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Do different forums have different vibes?

ChloeTheGreat

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The only forum I've ever joined is PriceScope, so I don't have experience with other forums.

I joined another forum (dog related) a few days ago. While I have enjoyed some of the pictures, stories, and information I have seen in the past few days as a member, I am finding that I do not fit in there. I have only written a couple of posts so far...and I'm not sure I will even participate there any more. The responses I've gotten from my single post there have scared me out of posting again! (I can honestly say that while I understand that people have varying opinions, my post was not anything that could have been taken in any way other than how I meant it...I guess maybe posters read too far into the lighthearted statement I made, which in itself was not meant to be fact.)

Is it normal for forums to have different vibes? Have I just been spoiled with the welcoming and accepting vibe I get from PS?
 

zoebartlett

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PS is the only forum I visit regularly and it has the best vibe, in my opinion. I do also like travel forums (fora? That sounds funny!) and City-Data, but I only go there occasionally. Some wedding forums, like The Knot, have a negative reputation because the posters are pretty catty. So yes, I definitely sense a different vibe on other sites.
 

missy

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I only belong to one other forum (which I moderate) and it is a health related one so it might be different for other types but my experience is that people who join forums are looking for entertainment, friendship and knowledge and most are not looking to be unpleasant or unwelcoming. However, as Kenny always says, people vary. So, just as IRL, there are more friendly, more accepting people and then there are people who are more argumentative, the know it alls etc.

The other forum I belong to is more serious since we are dealing with a medical issue however most are warm and welcoming and we are very helpful with the new members. I would say that the feeling of different forums however is very unique as it is made up of different personalities and the predominant personalities will determine the so called flavor of the forum if you know what I mean. Sometimes the stronger personalities that predominate might not be so nice and then yes, that forum might not be a good one to join. If the bullies rule. Hopefully that is the exception rather than the norm if there are good people who belong.

I would give it a chance since you just joined if it deals with a topic that is of interest to you. When I first joined PS I felt shy and a little strange when I posted as I didn't "know" the people here yet and I wasn't sure how it would go. It takes time when you are anywhere new and a forum is not that different than any new place. It takes time to feel more comfortable and to know if you want to stay. :wavey:
 

Dancing Fire

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ChloeTheGreat|1318025318|3035586 said:
Is it normal for forums to have different vibes? Have I just been spoiled with the welcoming and accepting vibe I get from PS?
yep,some of them don't reply to newbies. they only talk to their own little group,and some of the Mods are A$$ ()s.
 

kenny

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I'm in a few fora and yes they definitely vary.

What's tolerated in one will not be tolerated in another.
While many people want/need the iron fist of legislated niceness, I personally prefer a forum with absolutely NO rules except, no pron and no posting of other's personal info.
I am in one.
I accept the culture of PS and am not making any criticism of policies here.
They are what they are and I accept and obey them because it's worth it.

It makes for a most dynamic and exciting forum.
The sensitive will not stay,
The people who think there is only one way to be (the right way) will not stay.
. . . but there will be an abundance of lively and controversial conversation.

Sure, there will be people, and views, that turn your stomach but therein lies the spice; I love being exposed to other perspectives.
I don't have to agree, nor they with me.
Conflicting views just coexist.
No problem.
I'm at peace with the fact that people vary.
 

Amys Bling

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I only belong to one other forum and it's a nice atmosphere there (a fitness forum) but I do think that fora vary and some lead themselves to different attitudes.
 

iLander

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Oh, definitely!

I belong to a purse forum, and there are mostly young women there, from all over the world. They tend to post very short blurbs, and they all have varying grasps of the English language. It's interesting, but I mostly lurk, because it's mostly about the pictures and everyone knows that. The mods are VERY strict about what goes in which sub-forum, so there are lot of moved (and dead) threads. I think a lot of the girls are just too young and impatient to actually READ ALL the words. :rolleyes:

I also belong to a real estate forum, and some of the posters get into free-for-all battles that kill threads. Other times you'll get insightful posts from professionals, and it makes the other nonsense worth while. Big bunch of "no-it-alls" (pun, not a typo) and blowhards, but no one is nice and sometimes I'm not in a nice mood either.

