Open Letter To The Indoor Rowing Community

[NavigationHazard]

Dear fellow ergers,

If you are like me you've probably been following certain recent threads on the Forum with a mixture of anger, shock, and despair. I have no intention of re-raising here any of the issues that have been proving so divisive. Neither do I mean to take a position on any of them. Like most of us, I have no dog in the current fights.

However that does not mean I am neutral. Frankly the tenor of too many posts lately has been turning my stomach. One of the great things about our indoor rowing community has always been its constructive camaraderie. I can't tell you how grateful I've been for information about rowing and physiology I've received, for encouragement that's been offered, for friendships both virtual and actual, for competitions, and for all the other things that have made the Forum such a special place.

Regardless of how you stand vis-a-vis the latest batch of controversies, I hope can agree with me that the name-calling, vituperation, ad hominem/feminem attacking, and so on needs to be dialed down. Toward that end, I think that those of us who've been around for a while have a duty to speak up when we think things are getting out of hand. When we don't, we tacitly condone practices that threaten to infect the entire Forum.

Never mind what thread it was, I read today where a 10-year-old (a TEN YEAR OLD!) has stopped posting times because of our collective negativity. When things have come to such a pass it's time to do something. And I think the place to start is with myself.

The UK Forum already has a thread in which people have been pledging to keep the Forum positive. I'd like to start one here.

For the record:

I pledge that I will be as supportive and positive on this Forum as possible. I will help others, as others have been of inestimable help to me. I will continue to speak my mind, nonconfrontationally. I will try to avoid contributing to troll threads and gratutious disputes, however innocently. And when I read something that I feel warrants censure, I will no longer sit on my hands. I will ask the party/parties involved to desist, preferably privately, and when the situation warrants it I will bring my reasoned concerns privately to the Forum moderators. Above all, I respect and uplift the rights, dignity, questions, thoughts, answers, performances, and capabilities of others, so as to keep the Forum the wonderful virtual community it should be.

Jon Bone/ NavigationHazard

[Alissa]

I'll sign on to that!

For the record:

I pledge that I will be as supportive and positive on this Forum as possible. I will help others, as others have been of inestimable help to me. I will continue to speak my mind, nonconfrontationally. I will try to avoid contributing to troll threads and gratutious disputes, however innocently. And when I read something that I feel warrants censure, I will no longer sit on my hands. I will ask the party/parties involved to desist, preferably privately, and when the situation warrants it I will bring my reasoned concerns privately to the Forum moderators. Above all, I respect and uplift the rights, dignity, questions, thoughts, answers, performances, and capabilities of others, so as to keep the Forum the wonderful virtual community it should be.

Jon Bone/ NavigationHazard
Alissa Sandin/Alissa

[Francois]

I'll sign on to that too!

Difference of opinions are inevitable amongst the members of such a diverse community. IMO this is a good thing as we can always learn from each others. Also, a little humor goes a long way to put our self-importance in perspective, and make us more receptive to different opinions. If we can make this little community a nice place to be, there is hope that there will be peace on Earth one of these days!
Think globally and act locally!

For the record:

I pledge that I will be as supportive and positive on this Forum as possible. I will help others, as others have been of inestimable help to me. I will continue to speak my mind, nonconfrontationally. I will try to avoid contributing to troll threads and gratutious disputes, however innocently. And when I read something that I feel warrants censure, I will no longer sit on my hands. I will ask the party/parties involved to desist, preferably privately, and when the situation warrants it I will bring my reasoned concerns privately to the Forum moderators. Above all, I respect and uplift the rights, dignity, questions, thoughts, answers, performances, and capabilities of others, so as to keep the Forum the wonderful virtual community it should be.

Jon Bone/ NavigationHazard
Alissa Sandin/Alissa
Francois Audet

[Tyn]

Thanks Jon

I'll sign on to that!

For the record:

I pledge that I will be as supportive and positive on this Forum as possible. I will help others, as others have been of inestimable help to me. I will continue to speak my mind, nonconfrontationally. I will try to avoid contributing to troll threads and gratutious disputes, however innocently. And when I read something that I feel warrants censure, I will no longer sit on my hands. I will ask the party/parties involved to desist, preferably privately, and when the situation warrants it I will bring my reasoned concerns privately to the Forum moderators. Above all, I respect and uplift the rights, dignity, questions, thoughts, answers, performances, and capabilities of others, so as to keep the Forum the wonderful virtual community it should be.

[TPMcT]

Let me also say thank you, Jon.

For the record:

I pledge that I will be as supportive and positive on this Forum as possible. I will help others, as others have been of inestimable help to me. I will continue to speak my mind, nonconfrontationally. I will try to avoid contributing to troll threads and gratutious disputes, however innocently. And when I read something that I feel warrants censure, I will no longer sit on my hands. I will ask the party/parties involved to desist, preferably privately, and when the situation warrants it I will bring my reasoned concerns privately to the Forum moderators. Above all, I respect and uplift the rights, dignity, questions, thoughts, answers, performances, and capabilities of others, so as to keep the Forum the wonderful virtual community it should be.

