Feb 13 2009
Ranting About Forums!
Yesterday was one of those days that I found myself without anything to write about. That changed as the day progressed!
I find myself thankful, that I discovered the Accentuate Writers Forum more and more everyday. It is owned and operated by a very professional lady, Michelle Devon, who tries to handle everything with a fair though firm hand.
Other forums that I frequent are not so lucky. I will not mention their names here, and those of you who participate on forums like the ones I am about to mention will know why. For those of you who do not, imagine Hitler running a forum and what would happen if you dared to disagree with him….
Forums can be a good thing, sharing thoughts and information with like minded people. Even the best of them have their own drama carried out, but the lesser forums ( by lesser I do not mean smaller) are all about control and drama.
Make a comment that anyone disagrees with and the flaming begins. Not by one member, but usually by multiple, if not the vast majority of members. Or management steps in and squashes it right now, deleting all post, locking the thread, and chastising any and all participants for having the audacity to challenge their authority.
God forbid you add any information that they either don’t agree with, don’t care to see, or that corrects a mistake of previous information. Last night was one of “those” posts….
One of my favorite things is when the rules of the forum do not apply equally to all members, and a poster gets it with both barrels for doing the same thing someone else has been guilty of on a consistent basis all along and will continue to do so.
I am not taking major infractions here, or vulgarity, or indecency, I am talking about the small stuff. Also I am not talking about myself strictly, but things I have seen happen to others as well.
As an example, mention you are painting your house, and that you chose yellow and tan for colors, only to receive 400 posts on why dark purple and black would suit your home, neighborhood, children, pets, your bank account, and that their idea is far superior to your own, and why and may even include a power point presentation…. If when it is all said and done you tell them you don’t happen to like purple, the flaming starts and the idiocy begins all over again.
Ask a simple question and if you are really having a streak of bad luck, a person known as an Internet “ogre” will answer you, listing all your defects in alphabetical order from your I.Q. to your shoe size, including your pets, children, parentage and what you had for dinner.
One of the joys of online anenimity!
Thomas H. Forthe
