Pros & Cons: Whether to become a member based off a few forum posts vs meeting members in person

DMS General
#1

Wow!

Reading this thread and a few others have really helped with deciding on membership for me and 5 others interested in the space. 3 out of 5 said no based on varying degrees of attitudes and not having the ability to have their coices heard while paying the same price of regular dues as others who are heard. One flat out said that the power hugry guy that relishes in punishment and public prosecution irritated him to the point of disgust with the entire concept of the organization, the third well her comments aren’t appropriate but in a nutshell she sees no value in the space especially when one asked a question publicly and being a new member was jumped on by tenured members by doing so (notifications thread?) Then seeing a pattern of the same member(s) trolling her in other threads belittling her. As for me and the 2 others well I can’t speak for those 2 but for myself, just based on reading this forum and various threads I’m out as well. Too many politics for me without having a voice.
Sorry to say this but one of your potentials could have been an outstanding supporter as this person is well known for their generosity for non-profit organizations and is now looking for another one to be a part of to aid and influence growth and devlopment. Best of luck to the Makerspace, I sincerely wish you the best for the future and continued success growth.

#2

https://talk.dallasmakerspace.org/t/current-mmembership-1-458-as-of-3-7-15-55/18083

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#3

Where are my tissues ?
After reading that - I should take the rest of the day off for counseling…no wait-I have a sense of humor and a battle hardened skin so a tissue will do.

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#4

Hopefully you will understand that these issues were outliers in our broad range of membership.

Being one of those old tenured members I’m constantly amazed at the camaraderie and helpfulness of the majority of our membership. Don’t look at just 2-3 out of 1,450+

:heart::dms:

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#5

That is really unfortunate and I would reconsider. Talk is not representative of the members at DMS and people who are nice in person can say crazy things online. Everyone I have met at DMS has been really nice and helpful and it’s a wonderful place despite what you see on Talk. I think the fact that DMS is one of the larger makerspaces in the US and it has been built by volunteers, many of whom have day jobs proves that there are some great people working at DMS. Keep in mind that people might be grouchy about certain subjects because they put a lot of (unpaid) time and effort into making DMS awesome - that means less time with family and other hobbies. When other members don’t respect the work they put in by breaking things/leaving messes/causing more work, I’m sure that can be very frustrating.

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#6

Largest as far as we can tell:

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#7

What an interesting post from a new user with just one post! Wow mystery stranger who hates Walter! I wonder where this brand new user came from?

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#8

I suspect @Skyjammer will not return but, in case I am mistaken…

Had you taken the time to visit (Thursday @ 7PM) you would have discovered this is truly a wonderful place.

I assume you are new to the internet. I cannot fathom any other reason for using an extremely tiny sample of internet forum noise as the basis for any decision.

Where I’m from such things are usually labeled “troll”.

However, there does appear to a person with that name / moniker on a 3D fabrication site so, in this case, the label may be unwarranted.

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#9

I’m not sure that’s a helpful response either. Every member gets a voice and an opportunity to bring value to the space. Let’s stop bashing people and put our efforts into bettering the space and community. We need to be able to claim we are the BEST makerspace in the world, not just the biggest.

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#10

IP check anyone?

These are forums… and as such they will have a varying degree of disfunctionality and keyboard commandoing by various members. I’ve been around a couple of years and will tell you that no matter how abrasive people can be on forums they are 95% never that way in real life.

In real life you can ask Walter, Tapper, TLAR, Jast, clk75201, me, and many others who have been involved in Talk drama for help at the space (and often even outside the space) and you’ll find us more than helpful. Any decision based on internet only input is a bad one, no matter what the decision is. I wouldn’t skip a restaurant where a few people have posted overly negative reviews, yet others consistently gave it 3+ stars.

It’s your life, it’s your drama, but to say you’d never join makes me wonder if you were A) local, and B) would have ever joined anyway. If you do decide to join, you’ll find a great group of diverse people with all kinds of talents and expertise.

keep-calm-and-don-t-be-a-drama-llama.jpg600Ă—700

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#11

This is what I would strongly suggest that anyone who has not taken the time to visit us and meet members in person would do before making a decision one way or the other.

I suspect that the OP et al would have at least had a more realistic view of whether they would like to be a part of our community. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they would have joined either way, as some people really just want a “service” (which we are not) vs a community where we can collaborate and learn from each other… :heart_eyes:


[quote="Skyjammer, post:1, topic:18747"] Best of luck to the Makerspace, I sincerely wish you the best for the future and continued success growth. [/quote]

Thanks! :dms:

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#12

For those who have hinted about the OP’s account… All you have to do is look at his public profile to see that the account is several months old and he has visited TALK on three different days. From the Admin view, I can see that he has a unique IP address.

