I have seen some harsh posts on this site but that is nothing compared to the vitriol I've seen posted on fb. It's like a contest over there to see who can be the biggest a..h.... And while most of that that was coming from family members and I get enough of that crap at the family reunions once every couple of years, I've seen people rip builds from new comers on fb model sites that wouldn't fly here. I don't want to deal with it daily or hourly on fb. Plus fb is designed to draw you in, see the ads, waste time when I'd rather be wrenching on a vehicle or sticking little bits of plastic together.

While this post went far off-topic, I'll still add my 2 cents.

First, about the criticism received if you publish your work. I myself am a "great model starter" but usually finish not more than the 10% of the kits I start.
That said, if/when I publish any of my in-the-works models I'm ready to receive any kind of comments, not only those saying that everything is great or gorgeous.
Of course, there are some folks that don't add anything constructive, but that's how life is everywhere.
We should not forget either that not everyone speaks English as natural language (I for one don't), so sometimes what someone writes is not exactly what he/she wanted to mean.


Second, about FB.
Being in my 60's, I'm not a fan of social media, but as someone said before they are here to stay. Even main business companies started to publish there.
You can decide not to use them, but you'll be only limiting yourself. As Jim said, there are lots of ways in FB to control or restrict who you will be in touch to.
FB, Instagram, Pinterest, are just tools, each one decides how to use them, they are not good or bad by themselves...
I think it's just a matter of not being extreme on this.
I hate people's smartphones-addiction, but yet I have one and try to use it wisely.

Have not seen you around much also Epi

Cheers

Jeff

I too have wondered why people haven't logged in to check their PMs (weeks to years unopened) or check up on others.

As the former ModelGeek (Sci-Fi) Editor for over three years, I can allude that postings on many modeling forums have declined as more people get out of the hobby or put it aside. I asked and many said that they don't have the time, or don't find the hobby as fun anymore now with family, more income, less time, and more "real toys and fun" like cars, electronics, movies, motorcycles, and family vacations. This doesn't mean that they don't lurk or buy models, just that they decided to hide from being a "public modeler."

I also found that modelers who no longer log in and post have found other things to do with their time and money. Of course this doesn't mean that they won't chat with you, just that you have to hunt them down to communicate. They are on FB or LinkedIn or other social media access. Perhaps they no longer want to talk about modeling since they're not doing any anymore.

Also, the attention to kit news and postings could be found on many websites and FB now. Similar to modelers visiting and buying direct from the vendor instead of an online store, many modelers go to dedicated figure, armor, aircraft, car, and ship forums that cater to their specific interest instead of an all-inclusive forum. They find their information from those sites instead and often don't need or want to add comments.

Many started this hobby as a kid or teenager and many grew out of it. This doesn't mean that they threw away their kits and tools, just that they stored them in the basement for who-knows-when...perhaps retirement. As such, they don't log in.

I too haven't heard from Robert Skipper, but if we all recall one of his last posts before his absence, he posted a photo of a motorcycle he custom-built and he wanted to start his own motorcycle company. Many former modelers I knew went this route...why buy and build something 1/35 scale when one can have it 1:1 scale? Babies and (grand)kids are often the 1:1 scale "model" that made many modelers put away the kits and the paintbrush and not log in anymore.

On a sidenote to Jim and the moderators, be careful about commentators on any of the defense forums as there are many rude, ranting, political, and trolling commentators there who post and slam each other on almost a daily basis. They may really know their weapons systems; however, their views and opinions on the weapons are so fixed and one-sided that they often flame and harsh-debate with each other to prove their point. I for one have avoided commenting on defense forums and hope that those flaming commentators don't come here. Defense and (military) modeling are often connected for reference and research.

Mario, I am saddened to hear this for Hisham's and our sake, but also not very surprised. I left Armorama for a long time for the same reason (even though I was nowhere close to being as active as Hisham), and am even now limiting what I post and read. There are some exceptionally arrogant ("I am God's gift to the modeling community attitude"), self-centered and unpleasant members here that really ruin the experience, it's a shame they don't leave instead, to be honest.

I have also noticed these particular members rarely comment on other people's work. Their posts are mostly about beating themselves on the chest and making themselves the center of attention whenever they can.

I am now trying to see past this and instead enjoy communicating with those of you who contribute in a positive way (the vast majority of you), but it is SO hard to avoid and look past some of the comments posted here and there in various threads.

To be fair to Armorama, this unpleasantness/arrogance is everywhere, on other modeling sites, FB and other media.

The good thing about having one's own FB page is that you yourself have full moderation control and can block unpleasant people, and delete their comments if you wish. I have to add, though, that I have never had that happen on my FB page, not one single time.

I guess in a sense I myself am being unpleasant bringing this up, since the people in question probably don't see themselves as I have described them above, but to me this is exactly what they are.

In support of members who have chosen to leave - I have been there as well.

Its rather funny how people don't want to use Facebook or other forms of Social Media (which sound suspiciously like not wanting to use the internet 20 years ago) ...all your doing is not using a resource for information. Even forums are considered "social media" but due to the ease of use and other factors, Facebook is slowly taking over things.

I hit Armorama at least daily and I don't see all the horrible , abusive comments .

There was one poster we all remember that would argue subjectives ad infinitum who finally , quite publicly , forced Jim's hand and he is now gone .

The only real complaint I have with Armorama is the way photos are rendered in the FEATURES section -
the way they open up in that weird , unfolding and then -
You can't enlarge them !
If you're on a phone than you can zoom , but if you zoom on desktop , you need to repeat the operation with each and every photo ---- unless someone can tell my non-tech tail how to overcome this