Modern Vespa

I was wondering what are the characteristics of a good member by MV standards.

I have received a final notification from the powers that be that if my behavior is anything less than stellar I will get the hammer.

So it kind of makes me wonder what everybody thinks about this.

I think one of the most important characteristics of a good MVer is to be respectful of others. There's just no need for personal attacks on this forum.

I'd suggest recognising the time when you should your head down for a while.

Yes, Irony right there.

Helpful, humerous and humble.

But if you're going to be a dick, make sure you're a useful dick (but try hard not to be a dick).

What makes a lasting participant?

Deference and respect to older (in MV years) members, higher number of posts, and karma are all clues to good membership. Sponsors are good participating members. Random acts of kindness are also a clear indication of long-standing status. Commitment to emulate the behavior of aforementioned members, a good sense of humor, and an ability to defuse an argumentative person are good indicators of longevity. Knowing when to stop helps. DIY project authors and Wiki participants rate very highly in my opinion. An ability to handle what may appear to be a personal attack, rejection, ridicule, praise, compassion, or avoidance as just that: an appearance and know how not to over-react. Those members who not only acknowledge but also show appreciation to authority figures such as the Boss, Moderators, and Moderatrices is a must to long life.


IMHO a member can never be too exuberant to me. I am personally attracted to this trait. Not like in opposites attract but more like in a tribal sense. I think I am pretty flamboyant myself sometimes and just feel like I need to buddy up with my own kind in case there is a near riot situation or something. Now I am just talking crazy...

I believe I understand your point of view but I think what you were trying to say more specifically would be a member who goes against the forum's ethos and dogma as opposed to simply calling them a dick. What is your definition of a dick? Referring to someone as a dick is extremely vague and it means absolutely nothing.


Analysis: I did not discard your point of view. I acknowledged it and I politely described to you the reason I think your post was vague. In other words I was disagreeing without being disagreeable. Words on the internet are very powerful and they have to be used very carefully because of the lack of body language and facial expressions and intonation and so on. Psychologically were you offended by my answer? I hope not because I think that's what makes a good member. Analysis complete

Bonus points for being a current/former cat owner.

Dude don't worry just be yourself. USA freedom of speech of course with good maner.

My cat used to be called Pushkin after the Russian poet. And it just sounded right Push....kin come here sweetie.

There I fixed it for you. 🏳️

No it still sounds wrong I'm going be quiet now.

The number of Americans who understand what "freedom of speech" actually means is surprisingly small.

The number of MVers who understand that "freedom of speech" does not generally apply to MV forum posts (or, really, almost any forum) is infinitesimally small.

It's not, though. The people here generally have a pretty definite idea of what "being a dick" actually means. If the meaning is unclear, then that might suggest that the dick is you.

I'm in that tiny group. Restrained myself from replying.

Back to the opening question... What makes a good member?

• be courteous
• be respectful
• be helpful
• partcipate
  

Miguel

-Deference and respect to older (in MV years) members
Irrelevant

-higher number of posts, and karma
Irrelevent

-Commitment to emulate the behavior of aforementioned members,
Irrelevant


- a good sense of humor,
Helps

-Those members who not only acknowledge but also show appreciation to authority figures such as the Boss, Moderators, and Moderatrices is a must to long life.
Irrelevant

-Answering OP's questions without offering an opinion of what one should do or where one has been.
Helps

somebody who reads the whole post/comment before replying

proper punctuation

Nice to have, but irrelevant.

Click on [Members] then [Worst Karma] to see various examples of 'dicks' (in MV terms).

It's not that complicated really.

Here's a direct link: https://modernvespa.com/members?mode=karma_worst Indeed.

I have perhaps a different perspective on what makes a good member. What others have said generally holds true, to varying degrees -- being respectful, helpful, humble, funny, and so on.

Post count or years of membership isn't exactly relevant, but those stats do serve as a proxy for something more significant in the eyes of myself and the moderators: contribution. Members who have participated consistently and provided their knowledge and wisdom over time are given far more leeway by the moderators than new users. If a new user mouths off or acts like a dick in their first handful of posts, we won't hesitate to just ban them outright.

