What Happened to the "Community"?

[blueskyserenity 0]

I am thinking J needs some great big sugar lovin! Can you feel it???? >>>>>>

I feel much better now!

I like coconuts. You can break them open and they smell like ladies lying in the sun!

[Thanatos340 1]

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I am bringing them but handing them out to Shiney Happy People ONLY!!

Count me in, i'm very shiney!!

Dude, did you get my text message earlier?

It is all OK now. Sunny fixed it. I feel MUCH better. Thanks!!

[futuredivot 0]

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I feel MUCH better.

How much time did you spend feeling yourself to determine that?

Shit! That's what you were taliking about, wasn't it? I'll go back to my corner, now

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[mnealtx 0]

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Shit! That's what you were taliking about, wasn't it?

No, I'm pretty sure that's EXACTLY what he was talking about....

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Thanatos340 1]

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Shit! That's what you were taliking about, wasn't it?

No, I'm pretty sure that's EXACTLY what he was talking about....

Not even close.
I could not imagine this place without the good natured ribbing that goes on.

Abuse is Love. I love my friends every chance I get and they Love me back just as much.

[stitch 0]

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I love my friends every chance I get and they Love me back just as much.

Keep your hands to yourself.

"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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Abuse is Love. I love my friends every chance I get and they Love me back just as much.

I only love people with avatars, so I guess you're out for the next 5 minutes.


-holy shit now what's happened to my sig line?! It's all weird and wonky!

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[turtlespeed 212]

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I am just curious here. Over the past year this site has seemed to take on a different personality.

What was once a friendly welcoming place where people came together from all over to share some laughs and their passion for life seems to now be filled with hostile, condescending and argumentative people.

Sangiro created a great place for us to come together. When this place was really getting started and Rec was still around, the Rec trolls would refer to this as the place for Shiny Happy People. For some of us, that was breath of fresh air. A Place where people were actually friendly towards each other. People came from all over for gatherings like the 02 Holiday Boogie, The DZ.com tent at Rantoul was packed with people for a year or two, the first few Dublin Boogies where 100`s showed up. Every weekend it seemed we were traveling somewhere to meet up others that we first met on this site.

There was very much a since of community that seems to be fading here. It reads more like REC every day. I think it goes beyond the graphic posts that Sangiro has already addressed. the tone and atmosphere seem to have changed. There is a very different tone here. Some of the more prominent posters now seem to be quick to see how rude they can be without crossing the PA line. Their objectives seem to me to be to establish themselves by putting others down.


What happened?
Am I the only one that is seeing this?

Why is it happening?
Inevitable Growth and change?
Losing so many of our core personalities like Holly, GFD, Deuce, Skinny and others?
We all finally got to know each other and realized we didn’t like each other after all?
Just plain time for Change?
I am just getting old and everthing always seems like it used to be better?

I still love this site and the people I met through it and the great experiences I have had over the past 6 years thanks to this site. I just hate to see what was once a warm welcoming place changing into a REC like hostile environment. What are your thoughts?

Is this really Slappie and he stole J's password or something?

What's with all the fluffy shit?

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[BillyVance 34]

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IIs this really Slappie and he stole J's password or something?

What's with all the fluffy shit?

Nah, he just gets long winded sometimes.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[JeepDiver 0]

argumentative you say?


I don't use it for that very reason and then when I do, I wish I hadn't because of the argumentative BS that follows.

Even certain Moderators have appeared to have lost their minds, or post when they are drunk.

[turtlespeed 212]

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I am just curious here . . .

I broke it.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[JustChuteMeNow 0]

I think the community is still alive and well and while it does have its share of drama due to some posters that like to stir the pot. For the most part the site is still a good place to connect with other skydivers.

This site allows me to make some pretty positive connections with people so that when I do travel I can generally find a friendly face. Following the same logic there are people that use these forums that I will never try to meet.

FWIW Jay due to your positive vibes I hope to cross paths with you at some point and do a jump or two.

Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

[funkyone2 0]

Trying to view this place as a true reflection of a dz bonfire...albeit with a moderator ready to smack us with a stick if they dislike what we say?

