Some SBO 'recognition' on Sailing Anarchy

Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
I mean no harm. I was just amused by those two threads next to each other, and as others have noted SA has a different tone so it seemed like a better place to laugh about it than SBO.

What can I say. It's cold, the lake is starting to ice up, and my boat is on the trailer. I was looking for some laughs!
I actually chuckled when I saw it. And I was not at all embarrassed that my name was on the "soft wood" thread. :)

What DOES embarrass me is that I didn't notice it first! I gotta get my mind back in the gutter where it belongs!
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Although there are a lot of very experienced and knowledgeable people on SA, the signal-to-noise ratio is very low.

And I say this as someone who contributed to the noise part, because I started that thread over there... (Thanks for snitching on me, Jackdaw! Jeez, ratted out by another midwestern small boat owner.)

I mean no harm. I was just amused by those two threads next to each other, and as others have noted SA has a different tone so it seemed like a better place to laugh about it than SBO.

What can I say. It's cold, the lake is starting to ice up, and my boat is on the trailer. I was looking for some laughs!
While I agree that threads on SA can descend into chaos much faster than here, I'd argue that the S/N ratio is much worse on SBO. Get a decent thread over there and it will be informed and debated by world class sailors, designers and builders. Ask a tired old question and you'll be instructed in no uncertain terms to use the search. Here we often get 5 page repetitious threads on how to raise the mast on a Catalina 22, mindness back-and-forth banter to generate 'likes', or whimsical cartoon frogs.
 
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Likes: Minnesail
Jul 4, 2015
436
Hunter 34 Menominee, MI; Sturgeon Bay WI
As a first time new boat owner 3 years ago after sailing for 30 years, the people on this forum made all the difference in their replies to newbie questions. I would venture to say that I could not have learned so much about maintenance issues so quickly when repair advice was urgent, to the point that I might have otherwise walked away from the whole frustrating mess. Only once or twice were there sarcastic or snide remarks that I just ignored.
I do occasionally visit other forums to observe and always come back here for the discussions.

I can swear, be vulgar and find humor in the absurdities of people with the best of them, but came to believe earlier in life that being a disgusting human being is no way to be. This was the reason I stopped crewing on race boats after two years on Long Island Sound (I am not generalizing to all racers).
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
What's the matter with whimsical frogs? If this global warming thing would hurry up and melt the damm ice, we could get back to sailing.
 
Oct 1, 2007
1,856
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
While I agree that threads on SA can descend into chaos much faster than here, I'd argue that the S/N ratio is much worse on SBO. Get a decent thread over there and it will be informed and debated by world class sailors, designers and builders. Ask a tired old question and you'll be instructed in no uncertain terms to use the search. Here we often get 5 page repetitious threads on how to raise the mast on a Catalina 22, mindness back-and-forth banter to generate 'likes', or whimsical cartoon frogs.
Mostly off season. People are at loose ends.....
PS: I would have given you a "like"...except, well....you know..
 
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Likes: Jackdaw
Jul 27, 2011
4,988
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
While I agree that threads on SA can descend into chaos much faster than here, I'd argue that the S/N ratio is much worse on SBO. Get a decent thread over there and it will be informed and debated by world class sailors, designers and builders. Ask a tired old question and you'll be instructed in no uncertain terms to use the search. Here we often get 5 page repetitious threads on how to raise the mast on a Catalina 22, mindness back-and-forth banter to generate 'likes', or whimsical cartoon frogs.
Kind of like cable news networks. Nothing new to say--i.e., no news, but the same old, tired blabber running on 24-7. Different faces, same blabber.

But we have plenty of experts here who know what to say, or what to advise, when the issues/questions are viable ones. Too bad it's some jokers who have risen so high on the "like meter." Gives the uninitiated the impression that one might actually be able to learn something from their postings. But....?
 
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
So, likewise, why count the number of posts?
Sites like SBO use counting techniques to build loyalty and traffic. Post and like counters are part of that. Lots of sites use them. On SBO ‘Likes’ started a few years ago after all the old timers already had 1000s of posts. At first they seemed to be used to note a post that delivered above average value from a sailing perspective. All that changed a year or so ago, when people started liking jokes, pictures, and posts that ‘liked’ their last post. You could find entire threads that were basicly conversations where every post was liked.
 
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Likes: weinie

weinie

.
Sep 6, 2010
1,297
Jeanneau 349 port washington, ny
Sites like SBO use counting techniques to build loyalty and traffic. Post and like counters are part of that. Lots of sites use them. On SBO ‘Likes’ started a few years ago after all the old timers already had 1000s of posts. At first they seemed to be used to note a post that delivered above average value from a sailing perspective. All that changed a year or so ago, when people started liking jokes, pictures, and posts that ‘liked’ their last post. You could find entire threads that were basicly conversations where every post was liked.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Sites like SBO use counting techniques to build loyalty and traffic. Post and like counters are part of that. Lots of sites use them. On SBO ‘Likes’ started a few years ago after all the old timers already had 1000s of posts. At first they seemed to be used to note a post that delivered above average value from a sailing perspective. All that changed a year or so ago, when people started liking jokes, pictures, and posts that ‘liked’ their last post. You could find entire threads that were basicly conversations where every post was liked.
I think, you're over-thinkin' it. :) The owners of sailing forums have to make money, of course. I don't find any pop up ads that are bothersome here, it's pretty clean. Stuff they sell is on the periphery of my screen. It's a top notch platform that I can use on phone or laptop with ease(other sites are nearly useless on my mobile device).

I find it easy to not read many of the threads here that are of specific interest to many others.

My biggest complaint with sailing forums are long cut and paste posts (Sailnet is prone to this), and boring long text responses that the author couldn't spend the time to edit out 90% of irrelevant blather.

I find the 'like' feature on all(?) the forums now, a good way to streamline threads. It gives you a way to NOT respond with useless acknowledgment of a prior response post but click that you agree or simply acknowledge to the author, you've read it, because you feel the need.

All the forums have a character of their own so you can choose. You're thing is racing new boats, Jack. Mine is classic boats and sailing - slowly - along coastal Maine.

For us to meet anywhere and talk, is pretty amazing. :)