I am amazed at the number of forums out there, I think there is one for EVERYTHING. I stumbled on one for skyscrapers the other day. That's all they talk about; how tall they are, shadow lines, construction techniques, etc. I bet they'd think a forum just about gems would be silly, too, so I can't be too critical. :D
 

iugurl

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Yes! I belong to the Knot, and no longer post there frequently. I am mostly a lurker. They are vicious. They have a very strong group think and the "regs" join together and attack "newbs." Whenever someone says they are being mean, they laugh and say no, they are not. They are just being honest, but not mean :rolleyes: I don't post there anymore because it is not worth the fight. If you disagree with a reg, you are in for a battle. On Fridays, they have FFF, which I think means Flame Free Friday, which is a time you are supposed to flame/criticize posters. It is basically just an excuse to be even more mean in an organized manner.

I like PS, because it is not as clique-y and people are not mean for no apparent reason.

ETA: Not all subforums on the Knot are like that, just certain ones are cruel.
 

bee*

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Yes I think they definitely do. I only post actively on PS however I did post occasionally on a purse forum and I definitely noticed a different vibe to here. Much prefer it here.
 

Loves Vintage

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Yes!!!! I joined a cloth diaper forum (yes, as iLander noted, there is a forum for everything!) Those ladies are CRAZY!!! Not about cloth diapering so much, but about everything else! It's really quite bizarre there!
 

Dancing Fire

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iugurl|1318085851|3035953 said:
Yes! I belong to the Knot, and no longer post there frequently. I am mostly a lurker. They are vicious. They have a very strong group think and the "regs" join together and attack "newbs." Whenever someone says they are being mean, they laugh and say no, they are not. They are just being honest, but not mean :rolleyes: I don't post there anymore because it is not worth the fight. If you disagree with a reg, you are in for a battle. On Fridays, they have FFF, which I think means Flame Free Friday, which is a time you are supposed to flame/criticize posters. It is basically just an excuse to be even more mean in an organized manner.

I like PS, because it is not as clique-y and people are not mean for no apparent reason.

ETA: Not all subforums on the Knot are like that, just certain ones are cruel.
we need FFF here... :lol:
 

AGBF

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I currently belong to a few other fora, but do not post frequently on them. I have belonged to other fora on which I posted very frequently in the past, some of them diamond and gem related fora. One of the ones in which I was an active participant for years, in fact, predates Pricescope. In the years when I was posting there, the Internet was a somewhat different place, however, and attitudes were much more informal.

Prior to posting on Internet fora with Windows websites, I posted on Usenet newsgroups, which one couldn't reach simply by typing a url into a browser. I'll be darned if I can remember how I used to sign up for those newsgroups! I had to sign up for newsgroups when I signed up for my e-mail. I remember that there were pop servers and smpt servers (there still may be for all I know, but no one asks me the addresses anymore!).

Usenet newsgroups came in different varieties including the alt. groups (which were flooded with spam of every kind) and the soc. groups (which could be moderated and regulated for spam). I spent some years on groups in both the alt. and the soc. level newsgroups. The feeling there was quite different from from what it is on Pricescope!

First of all, on an alt. group, there was no moderation at all-even by a bot. All spam could come in! All kinds of sexual trash could be found between stories and messages and the way members dealt with it was simply to mark their own postings with some big capital letters so that other readers of the group would know right off the bat that that posting was was from a legitimate poster. In other words, if you saw:

CCC The Princess Bride CCC

you would know that, "The Princess Bride" wasn't spam, but was written by a newsgroup member!

Second of all, since there was no moderation, posters could get absolutely wild. They would attack each other in the most primitive and outrageous ways, with absolutely no holds barred. It was no place for the faint of heart!

I could go on and on...only I cannot because my daughter and her teenage friend have me going out to pick up pizzas now. So au revoir!

AGBF
:read:
 

galeteia

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Yes, and lemme tell you, it's a jungle out there. :rolleyes: PS is a place of fluffy bunnies and rainbow-coloured unicorns compared to most forums.

