SR Signal to Noise

Bartender

Storage is cool
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The decline of SR as we've known has already begun. However, the decline of Storage Review's popularity is not in sight as I can see it. The difference seems to be the crowd. Since the participants have changed, the atmosphere and discussion have been altered, and greatly depreciated in value.

Nonetheless, your comments in that thread carried themselves with tact and skill – hats off to Time.
 

cas

Learning Storage Performance
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Storage Review certainly appears to have a larger number of inexperienced members than in the past. Some of these members do seem unable to follow a serious technical discussion. To a certain extent, they may also erode the sense of community.

That said, russofris, Trinary, and others have asked thoughtful questions and made insightful observations in this thread I recently started. While there are a couple who inject noise like test equipment, I guess you take the good with the bad.
 

Bartender

Storage is cool
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CAS -- interesting product (also, nice segue of your product into this forum). I really like the idea of any LAN having quick access to data without noise. The biggest hurdle for data at this point is to combine speed with silence.
 

cas

Learning Storage Performance
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Thank you.

We were hardly targeting the HD noise when we set out, but the elimination of that noise has certainly turned out to be popular in some circles.

I don’t want to highjack time’s thread, so I will now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. :)
 

Prof.Wizard

Wannabe Storage Freak
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I'm visiting it a lot lately.
Trying to post news and computer-related threads.

Moreover, I don't want to lose the big day when EBB decides to start posting again! :D
 

Handruin

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I've been stopping in more often at SR, but it's not like my posting improves the S/N. :)
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
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Of course we are in part to blame. None of us devotes full time and attention to SR, obviously. It is frustrating, though. Some of the knowledge that was taken for granted on SR is just not there any more.
 

Tea

Storage? I am Storage!
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I have moods. Sometimes I visit SR often. Other times I mostly stay away for weeks at a time. This last week or two I've mainly only gone to the Bar and Grille. Or at least my good friend Ekaf-Ami has. He seems to be having a lot of fun conversing with 17 different incarnations of Flagreen.
 

James

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It's a bit chicken and egg, methinks.

Knowledgable people will visit more often if the quality of discussion improves. The quality of discussion won't improve unless more knowledgable people visit.

Personally, I participate in the threads that interest me in Computers. I have permanently left the B&G, I don't even read it any more. Being honest with myself I would say it is a combination of The Giver and Jason that drove me out of there, but to be fair it was my decision and I don't miss it one bit.

In Computers, I agree with David. Far too often in a thread people drop by, say something completely wrong, irrelevant or unhelpful, and then flit off again. This is infuriating.

If SR was a high touch moderation site for a while, where off-topic posts were deleted, or moved to another thread or section immediately, I think things might improve over time. But I don't see that happening.
 

James

Storage is cool
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This thread, with Cas and Russ's (I thought) extremely restrained efforts to get people to see sense, is another example of why it's so exhausting to try to properly answer a question on SR - and why frequently I can't bring myself to bother any more.

I'm afraid I think, "life's too short for this crap. I have better things to do."
 

P5-133XL

Xmas '97
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I have to admit that I rarely ever look at the B&G section and I rather limit my posting in the computer section because I don't like being drowned out by lots and lots of voices most of which don't add much to the conversation. I said once before that someone in need of help needs one correct answer not 15 medium-poor answers. The one consolation is that sometimes more is better, especially when communication is poor or specialized information is needed.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
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IMHO, the Bar & Grille needs more help than anything, and I try to contribute there. I don't want it abandoned as "Jason's Playground". For the rest I certainly try to hit tech-support type questions. The rest I only look at if I'm not too frustrated.
 

jtr1962

Storage? I am Storage!
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For various reasons I've been posting here more and on SR less. My main problem with SR now isn't so much the lack of knowledgeable people but rather the generally hostile tone being set by many of the people there, especially Jason's "friends" who hijack threads just to air their dirty laundry. I do continue to read and post in threads that interest me, but those are becoming few and far between. If the downhill slide continues, I can see a time where I might just visit SR occasionally for the latest drive reviews, and avoid the forums altogether.

If anything precipitated the downhill slide, I would have to say it was the loss of the original forums and member list last year coupled with the impending shutdown in February. Many regulars never came back at all, either to SR or here. A fair number who did come back gradually began posting less and less. In short, the sense of community built up over several years was lost. Jason's omnipresence coupled with the appearance of his detractors undoubtably created traffic, but much of that traffic seemed to consist of trolls who happened to come upon SR.

