Yes, I know: my join date is only last month. But I've been lurking here awhile. And this isn't my first internet forum -- I've seen this dance before.
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Look, this isn't complicated. There's a lot of frustration on this forum. People with trouble-free phones are frustrated because every time they come in here, they get hit with a blast wave of negative energy. It's a constant parade of complaint and, trolls aside, nobody enjoys that.
And the people with troubled phones are frustrated because all they want is a working phone. Most of them love Apple, most of them love the iPhone, most of them stood in line for hours on end to get this beautiful piece of machinery that just keeps letting them down.
But yet we all keep coming back here. Internet forums are unprecedentedly good at two things: sharing information and creating hysteria. We all keep coming back here because we need the former (group 1--how can I best enjoy this fantastic phone? group 2--how can I get this @*$%er to @*$%ing work!) But the latter has taken hold with an iron grip. I know some percentage of people just like to argue regardless of subject, but for most of us, hysteria is not fun. And at the root -- yes, of course, iPhones are important communications devices on which many build their livelihoods -- but at the root we're here because these things are fun!
So I suspect that many here would be happier if the fun were ratcheted up a bit. And it can be done, pretty easily, through some very simple actions. Group 1 folks: please don't go into the complaint threads posting about how "my phone works perfectly and you're all just a bunch of whiners". Instead acknowledge that there are people with legitimate problems, wish them the best in solving them, and be appreciative of the fact that you are one of the lucky ones. Group 2 folks: please don't carpet-bomb every single thread posting about how "your phone is a POS too and you're just too much of a sheep fanboy to see it". Instead congratulate the problem-free people on their good fortune and either a) continue to wait patiently for a solution, or 2) return the phone and move on with your life.
Right now this forum is exceptionally useful but also exceptionally unpleasant. With a little consideration and restraint, we can excise the last four words of that sentence.
That is all.
-vik
P.S.: group 2
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Look, this isn't complicated. There's a lot of frustration on this forum. People with trouble-free phones are frustrated because every time they come in here, they get hit with a blast wave of negative energy. It's a constant parade of complaint and, trolls aside, nobody enjoys that.
And the people with troubled phones are frustrated because all they want is a working phone. Most of them love Apple, most of them love the iPhone, most of them stood in line for hours on end to get this beautiful piece of machinery that just keeps letting them down.
But yet we all keep coming back here. Internet forums are unprecedentedly good at two things: sharing information and creating hysteria. We all keep coming back here because we need the former (group 1--how can I best enjoy this fantastic phone? group 2--how can I get this @*$%er to @*$%ing work!) But the latter has taken hold with an iron grip. I know some percentage of people just like to argue regardless of subject, but for most of us, hysteria is not fun. And at the root -- yes, of course, iPhones are important communications devices on which many build their livelihoods -- but at the root we're here because these things are fun!
So I suspect that many here would be happier if the fun were ratcheted up a bit. And it can be done, pretty easily, through some very simple actions. Group 1 folks: please don't go into the complaint threads posting about how "my phone works perfectly and you're all just a bunch of whiners". Instead acknowledge that there are people with legitimate problems, wish them the best in solving them, and be appreciative of the fact that you are one of the lucky ones. Group 2 folks: please don't carpet-bomb every single thread posting about how "your phone is a POS too and you're just too much of a sheep fanboy to see it". Instead congratulate the problem-free people on their good fortune and either a) continue to wait patiently for a solution, or 2) return the phone and move on with your life.
Right now this forum is exceptionally useful but also exceptionally unpleasant. With a little consideration and restraint, we can excise the last four words of that sentence.
That is all.
-vik
P.S.: group 2