I have stayed with PS all this time because it attracts intelligent, well-spoken, thoughtful posters. I believe this is due to PS attracting people who have the forethought to research an important and expensive purchase before making it, and who have the motivation to be proactive about it. This coincides with a lot of other qualities that I admire in people, which are not tied to their social class, wealth, or background, so it provides a wide range of perspectives on nearly every topic of which one can imagine.
 

ChloeTheGreat

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Galateia|1318119454|3036237 said:
Yes, and lemme tell you, it's a jungle out there. :rolleyes: PS is a place of fluffy bunnies and rainbow-coloured unicorns compared to most forums.

I have stayed with PS all this time because it attracts intelligent, well-spoken, thoughtful posters. I believe this is due to PS attracting people who have the forethought to research an important and expensive purchase before making it, and who have the motivation to be proactive about it. This coincides with a lot of other qualities that I admire in people, which are not tied to their social class, wealth, or background, so it provides a wide range of perspectives on nearly every topic of which one can imagine.

I really like fluffy bunnies and rainbow-colored unicorns.
This place could use a few more gumdrops and lollipops sometimes though.
 

AGBF

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kenny|1318034228|3035668 said:
I'm in a few fora and yes they definitely vary.

What's tolerated in one will not be tolerated in another.
While many people want/need the iron fist of legislated niceness, I personally prefer a forum with absolutely NO rules except, no pron and no posting of other's personal info.

kenny,

I keep meaning to ask you:

what does, "pron" mean or stand for?

Deb
:read:

PS-Regarding the personal information: that was a very, very big deal on Usenet. People didn't "out" each other. I remember being very paranoid about my identity when I first used the Internet. Not only did I not post any personal information and use a pseudonym, but I posted via something called, "the nymserver" that completely disguised the origin of my postings. Now people use Facebook! It's really an entirely different way to look at the Internet!
 

Nomsdeplume

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I have visited a few other forums, and I think PS is somewhere in the middle, not cruel, but not always nice either. One thing I have noticed on PS is that there seems to a be a bit more of a "bandwagon" tendency in certain sub-forums here. For example, someone starts a topic and the responses will be positive or neutral, but as soon as one person starts to attack the original poster, suddenly everyone chimes in and turns against him/her too. It's bizarre.
 

AGBF

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kribbie|1318184332|3036576 said:
I have visited a few other forums, and I think PS is somewhere in the middle, not cruel, but not always nice either. One thing I have noticed on PS is that there seems to a be a bit more of a "bandwagon" tendency in certain sub-forums here. For example, someone starts a topic and the responses will be positive or neutral, but as soon as one person starts to attack the original poster, suddenly everyone chimes in and turns against him/her too. It's bizarre.

I would find it really interesting if you pointed it out the next time it happened, kribbie. There is nothing like seeing a phenomenon in action really to nail exactly what the dynamic driving it is. I never noticed it and I find your observation fascinating!

Deb/AGBF
:read:
 

galeteia

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ChloeTheGreat|1318119687|3036239 said:
Galateia|1318119454|3036237 said:
Yes, and lemme tell you, it's a jungle out there. :rolleyes: PS is a place of fluffy bunnies and rainbow-coloured unicorns compared to most forums.

I have stayed with PS all this time because it attracts intelligent, well-spoken, thoughtful posters. I believe this is due to PS attracting people who have the forethought to research an important and expensive purchase before making it, and who have the motivation to be proactive about it. This coincides with a lot of other qualities that I admire in people, which are not tied to their social class, wealth, or background, so it provides a wide range of perspectives on nearly every topic of which one can imagine.

I really like fluffy bunnies and rainbow-colored unicorns.
This place could use a few more gumdrops and lollipops sometimes though.


Mmmm! :lickout: How about cotton candy clouds?

(btw, the niceness is an asset, not a drawback)
 

smitcompton

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Hi,

I only go to two forums. One is rather nasty but I do pick up information that I want.(stock forum), I sometimes post on PS, but I've become discouraged by what I see posted. When I first came it was, for sure , more interesting, experts and there ilk were represented in good numbers. Now we hardly have any, although we do have knowledgeable consumers.

