LPSG - style or substance?

[BigDuder]

when people say new posters are ruining this place, they don't mean me specifically, right?

 

[ManlyBanisters]

when people say ne posters are ruining this palce, they don't mean me specifically, right?

Actually - despite your best efforts to the contrary I think you're making a pretty valid contribution :tongue:

 

[JustAsking]

when people say new posters are ruining this place, they don't mean me specifically, right?

Dude,
I always enjoy your postings. You always tell it like you see it, and you are not out to just piss people off.

 

[Drifterwood]

A further observation that I would like to make is the reduction of genuine discussion in threads. I can think of two reasons for this. First the thread volume makes it difficult to keep pace, and secondly there are many more instances where people drop in, make their own point and then never seem to return to see if anyone has discussed it. Perhaps the two are connected, however the end result is a loss of discussion.

 

[rob_just_rob]

A further observation that I would like to make is the reduction of genuine discussion in threads. I can think of two reasons for this. First the thread volume makes it difficult to keep pace, and secondly there are many more instances where people drop in, make their own point and then never seem to return to see if anyone has discussed it. Perhaps the two are connected, however the end result is a loss of discussion.

I have noticed this too. On particularly busy threads, I've had the experience of coming back a few hours after posting to find that the thread has advanced several pages! If you post in several threads, it sometimes becomes a chore to read the responses/filter out the noise (or both) before responding. Particularly when the thread has gone off in another direction.

This is another problem without a solution.

 

[Gillette]

I've had this conversation with other members as well, so I'll just give an edited version of what I said then here.

Thread quality has already been covered by several so I'll just add my agreement to the "Post what you want to see" contingent.

What has bothered me for some time has been climate/mood on the site so the rest of this post deals with that.

"Don't feed the trolls." - This was one of the first rules of behavior I learned on this, my first, web community.

If you see a thread that is stupid but doesn't require rebuttal as the AIDS ones do, there are two things one can do. Don't post to it and let it drop into obscurity. Post your anger to it and help keep it at the top of the page where it is more likely to be read by members and any guests visiting the site. Which is more effective in making the post or poster go away? There are posts that need countering, inaccurate or flat out wrong information should be shot down, but the ones that are stupid could just as easily be ignored.

By way of example; You know that poison ivy causes irritation. You see a patch of it ahead of you. Would you choose to walk around it, thus avoiding the irritation, or would you try to crush the patch of it with your bare feet and complain about the irritation later?

It's so much simpler to remove irritation from your life where you can than it is to thrive on the adrenaline by scratching it and making it worse.


I see the old vs. new issue raised time and again and I find it to be an unfortunate view to hold. Each of us was at one time new to the site, it didn't make us less valuable or intelligent, it just meant we hadn't been here as long. This will likely mean that n00bs aren't yet familiar with the site's history, true, but that doesn't lessen the value their fresh perspective might offer on issues that some of the older members have taken a stance on.

When first coming to this site each of us was likely impressed with the range of discussion topics, the personalities and the sense of community it offered. Why would we have chosen to become part of it otherwise?

This part might sting a bit.

When we were new the subjects and other members were new to us. They kept us entertained, interested and thinking. After having been here awhile we've seen so much we don't consider that there is much left to be seen, read or discussed so we look for new sport. A game of spot the fake anyone? How about who can tag the n00b as stupid first? I think we all need to check our own behavior before we start to resemble Statler_&_Waldorf. We can't be so jaded that heckling is all that's left to us, can we?

Something I do to ground myself from time to time that I recommend everyone try occasionally. Go back and skim your own posts from when you were new, say three months, then read your most recent posts for the same time span. If you see yourself offering less thoughtful posts, cursing more, name-calling more or just being negative in general ask yourself why.

I'm tired of typing so I'll drop this as food for thought.

Asch's_Conformity_Experiment
a) resist conforming to what you don't like.
b) set a positive example of what you'd like to see more of, maybe people will conform to that.

 

[Ethyl]

Something I do to ground myself from time to time that I recommend everyone try occasionally. Go back and skim your own posts from when you were new, say three months, then read your most recent posts for the same time span. If you see yourself offering less thoughtful posts, cursing more, name-calling more or just being negative in general ask yourself why.

Creating this thread and reading the responses convinced me to compare my posts this month to posts from a few months ago. I've noticed a difference and am contemplating the possible reasons behind the change.

Spooky. Did you know I was doing that? :biggrin1:

 

[Gillette]

Creating this thread and reading the responses convinced me to compare my posts this month to posts from a few months ago. I've noticed a difference and am contemplating the possible reasons behind the change.

Spooky. Did you know I was doing that? :biggrin1:

Nope. It wasn't even aimed at you.

