IAA, IASRA and Players...

DeVore

Hi.

My name is Tom Murphy. I am a director of Boards Ltd but I speak now only for myself. You can take my advice or dismiss it as you see fit but I feel its timely to make a comment. And I humbly submit I have some skill at community building.

Firstly, congratulations on making a community, not just a market, a business or a hobby, but a community full of people who are passsionate about something. Hard as it may be to believe, everyone has played their part in that.

Boards as played its part and will continue to in the future I believe.

You are at a crossroads now and EVERYONE needs to look inside themselves for the wisdom to be the bigger person now. Your community needs that, now.

You are going to face a lot of problems down the road, you have enough "enemies" outside the sport to be dealing with then creating conflicts inside it too.

Passion is great to see but what is needed now are calm heads and cool hearts. Thats not just directed at the leaders who have emerged in your community but in every single last one of you. You have a right to freedom of speech, but you also have a responsibility of care. (Does freedom of speech give you the the right to scream "Fire" in a hotel for fun?). Loose lips sink ships. Loose posts sink fleets


I have no desire to involve myself in your political systems of self-governance. I do however want to outline what I see as our role in this community:

I see Boards as a platform, a space which can be used by anyone willing to comply with our rules of interaction. You've seen its power, you're here because of that power to bring people together with common interests.

Freedom of speech is unfortunately the freedom to say things that others disagree with, find distasteful or even offensive at times.

It is not, however a free platform to libel anyone you see fit.

If someone libels another person, whether the target is on Boards or not, we will remove it the moment it is brought to our attention. If the target of that libel wishes to take action against the author, we will, on receipt of a court order which unbinds our hands from the Data Protection Act, provide them with every piece of information we have about the author, as quickly as is reasonably possible. We will comply with the courts and the police without question or compunction.

Boards is not a platform for anonymous libel. Nor are you anonymous in any sense of the word.

All of that said, we value the free flow of ideas and we will stand over that ideal. We strongly believe we are the neutral "third-place" and that that has a great value not only for airsoft but for many many similar communities across the site.

If any of you feel you have been maligned and wish to seek legal redress, the correct course of action is against the author, not shooting the messanger (or board, in this case ).

If you do that you will find us very much in compliance with the proper proceedings. If you simply come at us because we dared to give people a voice, well I think you know where that ends up.


I wish you and your community well and hope that wisdom prevails but if it doesnt and your community shatters into fragmented parts then it is because you failed to have the wisdom to lead it to a better place.


All of you.



DeV.

zero19

Here here well said, would use the thanks button but im using my phone right now

Genghiz Cohen

ITT: The most thanked Post on the Boards (Prolly....).

CrazyRabbit

Agreed completely. And I offer my apologies if I have ever come across as divisive and deliberately argumentative. It was never my intention.

Instead of playing the blame game or bouncing insults back and forth, we need to identify the problems within the greater community and work together to address them.

The recent thread regarding IASRA hightlights one of the greatest threats to airsoft...us. There needs to be compromise. There needs to be a concerted effort to secure our sport and protect the players and businesses involved in it. This is not the time for stubborness. This is not the time for pride & ego. And this is not the time for hotheadedness.

Let us work together and find solutions....before we have nothing left to fight for.

General Grobel

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

Let us work together and find solutions....before we have nothing left to fight for.

+1

kevteljeur

There's something Biblical about this. Even our very own Lucifer showed up (Silver Haze, in case you weren't keeping up) and chimed in earlier which if you ask me says a lot about the situation, and now the Voice We All Listen To (no sarcasm there at all) has a say and we really do take notice.



Excellent stuff. All in all, this is what keeps me attached to Boards like a hungry limpet. Never a dull moment. Thanks again Mr Murphy!

amaughan

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

Agreed completely. And I offer my apologies if I have ever come across as divisive and deliberately argumentative. It was never my intention.

Instead of playing the blame game or bouncing insults back and forth, we need to identify the problems within the greater community and work together to address them.

The recent thread regarding IASRA hightlights one of the greatest threats to airsoft...us. There needs to be compromise. There needs to be a concerted effort to secure our sport and protect the players and businesses involved in it. This is not the time for stubborness. This is not the time for pride & ego. And this is not the time for hotheadedness.

Let us work together and find solutions....before we have nothing left to fight for.

very well said man.i totally agree we need to work together as one unit not pick a side and hate the other one.Ego's and stubbornness are very dangerous for our sport.

The only thing i can say is if we want to see Airsoft as a sport Grow then join an association.pick one you agree with then join it instead of bashing them all the time and saying ''my club is better then yours because.....''.

Fight to keep our sport,hobby,livelihoods alive.

coys

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

Let us work together and find solutions....before we have nothing left to fight for.

Couldn't agree more. I'm new to the whole sport and I'm not up to date on all the politics or anything like that and nor do I want to be at this moment in time.

But what really needes to happen is for all the sniping back and forth to cease and unanimous positive steps need to be taken to ensure this sport survives let alone thrives. As previously stated there are enough forces outside the community who are only willing to eradicate it from the country and we don't need this to begin from within this growing group of people.

So to sum it up, people can Bitch and moan about the sport all they want but enjoy it because the sport may not last while they are at it.

</rant>

DeVore

I've moved the fun posts here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055486429

This is too serious a thread for it to be locked away, though it wont live forever I expect.