Instead of looking for reasons to be upset or wary, let’s try to focus on encouraging potential members to visit in person, and to ask whatever questions they may have that will best help them decide if Dallas Makerspace is a community that they would like to join. :slight_smile:

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#13

Where is that State Farm commercial where the girl is meeting her “french” date? (Bonjour)…

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#14

here

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#15

Tlar-I appreciate your input and ability to form a sentence but your innability to comprehend the underlying message is where you fall short. I have been around people like you and your easy to spot…battle hardened skin, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt but I highy doubt that, keyboarding doesn’t count and I am willing to bet that If I were to have expressed myself during a tour and you were involved somehow magically you would go into damage control. Without going into too much detail, with me what you see is what you get, I survived numerous deployments and so did my men behind me using this theory but when you waiver you expose your weakside to those fighting against you and most of the times you end up in the cull pile. I’m not hardened nor am I one to instigate, instead I am the one that you will not notice ever as I observe, learn and become part of the group we are learning about in order to expose weakness. This is called reconnaissance, and I exceed at it this was my duty in the military. Enough of that as I am sure you are an upstanding member of the community as well as a great person in general…but after reading what you have said and now you have a little info about me, place yourself in my shoes. I trust nobody at first but you would never notice since I am observing and learning but One thing is for sure I will not put you down to others when not aroun then praising you while in my presence…integrity is honored amognst a few and it is my basis of who I am and always will be.
SewingStuff…no I signed up last August and quietly sit back in the background as well as my counterparts that have been discussing membership. Troll, far from it. Why would I state the things that I stated, My stance was too political without a voice followed up by my sincerity of continued prosperity.
As far as my IP address, I can give that to whoever requests it. I have no reason to hide, pm me and I will send you my home address and phone number, I’m pretty easy going until cornered and from a few of y’alls posts you have me labeled and pegged without knowing your opponent. That’s just bad business in my opinion, but the ones who dismiss your post’s seem to be used to your ways and I thank them for that as I have expressed before and continue to do so, I wish continued success for the organization, non-profits are tough to maintain and keep going and unfortunately this did not fit within our group and the majority spoke. No ill will, and for those trying to find me on the web I’m out there if you know where to look im an old veteran and easy to find.

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#16

Sky - Thanks for your military service! I enjoyed mine and my deployments.
I was in aviation maintenance where integrity and safety and personal responsibility was everything/ everyday - but we ALL had a sense of humor and gave each other shit from time to time (that was ten years ago and more so the modern military may be even more touchy feely now).
Nothing posted on here is personal - if you take it that way - that is YOUR misconception.
Also - if you read the FIRST post I made in this thread you may see what I and most others are like in the Space - helpful.
Enjoy your evening!

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#17

Thanks Again! :dms:


[quote="Skyjammer, post:15, topic:18747"] unfortunately this did not fit within our group and the majority spoke. [/quote]

We understand that our community does not fit the needs and desires of everyone. I wish you the best in finding what you are looking for! :slight_smile:

I think the biggest thing that some of us are saying is that you can’t really get a good idea of how things really are without visiting in person and interacting with people in person. I’m not going to try to make excuses or try to get you to change your mind. I would, however, like to welcome you and your colleagues to visit at any time if you happen to be in the area. Feel free to join a class or few if any catch your attention. Most of our classes are free and open to the public.


[quote="Skyjammer, post:15, topic:18747"] im an old veteran [/quote]

As Tom (@TLAR) said… Thank you for your Service!

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#18

Your buddies might like the lab.ms in Plano. I dunno how much of a drive that is for y’all.

If you head over to hackerspace.org there is a list of makerspaces nation wide.

Another thing you might be interested in is the International Order of Oddfellows. Lodge #44 is I Dallas and they own a bar in Deep Ellum. I feel like they have makerspace’s spirit but with focus on helping the community. I’ve been helping them plant fruit trees lately…

Just some ideas. This madhouse ain’t for everyone.

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#19

image.jpg413Ă—581 261 KB

I resent that remark :laughing:

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#20

As an American and Vet, I also wish to thank you for your service.

I truly hope you and your group find a place that is more welcoming and congruent to your needs. Absolutely no sarcasm or snark meant.

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