My father always said, "Great minds think alike and fools seldom differ". I hope this puts us both in the former.:tongue:

 

[Mr. Snakey]

THank you, sweetheart . You know the feeling is mutual. Now, its off to the movies! LOL! :biggrin1:

Have fun. Enjoy the show. Dont forget to watch the movie.:biggrin1: LMAO

 

[Manbap]

Something I do to ground myself from time to time that I recommend everyone try occasionally. Go back and skim your own posts from when you were new, say three months, then read your most recent posts for the same time span. If you see yourself offering less thoughtful posts, cursing more, name-calling more or just being negative in general ask yourself why.

I'm tired of typing so I'll drop this as food for thought.

Asch's_Conformity_Experiment
a) resist conforming to what you don't like.
b) set a positive example of what you'd like to see more of, maybe people will conform to that.

Thanks for the elegant writting! :smile:

 

[Guy-jin]

Discussed this with another member and she mentioned what a "meatmarket" this site has become as of late. I've noticed the rampant nastiness towards others, lack of compassion, and general negativity. I've read/heard comments about the dearth of interesting or compelling threads in Et Cetera Et Cetera. What do you think?

This thread is not meant to point the finger at certain posters but to faciliate discussion. Have you noticed any of these or other things and what should be done?

I have honestly felt that way about this board since I signed up on this forum a couple of months back, which is why I'm so "in-n-out" in my postings here. I don't know that it's as recent a phenomenon as you might think, but it might not have been as obvious to someone who's been here for a long time as it was to a new-comer.

Anyway, I've met a few interesting people on the forum and in the chat room, so I've come back to see what they're talking about and such.

As for fixing it, I will say that this forum has a glut of people unwilling or unable to simply ignore trolls. The Internet troll is someone who is here solely to provoke a response. The best way to handle a troll is to not give them any response. Recognizing a troll post isn't always easy, but generally, someone posting something blatantly inflammatory is a red flag, and those posts deserve nothing but a quick report to the moderating staff. I think if everyone took that approach, it might help!

 

[B_cigarbabe]

There was of course a mass migration and reduced posting output from many of the site's over 40's. I wonder if we miss their wise heads?

I certainly miss those folks who aren't here anymore. The type of threads which are being posted,for the most part,suck out loud!
Jaysus! How many times do I have to read,"How big is my dick" [rate me! } It's getting fucking redundant,eh? With everything.
cigarbabe:saevil:

 

[odd_fish_9]

Yes, we have had a number of electrifying and brilliant posters leave the site for various reasons. But lamenting that fact over and over again only adds to the malaise and discontent here.

A fatalistic and defeatist attitude.

For a board to attract posters who are electrifying and brilliant - or even merely adequate - is usually a matter of luck.

But once you have them, to lose them is too often simply a matter of poor management.

Poor management can be fixed. Or can it? Is anybody even trying?

 

[B_ScaredLittleBoy]

Yes because the people who left had no mind of their own and were controlled by the powers that be at LPSG

They left because they had hissy fits and weren't happy with this site that they have no stake in. Maybe they had too much of an emotional stake in it, but no financial or other stake that means this site should cater to the wants of a minority of the membership.

I'm indifferent to them having left but I won't blame the 'management'. Don't they have free will? They (Lex et al) are free to come and go as they please.

The how big is my dick threads have always been around, maybe you're just now only choosing to see them? I will say there has been a scary increase in incest threads of late.

Let's put this into perspective: this is a site on the internet. If you don't like it, fuck off and go somewhere else. No one is forcing you to read or reply to every thread. If you can't manage yourself and steer yourself away from the good and the bad, the fun and the not so fun threads, maybe its time to 'move on'?

This isn't directed at any one member, just the negative nellies as a whole. Who will not be missed. One, even a hundred out of the xx* thousand membership is no real loss.

Instead of complaining about this site why not go protest against animal testing or global warming or ANYTHING else?

* Members: 183,121,
Active Members: 34,326

 

[Ethyl]

Yes because the people who left had no mind of their own and were controlled by the powers that be at LPSG

They left because they had hissy fits and weren't happy with this site that they have no stake in. Maybe they had too much of an emotional stake in it, but no financial or other stake that means this site should cater to the wants of a minority of the membership.

I'm indifferent to them having left but I won't blame the 'management'. Don't they have free will? They (Lex et al) are free to come and go as they please.

The how big is my dick threads have always been around, maybe you're just now only choosing to see them? I will say there has been a scary increase in incest threads of late.

Let's put this into perspective: this is a site on the internet. If you don't like it, fuck off and go somewhere else. No one is forcing you to read or reply to every thread. If you can't manage yourself and steer yourself away from the good and the bad, the fun and the not so fun threads, maybe its time to 'move on'?

This isn't directed at any one member, just the negative nellies as a whole. Who will not be missed. One, even a hundred out of the xx* thousand membership is no real loss.

Instead of complaining about this site why not go protest against animal testing or global warming or ANYTHING else?

