As a dive gear retailer who exclusively sells directly to the retail consumer (and thus has zero retail stores or retail staff promoting our gear) we are very dependent on word of mouth and social media. So this topic is important to me.
Of course, we have certain members who are very opinionated and are sure their gear selections are “best” and some others who tend to be quite critical of certain manufacturers or designs, but everyone has their personal biases and preferences. I think most readers should be able to understand this situation and be able to identify members who might seem overly focused or unidimensional in their opinions.
A flame free policy for gear discussions might sound like a good idea at first look, but it is not something I would like to see happen. I understand and support a flame free policy directed toward new divers, the existing policy is intended to protect new divers from some degree of “personal” attack or criticism.
Criticizing a person’s gear selection, is not quite the same as attacking them personally. It probably could spill over into a gray area where there is some overlap, but they seem distinguishable to me.
So I would voice my own opinion that members should CONTINUE to be allowed to freely express their opinions on gear or equipment. If they say something quite negative, maybe they are being unfair or biased or have a hidden agenda, but the value of open communication far outweighs the negative impacts of “someone with an ax to grind”.
In the past, we have infrequently been treated unfairly (I think) by certain people (on other social media – not Scubaboard) and we have always done our best to address their concerns and make the situation right – even in situations where an unbiased observer should be able to see that the criticism was unfair or over the top. Criticism is sometimes generated by individuals who are not even our customers, but we always try to view these (rare) occurrences as an opportunity to educate our current and future customers and also as a chance to demonstrate our dedication to integrity and honesty.
I would prefer to continue to have Scubaboard be a place where people can argue over their gear selections and if they flame a manufacturer – maybe it is justified (or maybe not) but the free dissemination of ideas and opinions is much more valuable than trying to manage everyone’s opinion to such a degree that each manufacturer will be protected from a potentially unfair criticism.
I think Pete and the moderators do an excellent job of managing the board by keeping the discussions reasonable and fair – so I don’t support the change in policy as has been presented in this thread. Obviously, I might let the moderation staff know if someone on scubaboard was being grossly deceptive or dishonest with respect to MAKO, but that has never occurred and I don’t expect it in the future.
I don’t think it would be beneficial if the members felt that they couldn’t express honest and heartfelt feedback on any of our gear. For me, the honest feedback is much more useful than being protected from the potential of an unfair “flame”.
Dive Safe
Dano
