Topic content on RallyPoint

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 May 2014 21:04:17 -0400

I have noticed the last couple of weeks a lot of "reposting from other site" posts. I understand that it may seem like a cool idea or that it may strike up responses, but leave that crap on FaceBook ("the other site") I won't point out any specific threads but I'm sure we all know what I am talking about.

What I enjoy seeing here (and what I believe rally point was intended for) is Soldiers regardless of rank asking questions to clarify something or just to gain knowledge. All of the political posts of "what are your thoughts" do no good and probably shouldn't be discussed in a military forum anyways.

I try to be really active on here and have enjoyed being part of this community in the short time I have been on here. I ask for those that take time to read this to really think about what you can offer to Service members as far as knowledge goes. Even the threads about favorite military movies/quotes are some good discussions. You get to hear a lot of personal stories and this can be good to show a different perspective to a current situation.

Let's keep this awesome site awesome, and leave the political debates/sarcasm on Facebook!

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made May 19 at 2014 9:05 PM

SFC William Swartz Jr — Mon, 19 May 2014 21:05:45 -0400

Yeah, what he said ^^^ lol...actually a really good idea!

Response by SSG V. Michelle Woods made May 19 at 2014 9:23 PM

SSG V. Michelle Woods — Mon, 19 May 2014 21:23:34 -0400

SFC Gilley

All sarcasm aside, I don't know if limiting discussion subjects and content on Rally Point is a good idea. I personally don't like to get involved in certain subjects so I simply pick and choose which discussions to participate in.

While I don't like to discuss politics, I can see the benefit of discussing that topic with your fellow SMs especially since we have a lot of veteran's rights advocates on here who are doing nothing but fighting for us.

Besides, if I were to post on my Facebook for example, "what are your thoughts on Congress?" there is no way I could limit that to a discussion with only my fellow veterans. Everybody and their momma would be commenting.

Response by MAJ Jim Woods made May 19 at 2014 9:55 PM

MAJ Jim Woods — Mon, 19 May 2014 21:55:01 -0400

I agree with both of you. Like SSG Woods, I pick and choose what I care to comment on. I agree with SFC Gilley that if it is cut and pasted from other web sites it doesn't belong here unless it is Soldier/Veteran related.

And, if I have to leave my sarcasm out of my posts...... well, it's who I am and who I will always be. MOST of my CO's enjoyed the humor and directness.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made May 19 at 2014 10:06 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 May 2014 22:06:47 -0400

SFC G,

But Duffle blog is always welcome, right? I saw this awesome article and figured you'd enjoy it. http://www.duffelblog.com/2012/05/in-stunning-5-4-decision-supreme-court-declares-air-force-unconstitutional/#!OUVdU

Top that! (humor intended)

Supreme Court Declares US Air Force Unconstitutional

The Supreme Court struck a huge blow to the US Military today by ruling the Air Force unconstitutional in a shocking 5-4 decision.

Response by SSG Trevor S. made May 20 at 2014 1:18 AM

SSG Trevor S. — Tue, 20 May 2014 01:18:04 -0400

I'm sorry but I disagree. If anything showing leadership that interacts on a personal level helps Soldiers of all junior levels feel at ease, and may make it easier for them to ask the question they have been mulling over.

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made May 20 at 2014 8:05 AM

SFC William Swartz Jr — Tue, 20 May 2014 08:05:10 -0400

I agree that the political postings can get rather heated depending upon your beliefs and is best if avoided altogether...I post some pretty heated comments on other social media outlets when it comes to political rantings and as I was always taught as a Soldier: avoid politics and religion as topics of conversation.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 19 at 2014 12:18 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 12:18:25 -0400

I will respond just as I did to a different thread. I found your topic when I was searching for that one. I know this is an older topic but I'll post to answer your question:

I'm not going to lie, I rarely come to Rallypoint anymore, and this is why:

1) Showboating. There are quite a few posters that feel the need to poll every single thing that comes in their mind for no reason at all except from what I can see - to gain points. Some polls are ridiculous, some are like huh, and I don't think any are actually useful (from these people not talking about this one). This is annoying to me, as I see the same people over and over posting new threads that are completely irrelevant; again - to gain points. This wouldn't be such an issue, except that:

2) The organization of RP is terrible. The way the threads are bumped to the top, the fact that you can't load them in the way a traditional forum is set up, etc...so these people can go through and thumb a bunch of posts and continually get their pointless threads to the top....which also makes it worse because:

3) There are 4,000 duplicate threads or threads that are so similar that between #'s 1 and 2 I usually get frustrated scrolling past all the BS to find threads that are worth responding to or learning from. This is complicated even further because:

4) RP has become a site where many people just repost news stories they've found, and if the story is big enough there's usually 50% of the front page of threads talking about the same news story in slightly different fashions. "what do you think about Bergdhals release", "if he created a RP account...", etc.