Long-term members that have made major contributions to the collective wisdom of the site are given warnings, then timeouts, and then -- if they still insist on misbehaving -- they will finally be permanently banned. But it's not something we take lightly. Long term members have to spiral downward quite a ways before we permanently ban them -- and even then, I have occasionally allowed some to come back (including at least one who is likely reading this right now).

I can't stress this enough: if someone is a long-term member and they get permanently banned, they weren't just a dick -- they were an unrepentant asshole who went off the rails and kept going. Eventually, the collective patience of the moderation staff wears thin and we all agree that enough is enough.

There's another aspect of being a good member that most people probably overlook, but it's actually critical to the well-being of the forum:

A good member is one that posts regularly and starts new topics with engaging content.

Why is this important? Because forums only exist as long as they have critical mass. When people stop posting, existing members stop reading and prospective members stop registering. Without new posts, Modern Vespa would cease to exist.

This doesn't mean replying to every post with meaningless replies. But it does mean being engaged and participating in the conversations.

(One might divine the secret of the Molto Verboso award from the above).

And there you have it. Distilled down to its simplest particle.

Q.E.D.

Chris from CLE

Have fun and be nice to others. Hit the walk away button if your post doesn't add anything to the conversation. Say hi to the newbies. Go ride your scoot.

Quite right Jess if I understood your correctly. My freedom ends where someone else's begins. That's my understanding of freedom.

For the "big picture", the First Amendment to the US Constitution provides the following:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

States have their own laws including things like slander and libel.

sorry guys it's all my fault i start with freedom of spech ,i love this country best country in the world in my opinion, but real freedom don't exist anywhere ,i consider my self lucky to leave in the United State of America at least i wont get arrested if i say something wrong and many other thinks ...
PS : I from France ,sorry for my english not the best, i know.

I'd add keep it relevant. We're here for vespa and scooter related media. Anything else should go to Facebook, stay private or be discussed at your therapist.

For many, MV is a respite from the daily grind of life. We come here to engage with like-minded folk who share our interest. Our topics sometimes vary greatly, and that's part of MVs appeal. However, sharing our scooter-centric highs and lows and giving or receiving support and encouragement is why we're here.

In short, if you don't have something nice to say, just walk away.

If you keep it relevant, it will take you years to earn your five roundels. If post a lot of NSR stuff peppered with much personal info, you'll be there in a month.

Probably goes without saying, but there is probably no perfect member as the original post might imply. There's a lot of diversity of content contributed by a wide range of people, which IMO keeps things useful and entertaining.

On the technical side, there are some with an amazing knowledge base to share, some with enough knowledge/experience to keep the conversation moving, and of course enough of us to keep asking questions (or creating problems!).
There's the aesthetic group to point out style/design issues, joy of riding, encourage adventure, etc.' and then the entertainers that keep things light, throw in some great wit, and sometimes poke people who are getting annoying or willfully stupid.

I come here for all of that, and in varying measure it's what keeps me returning.

And punctuation. I appreciate punctuation.

Respectfully and strongly disagree. MV is social media for many people, and probably therapy for some as well. If we had nothing but scooter-related content all the time, it would quickly become boring and die. Long-term members don't stick around for the scooter content.

We don't just encourage off-topic content here, it is part of MV's very essence.

LOL - Funniest MV post ever!

Oh, one more thing: Good members quote properly so we know what they're referring to. Context is everything.

Mine or Jess'?

On punctuation or lack thereof:

That really doesn't bother me much. I usually take what people say as a stream of consciousness. It's better with punctuation but I can follow the stream of consciousness without punctuation. Sometimes I look at an original post and I have a pretty good idea how it's going to develop and who's going to participate and how. It's kind of a sixth sense that you pick up with age.

Fair enough! I guess I could have worded the only reason I stick around is for, is the scooter content or subjects that I learn from or can build on.

Members who don't mind stepping away from the keyboard that follow the above and 3 Miguel posted are my new ideal MV members.

The rest of the therapy sessions, personal life, new members who shotgun posts for awards and unintelligible rumor spreaders don't make good MV members.

Knowing when to Just Walk Away.

^^ this 100%

I thought that was znomit's job?