[woodcote]

Sometimes admins and moderators need to step in to protect their forum. That's understandable if you think of the time, energy and commitment that is always involved in setting up and running an enthusiasts' forum. There's also the emotional investment too - a site and discussion forum can rightly be seen as the admins' baby. Of course they will protect it and members should respect that.

It's also worth remembering that these sites are here to promote our hobby and should reflect the diverse range of interests and opinions within the slot car racing world. Problems arise when opinions are presented as facts and those arguing their opinions will not accept any other point of view and arguments become personal and aggressive. That can only damage the hobby.

I always have in the back of my mind this wise saying by the owner of a slot car discussion forum in North America...

Brand Bashing - Some seem to take it upon themselves to bash certain brands of cars or track over others. This, in my opinion, is the single most detrimental activity this hobby has seen in recent years. Newcomers see this infighting and shy away, thinking that nothing they buy will be either good enough, or accepted by others. This board was created to get away from this sort of thing, and I WILL NOT allow it. Discussions as to what we like or dislike is one thing, all out bashing another. Just because you like or dislike something does not mean that anyone else does or should feel the same way.

This new forum was started without a long list of rules. Members have - so far - shared fabulous content about their passions for the hobby as well as viewing, liking and positively commenting on posts that aren't in their usual area of interest. I really like that about SlotRacer Online and is why I am spending more time here than on other forums. Long may it continue