Forum Decorum

by Dok (The WebMaster)

First, let me welcome you to the Luger Forum. The Forum has been around since 1998, and we pride ourselves on being the finest Luger forum on the net, and we welcome your participation. These are a few thoughts that will hopefully help you get the most out of your participation in the Luger Forum. Members The Luger Forum is made up various people from around the world who have an interest in the Pistole Parabellum, commonly referred to as the Luger. Many of the people who frequent this site are serious collectors, with thousands of dollars worth of Lugers in their collections. Additionally, they have years of research and collecting experience under their belts. Also, there are members whose primary interest in the Luger is the shooting of that weapon, or maybe just the discussion of the historical aspects. No matter what the flavor of a member's interest, suffice it to say we all share a love and fervor for the Luger. Your interest qualifies you as a member, as much as any other member here. You do not need to be a collector, or a shooter, in fact you don't even need to possess a Luger... just possess the love of a Luger. Opinions As with any field of interest, various backgrounds and research, often leave people with opinions and positions that are representative of their backgrounds and research. It is a fact that our interest is in a weapon whose production spanned almost fifty years, and whose official use lasted almost one hundred years, and because the Luger has such a varied background and so much information was lost or is incomplete, opinions on various aspects can often be diametrically opposed. It is expected that you recognize that these differences can and do exist, and not try to enforce your idea as being the correct view (even if it is!). There is an old adage that goes... "A man cannot be convinced against his will" and it's unlikely you will persuade someone by argument alone. Bringing the weight of documentation to bear is often a more compelling direction. If you find that you are up against a differing opinion, take the line of least resistance, and leave the discussion, with your dignity and opinions intact. Accept that some debates cannot be resolved. Collectibles versus reworks versus "shooters" One of the ongoing differences of opinion is the topic of collectibles in their original condition versus weapons that have been restored to "like" original condition versus weapons that have no collector value (termed "shooters"). This debate which raises its head every month or so, is guaranteed raise the temperature on the Forum several degrees. Each camp squares off, firing salvos at the other side, until basically tempers heat up to a point where I have to step in and close the thread. I welcome these exchanges of viewpoint, as they give the novice a ringside seat into the essence of each of the positions, and as long as it doesn't degrade into poor behavior, it's a wonderful opportunity to learn the values that are important to each of the proponents. I am a shooter, so understood very little about what was important to collectors, but by listening to the likes of Kyrie Ellis, Bill Munis and Johnny Peppers I have gained an appreciation for what is important to the collector, and why reworks, especially very well done reworks, pose such a threat to collectors, and why in their opinion, "restoring" a Luger to its original condition should not be done. However, there are opposing sides to this argument, and in my opinion, each side has a valid position, when taken from its sole point of view. This invariably leads to a debate that cannot be resolved and winds up going around and around, but if you pay attention, it's a fountain of information, and somewhere in there you'll find your place on the continuum. Poor behavior Failure to act in an appropriate manner, as in the above, can lead one or multiple parties, into a general "free for all". There are numerous gun sites on the net, where you take your life in your hands every time you post there, and to be verbally assaulted, is par for the course. This will NOT be tolerated on the Luger Forum. I monitor most of the threads, even if I don't actually participate. Many times my lack of knowledge or experience prevents me from participating, so I take that as an opportunity to sit back and learn. I really enjoy it when two knowledgeable Luger buffs square off over a contentious issue, because those are the times when all the detail comes out, as each side struggles to prove his case, and I just sit there soaking up all that detail, storing it all away. But the minute one player steps over that line of respect for his opponent, by using language that is not conducive to harmonious dialogue, I'll come zooming in to lay down the law. Flames, sarcasm and general bad attitude will not win friends and influence people, so just don't do it. Forbidden Topics and/or Postings As mentioned earlier, the Luger's production spanned over fifty years, approximately fifteen of which were under the Nazi regime. The Luger Forum does not condone the politics of Adolph Hitler or the Third Reich, and wish to go on record as condemning the acts of