In these troubled times of pandemics, political upheaval and social unrest, I think it's even more improtant that when we talk, play or communicate over social media, we try to be nice.
All of us can get caught up in the moment. If we see something we think is unjust, it can be a natural reaction to push back. But especially over the internet, meaning and intent can be lost. I've taken a step back from tweeting so much other than expressly on hobby matters. My ongoing motto, for my gaming and my podcast is simple, 'play nice'.
There was a recent thread where a complaint was made about the endless commercialisation of the hobby. So, a company that sells a basing kit comprising of 3 paints, a large bottle of wash, sand, static grass, PVA glue and instructions for just over £20, recieved criticism (and some support...) for over pricing the materials.
Now, my initial reaction was anger. The premise was that such a product would put someone off the hobby. My retort was that we don't point fingers at Mercedes for selling a car that is expensive because a new driver can't afford it. Also, any quick Google search will thow up loads of basing ideas for beginners through to hobby veterans. I choose to use the basing system because it gives quick, but more importantly excellent results.
Now I've had a love hate relationship with basing for as long as I can remember. But this basing system has given me a way of basing that I am very happy with. But why people feel the need to criticise a company for producing this product is beyond me. However, I have now said my piece. I am going to abide by the mantra of 'play nice' from now on.
Hobby wise, our household is at the end of a period of decorating and shifting around. My hobby bunker has become the place to store anything that needs keeping out of the way, from wardrobes to boxes to bedding to curtains. So hobby time is limited, as is space. My hobby area has shrunk down to about a 2 foot square area on my table.
Still, I have now finished my Irregular Miniatures 6mm Crimean project for the Battle of the Alma. I say finished. I still need to build the battlefield, but more of that in another post. And, a project is of course never finished. After the Alma, it's onto Balaclava...and we all know what that means!
Agree entirely with your thoughts on expressing oneself online. It is, as you say, very easy to get carried away by the moment, and say something we may regret later, or - probably more importantly - someone else might regret.
ReplyDeleteBack in another century, I was involved in setting behavioural rules for the beginnings of digital communications, emails and so on, this was for a large, international company with thousands of employees spread over different locations and different culture.
The rule we came up with was, "Don't say anything online which you would not say in a room with the same audience, always use your own name, and - if it's contentious - don't send it until you've thought about it."
A lot has changed in the years since then, but I still think it's a decent rule - such behaviour would eliminate online football fan hate pages, for a start! The discussion thread about commercialisation is not straightforward - the hobby can't exist without viable suppliers and without funding for our communications efforts. If someone doesn't care for an advert, or for tge pricing, it's quite simple - don't buy the product!
Best regards - Tony
Hi Sean, I heard through the Grape Vine you were trying to get in contact with me about Forward March Studios and maybe doing a podcast. Send me a text through my website www.forwardmarchstudios.com (so I don't have to put my email here where it might get scanned by spam) and I'll get back to you. Regards, Zach
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