Why I'm Quitting ZooChat
- Thread starter sooty mangabey
- Start date
- Status
Zoo Visitor
Well-Known Member
Everything you have written makes sense, and, of course, you are entitled to leave the forum if you want to.
When I joined Zoo Chat recently, I was surprised in many ways - I didn't realize what I was getting in to.
If the opinions of forum members here were greatly influencing what actually happens within the zoo community, I would be concerned. But, so far as I know, this is just a forum for people who have an interest in zoos to say what's on their minds.
It's then up to each individual member to sort out which other members he or she wants to listen to, agree with, or debate with.
You have mentioned several members you believe state facts and opinions worth listening to. So why not remain on the forum, and participate in discussions with them that will draw other forum members' attention?
And, when you believe someone's opinions are not worthy of listening to, why not continue to point that out (politely)?
Finally, you certainly are not required to read posts that are "ill-punctuated, grammatically-hideous postings of questionable factual validity". Can't you just ignore those?
I hope you realize my reply here is well-intentioned, and meant to encourage you to remain on Zoo Chat. I don't know whether or not I would agree with you on many topics, or whether or not you would take anything I write seriously. But, I hope you will reconsider and start participating in the discussions again.
ocassionaly my spelling is terrible but I do try and I should hope others try to. I find your posts very well constructed and articulate and I do hope you reconsider. I think everone can get carried away with themselves (I should know) and realise that when this becomes common occurance a problem but I do hope you over look this and stay with us 
This site has so much to offer.
This site has so much to offer.
I too get disillusioned with a lot of the misinformation on the forum, especially when posters are stating personal opinion as though it is fact. A few posters are quick to make their posts personal attacks, being a member of several forums, the zoochat forum seems to be the worst culprit for personal issues. Some members are very quick to dismiss information and question credentials when it doesn't fit with their own opinion. It seems that there are a minority of posters who use the forum to feed their ego and all I see is a "look at me" mentality. While I disagree with some of the posts in the forums I appreciate that everyone is entitled to their opinion and it may be the polar opposite to my own. There will always be a poster or two who gets my back up, I am generally kind and make allowances that English might not be their first language, although text speak seems to be becoming the primary language within posts. Sooty, I agree with your sentiments and also with the posters you listed as reputable sources of information. I dont wish to criticise the moderators as they are volunteers and also put up the time and money to host the site, but I would like to see a clamp down on the personal attacks and those posts without substance. I hope you change your mind about leaving and maybe we should all make more use of the ignore/block function (I dont even know where to find it). I hope too that I haven't been one of the posters who you felt had posted erroneous information.
What can moderators actually do about it apart from warn and then if the behaviour is continued ban them? I have seen on other forums a system called infractions where each time a member is warned they get one point and once they get to certain number they get banned for a certain time period. I would hate to see this introduced here as i have always seen this forum as one of the most laid back and relaxed forums and i feel there would be so much pressure to "obey" the rules.
If those certain members continue this behaviour i can only picture the forum getting into a state where the moderators have to be watching everyone single move, ive seen this on other forums and trust me it isnt nice. The moderators here do a great job overseeing the forum and that particularly makes this forum runs smoothly. Is there a way of getting round this problem, i dont see ignoring as a solution as its just going to get worse,
I totally agree Sooty and found myself visiting the site less and less in the last few months.....I just couldn't stand another childish argument on Marwell!! (not with me you understand but between others who appeared hell-bent on some form of ill informed one-upmanship). I have recently returned and am trying (as Sim says) to just avoid the rubbish and focus on what I value.
I too wouldn't want to go down the infraction route either, but it struck me when I was thinking about sootys remarks that I personally hadnt seen anyone warned or a post deleted on here. Maybe warnings are done in private (and I prefer that method), I just hate to see the comments get personal when really everyone is here for the same purpose.
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
I'll miss you sooty, obviously it won't be the same without you, but I can understand where your coming from, at first when I came to this site I had to adjust to being very proper. As also one of the younger posters I sometimes don't see the same things that most boarders do as my preception is obviously different in age . Though I think the reason for conflict here is that most people are so passionate and get somewhat aggravated sometimes when an opinion contradicts their own, not that I blame them.
All the best Sooty!
All the best Sooty!
