5th Gen Forum Problem

[3wbdriver]

For those complaining about the search function: Google it guys. It will bring you back here to a good thread.

^^^ This. It's how I found this forum in the first place. I didn't know bupkis about 4th Gen, 5th Gen, Limited/SR5/Trail until I bought mine. I did a search for 2014 4Runner lift/leveling kits because the 14 had a different nose than the 13 and I honestly didn't know it was the same generation, and NONE of the manufacturers had added the 2014 model year to their online catalogs in January of that year.

This forum was one of the first hits on a Google search. So I registered and asked my question in what was at that time a 2 or 3 year dead thread that had been linked in that search. I did receive a bit of ribbing about thread resurrection, but I also got an answer to my question. That being that it was the same suspension as the previous years. And as far as I'm concerned our built in search function is light years ahead of the one in the forum I do moderate in. I gave up even trying to use that one years ago, and have tried to get them to put a Google Search window oin there to no avail. In here I only have to remember to preface any search I do with "5th gen" to get rid of a lot of chaff. Yes, sometimes I have to get creative with word choices, but I have ALWAYS found what I need.

And I have very rarely felt offended by anything anyone in here has said directly to me. Those one or 2 rare individuals who have quickly identified themselves as trolls have simply been put on my Ignore list so I don't have to read their drivel. An Ignore list which to this day is thankfully very short. Because most of those trolls have not lasted long in here before being banned anyway. If they're bad enough to irritate me they're usually bad enough they self immolate pretty quickly on their own anyway.

I agree we need a dedicated 5th Gen moderator. But it needs to be someone who can dedicate at least an hour a day in here, and preferably a couple hours 2 or 3 times a week. But it needs to be someone with infinite patience and no axe to grind, who can make informed decisions on what to merge, purge, or let go. And that can be a very fine line to walk sometimes.

 

[BrianSD_42]

:rofl: LMAO .. 5th Gen Section drama. :rofl:

Feelings ... lets talk about feelings....

Well I do agree with the general sentiment that PC and victimhood culture should die a 1000+ deaths.

BTW, I don't think anyone should be moderated for "BEING A D$CK" because that is quite subjective. Unless it is a direct attack against another member in the form of name calling then it shouldn't be moderated.

I rarely am ever in the 5th gen section but lately you guys have come up with pretty enticingly named threads (like this one) which I see on the side bar and click.

Back to the topic at hand ...

Many posts here are made in jest or are sarcastic. Unfortunately there is no funny or sarcasm font so many get the wrong idea.

Totally agree.

A moderator would be able to merge those newbie question threads into existing threads on the same topic.

A moderator would step in and say "Cool It" before the thread turned nuclear and people got hurt feelings.

A moderator could move those annoying threads that shouldn't be here in the first place.

Generally speaking man, the mods in the 3rd gen section (and I assume others) almost never do these things. Merging threads because of a repeat? No. Telling someone to cool it? Maybe but pretty rare. Move annoying threads? Only if it was created in the wrong section.

Generally the rule is if you don't like it then don't click it.

 

[PitbullRescuer]

I agree with a lot of what's been said here, disagree with some of it. Berating someone for not searching first doesn't do a damn thing. It discourages them from being active in the forum and it doesn't answer their question. (Maybe it gets you off telling them to search but hey, keep that to yourself). The other thing is that when someone does revive an old thread they get beat up for reviving an old thread. Catch 22.
I've been a member here for a while now and was super active in the 3rd Gen subforum. I don't participate much here because I don't have many plans to mod my 5th Gen. But I did expect better out of the 5th Gen subforum simply because they're relatively new, there should be more unanswered questions, newer issues, etc. I also expect more "I'm 16 and this is my first vehicle" and the immature bullshit that comes with that in the subforums for the older 4Runners, not so much here.
All in all, this is a great forum. It is informative and hopefully inspires others to have a little more admiration for their 4Runners. Moderator might help but no reason we can moderate ourselves either. It's really not that tough to just take a breath, and instead of keyboard whipping someone just helping them out and point them in the right direction.

 

[cjacob316]

Lets be honest here. This forum is organized like a 2005 video game forum. The search function is trash and even when it does work you find 10001 page of comments %99 of which are garbage and you dont know who to trust. When I first joined the 5th gen section of april 2015 I was simply overwhelmed. You will never be able to reasonably ask people to read thousands of pages of comments to choose a lift, esp when it's just for looks. Ultimately it's our responsibility to help these people find reliable info quick without posting and completely or continues to deal with the new owner questions.

The FAQs need to be cleaned up. A lot of them are obsolete or the pics link to 404s. I understand that many of the OGs of the forum put a ton of work into stickys and such in 2011 but stuff has changed in 4 years.

So heres what happens at the end of the day with the current set up and culture of this forum: most people come here, try to figure things out on their own, get overwhelmed, ask a question, get berated for not searching and being a noob, then leave while saying 'what a bunch of a$$wipes'. So the core group of people get to drive off the noobs and 'clean up their forum' but it does not build a community at all. Turning this place into a huge circlejerk with no new thoughts or insight.

