Oh I could see your "priuschat queue" now..... 1 Post about Naked Twister 3 Posts about Beer (microbrewed) 6 Posts from Patsparks 28 posts about boobies ..... Actually, I do like the Negative posts, ESPECIALLY when they are done in a mature manner. Often times, these posts can be quite informative either from the OP (if they have a legitamite gripe) or by the responders if they are addressing various myths that seem to circulate around the internet. I first found this site because I was looking to find all the things WRONG with the Prius. I wanted to see what problems people were having with the car (especially in regards to batteries and the hybrid system). Lo and Behold, there weren't many posts about the battery/hybrid systems and the complaints I did find were more focused on HID's and bladders (the fuel tank bladder, not the other one....unless you were in Fred's House of Pancakes).
A forum is a place for discussion and typically people will come here to ask a question or look for help. If I started a thread titled "life is dandy. I got 55mpg today", I may get a few "congrats" or "well done!" posts but that's as far as the thread will go. A post stating "I drove through the mountains and only got 38mpg" will probably generate more discussion and it could very well be good, positive, constructive discussions. Posts may talk about how to better deal with traversing mountains, mpg strategies, how to manage cargo load and aerodynamic properties. Do you see where I'm going with this? Threads about rattles can display issues with the choice of plastic or the way the car is manufacturered and like Evan said, Toyota does monitor this site and hopefully if they see enough "does your Prius rattle?" threads that they will pass the information up the chain and back to Japan. As a member of several automotive forums, I find PriusChat to be the most civilized and given the wide variety of owners and members (ranging from teachers to accountants, owners of Saturns to owners of Maseratis, those that strive to improve the environment and those who have a Prius just because their company gave them one), I'm very happy to see that we're all mostly getting along. If this was any other automotive forum, it would've descended into anarchy (I'm serious).
Lest anyone misread or intentionally attempt to misrepresent Evan's post, we know as a fact that the Prius Marketing Team comes to Priuschat and snoops around. In fact, the "member" Prius Team is the Prius Marketing team. After all, 1) this is a publicly accessible and free website and 2) this is quite possibly the best focus group any product marketing group could ever ask for. However, and this is the crux of why I'm replying, Evan said "monitors" and not "moderates." When it comes to Priuschat, Toyota is a bystander. Occasionally, they reach out to some of us asking about the legitimacy of some negative posts and gripes. When appropriate, we tell them, "yeah, this really sucks." (I've actually heard those words coming out of [REDACTED] mouth.) Occasionally, there are posts alleging that Toyota has had some hand in running this site or censoring content. It's quite the opposite; the Prius people I know are thick-skinned and welcome the feedback when it is legitimate.
I wouldn't say that I LIKE negative posts but I agree that it is good if they're discussed in a mature manner. I also do like refuting or reading refutations of the various myths out there. Regarding politics, I don't care for access to the politics section and don't want it. I'm not political but sometimes I read/hear comments political comments elsewhere (usually extremist or idiotic) that make me angry but I have to hold my tongue. I don't know how much moderation time that area takes but perhaps if it's too much of a drain, it should be totally disallowed and that area retired. TiVocommunity prohibits political discussion, for example. As for off topic comments, I think that's tricky. What should be done about them? Are you proposing the mods sift thru threads for that or that people flag them and they get moderated out to oblivion or moved? Where do people draw the line as to being too far off topic and how many posts should be moved/deleted? Sometimes a thread can take a life of its own where people end up discussing what was off topic instead. Sometimes, off topic comments can add a bit of fun/humor to a thread.
i can live with it. i have been to told worse...much worse to be exact. but then again, i have been guilty of just about every pitfall and shortcoming online chat has to offer. **i have posted things that later turned out to be untrue or very misleading without verifying the story thru other sources ** i have posted things alluding to a confusing "inside joke" or "underlying forum atmosphere" without "smiling" which only confuses newer users and caused misunderstandings ** i have posted things that seemed overtly blunt and possibly offensive when there was not even a shred of malice only because i rushed my statement, did not re-read it to verify that it provided the point i wanted to make. (in fact, i have come back a few times to see my own post and wondered what i was talking about) **but i am human and therefore fallible. i should pay more attention to what i am doing, but i dont. sorry. i hope to try to do better, but to be honest with ya, i am more a talker first, thinker later. not a good thing.
