Sorry I just edited that post before I saw your reply. I understand the desire of every board pwi, tgs, and uamcc to avoid controversy and the owners of those boards have every right to manage as they see fit.
The point I masked in my cynicism (not intended to jab at anyone) is that it seems to lend to even more confusion who said what, who replied to what, who editted what, who deleted the thread, etc etc. And then it just snowballs worse than just leaving it be.
I'd like to call you next week if that is ok with you to get your feedback on efforts relating to me running for UAMCC and get some thoughts on how we can be an organization for everyone, regardless of who is in charge or wins. Thanks!
Sent from my BlackBerry 8530 using Tapatalk
It's not just a desire to avoid controversy... I believe the often forgotten purpose of the boards such as PWI and TGS is to educate contractors, provide a platform for networking and to promote the 'betterment' of our industry. While this is a very generic 'description' of their purpose and benefits, the information on these boards is as valuable as the positive participation of their members. When this participation is consistently negative, disrespectful or against forum rules the value of the board is diminished.
The encouragement to pick up the phone and talk about the problem, rather than the cyclical rants is actually some good advice. Talking an issue out can help solve it, or at the very least give a better understanding of context and tone - the parties may still not like each other, but they can move on without the trade of digs and jabs online.
I speak for myself when I say the admins, forum leaders and staff members don't want to 'police' the board, I guess there is an unwritten expectation that we can all be professional and leave the 'he said, she said' at the proverbial door. Will there continue to be online battles and clashes of beliefs and personalities... sure there will. But, I guess it is the hope of the aforementioned groups that this can be done in a manner that avoids the 'watering down' of the purpose of the boards.
Charlie, although I am no longer a member of the UAMCC, thanks for stepping forward as a BOD candidate... my advice, for what it's worth, on making the UAMCC an 'organization for everyone' - don't build the organization around an online forum. There seems to a fascination with forums - yes it is a positive communication tool, but building a national org from the top down is going to take working the phones and other channels of communication to get stuff done. Also, get a legitimate framework for local (state) representation - in my opinion, its success lies in helping 'local' contractors further their business and protecting their interests. I believe the PWNC has had some success and should perhaps be a model for local organization.