brutality and genocide carried out by the Nazis against their political enemies. However, it cannot be ignored that the Luger saw service during this period, and many variations can be attributed to this era. Discussion of those Lugers, the various production facilities, proofing departments, and indeed military units are all part of the fabulous history of this weapon. Discussion of Nazi Lugers, military units and their operations and practices, are all valid topics, provided always that the central theme is Lugers. Having said that, it must be stated that discussion of the topic of Nazism and its politics is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. I will immediately erase any thread which presents this as its primary theme, even if only to condemn Nazism and all it stood for. In other words, an historical discussion about Lugers in the Nazi era, Nazi military (and even political) units and their use of the Luger is OK, discussion about the aims and objectives and political agendas of the Nazi Party and its value system or the atrocities committed by the Nazis is NOT. Another subject that shouldn't even bear mentioning, because it would seem so obvious, is that of sexually oriented material. It is forbidden to post an image or hyperlink that displays sexually oriented material, or a post that uses sexually explicit language. There are a number of members of the Luger Forum who would be highly offended by sexually oriented material, not to mention that your post might be opened in the presence of children, particularly if the posting link or topic appeared to be Luger related. We also have a number of women members now, and we should conduct ourselves in a manner that emulates the high class we hold the Luger Forum in. Likewise, while I am not generally offended by sexually oriented material, I feel it has no place on the Luger Forum, and I will immediately erase any thread which is sexually oriented, and therefore inappropriate in my view. The Classifieds The Luger Forum has a Classified Section in which we host for members, items that may be of interest to our membership or a larger audience. This is a self-regulating feature and is totally under the control of the poster. No involvement by any member of the Forum is required. It is expected that you will post your Luger or OT requests at that location, and NOT in the Forum proper. Nothing is more annoying than the "drive-by shooting" type of posting saying "I've got this way over priced Luger for sale". Posts to the Forum will be removed, and not transferred to the Classifieds. A far better approach would be, to place your ad or request in the Classifieds, and then if you feel the need, to make a posting to Forum, drawing a reference to the fact that you've made a request in the Classifieds, which then allows members to open up a dialogue with you about your needs, if in fact there is any interest. This way the Forum does not get cluttered with For Sale or Wanted To Buy announcements, that many may have no interest in. The Old Guard, cliques and the In Crowd As mentioned earlier, this forum is made up of a wide ranging mix of personalities, talent and knowledge. To my knowledge there is no clique or In Crowd. There are however, many members who have been here since the Forum began. Additionally, many of them have a vast amount of Luger experience. It is a natural phenomenon, that people who have had a long association together, have developed a friendship or rapport, and that manifests itself in a casualness or closeness with each other that may not extend to you. This is not that there is a clique, a "they're in and you're out" thing; it's like with any new town, job or church, there are folks there who have been there for some time, and they're more likely to talk amongst themselves than to you. There is no slight meant by this, it's just the way life is. I believe that here on the Luger Forum members make an earnest attempt to welcome newcomers, and to make them feel "at home". The best way to become part of the group, is to get involved, if you don't have enough knowledge to venture an intelligent opinion on a topic, then start out by asking copious questions, and learn from the other members. Don't feel ignored or rejected if your early posts don't garner loads of responses, at any given point in time, people who have an interest in your topic may be away from the computer, on vacation or have a life, and spend it somewhere other than the Luger Forum. No one means any intentional harm, just hang in there, and before you know it, folks will get to know you, and you'll be one of the regulars. When you are making a post that is intended to be in jest, but could possibly be misread, make sure to follow the Forum convention of including the GRIN face (Colon and capital D), in the body of the text, as an alert that you are NOT serious. Have fun Above all, have fun. That is one of the fundamental cornerstones of the Luger Forum, we are here to enjoy Lugers, increase our knowledge about them and HAVE FUN. If it ceases to be fun... it's time to move on. So come on and join in, have respect for one another, and continue to make this the finest Luger Forum on the internet. Dok