As to people being too emotional or sh!t talking eachother I think it boils down to the fact that peoples egos get linked with the forum. =D

:ak472:

Here's the distortion: the new people aren't a bother. They shouldn't be hazed like they're inconveniencing the regulars. They're simply ignorant. As am I most of the time. I'm sure the moderators have better things to do than respond every time one of us complains "tell Timmy to stop looking at me!"

Repeat posts/questions should simply be ignored if they're irritating. Someone will pipe in about search or maybe provide a link. The kind of community you have here is a choice. If there is a problem, it is one the we are all responsible for creating. Dogging someone who is enthusiastic about being here, or who is asking a question because they want to part of the community, makes no sense.

And now, I will go back to ignoring [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION]. A gent whose posts I have benefited greatly from. Thank you for your contributions.

That's why there is a sticky on alternate search method and it works a lot better than waiting for answers.
Repeat questions are why we have 10001 pages of garbage.
Drive train questions, tire fitment, lifts, and most armor are consistent from 2010-2016, so none of the things people post questions about have changed much since 2010.
Newbies don't get berated, they get "directed" to search. If you take it as more than just a suggestion, then that's you're problem, not the person trying to help you. It's also not hazing.
No one should have to search for someone else's answer, and post a link for them. We're all supposed to be adults here, it's completely appropriate to direct the person how to search for the answer to their question on their own. Half the time I suggest someone to search it's only because I don't remember the answer, but I know there was a recent thread covering their questions in detail. I'm not being a jerk, I'm not berating, I'm not hazing, I'm just not going to do it for you. You are a big boy/girl, you have fingers and a computer, if you can post to this forum or drive a 4runner, you can certainly learn how to use the search function.
I am all for a mod for this section, someone to at least merge new posts into existing threads on identical topics would cut down on a lot of the traffic on this site.

 

[LandCruiser]

We need a "Bro Zone" subfolder and a "safe place" forum to discuss hurt feels.

 

[BrianSD_42]

We need a "Bro Zone" subfolder and a "safe place" forum to discuss hurt feels.

I think what you are referring to is a "trigger warning"

 

[4runnerTRDPR0]

:rofl: LMAO .. 5th Gen Section drama. :rofl:

Feelings ... lets talk about feelings....

Well I do agree with the general sentiment that PC and victimhood culture should die a 1000+ deaths.

BTW, I don't think anyone should be moderated for "BEING A D$CK" because that is quite subjective. Unless it is a direct attack against another member in the form of name calling then it shouldn't be moderated.

I rarely am ever in the 5th gen section but lately you guys have come up with pretty enticingly named threads (like this one) which I see on the side bar and click.

Back to the topic at hand ...



Totally agree.




Generally speaking man, the mods in the 3rd gen section (and I assume others) almost never do these things. Merging threads because of a repeat? No. Telling someone to cool it? Maybe but pretty rare. Move annoying threads? Only if it was created in the wrong section.

Generally the rule is if you don't like it then don't click it.

Heeeeheee... Click on the thread http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/206272-three-trd-pros-one-parking-lot.html ... Should give you some good laughs if you haven't read it already ...

 

[BrianSD_42]

Heeeeheee... Click on the thread http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/206272-three-trd-pros-one-parking-lot.html ... Should give you some good laughs if you haven't read it already ...

Well I do really like that Inferno color!

I just read the the first page and it definitely made me laugh.

A bunch of you guys, including 1engineer seem to have a pretty damn good sense of humor. Everyone else needs to just lighten up.

One last comment. [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] . You don't really want stronger moderation. I can tell by your posts you are going to regret it. Your (and the others) flare for occasional sarcasm and wit would probably be the first thing moderated out of the section.

 

[LandCruiser]

Well I do really like that Inferno color!

I just read the the first page and it definitely made me laugh.

Most of you guys, including 1engineer seem to have a pretty good sense of humor. Lighten up people.

You'd think the inferno would be jumped upon by off roaders and others who live in extreme environments.

It's like safety orange, you can find it in a deep forest, snowstorm, see it from space...

I mean when I'm out in the middle of nowhere, I'd like a high vis vehicle in case I ever need someone to track me down for an assist.

When Top Gear drove those red Hiluxes to the Arctic Circle, they were pretty damn visible against the background of white out.

 

[4runnerTRDPR0]

You'd think the inferno would be jumped upon by off roaders and others who live in extreme environments.

It's like safety orange, you can find it in a deep forest, snowstorm, see it from space...

I mean when I'm out in the middle of nowhere, I'd like a high vis vehicle in case I ever need someone to track me down for an assist.

When Top Gear drove those red Hiluxes to the Arctic Circle, they were pretty damn visible against the background of white out.

