Hi
There is, and probably always will be a small minority that posters here than 'can' be - and certainly do give the impression of being overly dismissive, critical and negative in their posts.
There has also in the not too distant past been some massive argument / battle / rant / one-up-man-ship threads to give the wrong impression.
Not that they necessarily consider their own posts to have that tone, and I am sure would fiercely deny and dismiss these observations if put to them. There is also the distinct possibility that the observed 'tone' of the posts are not meant to come across as they do at all? we all know that the sentiment of a small forum post can take on a completely different one than that of a face to face conversation.
One of my friends has recently joined the forum and, at the moment he is too nervous to post for two main reasons.
1) He feels these is nothing a novice can contribute to the forum.
2) He does not feel comfortable making a post to ask advice due to his perception / observation that there is a fair chance (or so he feels) that his post will be met with harsh criticism or negativity.
The majority of regular posters here are probably unaware of the fact that some new posters feel this way. I think they should just get stuck in!
Often subjects do deserve a good debate and that can get a little heated...
Not quite sure what the answer is, but those points above are genuine concerns of a new member.
Cheers
