What Is OceanPinesForum.com?
Commentary by Joe Reynolds Recently I received an email containing some comments about OceanPinesForum.com. Without going into the details of the email, it occurred to me some people may not understand what the site is all about. Below is the essence of my reply to that email:

OceanPinesForum.com is much more than a message board, just as the New York Times is much more than any one of its parts. The sum of the Times cannot be judged on the entertainment section, no more than OceanPinesForum.com can be judged solely on the message board, or even any single discussion on the board.

The message board area of the site is essentially a community of people. Like any community, even Ocean Pines, it has warts and moles. Those warts and moles don’t make the online community any less vibrant or valuable. A message board is more like the traditional gathering of folks around a wood stove at the general store, or these days perhaps at a cocktail party. Everyone has an opinion.

As manager of the message board (general store owner) I often provide my opinions, and also vigorously defend the rights of others to express their opinions without coming under personal attack. Defending the right of community members to voice their opinions, whatever others may think of them, does not mean I support all of the opinions and ideas posted – any more, for example, than the OPA board supports all the ideas of lot owners who speak out at board meetings. I trust, however, the OPA board supports and defends their right to do so.

The message board does contain news items, in addition to anything else the members wish to discuss. The message board belongs to the community; it is a place for free and open exchange in the marketplace of ideas and opinions. Unlike newspapers, the message board is give and take between people. Anything I or others write is subject to the review and immediate criticism of our peers. Short of personal attack, vulgarity, etc., members are free to express their opinions and ideas to any extent they choose.

Such a venue is obviously unattractive to many politicians, especially those unaccustomed to not being in control in situations where the public is under no time constraints when commenting on actions of politicians. Younger politicians, or older ones more attuned to the benefits and pitfalls of wide open online discussion are most comfortable in the medium. It takes a brave, and articulate, politician to enter this online world -- be they young or old.

To my knowledge only two board members have entered the arena while on the board -- Chris Llinas and Mark Venit. Interestingly they are, at times, polar opposites on a number of Ocean Pines issues. However, both possess the intellect to do well in the medium, and are articulate in expressing their views.

Beyond the message board, the site provides video coverage of OPA board meetings and County Commissioner meetings, our Focus on the Pines video production, articles and commentary, an image gallery where members can share their photos, a news desk for area news release, etc.

In terms of pure news, OceanPinesForum.com provides far greater coverage in some ways than any local Ocean Pines paper. We provide something newspapers cannot provide – an opportunity to see and hear what actually happened at meetings and events, not what happened through the eyes of a reporter. Reported news is sometimes colored by the prejudices and opinions of the reporter. Unedited video of a meeting leaves interpretation of what took place to the individual watching it, not an intermediary. Discussion of those videos on the message board can bring additional context to the raw video, context based on the input of many people, not just that of a reporter.

At any rate, I thank you for visiting the message board and taking a look. Whatever your impression of that area of the site, I hope people judge OceanPinesForum.com on the totality of content, not any warts and moles they might perceive – just as I hope Ocean Pines is judged on the totality of the community, not just its warts and moles.

Regards,

Joe Reynolds
OceanPinesForum.com