What has happened?

I agree that the forum has differed since I came on. There were a whole lot more breeders then, and I could get some good advice from those who'd been doing this longer than me. Unfortunately, there were pet owners with their own strong opinions of certain things who kept bashing what breeders were discussing, even in the Rabbitry, and many of the breeders left. I seriously thought about leaving, and still think about it when I see some posters forcing their views of what's "right" in their eyes.What works forone person isn't necessarilyright for someone else, period.:expressionless

i agree, i havent been here very long but all I have gotten is helpful advice i hope to never get the mean people...just want to say thank you all for all the great help me being a new bun mom and all

Maria..I'm with you...I must have thick skin too. Or if someone does say something I disagree with I just state my side. Maybe I've been on the Internet longer because I have seen some feisty forums out there! And good grief, there's nothing anyone can do to me through a computer screen! Lol, you can always ignore or move on.

I have seen the couple "disagreements" being referred about here. It's healthy I think. That's how you learn. I think people need to not blow things up more than what they are. It's a public forum. Not everyone is going to get along ALL the time.....

I was going to see how this forum progressed a little further before I responded, but my guilt has been eating me up a lot so I have to.

I am sorry if one of the threads that made you feel uncomfortable was the one containing a fight between myself and another member. I think it was embarrassing for everyone involved (I know it's been eating me up) which is why I tried to stop it repeatedly between myself and the other poster through PMs as well as contacting the Mods (who did a fantastic job of keeping the ideas of both parties in tact while deleting the things that were personal.) I know that I felt very victimized then and said some not-so-nice things in response. I am so so very sorry for making anyone who read that feel uncomfortable. I am a nice person, I promise

That being said, I always try to be supportive and uplifting if I feel it necessary to make a suggestion, but I believe that making suggestions is the entire point of a pet forum. If all people said was "how cute!" when looking at photos of a rabbit instead of "How cute! But you might want to try those big carrots in small bits as a treat next time. He'd be so much cuter without the extra pounds those would put on " nothing would be accomplished.

:thumbup

Nelsons_Mom wrote:

I was going to see how this forum progressed a little further before I responded, but my guilt has been eating me up a lot so I have to.

I am sorry if one of the threads that made you feel uncomfortable was the one containing a fight between myself and another member. I think it was embarrassing for everyone involved (I know it's been eating me up) which is why I tried to stop it repeatedly between myself and the other poster through PMs as well as contacting the Mods (who did a fantastic job of keeping the ideas of both parties in tact while deleting the things that were personal.) I know that I felt very victimized then and said some not-so-nice things in response. I am so so very sorry for making anyone who read that feel uncomfortable. I am a nice person, I promise

That being said, I always try to be supportive and uplifting if I feel it necessary to make a suggestion, but I believe that making suggestions is the entire point of a pet forum. If all people said was "how cute!" when looking at photos of a rabbit instead of "How cute! But you might want to try those big carrots in small bits as a treat next time. He'd be so much cuter without the extra pounds those would put on " nothing would be accomplished.

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:nod:thumbup

agnesthelion wrote:

Maria..I'm with you...I must have thick skin too. Or if someone does say something I disagree with I just state my side. Maybe I've been on the Internet longer because I have seen some feisty forums out there! And good grief, there's nothing anyone can do to me through a computer screen! Lol, you can always ignore or move on.

I have seen the couple "disagreements" being referred about here. It's healthy I think. That's how you learn. I think people need to not blow things up more than what they are. It's a public forum. Not everyone is going to get along ALL the time.....

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Ive been on the internet for a looooooooong time.. forums and such! I have seen some forums that make you want to run and hide because of how nasty some people can be.

Have you ever watched the movie Cyber Bully? Its a really good movie, makes you see things from the other side. Some people really get hurt by what is said on the internet, since i'm not like that I really had no idea some people were so affected..

Just popping in to share a bit of input even though I've not been on the forum a lot lately.

