Getting old

Rambling from the Sage of Oxford
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Charles
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Getting old

Post by Charles » Mon Sep 01, 2014 10:18 am

Been there, seen it, done it!

Actually, the first two might be true but when it comes to dealing with issues relating to my car when I need what some might describe as a "favour" from ALPINA, I have always taken the view that a quiet word in someone's ear, especially having scratched their back first, tends to work.

Maybe I am getting old - which, factually, cannot be denied - but I cannot help noticing a subtle shift in the style and content of posting on this forum in recent months. Perhaps this is a reflection of the shift in our society towards a more confrontational, aggressive and (ultimately) litigious approach whereby it matters whether you get your shot in first rather than weighing up the options and considering the other points of view. I also happen to think that there is less thought going into posts these days - it is just so easy to type and hit submit rather than stopping to think about what you want to say, why you are saying it and how you want it to come across.

It reminds me of a quote which is often attributed (amongst others) to Blaise Pascal which goes like this:

"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter"

So what's brought this on, you may be asking?

Over the years there have been a number of little niggles that have exercised the heart rates of members here. What has become apparent are that there are are generally two types of approach adopted to deal with the issues.

The first one is to rant and rave, thereby encouraging a number of other members to jump on the bandwagon and resulting in several pages of tirade about something not very significant. Within this is likely to be a number of strongly worded phrases directed at ALPINA. This tends to be the default position adopted by members of forums the world over and so can be forgiven as this is all that people ever experience and so the only way that people have been taught to behave.

The second approach involves a calm discussion about the issue, generally seen as information gathering, before making use of the close and (normally) positive relationship this forum has with the manufacturer. Once data is to hand, members then make private representations to said manufacturer (who reads the forum regularly, by the way) who then quietly makes things right without public fuss.

Now, the first approach is the easy one as it simply requires the member to dump how they feel onto the forum and it tends to run away with itself rather quickly. The second approach, however, is based upon members having worked out the somewhat unique relationship that exists with the manufacturer here and the fact that they do care, but also take offence to overt criticism. It will come as no surprise if I tell you that option 1 generally elicits a more stubborn response to requests than one might usually expect whilst option 2 generally produces the results that members are seeking.

I think what I am trying to say is that some members have been on this forum for quite a while and have seen the benefits of adopting option #2. Others have only been here minutes and might do well to take the pulse of this forum and realise that things happen differently here for a reason.

You are all grown adults and I wouldn't want any of you to think that I am patronising you - I just felt it might be useful to provide some information and direction to people who have less experience of this forum than others ...
Charles
Teacher of Chemistry and driver of ALPINAs - not necessarily in that order ;)
B3S Touring (49/116) - been to the moon and now on the way back!
Renault Grand Espace - not mine but the wife's!

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Post by AidanB10 » Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:38 pm

So how many lines did you want again sir? :lol:

"I will not fight with my friends on thealpinaregister.com"
'00 E39 B10 V8 Saloon #456 (Weekend) - Traded
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'06 E60 M5 Saloon (Daily)

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Charles
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Post by Charles » Mon Sep 01, 2014 8:11 pm

AidanB10 wrote:So how many lines did you want again sir? :lol:

"I will not fight with my friends on thealpinaregister.com"
It's not that, Aidan, but your post did make me smile :D

I'm in a reflective mood at the moment and have been considering a number of things that have been exercising my mind recently - as my friends on Facebook will be aware given my recent post about the way that debates have deteriorated in recent years as a result of the advent of the internet, social media and technology.

Of course, others may have a different opinion and I would be interested in hearing their views ...
Charles
Teacher of Chemistry and driver of ALPINAs - not necessarily in that order ;)
B3S Touring (49/116) - been to the moon and now on the way back!
Renault Grand Espace - not mine but the wife's!

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Post by simon13 » Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:28 pm

i think in general terms, car chat rooms where years ahead of the mainstream social media we have now with facebook, twitter and what else people use now.

What happens on those places in terms of bitching i felt i'd seen for years already on the car forums. I'm not on facebook, alot of people ask why and i say i wouldn't be able to help myself!!
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Post by RUN80Y » Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:48 pm

Very well said Charles.

As a newcomer to the Alpina register I have researched the cars and read many posts on here, and sometimes question the age of members, this is based on some of the topics and the negative comments that people write..

This is a forum/community and should be used for a common goal, whatever that may be.

I work indirectly for a heavy truck manufacturer and positive discussion works every time. Ranting, venting your spleen, whilst I expect gives short term relief , normally amounts to nothing more than frustration as it gets you nowhere and falls on deaf ears.

Anyway, great forum , keep up the good work, ps , 40-something , not ancient!!!

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Post by Kev C » Tue Sep 02, 2014 10:38 am

I agree with Runboy above, great post Charles.

I'm also a 'newbie' here, and even though I don't post or comment much, I do read the majority of the posts. I find like Charles states that there are different types of post, but the one thing I do get, is that somewhere there is always a nugget of info that is worth filing away throughout the posts, and they're not found in the ranty, spitty posts. They invariably come from the 'older' members - not old as in age.

PS. 50 something ...
Kev C

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E46 B3s Cabrio #190 (Sold)

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Post by rcshott » Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:41 am

Nicely put Charles. I'm not on ANY "social media" although I was on Facebook for a while, until some "friends" (mostly 40yo+) were posting absolute S*&$ sometimes many times a day and totally clogging my inbox. NONE of it useful. I've found the same thing on many car sites too…many people have a problem and instantly jump on the internet and ask for an instant reply while they wait at the roadside. How ridiculous.

This register is much more reliable and grown up and I enjoy most posts just by reading them. Would enjoy more technical q's though. Reading about others problems and how they are solved is a great way to learn about your own car. three score years & 10 last week! :wink:
1989 B10 (2nd owner. For sale)
1997 E39 V8 (current daily in UKR)

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