At this stage, I would say the B&G on SR is just about dead. There just aren't any more interesting discussions taking place there anyone. Since I generally lack the specific knowledge needed to post intelligently in the Computer forum, 95% of my posts are in the B&G, and as the quality of discussion dropped off there so did my posting. I also considered the possibility that if I posted there enough, sooner or later I might be subject to personal attacks from some of the trolls for no good reason, and that is something I lack the time or desire to deal with. In my opinion what SR sorely needs right now is industrial strength troll spray.
 

Bartender

Storage is cool
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Mercutio said:
IMHO, the Bar & Grille needs more help than anything, and I try to contribute there. I don't want it abandoned as "Jason's Playground". For the rest I certainly try to hit tech-support type questions. The rest I only look at if I'm not too frustrated.

I don't visit SR too often (certainly not as often as I come here). I have noticed that the Bar and Grille is out of control. Jason does take great liberties on that forum that others are beginning to copy his licentious attitude. I usually don't say how I feel, but one evening, while visiting a thread for Pradeep, Jason was at it again. I figured it was an appropriate time to let him know how I felt. I tried to avoid saying anything out of disgust, and Jason kept quite for nary a bit in time. Even his opponent kept quiet on that thread afterwards. I wish someone had the time and authority to moderate the Bar and Grille a bit more.
 

Handruin

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This is the first time I'm sharing an opinion about Jason, and I think because it frankly annoyed me. Although it wasn't a big deal, I was trying to relay my opinion, and I felt like I was getting nowhere with him. It was like a big black hole of ambiguity.

I felt frustration by the direction he would take my post eventually causing us to both miss the point. It isn't a big deal, I just gave up posting and threw the white flag up to surrender.
 

Bartender

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Handruin said:
This is the first time I'm sharing an opinion about Jason, and I think because it frankly annoyed me. Although it wasn't a big deal, I was trying to relay my opinion, and I felt like I was getting nowhere with him. It was like a big black hole of ambiguity.

I felt frustration by the direction he would take my post eventually causing us to both miss the point. It isn't a big deal, I just gave up posting and threw the white flag up to surrender.

You may feel that you've surrendered Handruin, but I would prefer to say that you've understood that a fight with Jason isn't worth fighting - you might as well spend time picking aphides off of your Gladiolas then spend time convincing Jehh of your opinion.
 

jtr1962

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Bartender said:
I would prefer to say that you've understood that a fight with Jason isn't worth fighting - you might as well spend time picking aphides off of your Gladiolas then spend time convincing Jehh of your opinion.

That about sums it up. Jason is so relentless that he must be part Borg. :lol: I think the last dozen times I've engaged Jason in a discussion all ended with me throwing in the towel.
 

Handruin

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Bartender said:
Handruin said:
This is the first time I'm sharing an opinion about Jason, and I think because it frankly annoyed me. Although it wasn't a big deal, I was trying to relay my opinion, and I felt like I was getting nowhere with him. It was like a big black hole of ambiguity.

I felt frustration by the direction he would take my post eventually causing us to both miss the point. It isn't a big deal, I just gave up posting and threw the white flag up to surrender.

You may feel that you've surrendered Handruin, but I would prefer to say that you've understood that a fight with Jason isn't worth fighting - you might as well spend time picking aphides off of your Gladiolas then spend time convincing Jehh of your opinion.

I agree...I felt as though I could go on forever and we would still be in the same position... I have no problem if people don't see my opinion, it clearly isn't that, but if Jason and I were to go on beating around the bush, I am better off picking aphids off my Gladiolas. :)
 

Prof.Wizard

Wannabe Storage Freak
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I personally hate k-tech's gung-ho posts... they are really funny and counterable in almost all of their aspects, if you have time to waste and do the wrong thing and engage him! :wink:
 

Fushigi

Storage Is My Life
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Jan 23, 2002
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jtr1962 said:
If anything precipitated the downhill slide, I would have to say it was the loss of the original forums and member list last year coupled with the impending shutdown in February. Many regulars never came back at all, either to SR or here. A fair number who did come back gradually began posting less and less. In short, the sense of community built up over several years was lost. Jason's omnipresence coupled with the appearance of his detractors undoubtably created traffic, but much of that traffic seemed to consist of trolls who happened to come upon SR.
I tried to go back but there was just nothing to keep my interest going. No useful conversation, no reviews (at the time) to comment on, nothing of interest. And Jason's overwhelming presence certainly didn't help.

Presently, I don't go to SR unless there's a drive I want to look up. I may or may not hit the forums, but most likely won't. I have too little time & tolerance for foolishness right now.

- Fushigi
 
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