Thunderbird --
And actually to all who have a bitter taste:

You concerns are certainly noted and I can assure you that the
moderators are having quite a dynamic debate over these same
concerns. We definately hope you all choose to stay and we realize
that the negativeness gets to be annoying -- you are certainly not
alone.

For those who continue to be negative -- Heidi and I mentioned a few
weeks ago and we will bring it up again. Pllllleeeaassseeee remember
that this is a **family** hobby. There certainly are children who
tune into this list and the constant flames and bickering really is
not something they should be subjected to.

Steve and Heidi in CT

Hopefully as the nice weather moves in, the energy spent being
negative will be redirected towards getting out there and boxin!!!

> I can't be the only new person reading messages this week,
> and the back-biting and nastiness is making me question whether I
should be
> here. If your goal is to encourage and introduce new people to the
joys of
> a wonderful sport, why not spread the joy?
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Thunderbird
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
--------

Hi all,
What has been going on lately? All this negative nonsense is really
starting to get irritating. And I, for one, would like to see a
formal apology from all of the combatants. This is a fantastic group
of people and should not be subjected to such lunacy. Even you
newbies desreve some kind of break!! Just kidding!!
Allaboutthehike and allaboutthedigits, lay off and stop frightening
people away!! No one likes a jerk!!

Now that I've got that off my chest........
Seth

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Steve and Heidi"
wrote:
>
> Thunderbird --
> And actually to all who have a bitter taste:
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------

Hi,

You don't mention what part of the country you live in......if you type "letterboxing" into the yahoo search engine, (for the site) you will see a list of discussion groups that includes local area groups, such as Texas, So. Calif., Mid-Atlantic, etc. A lot of people do most of their posting on their local groups. They check this list out for the occasional tip on the technical aspect of boxing, carving, etc, and the placing of new boxes that people post from time to time, in addition to listing them on http://www.letterboxing.org or http://www.atlasquest.com

People tend to get to know each other better on the local lists, often meet at gatherings, and are generally nicer to each other because they do get to know each other. If you want to find out about gatherings, check out http://www.letterboxing.info or http://markandsuepepe.blogspot.com

For the most part, it's a friendly community where you will meet lots of friendly people. Don't let some of this stuff get to you. I do sometimes and I shouldn't. We should remind ourselves that this is a group with over 2,000 people on it, from all over the country. It represents society as a whole, most good people, a few crummy ones.

You get what you want out of letterboxing and discard the rest.

missmoon..............hauling her butt down off the soapbox


----- Original Message -----
From: Lisa Harkins
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: 3/16/2005 7:46:10 PM
Subject: [LbNA] First impressions



Hi guys.

I'm a brand new letterboxer who has been lurking for about a week, and it
disturbs me to see such nastiness going on for over half of it. I heard
that letterboxing was a fun, friendly sport, but I don't see it on this open
forum. I realize that over time, list members get to know each other very
well, and it can sometimes feel like a community of good friends and maybe
not-so-good friends. I feel very close with my papermaking group. Perhaps
it's a good time for a gentle reminder that your messages are viewed by many
new people hungry for information as well as the familiar ones who know each
others' foibles. I can't be the only new person reading messages this week,
and the back-biting and nastiness is making me question whether I should be
here. If your goal is to encourage and introduce new people to the joys of
a wonderful sport, why not spread the joy?

Respectfully,

Thunderbird
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi and welcome! While I agree that there has been some
less-then-pleasant interactions here I also think that it has been
handled pretty well(99.9% of us have moved on) But I also think that
it is important to note that there are certain tensions and issues
within the letterboxing community, which as a new letterboxer you may
not even DREAM of right now! To some people these are big
issues...there are many reasons to letterbox and different people get
different things out of the hobby/sport/obsession. I think this
"friction" is a result of various camps expressing their personal
preference. Some people are offended by the way some express
themseleves, but I think it all comes down to courtesy and context.

You will notice there are those who find it exciting to rack up a big
PFX, those who enjoy the experience of a long challenging hike and
difficult clues that take weeks to decipher, those who like knowing
they will find a box by following clues in a new town, and those who
would rather carve their own stamps. Some could care less if the box
they find has a store-bought stamp and others will only look for
hand-carved stamps. There are those who prefer to seek and those who
prefer to carve and place. Some placers have had very bad experiences
with careless finders and geocachers and others who place and never
check on their boxes again. The list goes on and on...

So I hope you are not put off too much by this open forum because
these discussions bring to light many issues that we as letterboxes
will have to confront and work to change or improve as more and more
people become involved in letterboxing.

Lisa



--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Lisa Harkins" wrote:
>
> Hi guys.
>
> I'm a brand new letterboxer who has been lurking for about a week,
and it
> disturbs me to see such nastiness going on for over half of it. I
heard
> that letterboxing was a fun, friendly sport, but I don't see it on
this open
> forum. I realize that over time, list members get to know each
other very
> well, and it can sometimes feel like a community of good friends and
maybe
> not-so-good friends. I feel very close with my papermaking group.
Perhaps
> it's a good time for a gentle reminder that your messages are viewed
by many
> new people hungry for information as well as the familiar ones who
know each
> others' foibles. I can't be the only new person reading messages
this week,
> and the back-biting and nastiness is making me question whether I
should be
> here. If your goal is to encourage and introduce new people to the
joys of
> a wonderful sport, why not spread the joy?
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Thunderbird
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------