Originally Posted by Moonpi
From time to time, I hear folks bashing the chat room and do not understand what they are talking about. I have never witnessed and cursing or true ill will, except during the troll invasion a few years ago.
In reality, certain words are starred out and censored, so you could not swear even if you wanted to, so I doubt vague unattributed reports of "cussing" going on in there.
Most of the time, chatters are friendly and welcoming. The days of the "night hawks and coffee drinking" fests are gone, as the regulars from earlier times have moved on.
I have noticed with larger crowds coming in there, that it is difficult to keep track of a few running conversations. I'm not sure if there can be solutions to that. Do not be put off by other people's perceptions - try the chat for yourself. It may or may not be your cup of tea, but it is a valuable part of this community.
I tend not to follow PDAs on a regular basis, but it does distress me to hear when old-timers leave. They are a wealth of information and wisdom that is not easily replaced.
I think what you said about perceptions is right on. This site is a form of communication, a written form. Unfortunately our society doesn't write formally anymore. We write the way we speak. Perhaps the writer was being sarcastic, or trying to be funny but to the reader it came off as being rude or hurtful. With all communication whether speaking face to face or in a written form such as this format (emails, txts etc) if you read something and are not sure of the writers intent or meaning you should seek clarification. Is it sad that someone is leaving - yes... With all that said this thread topic is a little bit like gossip. We don't know who the people are but we're still talking about them anyway, and it doesn't solve their problem of hurt feelings.