I have seen the posts where everyone is in agreement, until one brave poster give the opposite viewpoint. Others who were shy, afraid to be first now come forward in a mini drove echoing the dissenter opinion. It really is funny to see,and happens regularly.
I call it follow the leader, but then again I may be too harsh.

Annette
 

Miss Sparkly

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I am a member of several forums, one of which being PS. My favorite by far is more adult oriented. When I stumbled across it I had expected it to be crass and out of control, but really it is far from it. All of the members are very respectful of each other, PM's are allowed, there are rules which are rarely broken and several intelligent conversations. Cliques are not obviously apparent as they are in the two jewelry forums that I am a member of. As a general rule, it seems that forums of the same type (jewelry, weight loss, etc) have the same vibes.
 

Miss Sparkly

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AGBF|1318185085|3036586 said:
kribbie|1318184332|3036576 said:
I have visited a few other forums, and I think PS is somewhere in the middle, not cruel, but not always nice either. One thing I have noticed on PS is that there seems to a be a bit more of a "bandwagon" tendency in certain sub-forums here. For example, someone starts a topic and the responses will be positive or neutral, but as soon as one person starts to attack the original poster, suddenly everyone chimes in and turns against him/her too. It's bizarre.

I would find it really interesting if you pointed it out the next time it happened, kribbie. There is nothing like seeing a phenomenon in action really to nail exactly what the dynamic driving it is. I never noticed it and I find your observation fascinating!

Deb/AGBF
:read:

I agree, the other jewelry forum that I am a member of is the same way. PS has it's fair share of gumdrops too, they're just not as apparent as they could be. They are like backhanded or passive aggressive gumdrops :cheeky:
 

AGBF

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Sparkly Blonde|1318187178|3036618 said:
AGBF|1318185085|3036586 said:
kribbie|1318184332|3036576 said:
I have visited a few other forums, and I think PS is somewhere in the middle, not cruel, but not always nice either. One thing I have noticed on PS is that there seems to a be a bit more of a "bandwagon" tendency in certain sub-forums here. For example, someone starts a topic and the responses will be positive or neutral, but as soon as one person starts to attack the original poster, suddenly everyone chimes in and turns against him/her too. It's bizarre.

I would find it really interesting if you pointed it out the next time it happened, kribbie. There is nothing like seeing a phenomenon in action really to nail exactly what the dynamic driving it is. I never noticed it and I find your observation fascinating!

I agree, the other jewelry forum that I am a member of is the same way. PS has it's fair share of gumdrops too, they're just not as apparent as they could be. They are like backhanded or passive aggressive gumdrops :cheeky:

I am so confused!!! I thought gumdrops were a good thing!!! I mean, they aren't my favorite anymore, but when I was a kid I loved them. It's just that now, as an adult, if I'm going to use calories, it's going to be on chocolates filled with my favorite fillings!

I swear I thought that gumdrops had been used as image for an idyllic Pricescope!

Deb/AGBF
:read:
 

MissStepcut

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PS is MUCH nicer than the other forum I frequent, and I find myself changing my tone here. If I think someone is wrong on my other forum, I will say so very bluntly. Here, I am much more likely to couch my statements in qualifiers.
 

Miss Sparkly

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AGBF|1318190905|3036644 said:
Sparkly Blonde|1318187178|3036618 said:
AGBF|1318185085|3036586 said:
kribbie|1318184332|3036576 said:
I have visited a few other forums, and I think PS is somewhere in the middle, not cruel, but not always nice either. One thing I have noticed on PS is that there seems to a be a bit more of a "bandwagon" tendency in certain sub-forums here. For example, someone starts a topic and the responses will be positive or neutral, but as soon as one person starts to attack the original poster, suddenly everyone chimes in and turns against him/her too. It's bizarre.

I would find it really interesting if you pointed it out the next time it happened, kribbie. There is nothing like seeing a phenomenon in action really to nail exactly what the dynamic driving it is. I never noticed it and I find your observation fascinating!

