As a regular visitor to the Forum I have started to notice a 'creeping' aggressive tone into the communications being posted here. A recent post in the Pool Cover topic suggested that the writer should put his/her head in the pool and hold it there - for one.

Whatever happened to the friendly exchanges that were a delight to read and respond to? Why are there so many Guest or more appropriately, 'Ghost' posters - if you have a point of view, put your name to it

It now appears that if you have the slightest chance of irritating a visitor because you do not agree with their point of view - responding to a post will incur their wrath.

I don't believe this is a Portuguese attribute - where would this type of unnecessary aggression emanate from and why What has happened to intelligent and informed debate - come on everybody lighten up put some fun back into the Forum

my sentiments entirely.thought i was on my tod
el colonel

I so agree, some people can be so nasty and snide on this forum and they are always 'guest' I agree they should own up to who they are if they are going to be like that, and as you say where is the fun in the forum of late. I think some people have been put off by the nasty remarks made by a few.

No youre not on your tod el colonel!
I do so agree with this one shanagarry and it does seem to be creeping in to most topics!!
Is it just one guest or are there a few making mischief (and not in a nice or funny way).
We are all grownups here and can take criticism and arguement..good debate...but there seems to be lot of nasty snide remarks occurring here & there..when all we want is conversation.opinions..bit of banter/fun (a little innuendo doesnt go amiss)...help/advice/info on our fav.place CVO..
P.S.Ive just noticed an example of the aggressive/nasty bit on jokes page...one called 'no joke'..
mind you..him/her did put name 'humourless'!!...you can say that again!

Already posted the vote before writing the message - I hope it works.

Bang right - easiest thing in the world to have a pop and then hide behind anonymity - I have no problem being "identified" (nobody knows me anyway !!!)

We did have this discussion a while back and the majority voted in favour of not having to register.

If opinion has changed I'm sure Steen will look at it.

There is an old saying "there are as many opionions as there are people"

The members of the forum probably come from a wide variety of backgrounds and age groups, this should make for a good mix of people , opinions and healthy discussions. It is a great forum and a great source of information and hopefully healthy debate.

I believe, if someone posts something that you disagree with and maybe even disagree with passionately, they still have a point. However, a line should be drawn under personal attacks and debates should be kept in context.

It would certainly be a good idea to have to register before posting, but would this stop people registering several times under different names?

Bravo Piglet and well said. Totally agree, its no use forcing people to register as you rightly say they can still create multiple user names, unless Steen can somehow limit it to one IP address then that maybe a solution. However, be safe in the knowledge that it is they who are the sad ones.

If somebody has an opinion on a particular topic why do they find it unacceptable to enter their name/identity What are they hiding from

The forum has some great contributors who can and do offer advice on a wide range of topics - they are not reluctant to to have their identities known. They have a lot to offer and do so in the hope their community will benefit - they do not deserve to be rebuked or made fun of.

Stand up and be counted or don't bother submitting a 'rant' that is invariably going to cause unpleasantness. The point was made earlier that some people are put-off by the tone of some posts and I am sure that is right.

Good honest to God debate does not need to be met with downright bad manners and abuse. As before - let's all enjoy the Forum and use it as Steen had intended - an exchange of thoughts and ideas to the benefit of the entire community.

Steen - your move.

The registered user has the distinct advantage of the post count. Although one can acumulate posts by simply frequently posting without real content, a high post count will probably give a user more credibility.

Personally, I am for two changes:
1. Only registered users can post
2. To ensure a minimal level of content, a post should have a minimum length of 10 characters (To prevent the posting of just a smiley or "LOL" - This will also be beneficial to forum/server maintenance, as every post takes up space, especially if it has smileys)

As far as I know, any forum that reaches a certain active user count has these two regulations, simply to keep them manageable. It is up to Steen to decide, wether these limitations have become necessary.

Whatever it takes to make the whole experience a pleasant one with the least amount of cost and hassle - has got to be for the benefit of the majority.

I have a confession to make..I havent as yet voted and although I agree with shanagarry's sentiments on the nasty element 'creeping' in.Im not so sure that folk who visit this forum should be 'forced ' to register....
if so ..will it just become a private 'club'?
Some folk may only want to pop-in for info or perhaps add their 2 cents worth to topic they find interesting?
Okay..Im sitting on the fence...may seem hypocritical... but Im thinking if this happens (being forced to register) that this place could well lose some of its fun (forget about the nasty bits..they dont usually last long do they?)
But think I could well be in the minority with this point of view?
Still havent voted.........

Elle

Goodness, you should not feel guilty. Sit on the fence. Its a matter of how you feel and we respect this. Dont beat yourself up about it

This highlights the whole issue of making a post without fear of abuse.

There is also the issue of perhaps people not logging in properly before they post. I know this has happened to me.

Kind Regards
Piglet

My view is that users of The Forum are people who have a 'tie' to Cvo and have every right to let the rest of us know their point(s) of view or ask for ours. That's called a democracy.

I cannot see the point in anybody else, without any 'tie' to Cvo, having anything to contribute - that will be of benefit to the rest of us. If they feel strongly enough to want to make a worthwhile contribution why don't they let us know their name - where is the problem in that?

The point covering people being put off if 'forced' to register is not an issue - they clearly have something to hide - don't they?

The suggestion that anybody wanting to 'pop-in' for a bit of fun will be put off doing so if they have to register - Why?

I don't know how many people are registered but I suspect the vast majority are not known to each other - maybe if we were, the unpleasantness would not be an issue. Imagine meeting a fellow poster in the street and being complimented on your post - now that would be really nice.

What's the problem with it becoming a 'Club' Now there's an opportunity.........

Hi Shanagarry

There are many people who post openly on this forum who are not from CVO but are property owners not holiday makers or casual visitors who need and are very grateful of the support and comradary of other expats.

It is a great opportunity to make friends when moving to a new country and those of us who have looked know there is not another lively forum based in Portugal with whom we can communicate.

What would be the point of restricting to CVO, would this include holidaymakers as well?