, and that is only tantamount to dulling an otherwise sharp and useful modeling tool. If you hang out long enough at any of these forums, you will begin to realize that there are really only a few who routinely post messages. These are closed loops for the most part, and the audience is not as large as it may appear to be, so any conclusions reached are not necessarily those of the entire modeling community on any given subject. A subject being discussed can often be overanalyzed and taken off on extreme tangents. Such is the nature of a medium that allows quick response. Sometimes I believe that not enough thought is given to a response before it is posted.
By all means, go to the forums that cater to your particular modeling interest and use them as tools to become a better, more well-informed modeler.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
