The 'Just for Fun' Section of Q&A

I really had not given this much thought.  Like someone said earlier it was us taking off the real estate hat and being human.

 But totally understand where you are coming from.  

If the Q&A section bothers some of the members then they should not use it .  I certainly have to agree with you Bob Stewart  it is a Real Estate section . There are times we write about things to do in our community like places to eat  movies (i am a big one for that ) car shows and things of that nature . Let's  keep it intelligent . Not just for new members but also for our readers  .. Don't like the Q&A section then do not use it --plain and simple  

My goodness they are so many other things to worry about

I do not know what happened or who was deleted; but we have to be respectful of each other .  As previously stated in #36 comment 

You have to have a thick skin working with people in any industry.  I can certainly understand some being upset with unilateral removal of questions with no warning.  Tempers flared and things were said in anger that should not have been...but gee, that never happens in life, does it?  I think that having a private email / conversation over the issue and resolving it would have been the better route to go rather than banishment...and that may be the Mediator in me coming through   But this whole issue has caused a bigger ripple of discussion with many more Rainers than would have occurred if handled differently.

Bob Stewart - if members could award points, this post (and its message) would certainly earn more than the system typically allots.

From the silent majority ..."Thank you"

As to the schmuck who called you names for "censoring" his posts and comparing you to the monster responsible for the torture and death of millions of human beings - well, there's no argument that you did the right thing by shutting him down without any further thought.

Playing nice in the Rain is good, but leading by example is even better. I've always wondered why the dirty jokes or stupid questions get "featured" on so many group pages when they should be condemned for 1) taking up space in the cloud; 2) giving non-member viewers a distorted view of our real estate focused content; and 3)the points that are being awarded to the individual writing the post and the countless number of points being thrown away and given to members who comment.

Bravo again.

Bob, The Q&As were definitely devoling and something needed to be done. It's a shame that things played out as they did but thanks for stepping up to get everyone on the same page.

To echo what several others said, now can you fix the situation with the student questions? If they are annoying and redundant to us, can you imagine what a new member must think when they go to the Q&As and see all those student questions?

Perhaps it could be rectified easily by removing the "Industry Observer" category and requiring members to be licensed in order to join like some FB groups do. Or set up AR so any "Industry Observer" can read but not post until they are licensed.

Or require them to post the questions as a blog...I viewed one profile recently where the person has never posted a blog!

Just my two cents...thanks for all you do.

Bob Stewart you're doing a great job making sure that AR stays true to its stated purpose of sticking to real estate-related topics.  How anyone has time for other fluff is a mystery!

. I agree with Roy. Maybe there should not be points for this section. I like the idea of this being a section fo real esttae related questions. I was wondering if it would be possible for consumers to ask quesions .

I took offense at the hitler remark, completely tasteless and out of order, it really set me on edge - thanks for the clean up

A good idea left unmonitored led to lesser quality and that then set the new standard. Too many on here have little knowledge of real estate at it's core and have way too much time to waste and too many others seem to think that is a good thing. Take away the points for those silly & frivolous questions and comments and that might stop the downward spiral....might.

Why it took so long to get back to your basics is beyond me. Glad you are once again taking a stand.

Thanks for that, I did not know the rules, I will change my questions as of today.  sorry.

Bob, thanks for your time on this issue. When I see something that I think is not real estate related I move on. 

Bob Stewart Well, well, well, now I get it. The things you learn when you are roaming around on ActiveRain. 

I get it. I also get why people were using it for "just for fun" stuff. I mean, it was fun, and the title does say.. just for fun... So, can I sit on the other side of the table and suggest that there be a "really just for fun stuff" section? Or not, doesn't matter to me.

Part of the problem may be that over time we have ALL gotten used to sharing personal stuff that has NOTHING to do with selling homes. So naturally, why not do the same over in Q&A? It's just human nature. And I'm naturally human, most of the time. 

Bob Stewart  I did forget the most important thing I wanted to say. Attacking people, either online, on the phone or in person, is not acceptable. I make no comment on your decision about that, I do not condon personal attacks and I am always saddened when I see them here. 

Sad that all this drama had to happen in the first place.  Like I always say, "I hated babysitting as kid, I sure the heck don't want to babysit adults"   LOL

Bob, beautifully said, thank you. When people don't get their way, it is amazing sometimes what comes out of their mouth. Flush...and move on. 

I agree. Especially, since that is why we are all here. Real Estate platform to learn, teach and ask.

I have to admit that I like this part of the Rain. It allows all of us to learn from others.

It was a good decision. Even if not everyone agrees, decisions need to be made.

I like part of Active Rain it gives us a place to learn from multiple people with many ideas.

I like the Q&A site, however, I did not like what seemed agents posting silly questions just to rack points. I must add that I don't use this section much.... I do lurk there every once in a while.