Clearly I've struck a chord and your community leaders would do well to take heed. All of them. But if they dont, you have a yardstick by which to judge them and ultimately the power resides with the people. So long as you care enough to choose to wield it.

Ironically, while the IAA and IASRA sit in discussion, we're out here collectively agreeing which way YOU (the airsofters and ultimately the heart soul and wallets of the community) want to be led. Kinda funny when you think of it.

Now what you need to do next is: not tolerate poor leadership.

Lets keep it positive and constructive, unite and reject division. Support inclusive leadership and demand wiser counsel.

You seem like a great bunch of guys and you supported the SSF strongly which prompts me to help where I can. And I hate to see any community suffer for want of a bit of advice.

DeV.

mafiaboy

that was very well said DEV and leads me to this. im sorry if i ever offend any airsofters in the pass in any thing i sayed or have done and i dont wont to be involed in any politics involing IAA or IASRA i just wont to game on a site and have some fun with my camo buddys and have a good day shoting them all.. DENIS....

Busta Hyman

but isnt one of the large issues that boards is seen as a bad thing for irish airsoft according to one faction of this divide?

CrazyRabbit

Busta Hyman wrote: »

but isnt one of the large issues that boards is seen as a bad thing for irish airsoft according to one faction of this divide?

Which unfortunately, is like blaming Airsoft guns for armed robberies...blaming innocent tools for the faults of people.

Of course, I haven't heard first hand from the IASRA that they have a problem with boards, so I'm just speculating. I (and many others here) may be totally wrong about the IASRA's view on boards.ie.

Busta Hyman

apparently hotly debated at the meeting

DeVore

If anyone wants to engage with me regarding Boards, I'll make myself available in an unofficial capacity to discuss this. But the internet isnt going to go away, no matter who puts their fingers in their ears and chants "I'm not listening, you're not talking, I'm not listening, you're not talking".

If it wasnt here it would in a dozen different groups, social networks, mailing lists, discussion forums etc. A lot more difficult to monitor and a lot more difficult to use to unite the community.

I know nothing about the organisations involved but if it will help to talk to me I'll make myself available.

DeV.

TheDoc

It was a main point at the meeting that was "hotly" debated.

You know I read this thread...and after reading some epic posting, I actually remembered back to when I first bout an AEG, and my first skirmish, and there is a distinct feeling I can remember having playing. Where complete strangers were talking to me and been friendly and helpful.

I come from a world of golfing, and before I joined airsoft i was playing at a pretty high level. Every weekend I would grab my bag head to the tee, shake the hands of 3 guys im playing with, and not say a word for 4 hours. Id go into a zone, as would the rest, and youd barely say a word.

I came into airsoft, and I remember standing by pauls green van at HRTA, alone..and thinking Id do my usual of just keep to myself and play a competitive game.

But I was fastly approached by Richie and Tony who I had recently bought my gun off, and they were having a chat, then they brought me voer and introduced me to some of the folk there, defenderdude, cheeky monkey, paul among others. I was imediatly shocked that people were wanting to talk to me as a compelte stranger and essentially a noob ( I was also fearful of the noob factor, from a perspective i played semi professional video games for a number of years)

Then trotting down to the field, I didnt know what hop up was, and had defenderdude show me how to set it, took time out to basically show me how to work an AEG. Its something I'll never forget

And its something I try to emulate constantly on the field, and in my work now in the airsoft industry. To give back the aid and help to new players, the same as I got.

This is turning into a rant, but really, I've been heated lately regarding political turmoil, and it made me forget what makes this community so amazing. That you can go out on the weekend and chat to pretty much anyone, without knowing their name, and know you can have a genuine conversation, not even airsoft related sometimes.

And I guess I also want to make a very public apology to pretty much everyone. I am a very strong opinionated person. And when I feel there is wrong afoot, I say it bluntly, I dont beat around the bush i just say it. And alot of my posts, well some, are probably garbage, have probably offended and so forth. I've received enough infractions and bans to know really

So I guess what has come out of this week so far, is that I have remembered what made this community so strong and continues to do so. And why airsoft is awesome. Now granted, I will still hold my beliefs, and i will still disagree with certain aspects. But essentially I think I will try tone down my overall violent outbursts, as I've done alot of keyboard warrioring the last two nights.

One thing I seriously hope doesnt happen is that people who were on good/talking terms, dont fall out over whats happening and what will happen.

So there you have it

I'm sorry

G3-Nut

just making me think back of my 1st skirmish...when a complete stranger gave me a lend of his aeg when mine failed....these small incidents of pure generocity happen every time i skirmish or visit a sport...and this is the only store ive witnessed such a capacity for friendlyness...

great post doc

Tigger

I've been lent given and helped with stuff by many people that I've met and chatted to here I've made friends and freminies; but whether or not i like yer point of view or not or your manner there isn't one regular poster here i wouldn't send cash to in the post to buy something off *. i trust you guys even when yer being idiots i hope the same is true in return..




* tigger will continue to send cheques to people for all purchases example shown was for illustrative purposes only

dermot_duffy

The time of reckoning for this situation is coming very soon.

Puding

nice necro post, and very apocalyptic wording, hardly needed thought, and completely random

o1s1n

Can you please not dig up really really old threads?

Thanks.