Find Better Things To Do Than Gossip and Create Rumors in ChiefDelphi

FIRST General Forum
1

There are enough posts and threads in ChiefDelphi right now regarding rumors and gossip that would make a grandmother’s hair curl. This is an idle time for some, obviously, or the threads and posts would contain better wording, more concise thinking, and facts. I haven’t counted how many times I have read, " I was just being lazy…" or “I’m out of time right now but will finish my thought later…” but there are plenty of them.

Late spring/early summer is a great time to finish out school, get the grades that help attain goals after high school/college, and re-enter your real social life, not just live in the virtual social networks. It is also a time when teams are having receptions and banquets to thank the sponsors, vendors, and school administrations/communities who have helped support the team efforts throughout the season and it can be a time to invite those VIPs to spend some time surfing the team websites and resources like ChiefDelphi.

What is a sponsor going to think about constant lazy rumors concerning what the GDC is planning or thinking or how there was a fall-out between people or within a team? I’m not so sure I’d be comfortable asking folks to browse CD during this idle time of lazy posting and lack of facts in statements and opinions painted with an ever widening brush stroke.

If you are relatively new to CD, take the time to read some of the stickies in each forum and sub-forum. Read the rules, the FAQ, and find posts written by some of the people you most admire in FIRST and ChiefDelphi. The posts and stickies will share wisdom and experience in how best to conduct yourself in this public forum, where many of the participants are members of the professional world or hope to be.

If chatrooms among FIRSTers are fueling rumors and gossip, take a look at that and ask yourself if Dr. Flowers would want his grandmother to know about it. Ask yourselves what purpose the rumors and gossip serve in building community and achieving any positive goals. In CD, take the time to craft a response, a post, or create a thread - with care and with thought. Taking the time to do so will showcase intelligence and clarity and will help you gain respect within this community.

Jane

2

agreed, i also think that some First-ers (Including myself) could be a bit more GP in our posts, something that i’ve been working on, and i think others could work on as well.

however, i think the gossip about what next year’s game will be is good, since, if you look at the past, it seems as though the GDC has gotten some good ideas from the gossip threads.

and, even though this is a down-time for FIRST, there’s still some really great stuff going around, that takes some though. I’m sure i’m not the only one who’se gotten summer project ideas from CD.

-Z

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While I agree, I think your comments will mostly fall on deaf ears. :rolleyes:

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I agree with Jane’s idea here: gossip and lazy speculation does not project a professional image of the FIRST community.

There are ways to speculate intelligently. It is good to question the motives of the GDC, and to provide criticism (negative or positive) on different aspects of the game challenge. I think the problem sometimes can be keeping that criticism constructive, though. Instead of just saying, “G14 is terrible”, “Lunacy stinks”, or “This is the best game ever!!!”, say why these satisfy or dissatisfy you. Though the GDC does not design the game based just on what is said here, these forums still serve as an important portal for the entire FIRST community to voice itself.

(Though it goes without saying that thoughtful and intelligent posts exist, there are, in my personal opinion, too many posts with the simple message of agreement, without thought put into them)

5

I have no problem with this aspect of discussions and suggestions. I also have no problem with the Rumor Mill forum. There’s a lot of great threads, discussions, and exchanges in there that are challenging, enlightening, and just plain fun.

Where I have problems is with blanket statements that are not being substantiated or thought out. If there are official statements that have been made that the poster is referencing, then please direct the reader to them for the purpose of clarity when making a statement. If the statement is just a rumor that is being spread then don’t continue spreading it without checking the facts. It takes a long time for an individual, a team, and an organization to build a good reputation. It takes a very short time to take it down. Something to think about.

Sean, I’m a great believer in possibility and opportunity. It’s how I’m wired.

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I think that most sponsors that happen acrossed those threads can relate. Trust me, rumors spread through a factory extremely fast. If you don’t believe me, tell a worker you heard that 20 jobs were getting lost and you think its coming out of the welders. I guarantee the welders will hear it, and start to speculate which ones. They will begin to prepare for it. I am not saying gossip and rumors are good. I’m just saying that they are normal. I have never really referred a sponsor to delphi, and I don’t think I ever will. However, if they would seriously consider such a thing in deciding to sponsor…I’d rather they not sponsor me.

I’ve long thought that image goes both ways. A company wants to sponsor a team that fits their image. I want a sponsor that fits mine. If they are petty, I honestly would rather find a different source for money. I know many of you disagree with this, but I don’t care about that. If I was worried about someone disagreeing with me, I would never post.

In short, I must respectfully disagree with you, Jane.

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Just because they can related doesn’t mean they like it or think it is good. I can relate to someone who sleeps in and skips all thier classes. That doesn’t mean I approve of their decisions and would want to work with them on a class project.

I also think the additude of “Well, it happens in the real world, thus it must be fine in FIRST” is a very dangerous path. Aren’t we trying to change the culture?

8

“You must spread …” - seems to happen a lot with Jane’s posts.

So that company that has the rumor about the 20 welders to be laid off. Do you think they appreciate the loss of productivity as the welders bicker amongst themselves about who should go, and about how unfair the company is that cutters and grinders aren’t included in the layoff?

The same thing happens here. We have a loss of productivity online as the signal-to-noise ratio is reduced. There have been a number of people who have said, if the content doesn’t improve, they’re not going to bother to read and post because it’s a waste of their time. Some of these people are mentors or team members we all would consider to be tops in FRC.

Jane isn’t talking about ramblings about what we think will happen in future games. It’s more along the lines of “I heard the GDC wanted XXX to happen this year, and this is why it did/didn’t.” Unless you have personal knowledge of a GDC document or a conversation with a GDC member, there is no value in a post of that kind. And if you do have that personal knowledge, you probably shouldn’t post it unless you want your friendly local GDC member to stop conversing with you.

FIRST and FRC aren’t perfect, we all know that. But unless someone has the facts to back up an assertion, posting it will not lead to any resolution of the problem.

9

Respectful disagreement is cool with me, Jason. The key word = respectful. Thank you. Although, from my experience in the various jobs I’ve had and places that I’ve been to - rumors and gossip can prove very harmful in the working environment and can create distrust among the staff and clientele. Not good.

Here is a little side topic regarding why I find value in referring people to ChiefDelphi as a resource for FIRST teams, keeping in mind that the primary resource is the FIRST website.

Teams can be isolated and self-focused. They don’t know or care about the bigger picture and how understanding that bigger picture would impact their successful achievements and team development if they take the time to learn and understand. Some mentors and therefore, teams, get that immediately if not sooner. Some teams never care and never get that. Some teams can be introduced to it, led to it, and over time, get it. The broader the understanding, the more effective the team can be locally, within the community. Many areas don’t have access to Hall of Fame teams and their wealth of knowledge, how-to’s, and impact. Through their websites, the FIRST website, and ChiefDelphi, every team has access to these powerful role models and their standards of achievement.

Same thing with potential sponsors, vendors, suppliers, politicians, parents, school administrations. Introducing them to some of the fora in ChiefDelphi can be informative, educational, fun, and it can showcase the enthusiasm and commitment of many members and teams in the FIRST community.

ChiefDelphi can be viewed as a central hub, a gathering place, and a power center containing a lot of potential for members of the FIRST and robotics community.

This is a brief summary of ‘Why I like ChiefDelphi’. :slight_smile:
Jane