Political discussions moving forward...

[StormRichards]

I know...theres just no way for that not to happen unless its banned all together. Users will have heated debates in the everything else section and it will (is) spill over to the others.

I have seen it work where the spill over doesn't happen or it isn't tolerated.

What it boils down to (in my opinion) is the admin deciding what he wants out of his site/forums, and putting the proper measures in place to make it happen.

[rennigade]

So why come to SA then?

Not asking to be a jerk. Just don't get the constant comparison to another personal finance site.

SA is more personal...plain and simple.

At bogleheads you're going to get the best answer almost every single time. Theres no denying that. But thats it. There are so many members that you have no connection to any of them.

At SA...I see certain users and I know what kind of investor they are, some of their personal stories...how they do certain things. Like DS...I have no idea how long ago this was discussed but his daughter was in a car accident, she received a settlement that pays out for life, shes not a socialite, the obvious they go to disney 15x a year, etc etc. I never met steve or his family but I know things about them. You wont get that at mega sites like bogle.

[rennigade]

I am not the admin of the site, nor to I want to be, but if I were I would want the site to have its own identity. An identity that hopefully people enjoy and want to be a part of. Not a site where members point out how other sites do things or direct members to for information.

Every company/website will look at any other super successful product/site and mimic them.

Have their own identity is great...but it should be a positive one. If people are always arguing over something that can so easily be fixed...why not fix it?

Im not sure if you've been a lurker here or if you found the site when you signed up in Nov 2016...but it changed a lot over the course of a year. There were always the occasional argument...not a civil disagreement but an argument...but nothing like its been as of late...not even close.

[StormRichards]

SA is more personal...plain and simple.

At bogleheads you're going to get the best answer almost every single time. Theres no denying that. But thats it. There are so many members that you have no connection to any of them.

At SA...I see certain users and I know what kind of investor they are, some of their personal stories...how they do certain things. Like DS...I have no idea how long ago this was discussed but his daughter was in a car accident, she received a settlement that pays out for life, shes not a socialite, the obvious they go to disney 15x a year, etc etc. I never met steve or his family but I know things about them. You wont get that at mega sites like bogle.

I completely understand that and it is one of the reasons why I also like it here. Which is why I don't see why people direct others to another site or compare how things are done on another site.

[rennigade]

I completely understand that and it is one of the reasons why I also like it here. Which is why I don't see why people direct others to another site or compare how things are done on another site.

Because a product is never finished...there is always room for improvements.

The iphone 7 was released a couple months ago...do you think they're going to make an iphone 8? Why even bother since the 7 is good enough? What about flat screen tvs and resolution. Isnt 1080p good enough...now they have to make 2160p (4k.) You think its going to end there. Its innovation.

[StormRichards]

Every company/website will look at any other super successful product/site and mimic them.

Have their own identity is great...but it should be a positive one. If people are always arguing over something that can so easily be fixed...why not fix it?

Im not sure if you've been a lurker here or if you found the site when you signed up in Nov 2016...but it changed a lot over the course of a year. There were always the occasional argument...not a civil disagreement but an argument...but nothing like its been as of late...not even close.

As a hypothetical admin, if I wanted to learn about what is working elsewhere I would want to figure that out on my own or within a small team behind closed doors. Not have it publicly discussed on the forums.

Also, you mentioned the personal aspect of this site and the large amount of members on the other. So what makes you think that two different sites with a different membership base has to be run the same way?

I suspect that bogleheads has to be super strict because of the amount of members they have, and the result is that you can't really have that personal aspect to it.

Like I have said in one of these threads regarding this topic, I have seen multiple approaches regarding politics work. And the topic of politics is certainly not a deal breaker for me regarding a personal finance site. I just think the direction needs to be decided on one way or the other.

[StormRichards]

Because a product is never finished...there is always room for improvements.

