Wow

[Darth K'Trava]

Oh lordy, this thread was funny enough to make me feel both insulted and amused. Really, I suppose my hurt factor came out of the fact not that I had my spelling corrected (that was a big barb slinger back in the Fidonet days), but that I had posted a few things I thought were fairly erudite or insightful and had them completely disregarded. I had been watching this forum off and on for quite some time (look at my join date vs. number of posts) and thought it was a conversational sort of place. So I felt a tad wounded and disappointed (and ok sure, a little sour grapey, and really the spelling thing didn't bother me that much), when I wasn't allowed to play in the sand box with everyone else.

<snip>

Don't feel bad if you don't get responses to your ideas and comments. Not all get feedback. I know I don't. Heck, I usually get ignored on the "NC Game Day" thread....... Basically you have to have a thick skin on the 'net or else you'll be easily hurt. It's hard to convey actual emotions from flat text. Not all utilize smileys to soften the blow. There is a sort of elitism here, but you just have to tough it out and hope you can join the club (to some extent anyway) and be able to play. I may have alot of posts in the short time I'm here but I have alot more over at the WOTC boards and it's less friendly at times over there than it is here. Even with the moderators they have.... it can get heated there very quick! And you're actually allowed to talk about stuff here that they'd lock in a heartbeat over there.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

In that case I'd better go back and re-read it, for I think I missed those top8cs completely
I fear I may come to the same conclusion, however.

You've gotta read between the lines.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

1. as for the grammar/spelling issue: I don't know if misspelling something on a BBS neccesarily denotes a lack of English proficiency. I for one was in advanced placement/honors english courses throughout school, but I cannot type worht a damn. Thus, in order to avoid being made the fool by some random internaut, it takes me a quite a while to prep even a "quick" reply (and even then I leave in mistakes). As I recall, Kaos was at work while making the lose/loose post and most likly didn't have the luxury of time for extensive proofreading. As a rule of thumb, if I can understand what idea a poster is trying to communicate, I don't dwell so much on grammar and spelling.
2. Someone on the internet disapproves of your typing habits? Oh noes!!1!
3. So as I understand it, whatever gibberish I post will go unnoticed (so long as it's not particularly offensive, I presume), but once I break a postcount of 1k or more I'll have to bring actual substance to the table? ah nuts.

I can't type worth a damn either. Even after 2 years of typing class back in high school.

I post while at home so I do have the luxury of proofing my posts before hitting send. It's the rare typo that gets thru.... they do occasionally.

If I can understand a post, then I'll read it and gloss over any mistakes if I can translate it enough to figure out what the person is saying.

 

[Mark]

Now I'll go back to lurking.

--Seule

Still kicking, eh? Good to know.

 

[William Ronald]

Kaos_Device; Welcome back. Don't worry about people not replying to your ideas directly. Sometimes people don't respond so much to an individual post as much as some of the ideas floating around in a thread.

Originally posted by Cassiel

I think that's one of the problems. The veneer of courtesy, with its undercurrent of "I know more than you do," is probably the thing that gets me most about ENWorld. I've been visiting this site since I believe 1999, and have racked up in that time maybe 300 posts under 4 or 5 different accounts (which are routinely deleted during periods of prolonged inactivity, so I always end up having to make new ones when I remember this place exists). For the most part I find that it simply isn't worth my time, or wouldn't be well received (who on this board wants to have a serious discussion about the possibility of significant fantasy literature, for example?) for me, to respond, so I don't.

Why make a fuss about it? This is just a messageboard on the internet. Lurk, read what looks interesting to you, if anybody's posts really annoy you add them to your ignore list, and move on. The thing that keeps me coming back to ENWorld is that there are a lot of interesting posters, too. So, to people like Fusangite, Dr.Strangemonkey, barsoomcore and the others whose posts I generally look forward to reading, I say: rock on. The chances of me tempering my normal mode of discourse to suit ENWorld's restrictions are slim, but I still enjoy reading what you guys offer up.

Cassiel, you make an important point that I would like to address. I believe that most people here are courteous but there are some who do seem to just have a veneer of superiority. I would argue that is something which is hard to avoid, as some people seem to live by the letter of the law as opposed to the spirit of the law.

For example, I have seen threads where one play style or the other is condemned or a disagreement over what is canon in a setting. I have seen a few people seem to be uncomfortable over a few responses. Occassionally, people do seem to come across as superior to another. However, I believe this is a minority. I don't think you can mandate good behavior and respect, but only encourage it.

For myself, I try to remember that there are many different games, gaming styles and views discussed on these boards. However, I think that we can probably learn something from each other -- possibly even those we disagree with most. I like to think that what brings people to these boards is more important than what seems to divide us at times.

So, Cassiel, Kaos_Device, and everyone else, participate as much as you like. For my part, I will try to be respectful. Let's try to remember that there is another human being -- who is not altogether different from ourselves -- responding to our posts.

 

[DaveStebbins]

Getting ignored is actually pretty common when you put forth good ideas, IME. Bad ideas incite arguments, comments and rebuttal. Lots of it. Just as many people read goods ideas and agree with them but, since "me too" posts are bad etiquette, those good ideas rarely gather quotes and responses.

Based on my personal experience, I choose to believe that the greatest honor is when your post kills a thread. I like to believe that when I do that, it means I have posted the ultimate response, and people realize than anything further would pale in comparison, so the thread promptly dies. I'd really like to believe that...

-Dave
Threadkiller Extraordinaire

 

[der_kluge]

Just thought I'd post, and deny Dave the honor of killing the thread.

 

[BSF]

So the assertion is that the threads I post that receive hits, but few responses are so good that nobody needs to respond?

Wow!

I guess I would like to believe that too. I'm just not sure that I do...

 

[DaveStebbins]

Just thought I'd post, and deny Dave the honor of killing the thread.

Darn you Curtis!

 

[Darth K'Trava]

::denies Dave yet again from killing this thread!::