oldkoot
Well-known member
as the thread title reads this was posted a few hours ago by Steve Herschbach on Detector Prospector (And I Agree 1000% With What Steve Had To Say)
I have been thinking this way ever since the Legend was announced to us a few years ago and now with this New Vortex it has gotten even worse, even though it has been going on even longer, I seen the same thing when I purchased my AT Pro back in 2009 or 2010
any ways here is Steve Herschbach's post on Detector Prospector's Forum
By Steve Herschbach
2 hours ago in Metal Detector Advice & Comparisons: Posted 2 hours ago
When the internet first got going with the early metal detector forums in the late 90s and early 2000s, it was a different place. Basically a community of like minded people helping each other out and sharing fun finds, etc. As social media has advanced however things have taken a darker turn. There now exists a class of eyeball seeker that caters to people’s less desirable side, getting attention by attacking anyone and everything. Attacking things is now equated with being a truth teller, since you are saying things most people will not say. The problem is truth often has nothing to do with it. It’s just pushing people’s buttons to engage eyeballs more often than not. Controversy sells.
The downside is happening quietly. There are many very knowledgeable people in this industry that would be happy to engage and share information. Or would be, were it not for the trolls and negative tone so prevalent now. Say anything nice and you get attacked as a shill or worse. Or have to argue with people who think their uneducated opinions somehow are real knowledge. A lot of good people I know who used to post or who currently post are going away. This includes many of the most knowledgeable people in the industry.
People say a person should just have a thicker skin, ignore the trolls, etc. Yet why should a decent person who knows a lot have to endure hateful comments just to try and share and help people? Might it not be easier to not comment at all, leave the field entirely, and let the trolls win? I’m here to tell you it’s happening, has been happening for some time now.
The Garrett Vortex really brings this top of mind for me. I somewhat grudgingly accepted one to provide some feedback and thoughts to Garrett. Years ago I would have jumped on the chance to have early information to share with people. Now, I honestly don’t want to get involved. The hatred and vitriol being dumped on this machine before it has even shipped has reached new lows. Now, many would say that Garrett only has themselves to blame, with the huge drip tease buildup fueling people’s expectations to unrealistic heights. There is some truth in that. I think they would have been better served to say little and just quietly announce the detector when it was ready to ship. The attacks now are viscous enough however that blaming Garrett is blaming the victim to excuse the attackers.
Some people have even seized on the fact Garrett is still tweaking the machine as evidence of ill intent on Garrett’s part. News flash - every detector from every company I’ve worked with in the last 20 years was tweaked up until the day it shipped, and for a year or more after. Was Nokta ripping people off selling the original Legend and then updating it constantly ever since? Was the original shipping model not just an unfinished prototype? No, I’m not saying that, but that is the argument being put forth now about the Vortex. Some want to line up feature lists, and point out the Nokta Score has a longer list yet sells for less. Another news flash - not everyone wants a mile long set of adjustments, some people just want a detector that works well with minimal fuss. And gee, what about actually using something before saying it’s junk? Not today, not in the current environment.
I have no real reason for posting this I guess. Things will not change except to get worse. I sure do not want this thread to be people naming names and calling out anyone in particular. That’s not my goal - please don’t do it. I guess I’m just a little sad about it all is all, maybe looking to commiserate a little on the state of affairs. Not about specific people but just the overall decline in civility. It’s taken some of the fun I used to have getting a new detector away from me and I’m mourning that a little.
I have been thinking this way ever since the Legend was announced to us a few years ago and now with this New Vortex it has gotten even worse, even though it has been going on even longer, I seen the same thing when I purchased my AT Pro back in 2009 or 2010
any ways here is Steve Herschbach's post on Detector Prospector's Forum
The Trolls Are Winning?
![Steve Herschbach Steve Herschbach](https://www.detectorprospector.com/system/monthly_2023_02/stevehmed.thumb.jpg.95c7830f1980fddae07fd509873ae062.jpg)
By Steve Herschbach
2 hours ago in Metal Detector Advice & Comparisons: Posted 2 hours ago
When the internet first got going with the early metal detector forums in the late 90s and early 2000s, it was a different place. Basically a community of like minded people helping each other out and sharing fun finds, etc. As social media has advanced however things have taken a darker turn. There now exists a class of eyeball seeker that caters to people’s less desirable side, getting attention by attacking anyone and everything. Attacking things is now equated with being a truth teller, since you are saying things most people will not say. The problem is truth often has nothing to do with it. It’s just pushing people’s buttons to engage eyeballs more often than not. Controversy sells.
The downside is happening quietly. There are many very knowledgeable people in this industry that would be happy to engage and share information. Or would be, were it not for the trolls and negative tone so prevalent now. Say anything nice and you get attacked as a shill or worse. Or have to argue with people who think their uneducated opinions somehow are real knowledge. A lot of good people I know who used to post or who currently post are going away. This includes many of the most knowledgeable people in the industry.
People say a person should just have a thicker skin, ignore the trolls, etc. Yet why should a decent person who knows a lot have to endure hateful comments just to try and share and help people? Might it not be easier to not comment at all, leave the field entirely, and let the trolls win? I’m here to tell you it’s happening, has been happening for some time now.
The Garrett Vortex really brings this top of mind for me. I somewhat grudgingly accepted one to provide some feedback and thoughts to Garrett. Years ago I would have jumped on the chance to have early information to share with people. Now, I honestly don’t want to get involved. The hatred and vitriol being dumped on this machine before it has even shipped has reached new lows. Now, many would say that Garrett only has themselves to blame, with the huge drip tease buildup fueling people’s expectations to unrealistic heights. There is some truth in that. I think they would have been better served to say little and just quietly announce the detector when it was ready to ship. The attacks now are viscous enough however that blaming Garrett is blaming the victim to excuse the attackers.
Some people have even seized on the fact Garrett is still tweaking the machine as evidence of ill intent on Garrett’s part. News flash - every detector from every company I’ve worked with in the last 20 years was tweaked up until the day it shipped, and for a year or more after. Was Nokta ripping people off selling the original Legend and then updating it constantly ever since? Was the original shipping model not just an unfinished prototype? No, I’m not saying that, but that is the argument being put forth now about the Vortex. Some want to line up feature lists, and point out the Nokta Score has a longer list yet sells for less. Another news flash - not everyone wants a mile long set of adjustments, some people just want a detector that works well with minimal fuss. And gee, what about actually using something before saying it’s junk? Not today, not in the current environment.
I have no real reason for posting this I guess. Things will not change except to get worse. I sure do not want this thread to be people naming names and calling out anyone in particular. That’s not my goal - please don’t do it. I guess I’m just a little sad about it all is all, maybe looking to commiserate a little on the state of affairs. Not about specific people but just the overall decline in civility. It’s taken some of the fun I used to have getting a new detector away from me and I’m mourning that a little.