I've been a member of the forum for...oh...seven years or so? I was a member and stuff happened so my dates may be off.

During that time I've seen a lot of changes in the forum and I have noticed things go in cycles a lot. We have long periods of fairly friendly times...then some new members may come in and we have some times of conflict...then it takes time to work things out...some may leave...others who maybe were lurking will start posting more to make it feel more friendly...we go back to the "friendlier" cycle for a while...then it repeats itself.

I feel like the mods do a great job of trying to handle things like this....but when you consider it is summer time and many mods may be on vacation or just not in the house / online as much...it may take more time to handle issues.

Just know this...and as I say this - I'm pointing my finger back at myself as much as anyone else...

If you feel the forum isn't as friendly as it used to be...you can always help it (as was stated above) by being friendly anyway. Go ahead and keep posting in friendly tones...stay away from debates and let the mods step in...and before you know it...the cycle will change back to a friendly forum.

Just my .02 based on my experience as a member...and a mod!

Peg, you are so wise. I have cooled off and decided leaving would just be childish (my own opinion of my actions, not directed at anyone else).

I had a very kind person encourage me to continue partissipating because she had learned from my experiences with my buns. I think I just tend to be sensitive. As my co-worker would say, I need to put on my big girl pants.

Ah...Brandy I wasn't thinking specifically of you or anything when I posted. I've had my feelings hurt here many times...taken a break...come back...etc. Lately my life has just been too hectic.

Sometimes I think this forum is a bit like a dysfunctional family - we may have communication issues...bullying issues...etc. etc. But we still try to come together and support each other. We've had people here before who had problems reading/understanding posts too...whether it was because English wasn't their first language or they might have learning disabilities.

I think the nicest thing about this forum is...when we're needed to pull together...somehow...we manage to do so.

If you feel the forum isn't as friendly as it used to be...you can always help it (as was stated above) by being friendly anyway. Go ahead and keep posting in friendly tones...stay away from debates and let the mods step in...and before you know it...the cycle will change back to a friendly forum.

^^^yep, great advice and I totally agree!

LOL that's exactly why I haven't been posting or visiting lately...

It comes and goes in cycles. A few months will be like WW3 on here and then the a few months there will be no drama at all.

Just remember that the mod's are on the side of the peaceful and we just want everyone to come together and share there bunnies.
I consider bunnies to be extremely peaceful creatures (especially Muppet)....So when in doubt just go hug a bunny. If you feel like posting something angry to another member walk away from your computer and hug a bunny....The world would be a better place if everyone hugged bunnies.

I_heart_Fraggles wrote:

....The world would be a better place if everyone hugged bunnies.

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I was having a crummy day this week, and I laid down with Bunny, pet him for a while, and felt amazingly better!

I love this forum. I've learned so much. There have definitely been some posts that get very rude, but some people are more sensitive than others, and some people aren't as laid back. I think the MODs do a great job overall

Keep up the good work, bun-lovers!

Katie gave the worlds greatest advice today.

I'm a very sensitive person and I get really upset easily like if I bump into someone in public and apologize and they give me a stare as if its all my fault... it really hurts me...

But everyone on this site is so good hearted I feel if they ever say anything a bit mean its just them having a bit of a stressful day and I think the only way to reply back to those sort of things is positively and keep the peace within yourself.

Need to remember to that internet is hard to express civil vs upset and people immediatly see harsh wordings as angry voices where they may be badly worded statements.

I was bullied a lot in school and here ive never seen that kinda meaness going around...you just gotta learn not to let it go to heart and not make things so personal. Its a forum, not the halls or work.

And debates are good...but you need to keep them not personal. Imagine running presidents slandering and putting down opponents. Not good for anything.

ETA i love the fact breeders are here. They have a lot of rabbit smart of things that rarely happen and most likely if their here their practicing the good breeding and care about their rabbits as much as the pet people