Interesting thread here.
I'll give you a classic "s**t sandwich", for want of a better phrase.
RailUK is my place of choice for rail-related discussion. There are plenty of other forums I could frequent, and I choose to look here instead. There's a plethora of knowledge on here - fascinating threads such as the one about hotels with private sidings, or finding out about the Chinese high speed rail network, or about the woman kicked off a train for having a rather "adult" telephone conversation.
I have been around here for long enough to know whose opinions I can value - and whose I can't!
The best thing about this forum, and what I take most away from it, is legitimate criticism of the railway industry in how it conducts its business. One of the best, and simplest ticketing ideas I've seen actually came from a layperson on this forum who was able to see a problem with different eyes to everyone else - and certainly a suggestion so simple it's surprising I hadn't heard it before.
Like Yorkie and Max say - if they don't know about a problem, in that it's not reported to them, then they are unable to fix it. The same principle applies to the railway industry. People can post here with the benefit of anonymity and impunity and we therefore must support freedom of speech and expression. I have absolutely no problem with legitimate criticism.
What a growing proportion of posters appear to forget is that most of us who work in the industry have chosen to do so because we love the railway and want to see it flourish. We don't like to read about nasty passenger experiences at all - and sometimes the staff posters on here can get defensive. What I also don't like to read are posts by people with little to no experience of the operational railway making sweeping statements about those who work on it.
I'm forever reading utter drivel on here - the "signal to noise ratio" is considerably less favourable in recent months. On a daily basis I read about criticism which is utterly unfounded. One of the worst assumptions is that people who work for (and manage) TOCs are always out to screw the passenger over and make a fast buck. Unfortunately this is then made public for all to see - and when rail staff try to rebut the criticism with the correct information, the criticism often escalates. This is incredibly frustrating. I for one am glad I do not work in a safety critical role as I'm sure I would have snapped long ago.
Fewer and fewer of my own personal posts are now replied to - so either what I say is always absolutely correct and inarguable (not the case I'm sure), or fewer posters simply don't care much for reasoned argument. I fear it is the latter - and I am not alone, and it stifles discussion. I don't ever post with the intention of killing a conversation, in fact I'd love it if we were able to have an intelligent debate. This seems to be thin on the ground of late.
I don't see this primarily as a moderation problem. If anything the forum is over-moderated. I fully support anyone's right to say what they like, be it ill-informed, misguided or simply untruthful. I don't consider that I have been personally abused - if that was the case I would report the abuse and not dignify the abuse with a response.
No, the problem as I see it is a declining quality of debate and discussion. That, you cannot moderate. I'm more than a little tired of seeing the same posters with their tired Internet Warrior agendas. These people, as a rule, are generally not in paid work themselves, and lack life experience, problem solving skills and common sense, to put it bluntly. It's all to easy to suggest ignoring these people, but it does grind you down after a while.
I find myself growing tired and cynical recently - and that's the last thing I'd want to happen.
Taking the above into account, I've decided that I will no longer be actively posting on this forum. I'll keep my account, and will continue to lurk and read people's comments, rail news and historical snippets with great interest. I'll sift as always to discern the informed, experienced, and astute from the know-it-all enthusiasts, the bitter jobless, the spurned prospective train crew and those with a tiresome agenda. However I will not be replying to private messages or posts for the foreseeable future. I do hope that the atmosphere of the forum improves in the future so that I may be able to reconsider my position.
I hope that doesn't read as pathetically as some "resignation speeches" I've seen on here, naming no names!
Cheers
AE