I especially love it during hunting season... I've got my kids up there in the tent and when we are in the bush, I'm always weary of the hunters bullet traveling Through the trees ... With all that Orange it works out during camping

 

[RedMagik]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see what the big deal is. I've been on various forums since 2002 and this really isn't all that different in my opinion. To be honest I've been around way worse, the old RX7 forum I used to frequent was just a straight circus.....but it also made it fun and a wealth of knowledge. Besides the reoccurring theme amongst all these sites is the newer generation guys always tend to be the pricks, the generation before that are the slightly mature crowd who can just barely afford their vehicle, and of course the true enthusiasts and purest of the oldest generation. I don't think that will ever change.

 

[Panzerpatty]

What I'm saying is that if noob questions repeatedly get brought up again and again it's our responsibility to fix it.

I work in equipment manufacturing. If customers always call to ask a question that means that I haven't done my job to answer that question. Instead of just dismissing that person as a 'noob'.

That's why there is a sticky on alternate search method and it works a lot better than waiting for answers.
Repeat questions are why we have 10001 pages of garbage.
Drive train questions, tire fitment, lifts, and most armor are consistent from 2010-2016, so none of the things people post questions about have changed much since 2010.
Newbies don't get berated, they get "directed" to search. If you take it as more than just a suggestion, then that's you're problem, not the person trying to help you. It's also not hazing.
No one should have to search for someone else's answer, and post a link for them. We're all supposed to be adults here, it's completely appropriate to direct the person how to search for the answer to their question on their own. Half the time I suggest someone to search it's only because I don't remember the answer, but I know there was a recent thread covering their questions in detail. I'm not being a jerk, I'm not berating, I'm not hazing, I'm just not going to do it for you. You are a big boy/girl, you have fingers and a computer, if you can post to this forum or drive a 4runner, you can certainly learn how to use the search function.
I am all for a mod for this section, someone to at least merge new posts into existing threads on identical topics would cut down on a lot of the traffic on this site.

 

[1engineer]

Well I do really like that Inferno color!

I just read the the first page and it definitely made me laugh.

A bunch of you guys, including 1engineer seem to have a pretty damn good sense of humor. Everyone else needs to just lighten up.

One last comment. [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] . You don't really want stronger moderation. I can tell by your posts you are going to regret it. Your (and the others) flare for occasional sarcasm and wit would probably be the first thing moderated out of the section.

I'm willing to take one for the team and it depends on who is moderator. ..

 

[LandCruiser]

I'm willing to take one for the team and it depends on who is moderator. ..

Yes, let's ban one of the most intelligent and contributory members of this site over some kid throwing a tantrum because he can't work the 4wd shifter on the PRO he got for his 16th birthday.

 

[mnofpeace]

i mean really, we're talkin bout feeeelings....feeelingss...

not a game, not..not a game...feeeelings....feeelinggggssss



not wheelin, not snow driving, not big tires, feeeeelllliiinnnngggssss


i mean, cmon man...is this what this is coming to...now i have to worry about how i TYPE, to avoid hurting someones tender underbelly...jeeeez

 

[DAGNABIT]

Simple Solution: Bring back [MENTION=81573]Stifler[/MENTION], make him a mod and create a "BRO Zone" as previously mentioned

:hungry:

 

[phillyd2]

You think we should just ignore the issues and keep trucking on as usual? Genuine question.

Once we honestly recognize what the real problem really is, I think adults who somehow managed to cobble together 40k for a truck can self police ourselves to handle most issues.

At this point we just need to let it be that a very few PRO owners believe they have the Shelby version of the 4R. The rest of us already know it's a silly belief but we are doing too much internal harm with all the ProBros, etc. slaps.

As for the forum structure, yes it can be better but as Greg and Jeff and others have done, nobody is stoping anybody from putting together better information and links for the benefit of all. Click over to the FJ forum to see how they nicely organized their technical mod threads.

As mentioned before, I mostly agreed with all said but I hope that over moderation is not the end result.

 

[Scooter Dude]

Can I (we) just get Dislike options please (search is my friend but have not really wanted to resurrect an old thread so I figured my stuff out using old threads, this forum is great!)

 

[Bevo]

I have gone back and forth on this. At first I really thought we needed stronger moderation, but now I don't think that is the answer.

The way I see it, calling out or redirecting somebody when they say something stupid or fail to search is handled pretty efficiently by folks around here. The problem is the endless dog-piling by the peanut gallery that happens afterward.

Strong moderation would take most of the fun out of this place, and no moderation is obviously a problem. We have to find a happy medium.

 

[DAGNABIT]

Pro crowd just needs to lighten up. You have a 4Runner, nothing more nothing less. I love the look of the Pro (wouldn't ever buy one but I dig it)

I think [MENTION=124732]LawnDart[/MENTION] would be a good candidate for ProBro mentor-ship.... all Pro owners must go through a 3 day crash course in sensitivity management with him before being able to post. LOL

I will admit it is fun to watch them get all worked up though.