I have a lot of sympathy with Sooty Magabey’s views; many of the things he complains about infuriate me too.
However, I agree with Ashley_H’s comment “the good on this site outweighs the bad”.
Zoo Chat will be a poorer place without Sooty Mangabey’s interesting and well-written contributions.
There has been a thread like this before and i believe "Patrick" dared to say everything i thought...
In short, joining an internet forum where everyone can join and believing:
- It would be totally informative and would not contain any misinformation
- It would not contain any bad language or stupidity
- Everyone has an educated opinion
Is naïvity bordering stupidity and makes me think you don't get out much, because the real world isn't any better.
Besides, threads like this always seem a cry for attention and hope of people saying "oh don't leave, pleaaaaaaaaaase".
This all may sound harsh, but it's how it's said before and i still couldn't agree more. If you feel people are not educated enough then at least feel obliged to educate them, instead of leaving. Argue with style and statements and stop whining they don't think the same as you do.
Sorry for the strong response, but i'm just amazed how you can say people are ignorant and think that an internet forum would be a perfect world...
Someone had to say it...
In short, joining an internet forum where everyone can join and believing:
- It would be totally informative and would not contain any misinformation
- It would not contain any bad language or stupidity
- Everyone has an educated opinion
Is naïvity bordering stupidity and makes me think you don't get out much, because the real world isn't any better.
Besides, threads like this always seem a cry for attention and hope of people saying "oh don't leave, pleaaaaaaaaaase".
This all may sound harsh, but it's how it's said before and i still couldn't agree more. If you feel people are not educated enough then at least feel obliged to educate them, instead of leaving. Argue with style and statements and stop whining they don't think the same as you do.
Sorry for the strong response, but i'm just amazed how you can say people are ignorant and think that an internet forum would be a perfect world...
Someone had to say it...
You are right Jwer someone had to say it.
I agree with everything you say except. As l am 1 of the people here without a strong education. I am not here to be corected or educated in my written english.
PS l bet sooty is reading all of this.
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
Sooty Mangaby had his reasons to quit, and wished to tell them to the other zoochat members.
You can discuss this decision of his, you can animadvert, deplore or (dis)agree with it, but you shouldn't use this as an option for libel and slander or retaliation.
You can discuss this decision of his, you can animadvert, deplore or (dis)agree with it, but you shouldn't use this as an option for libel and slander or retaliation.
Last edited:
I don't think i did, i never even crossed swords with sooty on any subject (as a matter of fact, as far as i'm concerned he was a very valuable member to this community).
I just hate these kind of threads where people spill their annoyance about other people's ignorance/behaviour when it's not only just "real people" out there, but they can hide behind anonimity. Add those two together and you can't be surprised some of them turn out to be annoying, i'm surprised at the level these kinds of fora even tend to produce (which is, if you ask me, remarkably high).
I'm quite sure that a man of sooty mangabey's dignity, intelligence and stature is not doing this as a "cry for attention", but out of a concern for the future of this community and for those posters who have been troubled by his absence. I for one thank him for his explanation and for his valuable contributions. I hope he reverses his decision, but if not, I wish him well for the future.
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
I agree there, sooty was probably only, taking the time to write this so people in the future wouldn't make threads asking where he went, which was in the case of patrick.
In defense of Sooty Mangabey, I believe that his original mail was intended as a protest against the garbage bin that this forum turns into sometimes and not so much as the threat of leaving totally that it has been taken as. He will still be with us.
It is not possible to ask everyone here to write perfect English, of course, but would it be too much to ask to use only one exclamation point instead of five, for instance, if you think a common period is just not enough?
It is not as easy to run a zoo as it is to sit in front of a computer. A zoo director is responsible towards his zoo board, the respective community, and has to obey to both national and international law. If I was a zoo director, the last thing I would worry about would be a careless anonymous chatterbox in a foreign country.
It is not possible to ask everyone here to write perfect English, of course, but would it be too much to ask to use only one exclamation point instead of five, for instance, if you think a common period is just not enough?
It is not as easy to run a zoo as it is to sit in front of a computer. A zoo director is responsible towards his zoo board, the respective community, and has to obey to both national and international law. If I was a zoo director, the last thing I would worry about would be a careless anonymous chatterbox in a foreign country.
- Status