It's possible that some trolls could have some neuro-disability. Most websites have edit buttons though whereas in 3D life, you do not have a second, third, fourth, etc. chance.

You are right on with that comment. How about less volume and more quality of thought.

:blahblahblah: :boom:

Et tu aussi.

AS you all know my scree name is "Tom Hannon" that is my real name. I am not hiding behind a mask and everyone knows who I am. As far as some nasty people, it is the way some are. It is why so many of the regulars have faded away or have posted less than normal. Nobody needs to deal with temperamental fools who have an urge to complain. TOTV is a great tool for all of us. I learned so much about The Villages before I even moved to Florida and so many people too numerous to mention became what I considered a friend before I even met them. TOTV is an information highway and no reason to throw obstacles onto the road. The big boss was smart enough to stop the political threads and will give a warning if a thread was approaching political status. I have received a few PM's and threads from people who did not have nice things to say to me or other good people that have come to become friends. But I shrug it off because I know where it came from. And yes, I might not be working on all eight cylinders, but as eccentric as I am, I have knowingly never tried to offend anybody. I just wish the negativity would cease and every one tried to be helpful. But I guess, that is asking for world peace. It ain't gonna happen. But it would be nice if it could.
Lets us all get educated, with helpful knowledge all can contribute and back off of the complaining.

About links: I think links can be very good as many of you have mentioned. I guess that's when someone asks a question and a link provides the answer.

Maybe I'm wrong for saying this, but I don't like links that end up being a substitute for discussion. After all, these boards are discussion boards, are they not?

Let's say someone starts a thread with no comment at all, just a link. Someone reading it doesn't agree and posts an apposing link with no comment. So some threads end up being a battle of links instead of a discussion. "Oh, yeah?! Read this link!" Then a third party comes in and adds yet another link with no comment.

I sometimes wonder if the people putting up 2, 3, or 4 long-winded links even take the time to read them themselves. If they don't at least summarize the main point, then it's quite possible they haven't even read the links themselves. Giving the other person a long reading assignment is supposed to pass for having a discussion. Afterwards, a third party will come along and praise the linker for great links and it's likely that they haven't read all of them either. This is not a good example of a discussion.

:duck:

I will summarize my thoughts.

You are a dear sweet fella, Tommy Hannon and if someone sends you a nasty message I will tell the girls to load their squirtguns.

Using the written word to communicate can be a little tricky! As I have read everyone's posts, over time, I have started to see personalities come out. I feel sometimes if we are not careful with our words, it can be taken wrong. Some posts are just rude! But some seem to be written in a joking manner and are taken as an insult and may even be removed! I absolutely love people watching on here! If everyone was nice, polite and had the same opinion, I think I would stop reading! I say, keep being you! I love the diversity!

Your posts have:mademyday:

Boy Howdy:clap2:

You are spot on with that thought.:BigApplause:

Diversity is fine as long as it does not diverge from civility.

Diverging from civility seems to be way more common than it used to be on this forum....but as has been said, it's few and far between and usually the same few. It truly makes me feel sad for them..they can't be happy.

Pammy: I said essentially said the same thing concerning your comments on diverse points of view. And I also agree with your comments on communication. The culprit in my view is political correctness which essentially stifles communication. People have gotten so reactive. Speak one word for example illegal alien"" and get ready for a battle. This dilemma has created the wide division in our society. You mentioned that you review many of the posts and have developed a poster's profile. i wonder if we had a complete analysis would we find that some posters detested unpleasant comments just because they were unpleasant and labeled them negative and hence their authors negative. I hope not. I grew up in a neighborhood where you were encouraged to speak your mind with the caveat that you better be ale to back up your comments.

IMHO far too many people on TOTV obssess too much about what they perceive as negativity rather than determining if the comments are objective or subjective and then engaging in point and counterpoint vis a vis that poster is just too negative. By the way there is a book out entitld The Benefits of Negative Thinking. If you spend some time reading about Abraham Lincoln he utilized negation in order to make his point.

If nobody countered with a negative point when nothing but glowing, honey-dripping positives are being gushed, you'd have no "discussion" nor "debate".

It's nauseating when only a grinning Pollyanna view of an issue is permitted while you're trying to bring up a a legitimate beef that is being ignored by those who should fix it. That is censorship and whitewashing. I hate that. Too negative? Too bad!!!!

I enjoy discussions, debates and I can easily accept criticism. However, I have a problem with someone attacking and throwing hurtful comments. Online attacks are unnecessary and immature. We should feel free to volunteer comments or ideas on this forum whether they're given by cyberlinks, pictures or simply worded without having to worry that it will be critically attacked. Gracie is absolutely the most positive person on TOTV and she can cut to size any attacker with charm and wit like no other. Many of her posts have made me feel positive about TV which is a good objective. Don't you think?
Come on folks, can't we all get along?