The overall problem is that people want to be heard and responded to. But the way this system is set up, someone could read this thread and they are going to see the top response and rarely get to the last response. A traditional thread on a traditional forum is a discussion between a bunch of people, usually. Here it is a personal discussion with individuals in a public setting. Half the time the discussions could be carried out in private message and the conversation would be no worse off because there isn't really a discussion.

Overall the content is simply weak. It's good if you want to gain points or "connect" I guess, but to me I'm looking more for usefulness I guess. And granted I have had some help from RP in the past solving some issues like a simple PRT plan, but lately it seems like 99% of the content is "vote if you are a commissioned officer", "vote if you are in the Army", "who here has only 9 digits instead of 10", "do you gel your hair at work" or other pointless categories.

To me this site should be mainly about questions in the military split up between the sister services and having a general discussion and off topic section where people like that one SSG can poll to his heart's content and get all the points he wants while we can actually have discussions about regulation interpretation, situational experiences and how to handle them, leadership, etc.

Response by CPT Richard Riley made Jun 23 at 2014 7:17 AM

CPT Richard Riley — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 07:17:22 -0400

1SG Haliburton, I believe you are gaining some of the insight you seek, and with that there is both positive and negative. Any site cannot be all things to all members but can be a reflection of a majority to a point. RP has a range of interests that do not meet every members taste all the time. This stated, the site itself is in its infancy growing by leaps and bounds adding members, diversity, and opinions with each step.

I understand the difficulty in sifting through threads to view what you deem to be necessary information. I am aware that the site administrators are actively working on systems to stream line that process. I try to remember that while there are discussions I have no interest in personally, those discussions bring members to interact. In that light, each member makes choices as to what they choose to view. I've found that using the search box to filter my view for a specific key word of type of question is helpful and most often eliminates those threads I have little desire to follow. Each member has a different value set when they arrive here, and seek to find what they are looking for in their own way.

I believe that RP has managed to stay the course with their mission statement in that it strives to connect its members and give them the best tools possible to succeed both while in the military, and beyond. That is going to be slightly different for each member. The site has to manage its membership across several decades in ages ranging from late teens to the much older generations beyond retirement and service. That is a tall order in and of itself.

Are there discussions found that may be better left to other more 'social' sights? Most likely yes, but some of those threads generate a life of their own and grant new members insight to the existing 'fun' current members can have in lighter moments. If RP segregated itself to only cut and dry regulation questions it would fall into the category of most other military sights with short lives. I think just like life itself, sometimes it's good for you to have a little fun with all the serious issues you have to deal with and be able to get that second wind to accomplish the necessary tasks. Filter RP for your needs to gain the insight and knowledge your looking for and gloss over the more rambunctious threads that may cause you grief. That is the most positive way I can approach the dilemma.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Nov 21 at 2014 11:53 AM

SFC Mark Merino — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 11:53:04 -0500

I am not a fan of the posts that are designed to just make people angry. There should be a haters drop down option if it continues. If there is a politics thread, I will gladly block it from what my profile can see. Thank you for posting this 1SG Private RallyPoint Member.

Response by Andre Behrens made Nov 21 at 2014 4:08 PM

Andre Behrens — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 16:08:17 -0500

Hello, RallyPoint engineer here. We recently added a new feature to the site that may be of interest to you. If you go to http://www.rallypoint.com/answers at the top of the list of posts should be a link that says "Change what I see."

Clicking on this should display a small drawer that lets you select which categories show up in your feed. I would guess you want to disable the General Interest topic. If you uncheck the box and click save, you shouldn't see those posts anymore.

Hope this helps!

RallyPoint | Answers

Response by PV2 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 20 at 2014 9:24 PM

PV2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 21:24:51 -0500

Agreed brother! Well said!

Response by Amn Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 19 at 2015 3:23 PM

Amn Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 15:23:55 -0400

What I enjoy seeing here?/