I think this topic awakened some sleeping writers. Three pages in just a few hours. Terrific. Thanks for all the comments. I must add two after-thoughts: 1) "Negative:" I said the Prius was "not perfect." Any "negative" comments that help us to find improvements; solutions; or identify problem areas for Toyota to solves ... are certainly welcomed and valuable. I was referring to the personal, hateful and name-calling remarks.... they certainly do not lead to "improvements, solutions," or areas to be "solved." 2) One writer mentioned that he avoided the threads that seemed to be pointing in the direction of which I was referring. That is why I have learned to remain with the "Technical Discussions."
An interesting thread; a discussion where Prius owners talk about talking about Prii. I like to read about problems with the Gen II. I own one and when I hear about problems, especially as the mileage climbs, I can decide whether or not to take preventative action before it happens to me. I like to read about perceived problems in the Gen III. I might upgrade. I like to read info about the PHEV, a more likely upgrade. Good or bad, I want to hear it -- mature, thoughtful discussion with supporting 3rd party info/data preferred I hate trolls… have been censured at least three times for making inappropriate posts in response. Still, trolling can't be 100 percent eliminated, but it can be controlled with personal discipline in responding. Basically, PRIUSchat is a technical site. But it also is a community, and has a dedicated cadre of folks who visit to talk with PC friends. These folks -- me included I will admit -- are an "auxiliary" or reserve of sorts, ready to add our voices, opinions, hard data, etc, when PC is under pressure from attack by whackos of any stripe. I would suggest that FHOPolitics be changed to FHOP&R, Politics and Religion to relegate all the stuff that tends to go incendiary to a single container requiring a positive selection to be viewed/answered. However, if we tighten up too much on what might be considered "social" threads, I'd visit less often, and be less likely to participate vigorously when it might be helpful. I applaud Danny and the Mods -- new CD to be released soon? -- for maintaining the overall civility, friendliness, and fundamental usefulness of PC as it has matured over time. Well done. keep up the good work. :rockon:
agreed... although there were occasionally some trolls that have no interest in prius at all, and i wished they were recognized sooner... overall compared to other forums, PriusChat is very positive site and great community!
Ditto. I hate trolls too and especially disliked one very active one we used (?) to have. Funny you mention that, at my350z.com, they have a specific subarea for Politics, War, Religion, & Race - MY350Z.COM Forums. As a side note, TiVocommunity used to be focused on TiVo but it seems like excitement about new hardware and software updates died down long ago so it appears that their Happy Hour - General Chit-Chat (equivalent of FHOP here) is FAR more active that the TiVo areas. You need an account on TCF to see/read Happy Hour though... I'm not sure how often areas are archived/purged but Happy Hour 73K threads and 2.7 million posts while the main TiVo discussion area (TiVo Coffee House) has only 10K threads and 191K posts. None of the other areas are anywhere near the size of Happy Hour. Some folks no longer have TiVos yet they still participate, mainly in Happy Hour. There are some famous threads there and even some jargon has developed there (e.g. SOAK, UMF, smeek ,etc.). See Reference for TiVo Community Forum - Search.com, if curious.
I come to the "website" sub-category to find out junk like software used - outages - updates - slow speeds etc. Call me wacky - but I was surprised when I realized I wasn't in FHOP when I read all this . . . I actually had to take a double-take.
Actually, you have been frustrated every time I post in a modification thread. Pointing out that my Prius CAME with wheels, tires, and a radio, so I don't HAVE to buy any. I often wonder where folks who do need them buy their Prius. Between that an the fact that no 'aero-kit' is more aerodynamic that a stock Prius and I just try to avoid riling you up.
