quote:

Originally posted by jimb888:
That would be a good section for Para to add, but it's a reminder, again, to thank Para for this board. The depth of knowledge about sigs here (and a whole bunch of other things as well) is fantastic.

quote:

Originally posted by Tirod:
I signed up there first after buying a P365. Like any forum there were members who were the Alphas in their mind, being pro bono mods and somewhat uncaring about new opinions. Again - EVERY forum has a few of those, they come and go. Along with that, old forum members across all the forums tended to treat discussions as being within their sandbox - predominantly male and very much tribal. We can't do that anymore, as I point out, 16 million new to guns owners are circulating, half women. You cant scratch your itch in public the way you might at your favorite biker bar. Standards are now different, and you will like it.

They get new members signing up daily, it's a big push and the now more polite conversations seem to fit the newer gun owner better. As with any expanding field of interest, some of the questions asked are the same ones many of us asked 20 years ago. Those who answer set in their ways to chafe the new members and give them their tribal stripes are now fewer. It's frankly poor behavior to think a newbie needs a a beat down to join the gang. Bluntly, it's gang behavior and no male forum of interest has been absent that behavior.

On the other hand, some of the interest I have seen in firearms from new members is misplaced - it's much the same as building AR's ten years ago. The focus is assembling all the cool parts and making a snapshot of the industry offerings to compare and see who has the cooler gun. Whether or not they needed it daily, or even shot it, meh. It's a game of making social rank, not marksmanship.

That goes on all the time in mens forums. Watches, knives, hot rods, bikes - there is a constant need to see who measures up and who doesn't. Its why the girls draw off to watch and giggle at the boys playing social standup comedy -

Personally, a bit more give and take would be nice. Iron sharpens iron, some are long term shooters, have gone thru the sea changes in what works and what doesn't, and can deliver an experienced and learned opinion on the value of things. Like, the validity of carrying an IPSC race gun as your conceal carry choice. You may, others cannot, and it's become a tiresome exchange of who's blurring the lines and what the agenda really is. As noted by P, start ups can and do get onboard to promote their paid special interest - the gun makers and accessory vendors can and do buy influence online now. They are another pernicious poster in forums and it's easy to confuse them with "real people" or discern why or how they may or may not be part of the group anymore.

Those with online experience from 2005 or even earlier see trends and have experienced some of these circumstances first hand. The days of a free for all discussion in a sub forum are gone, as are tribal initiation rites to put the new members in their place. Be careful what you read when these issues come up - just exactly who is complaining, and why? Is it a gun owner with a 1911 frame of mind reacting to the new Glock operating arena? Been there done that on forums, we just change the names then wash rinse repeat. Ie "drop safety".

The forums of the 00s have passed, it's not a small insular club of like minded fans. Not any more. It's not "Sigtalk" as much as the internet as a whole.