Ztrains: Z Scale User Forums

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Online user forums have become incredibly popular in model railroading circles. It used to be you'd have to travel to your local hobby shop or train club to talk trains but online user forums have changed all that. Now the possibility of good train chatter is only a mouse-click away. Note I said the "possibility" of good train chatter.

By and large most online forums are pretty loosely monitored... if someone has an opinion.. it gets posted. That's a good thing as free speech is a heck of a good concept . But what happens when someone posts something that is wildly negative, incorrect or simply meant to provoke a reaction? Now it gets interesting. Who's going to be the one to take that post down off the forum, who's going to be the one to say "that crosses the line", who among us is going to squash free speech, apple pie and baseball?

As I said, this is where it gets interesting. It seems we've come to a point where facts, critical thinking and compelling arguments are simply outdated concepts. What has taken their place is what politicians and political pundits like to call "spin"... putting a slant on a topic so that it favors a particular argument. Now this is nothing new... Thomas Jefferson had his very own spin doctor back in the late 1700s. Maybe when you're running for political office you need spin, maybe not... I'm not smart enough to say yes or no with any real authority.

What I can say with some conviction is this lack of critical thinking and the exercise of basic civility and decorum hurts Z scale model railroading. There were several reasons I became interested in Z scale model trains and among those reasons was the online civility and sense of community that Z scale offered. A new user would ask a very basic question and more likely than not they would be given a detailed answer. That question and answer would frequently tend to spark a longer thread. Today more often than not the new user will be given such pearls of wisdom as "Google it", or "Search the forums". Really... that's what you've got... "Google it"?

Critical Thinking:

Critical thinking consists of mental processes of discernment, analysis and evaluation. It includes possible processes of reflecting upon a tangible or intangible item in order to form a solid judgment that reconciles scientific evidence with common sense. In contemporary usage "critical" has a certain negative connotation which does not apply to this specific case.

From Wikipedia

Maybe it's the anonymity of the user forum that leads to such poor behavior... maybe a lot of people simply have trouble forming cohesive thoughts and sentences, I'd call it toss-up. What I can say is that poor behavior is running rampant on user forums and it's doing a dandy job of keeping new users away from Z scale. Don't believe me... (see, now that's some critical thinking, good for you!)... visit a forum sometime and monitor it for awhile. On a forum with say, 2,000 users there will typically be well under 10 people who do all the talking.

Are these 10 the "Oracles of the Online Forums" I've heard so much about? Nahhh, probably not. And this leads to another forum problem... people using forums as a personal instant messaging system. I love to read post after post of one line sentences and inside jokes that would clearly be better off in private emails. But no... we all get to enjoy the excruciating minutiae.

What is the answer? Is there an answer? How do we keep the online Z scale conversation moving along? We need a balance that seems to be sorely lacking and as is with any new solution, there will be people who disagree with the new solution. That pesky free speech thing again. My own idea is to have a Z scale forum that runs under the enlightened absolutism banner, or for those who prefer... a benevolent despot.

Now before you gather up the villagers with their pitchforks and torches... think about it. Wouldn't it be nice to have an online place where you could voice your well reasoned opinion without being demonized? Wouldn't it be nice for a new user to ask about Z scale and receive a warm welcome and an inbox full of good information? Facts instead of personal bias... what a hoot.

We'll see if anything can come of such an idea... a forum that talks about Z scale... the pros and cons, the good and the bad... all in a transparent and civil manner. Now all we need is that benevolent despot.

Monday, March 8, 2010
Build Your Own Zthek SW-1 Switcher

Lost Brass Frets... Found Here!

Lajos Thek of Zthek has reported 2 etched brass sheets of his popular SW-1 switcher have been discovered at his etching company's warehouse.

This means that for as long as they last, there will be 28, SW-1 brass frets available for sale. These frets come without the small milled detail parts but at just $35 per brass fret this is a great chance to build your own SW-1.

Contact Lajos via email here: Lajos
You can also reach him through his website: www.zthek.com

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