* Members: 183,121,
Active Members: 34,326

I quoted this entire post because it's clear you don't get it. I said nothing about former posters or the management. The point of this thread is NOT nostalgia. I've already explained this but i'll do it again. Nostalgia is a waste of time because one remembers the good things and forgets the bad. LPSG will continue to change. It's already growing in membership by leaps and bounds. The last two words in the name of the site are "support group" and while I know this site was started merely as a joke, it's become a haven of support for men and women. Wouldn't it be nice if people felt like they could come here to receive support on issues that plague them without fear of ridicule or scorn? I think so.

I've made over 4,000 posts here because I enjoyed this site. I was welcomed into this community a year and a half ago, ive made many friends here and met someone whom I fell in love with. I've invested a lot of time and effort into this site. I have every right to speak my mind about the negativity that resides here. Telling others to "fuck off" and suggest we "go protest about global warming and animal testing" isn't productive despite what you might think. I'll "move on" when I damn well please and not a moment sooner.

 

[rob_just_rob]

Yes because the people who left had no mind of their own and were controlled by the powers that be at LPSG

They left because they had hissy fits and weren't happy with this site that they have no stake in. Maybe they had too much of an emotional stake in it, but no financial or other stake that means this site should cater to the wants of a minority of the membership.

I'm indifferent to them having left but I won't blame the 'management'. Don't they have free will? They (Lex et al) are free to come and go as they please.

Of course you're indifferent. The people to whom you are presumably referring had their "hissy fits" (as you call them) before you arrived, and consequently you had little opportunity to interact with them. You've been here for what, 8 months? And no, that's not a universal knock on newbies, it's an observation that of course you aren't going to miss people you never knew. Although I would have liked to have gotten to know him, I don't miss my grandfather who died when I was 4.

And of course, you aren't going to understand what this site was like in 2005, any more than I understand what it was like to live in the 1920s.

Try as you might, there are still going to be some people here who miss those who have left. And your posting the same old rant, over and over, isn't going to change that. It's not in the least constructive. I can't speak as to the style points it merits.

 

[B_ScaredLittleBoy]

The first part of my last post was meant for the odd cod.

You are free to speak your mind but all I've seen is lamenting and bitching and moaning. Is that the kind of style and substance you speak of?

Don't concern yourself with this site. It functioned fine before you were here and it will continue to do so when you join PETA full time. You political activist, you!

BTW, who do you feel hasn't been getting 'support'? Has there been some kind of blitz where those asking for help have been set upon and made to leave?

I would hope even if that were the case the people being attacked, even if undeservedly, could grasp the concept that this is a little internet site, not something to get upset over. If only you and the other pessimists could understand that. PETA must be lost without your can-do attitude...

Rob: I've actually been here three years and seen the postings of Lex et al. Fleshpiles are what's missing? That's really constructive and substantial.

" b) set a positive example of what you'd like to see more of, maybe people will conform to that."

or stfu

 

[Male Bonding etc]

A further observation that I would like to make is the reduction of genuine discussion in threads. I can think of two reasons for this. First the thread volume makes it difficult to keep pace, and secondly there are many more instances where people drop in, make their own point and then never seem to return to see if anyone has discussed it. Perhaps the two are connected, however the end result is a loss of discussion.

When we were new the subjects and other members were new to us. They kept us entertained, interested and thinking. After having been here awhile we've seen so much we don't consider that there is much left to be seen, read or discussed so we look for new sport. A game of spot the fake anyone? How about who can tag the n00b as stupid first? I think we all need to check our own behavior before we start to resemble Statler_&_Waldorf. We can't be so jaded that heckling is all that's left to us, can we?

...

Asch's_Conformity_Experiment
a) resist conforming to what you don't like.
b) set a positive example of what you'd like to see more of, maybe people will conform to that.

All I want to add is that somewhere in some thread, a time or two, people have commented that LPSG is a microcosm of our larger society. We can become productive members of that society by learning its rules, traditions, culture and history. Others can help us do that by patiently guiding us, nuturing our better efforts and ignoring or redirecting our mistakes.

 

[rob_just_rob]

Rob: I've actually been here three years

Who were you posting as back then?

and seen the postings of Lex et al. Fleshpiles are what's missing? That's really constructive and substantial.

I guess if that's all you noticed, you weren't reading the same threads as I was.

My final point still stands. Really, good for you that you don't miss the people who left. Others do, and its the existence of threads like this one that prove it. I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish.

Try as you might, there are still going to be some people here who miss those who have left. And your posting the same old rant, over and over, isn't going to change that. It's not in the least constructive. I can't speak as to the style points it merits.

 

[novice_btm]

Hmm, I read through this all, and unfortunately can only arrive at

:welcome:

We've had this discussion countless times. I, myself, have started it at least in 2 threads that I remember. "Do things suck?" You'll have those that swear it's SO much better/worse than before, and MAY even cite examples, and those that just chime in with hijacking banter for their own amusement, and to the annoyance of anyone looking for a real answer.