The Root of Jimmy Buffet Bashing - Beyond Tiki

H Humuhumu Member San Francisco Joined: Aug 22, 2002 Posts: 3691	H Humuhumu Posted posted on Fri, Aug 4, 2006 10:44 AM Blech. I hope that all this gabbing about the guy whose name rhymes with Timmy Tuffet isn't bringing TC up in google searches for the guy. This is a swell community for like-minded folks who love Polynesian Pop culture. If someone comes in here, thinking that they've found a community of like-minded folks who like something else entirely -- that is, generic Tropical-- there's nothing harsh or criminal about that, it's a simple mistake. I don't take it as a slap on the face. There has always been the occasional My-Vision-Of-Tropical-Is-A-Mishmash person who has wandered into Tiki Central. The trick is how to communicate to them that, a) there's nothing wrong with that, they're totally entitled to love their neon toucan (cringe), but that b) they've stumbled into a community of folks who are here for something specific, Polynesian Pop, and thus, this probably isn't the community for them, because we will make fun of their neon toucan (cringe). I do think it would be totally appropriate to point out to someone when they have posted something that isn't particularly Poly Pop, and why it isn't. It's not an inherently mean-spirited thing to do, and without doing that, what we'll end up with is a community of like-minded folks who like watered-down Tropicalia. Which would be a shame. Yes, it's being a little exclusive, but not with people -- it's with subject matter. If someone wanted to come here and start talking about bass fishing, it wouldn't be a good fit, because this site isn't about bass fishing. The problem arises because most people out there don't even know what Polynesian Pop is, so they don't know that this site isn't for them -- they just see something tropical and assume they've found the place to post their bar that's full of parrots and surfboards and not much else. Which brings me to my next point: we were all new to Polynesian Pop at some point -- we didn't magically pop out of the womb to the strains of Les Baxter, with a Mystery Bowl for a baptismal font. Lots of folks have come to very much love Polynesian Pop because they learned about it through Tiki Central. If you go back and look at the first things I posted about, I was way off the mark, the stuff I posted about was crap. If I'd been run off, you wouldn't have Critiki, Ooga-Mooga, Humu Kon Tiki, or several thousand photos of tiki spots around the nation. I don't really know what the answer is, except to feel free to critique the stuff people post (just try to keep to critiquing the stuff, not the people -- don't be a dick about it), and to try to create a community that is friendly to those who are here because they want to learn more. And to lead by example, and post cool stuff from your own collection (which should be a lot easier now with image upload!). There's my 2 coconuts. :wink:

Blech. I hope that all this gabbing about the guy whose name rhymes with Timmy Tuffet isn't bringing TC up in google searches for the guy.

This is a swell community for like-minded folks who love Polynesian Pop culture. If someone comes in here, thinking that they've found a community of like-minded folks who like something else entirely -- that is, generic Tropical-- there's nothing harsh or criminal about that, it's a simple mistake. I don't take it as a slap on the face.

There has always been the occasional My-Vision-Of-Tropical-Is-A-Mishmash person who has wandered into Tiki Central. The trick is how to communicate to them that, a) there's nothing wrong with that, they're totally entitled to love their neon toucan (cringe), but that b) they've stumbled into a community of folks who are here for something specific, Polynesian Pop, and thus, this probably isn't the community for them, because we will make fun of their neon toucan (cringe).

I do think it would be totally appropriate to point out to someone when they have posted something that isn't particularly Poly Pop, and why it isn't. It's not an inherently mean-spirited thing to do, and without doing that, what we'll end up with is a community of like-minded folks who like watered-down Tropicalia. Which would be a shame.

Yes, it's being a little exclusive, but not with people -- it's with subject matter. If someone wanted to come here and start talking about bass fishing, it wouldn't be a good fit, because this site isn't about bass fishing. The problem arises because most people out there don't even know what Polynesian Pop is, so they don't know that this site isn't for them -- they just see something tropical and assume they've found the place to post their bar that's full of parrots and surfboards and not much else.

Which brings me to my next point: we were all new to Polynesian Pop at some point -- we didn't magically pop out of the womb to the strains of Les Baxter, with a Mystery Bowl for a baptismal font. Lots of folks have come to very much love Polynesian Pop because they learned about it through Tiki Central. If you go back and look at the first things I posted about, I was way off the mark, the stuff I posted about was crap. If I'd been run off, you wouldn't have Critiki, Ooga-Mooga, Humu Kon Tiki, or several thousand photos of tiki spots around the nation.

I don't really know what the answer is, except to feel free to critique the stuff people post (just try to keep to critiquing the stuff, not the people -- don't be a dick about it), and to try to create a community that is friendly to those who are here because they want to learn more. And to lead by example, and post cool stuff from your own collection (which should be a lot easier now with image upload!).

There's my 2 coconuts. :wink:

Post #246790 by Humuhumu on Fri, Aug 4, 2006 10:44 AM