I miss the information density of the old BirdForum. It had the best user interface of any online group I ever experienced. (2 Viewers)

[SueO]

Sue - my post above stands. The reply by Chosun Juan has nothing to do with my comment, and I find it rather unpleasant.

I grew up in Britain, but have lived most of my life in Japan. Almost all of my friends who are not Japanese are American. Wherever we are from, we have met great people and unpleasant people from any ethnic or racial group we have met (in significant numbers). But I still think that the post you originally responded to was just a self-deprecating joke. Sorry about getting Winston's name wrong, if he's one of your heroes, but just as I was typing, my wife called to make sure that I was getting dinner ready, and it was an auto-typing thing.

It's been a very strange year. In various English-language newspapers it has been often stated that Japanese wear masks all the time. But this is only if people have a cold or flu. Like most humans, Japanese like to see each others' faces. I have been surprised at my own reaction in that I find it to be much more unpleasant going out when almost all people have half their face hidden than I would have guessed before it became a reality (just - I miss seeing people's mouths even when I'm just walking past them).

I hope you are in a good place (mentally as much as physically) wherever you are in California; I hope that if we all hold on for a little longer, we'll get back to where we were a year or so ago.

(Truly) best wishes to you.

Hi MacNara,
I almost didn't respond to your post because another post will just drag this on, and I am embarrassed enough by my reaction to the comment. Still, I am compelled to apologize for any discomfort my overly defensive rant caused. I'm sure that the three glasses of wine I had with dinner didn't help. I don't imbibe much these days and it obviously went straight to my head. I seem to have contracted a much more dangerous illness than covid. An illness that is rampant at home these days; the Triggered Victim virus. I went off social media and news because all the whining and posturing was driving me nuts. Now, here I am in all my thin-skinned glory. I seem to have misplaced my sense of humor and/or my ability to let things roll off.

 

[Biancone]

Not sure which thread to post this on, but I've just found an excellent feature in new forum: I paused in writing a reply to an ID thread and when I came back to it, a banner came up to tell me there'd been another post after I started my reply and which I hadn't seen. So many times in the past I wished there had been such a feature! Sorry if this already been highlighted elsewhere...!

 

[Gilmore Girl]

Hi MacNara,
I almost didn't respond to your post because another post will just drag this on, and I am embarrassed enough by my reaction to the comment. Still, I am compelled to apologize for any discomfort my overly defensive rant caused. I'm sure that the three glasses of wine I had with dinner didn't help. I don't imbibe much these days and it obviously went straight to my head. I seem to have contracted a much more dangerous illness than covid. An illness that is rampant at home these days; the Triggered Victim virus. I went off social media and news because all the whining and posturing was driving me nuts. Now, here I am in all my thin-skinned glory. I seem to have misplaced my sense of humor and/or my ability to let things roll off.

Don't feel bad. I've responded this way in the past more than once. It's stressful times now too.

I decided to block my access to the ruffled feathers section since the new site went up for similar reasons why you went off social media.
I like the forum to be a fun place to be and ruffled feathers was a real downer most of the time reading those posts. I'm not on any other social media; I ditched facebook years ago.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Not sure which thread to post this on, but I've just found an excellent feature in new forum: I paused in writing a reply to an ID thread and when I came back to it, a banner came up to tell me there'd been another post after I started my reply and which I hadn't seen. So many times in the past I wished there had been such a feature! Sorry if this already been highlighted elsewhere...!

Well you have posted it here now but Oliie did start a thread to share new features here https://www.birdforum.net/threads/tips-tricks.401722/page-4#post-4109077
I agree it’s an excellent feature - so many times a thread would get confusing because of cross posting - no excuse for that now and it allows you to amend your own reply if necessary before posting.

 

[tenex]

Americans literate...what next!

Surely the thing to do with such remarks is let them pass. And the thing to do with comments from those who can't just let them pass is, well, let them pass too, though I seem to be having more trouble with that one. I have no way of knowing how much was originally meant by this, nor does anyone else, and it matters very little anyway, so doesn't call for further explication which is sure to enter exactly the problematic territory one might have hoped the original post didn't mean to, as of course Chosun so ably demonstrated.

I went off social media and news because all the whining and posturing was driving me nuts.

I agree completely... and would very much like not to see any remnants of civilized discourse like BF likewise ruined.

 

[Microtus]

I decided to block my access to the ruffled feathers section since the new site went up for similar reasons why you went off social media.
I like the forum to be a fun place to be and ruffled feathers was a real downer most of the time reading those posts. I'm not on any other social media; I ditched facebook years ago.

I like the forum to be a fun place too. The only threads I normally read on Ruffled Feathers at this time are the Your Song Of The Day and the Obituaries threads (the latter is a news source, not a fun thread obviously).

 

[MacNara]

Hi MacNara,
I almost didn't respond to your post...

Well, I'm glad you did.

I myself, certainly, and some other long-term users of this BirdForum that I have noticed, occasionally express our annoyance at some post and then regret it. Usually it's about someone who posts 57 photos, to which the comment is 'Get a book and try yourself first and then ask', or someone who posts a grey square and then get angry when no-one can ID the bird. Even when the annoyance is justified, it can still feel bad later that you expressed it. But sometimes maybe we've just had a bad day, or had some bad news, and sublimate it (if that's the right word) by being a bit snippy on here.

On another recent thread I commented that BirdForum helped me change from a passive bird lover - Aren't those birds pretty! - to an active birder - I wonder what that is, how it lives, how it relates to other birds? - because I knew that if I couldn't work it out, then expert and friendly help was at hand here.

But actually one of the joys of BirdForum is the daily sight of strangers helping strangers in a friendly way. And people sharing beautiful photos of our avian fellow-residents of this - still - beautiful planet. And even if I hadn't become 'serious' about birds, I might come here just to see this sharing in action.

I hope you will be able to see your friends and family in the coming winter holiday season, as your current avatar suggests you wish. But either way, I remain optimistic that if we all hang on a bit longer, then sometime next year...

Please stay around here and join in when you can or want to. One way or another, this thread has in the end made me feel better about the world, not worse.

All the best to you again!

 

[SueO]

Well, I'm glad you did.......

All the best to you again!

Thank-you, the best to you also.