Changing pitch - August 2013 mag.

I think I can see where Shane Barratt is coming from in his comments about aggressive posters on forums.  At the worst end are those who simply cannot allow a view that conflicts with their own opinions, to some who seem to go onto a forum with no better purpose than to behave abusively.

I met some infantile abuse when I commented, in Readers' Letters, on the down side of the demand for 8-foot wide caravans.  My only reservation was that most campsites are placed down country lanes, and based on difficulties already noticed when two 7'-4" vans met on such roads. The bulk of the replies were childish rants, and little was discussed at a sensible level.

The same situation arose on another caming forum which I used to post on regularly.  The crunch came when a blunt-speaking poster became an administrator, and at times, whilst permitting abusive comments from some (favoured?) posters, immediately closed the topic; erasing a poster's reply to the abuse, but leaving the abusive post in place.  I rarely go on that forum now - occasionally looking through the posts, and only adding a comment if I think it might be helpful.

I wonder how many useful bits of information we have lost because other posters boycott these forums?