[Hennie Martini]

Thanks Jon well said.

I'll also sign on to that!

For the record:

I pledge that I will be as supportive and positive on this Forum as possible. I will help others, as others have been of inestimable help to me. I will continue to speak my mind, nonconfrontationally. I will try to avoid contributing to troll threads and gratutious disputes, however innocently. And when I read something that I feel warrants censure, I will no longer sit on my hands. I will ask the party/parties involved to desist, preferably privately, and when the situation warrants it I will bring my reasoned concerns privately to the Forum moderators. Above all, I respect and uplift the rights, dignity, questions, thoughts, answers, performances, and capabilities of others, so as to keep the Forum the wonderful virtual community it should be.


Hennie

[eyespliced]

finally someone decided to do this, thanks!!!
this makes perfect sense
so i'm in
For the record:

I pledge that I will be as supportive and positive on this Forum as possible. I will help others, as others have been of inestimable help to me. I will continue to speak my mind, nonconfrontationally. I will try to avoid contributing to troll threads and gratutious disputes, however innocently. And when I read something that I feel warrants censure, I will no longer sit on my hands. I will ask the party/parties involved to desist, preferably privately, and when the situation warrants it I will bring my reasoned concerns privately to the Forum moderators. Above all, I respect and uplift the rights, dignity, questions, thoughts, answers, performances, and capabilities of others, so as to keep the Forum the wonderful virtual community it should be.



David Alden / Eyespliced

[nteeman]

Sounds good to me -- count me in.

[dadams]

Been doing my best to do that all along, but have slipped a couple of times. So...for the record.

I pledge that I will be as supportive and positive on this Forum as possible. I will help others, as others have been of inestimable help to me. I will continue to speak my mind, nonconfrontationally. I will try to avoid contributing to troll threads and gratutious disputes, however innocently. And when I read something that I feel warrants censure, I will no longer sit on my hands. I will ask the party/parties involved to desist, preferably privately, and when the situation warrants it I will bring my reasoned concerns privately to the Forum moderators. Above all, I respect and uplift the rights, dignity, questions, thoughts, answers, performances, and capabilities of others, so as to keep the Forum the wonderful virtual community it should be.

[Kinley]

I'll sign on, and propose an amendment:

I forswear all unprintable language (i.e. words requiring asterisks).

>>>------> Kinley

[DavidA]

I very much agree with you Jon.
I have always tried to do that, and will do my best to continue to do so.
I appreciate your effort in this matter.

David

[fish]

I think this is nice.


I pledge that I will be as supportive and positive on this Forum as possible. I will help others, as others have been of inestimable help to me. I will continue to speak my mind, nonconfrontationally. I will try to avoid contributing to troll threads and gratutious disputes, however innocently. And when I read something that I feel warrants censure, I will no longer sit on my hands. I will ask the party/parties involved to desist, preferably privately, and when the situation warrants it I will bring my reasoned concerns privately to the Forum moderators. Above all, I respect and uplift the rights, dignity, questions, thoughts, answers, performances, and capabilities of others, so as to keep the Forum the wonderful virtual community it should be.

Arlene

[Bob S.]

Dear fellow ergers,

The UK Forum already has a thread in which people have been pledging to keep the Forum positive. I'd like to start one here.

Jon Bone/ NavigationHazard

The U.K. forum also has a simple, convenient ignore file system. When the U.S. forum gets that installed, I would be happy to take the pledge and I commend Jonathon for suggestiing it. As it is, this forum is out of conTROLL.

Bob Spenger

[NavigationHazard]

Pledgers so far:

Jon Bone/ NavigationHazard
Alissa Sandin/Alissa
Francois Audet
Tyn
Tim McTighe/ TPMcT
Hennie Martini
David Alden/ eyespliced
Dwayne Adams/dadams
kinley
David A
fish

Thanks all so far

[FrankJ]

Perhaps the pledge should be part of the registration process.

For the record:
I pledge that I will be as supportive and positive on this Forum as possible. I will help others, as others have been of inestimable help to me. I will continue to speak my mind, nonconfrontationally. I will try to avoid contributing to troll threads and gratuitous disputes, however innocently. And when I read something that I feel warrants censure, I will no longer sit on my hands. I will ask the party/parties involved to desist, preferably privately, and when the situation warrants it I will bring my reasoned concerns privately to the Forum moderators. Above all, I respect and uplift the rights, dignity, questions, thoughts, answers, performances, and capabilities of others, so as to keep the Forum the wonderful virtual community it should be.

Frank