This place is anything but a bonfire. No matter how much we may try to please the skygods gone webbie.

[Shotgun 1]

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Trying to view this place as a true reflection of a dz bonfire...albeit with a moderator ready to smack us with a stick if they dislike what we say?

This place is anything but a bonfire. No matter how much we may try to please the skygods gone webbie.

Most dz's have "moderators" too. I've seen people get kicked off a dz for behavior that was unwelcome.

[rwieder 0]

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I am just curious here. Over the past year this site has seemed to take on a different personality.

One word: Alcohol

It would seem this libation causes changes in personalities. It has known to alter egos and heighten tensions. Thus my reasoning for not visiting much anymore. I got really tired of being trashed, and trashing others as well. It's good to peruse for a while and just observe. Later.

-Richard-
"You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall"

[funkyone2 0]

I've never seen them at the bonfire smacking folks for expressing their thoughts and opinions.

[chaoskitty 0]

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What was once all fresh, new and exciting becomes, for the most part, completely predictable. You get to a point where on any given thread you pretty much know who is going to chime in and what they are going to say.

Sounds about right. Oh look, a new girl getting inundated with perverse comments that forces her to stand up for herself, when she probably just wants to make a skydive.
Its the same shit, different day.

[PhreeZone 15]

I'm willing to bet that you'd get kicked off the DZ or beat if you were going around and talking about how much you want to rape the DZO's wife or how much you want to have sex with someones kid. There is a lot of behaivor that will get you thrown off a DZ or beat up around the bonfire. At least in real life people have filters that keeps them from acting like a total idiot because they can see reactions in others to what they are saying, on the internet they don't have the same inhibition and will say what ever their opinion is since they usually don't have to deal with the reactions that are caused by it.

We all know how slighted you feel you are by the moderators.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[micduran 0]

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Oh look, a new girl getting inundated with perverse comments that forces her to stand up for herself, when she probably just wants to make a skydive.

Don't forget the ones who claim to want to skydive but are really looking for the perverse comments.

You can also see a geographic shift of posters over the years. West coasters are the predominant posters, then East coast posters take over, then Midwest, etc. I wonder if that has anything to do with it?

Be patient with the faults of others; they have to be patient with yours.

[chaoskitty 0]

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Oh look, a new girl getting inundated with perverse comments that forces her to stand up for herself, when she probably just wants to make a skydive.

Don't forget the ones who claim to want to skydive but are really looking for the perverse comments.

Theres definitley that too. Thats why I haven't changed my sig line in over a year.

[futuredivot 0]

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Thats why I haven't changed my sig line in over a year.

Just in time for that post, sig lines have gone the intermittent way of avatars-at least on my laptop

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[chaoskitty 0]

Haha.. yeah I just noticed that too.

It says "Please do not feed the attention whores."

[funkyone2 0]

The first part of your comment is right on. I sincerely hope people on here would be above such comments, but I don't know the history behind it I suppose. I missed the rape and child assault discussions and would again for that matter.
I do think the faceless perspective does have a lot to do with it.

I don't follow your last sentence though as I've never had anything to do with moderators.

[lisamariewillbe 1]

Most the awesome posters died... thats what happened

Sudsy Fist: i don't think i'd ever say this
Sudsy Fist: but you're looking damn sudsydoable in this

[masterblaster72 0]

When the same people post the same predictable shit again and again, what do you expect -- the forum will inevitably lose its vibe.

For those who weren't part of the bonfire clique from the start, there wasn't a community here to begin with. I think the 'community' you're speaking of is your Florida/Georgia/Texas (with a few scattered others) bonfire postwhore gang -- people who knew each other from way back. Then there are others like myself who got into the sport in 2004 who never really knew anyone.

I take it this forum serves as a 'community' for those I mentioned above... though I'm sure that for the majority of people who use this site it's a small part of their otherwise interesting lives -- a good place to learn and exchange ideas, and perhaps for some to meet people (as I have).

And I find it hilarious that some of those who complain about condescending posts are those who make them...I've seen it on here time and time again (quite often from those members of the bonfire 'community').

Just my two -- of course, I may be wrong.

Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up.