The iphone 7 was released a couple months ago...do you think they're going to make an iphone 8? Why even bother since the 7 is good enough? What about flat screen tvs and resolution. Isnt 1080p good enough...now they have to make 2160p (4k.) You think its going to end there. Its innovation.

I agree with everything you said.

However, like I have said before, that is something I would prefer be done behind close doors IF I were the admin. Apple isn't telling its users there is something that Samsung is doing better.

[rennigade]

And the topic of politics is certainly not a deal breaker for me regarding a personal finance site. I just think the direction needs to be decided on one way or the other.

Agreed. It either has to be banned all together which im for...or it can only be discussed in everything else and no mention of politics in any other section.

Im not sure...im sure the powers that be can figure something out. All I know is the current engine that was built is starting to break down and parts need replaced.

[StormRichards]

Agreed. It either has to be banned all together which im for...or it can only be discussed in everything else and no mention of politics in any other section.

Im not sure...im sure the powers that be can figure something out. All I know is the current engine that was built is starting to break down and parts need replaced.

I agree 100%

[GoodSteward]

There are two things you always hear that you should never talk about. Religion and politics. I feel the same about politics as I do about religion on this site.

Leave it out.

While there might be some common ground attained during these discussions, it isn't the norm. We can assume good may come, but we know people are not here to hold hands and sing kum ba yah. We are here to discuss finances, and offer opinions regarding them. I personally feel if there is a subject like a law change that includes finances then I think it is acceptable(like the recent one on FHA loans), but I also categorize that as a discussion in government, not really politics.

This is the same reason it is not appropriate to discuss these things on the job either. These subjects can be very personal, and it creates a bad environment if people can't get along(which is what happens eventually every time)

I ignore the politics threads almost entirely. I don't feel they benefit the site at all.

[msomnipotent]

There is politics, and there is politizing. There is going to be a lot of financial changes coming due to politics, and we would be missing out on a lot of conversations if we banned talk of politics. It would be much easier if the people engaged in these arguments to just stop politicizing everything. The overwhelming majority of members seem to be actively avoiding it.

And I hope to God that this site doesn't turn into Bogleheads. I stopped posting there because a lot of the posters are so anal that they can have a 4 page argument about the inner workings of a light bulb and how much electricity will cost, all because someone's calculations were off by .0003%. It got too tedious for me. To top it off, some of them just aren't nice people.

[rennigade]

There is going to be a lot of financial changes coming due to politics, and we would be missing out on a lot of conversations if we banned talk of politics.

You have a point. If this is the case then I believe a mod can post a link to an external site with that info...and lock the thread. Or all mods/admins can post links to external sites...but only mods/admins...and no one else can comment. On the regular users end it will appear locked. Theres no reason to discuss the topic...just post a link that will make everyone aware of the new change then anyone can feel free to research it on their own.

[StormRichards]

You have a point. If this is the case then I believe a mod can post a link to an external site with that info...and lock the thread. Or all mods/admins can post links to external sites...but only mods/admins...and no one else can comment. On the regular users end it will appear locked. Theres no reason to discuss the topic...just post a link that will make everyone aware of the new change then anyone can feel free to research it on their own.

But if the change has a financial impact, then it is definitely relevant for conversation.

[rennigade]

But if the change has a financial impact, then it is definitely relevant for conversation.

True...or like we said before...keep it in the political discussion area only.

btw...whats up with all the active users viewing this thread...lot of random names keep showing up. Spammers?

[msomnipotent]

True...or like we said before...keep it in the political discussion area only.

btw...whats up with all the active users viewing this thread...lot of random names keep showing up. Spammers?

I think if we had a specific political area, we would attract political posters that may or may not be interested in the financial aspects of it all. I have been on my share of political forums and people get banned quite often and go look for other places to vent their anger. That could even by why there are so many new names looking at this thread.

While I wasn't asked my opinion, I still think it would be best to keep political discussions as they relate to finance, and people just need to practice self control.