(Archived) Forum Civility

[Beavis 0]

I'm currently in medical school and just started using evernote for holding and organizing all my notes, powerpoints, pdfs.

I'm very very disappointed...suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

Suggestion: Please don't set up your medical practice in the Minneapolis area.

This type of response to a new user is exactly what aggravates me about this forum: jbenson2, metrodon, BnF, etc...

This was a new person who isn't as familiar with the program, and jbenson2 dives into personal attacks. It's the very reason I wish the forum allowed a user to hide moderators from view. I understand you don't work for the company, but why bring any negativity at all into the discussion? I visit the forum daily and have learned a ton about EN, but I'm constantly appalled at the lack of civility from a few.

EN staff: it's your forum, can you please address this?

[jbenson2 2,147]

There is an option in the forum to block me.

Use it!

[Beavis 0]

There is an option in the forum to block me.

Use it!

You responded exactly as I would have expected. I will, however this option is not available for the "Evangelists".

[Beavis 0]

As I attempt to block jbenson2, I get the following message:

"You cannot add administrators and moderators to your foes list."

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

i agree that more civility is needed. no need to block. jump into the thread and say something. or, add something positive to the thread. i tried that route. to be fair, in this case the new guy came on, started a thread about how disappointing en is, and said they bought the premium plan without reading about it.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

This type of response to a new user is exactly what aggravates me about this forum: jbenson2, metrodon, BnF, etc...

This was a new person who isn't as familiar with the program, and jbenson2 dives into personal attacks. It's the very reason I wish the forum allowed a user to hide moderators from view. I understand you don't work for the company, but why bring any negativity at all into the discussion? I visit the forum daily and have learned a ton about EN, but I'm constantly appalled at the lack of civility from a few.

Personal attack? Hardly. No one called him any names or threatened him or used offensive language. OP was ranting b/c Evernote doesn't do what he thinks it should do. These "flaws" (his term) are very clear in the premium vs free account page. It's clear that OP didn't even do the most simple bit of due diligence. Yes, if he were my doctor, he would have been fired, if I found out he was "assuming" things rather than educating himself on the topic. I stand by everything I posted in that thread. You (and others) are free to disagree. But just because you disagree with someone's post doesn't make it a personal attack.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

This type of response to a new user is exactly what aggravates me about this forum: jbenson2, metrodon, BnF, etc...

This was a new person who isn't as familiar with the program, and jbenson2 dives into personal attacks. It's the very reason I wish the forum allowed a user to hide moderators from view. I understand you don't work for the company, but why bring any negativity at all into the discussion? I visit the forum daily and have learned a ton about EN, but I'm constantly appalled at the lack of civility from a few.

Personal attack? Hardly. No one called him any names or threatened him or used offensive language. OP was ranting b/c Evernote doesn't do what he thinks it should do. These "flaws" (his term) are very clear in the premium vs free account page. It's clear that OP didn't even do the most simple bit of due diligence. Yes, if he were my doctor, he would have been fired, if I found out he was "assuming" things rather than educating himself on the topic. I stand by everything I posted in that thread. You (and others) are free to disagree. But just because you disagree with someone's post doesn't make it a personal attack.

i disagree.

i think you made it personal when you questioned his competence in his career. my lack of knowledge about evernote has nothing to do with my work. there is a reason why we have specialists in different careers, and your doctor generally isn't the same person as the guy on geek squad. but, i think your real point was about the way he went about making his purchase.

we all make mistakes buying stuff, and we rant sometimes. it happens. it doesn't mean we suck at our careers. the op didn't do his due diligence, his rant was unjustified, and he deserved to be criticized for that.

but, he didn't deserve to have his career called into question. that's when you made it personal.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

but, he didn't deserve to have his career called into question. that's when you made it personal.

I disagree with you. As I stated, personality traits often cross over. It's not how much he knows about Evernote vs medicine. It's his lack of preparation. (Which I stated in that thread.) Had I called him an idiot, then yes, that would be a personal attack.

Ironic b/c based on the OP of this thread, this could be called a "personal attack" since Beavis chose to name names & make it public, rather than PM an EN staffer. However, I do not. He's stating his opinion, which is certainly his option.

This is my last post on this OT topic.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

but, he didn't deserve to have his career called into question. that's when you made it personal.

I disagree with you. As I stated, personality traits often cross over. It's not how much he knows about Evernote vs medicine. It's his lack of preparation. (Which I stated in that thread.) Had I called him an idiot, then yes, that would be a personal attack.

Ironic b/c based on the OP of this thread, this could be called a "personal attack" since Beavis chose to name names & make it public, rather than PM an EN staffer. However, I do not. He's stating his opinion.

This is my last post on this OT topic.

I see where you are coming from, but I think we will have to agree to disagree, especially when it comes to new members of the forum. I prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt. They come in ranting, we educate them, and maybe they stick around as satisfied EN customers. I don't see what we get with calling into question their personality traits.

As you said, this complaint didn't need to be addressed in a public forum with names. And, as I said, there are more effective ways of dealing with perceived lack of civility.

[peterfmartin 221]

I'm a little afraid to back up the request for more civility/kindness/patience/related behaviors, since I appreciate the active posters' help and I hope they don't withhold it from me in the future. But as a relatively new user of Evernote and a newer user of this forum, I've felt several times in the past as Beavis and GrumpyMonkey do, and I want to add my voice as the third from a little person on this forum who would appreciate more of those tolerant traits in responses.

I won't be blocking anyone, especially not those who contribute so much (usually very helpful information), and I don't ask for "civility" because my delicate sensibilities are hurt when I read something snarky or sharply critical. I third the request because those sorts of responses discourage new Evernote users or new forum participants from asking questions.

I know that the feeling of reading something so stupid or self-centered that my only impulse is to tear it (and/or its author) down, but I also know that not responding to such things is usually an option. On this forum, not responding is always an option, so I ask only that people moved to attack others instead choose not to respond.

[jefito 5,589]

EN staff: it's your forum, can you please address this?

Actually, it's our forum, and you've addressed it. Fair enough. Even better: address it right there, where it happens (you didn't post a link to the topic, so I didn't look at the thread and I've been away for a bit). Even better than better: address it then and there, *and* report it by clicking on the exclamation point (!) icon on the post. This may or may not get an explicit response by a moderator or EN staff, but someone will most likely look at it.

BTW, EN staff has addressed the notion of civility, productiveness, etc. in the past. They acknowledge that there's sometimes the possibility for passion to lapse on over into rudeness, gbarry most recently in my memory. It's a mixed bag; sometimes the folks that are the most helpful can be the most unhelpful (I include myself). It's a leaning & growing process. That's why addressing problems at the spot of infraction (hey, it's football Sunday, right?) are best.