I agree, the other jewelry forum that I am a member of is the same way. PS has it's fair share of gumdrops too, they're just not as apparent as they could be. They are like backhanded or passive aggressive gumdrops :cheeky:

I am so confused!!! I thought gumdrops were a good thing!!! I mean, they aren't my favorite anymore, but when I was a kid I loved them. It's just that now, as an adult, if I'm going to use calories, it's going to be on chocolates filled with my favorite fillings!

I swear I thought that gumdrops had been used as image for an idyllic Pricescope!

Deb/AGBF
:read:

hehe. I consider gumdrops evil. They stick to your teeth and cause terrible cavities :cheeky:
 

ChloeTheGreat

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I thought gumdrops were a good thing too! Lol.
 

yssie

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PS is the only forum I frequent.

It sounds like that's probably a good thing - I don't think I'd fare well in free for alls! 8)
 

centralsquare

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This is the only one I frequent as well! I don't have time for any other!!
 

maplefemme

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ChloeTheGreat, I have to say, some dog forums are the worst, there's a lot of ego in some online breed/activity clubs.
I belonged to one for many years and finally left when the vibe changed towards many newbies.
Many new members came aboard with pups from breeders with bad reputations for ethics and/or genetic issues in their lines. The newbies weren't aware of these issues and were ostracized and criticized. But they already have the pup, there's no returning it, why not help them and welcome them so they have support?
Or a newbie would post questions that should have been asked before they purchased this breed of a pup, now it's apparent they aren't a good match for this breed and they'd get slammed and this scare them off.
But , this doesn't help the dog or the owner, :nono:

We are planning on getting another puppy at the end of next year for a French Ring prospect, so I'm lurking some French Ring forums to get a feel for the community vibe.
I tend to pay more attention to the more mentor type members, less on the negative gossipers.

Like PS, I'm relatively new here and want to learn, I like reading what John Pollard has to say, he exemplifies a good teacher.
Yssie, LGK, JewelFreak, and others, I feel they are really positive members with much to offer.
Every forum has it's drama kings and queens, the trick is finding one that has it's fare share of objective, knowledgeable, members who want to share their experience and support in good spirit.
 

AGBF

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maplefemme|1318206264|3036775 said:
I have to say, some dog forums are the worst, there's a lot of ego in some online breed/activity clubs.
I belonged to one for many years and finally left when the vibe changed towards many newbies.
Many new members came aboard with pups from breeders with bad reputations for ethics and/or genetic issues in their lines. The newbies weren't aware of these issues and were ostracized and criticized. But they already have the pup, there's no returning it, why not help them and welcome them so they have support?
Or a newbie would post questions that should have been asked before they purchased this breed of a pup, now it's apparent they aren't a good match for this breed and they'd get slammed and this scare them off.
But , this doesn't help the dog or the owner, :nono:

Well...this is a threadjack, but I had to say that I found this really interesting, maplefemme. I have never been on any Internet dog fora. I have always owned dogs, but am not a dog expert and never felt the need to do more than tell little stories about what my pet was into. (Naturally I have needed and sought advice, but I didn't do that by joining a dog forum. I asked questions here; I consulted my vet, my breeder, a trainer, I looked at on-line advice sites, etcetera.)

What I wanted to say was that one one of the most controversial discussions in which I was involved on Pricescope, started about one of my dogs. Since I was on Pricescope back in the days when we were allowed to discuss politics and I went through the 2008 presidential primaries and general election with others here and since I have discussed matters like abortion and the death penalty on Pricescope, it seems amazing that the dog discussion aroused the most passion!

I find you very astute. You hit on something I had never before noticed.

Deb/AGBF
:read:

PS-I will never join any Internet dog forum knowing what I do now. Thanks for the tip!
 

Hera

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Oh yes, some dog forums are really harsh. When I was having the problems with my Rottweiler I went to one to seek help. The people spent four pages telling me that I was a bad owner. I made the mistake of explaining that while I love my dog A LOT, I still feel that her being a danger to people was a major consideration considering that she was growling at people. I wasn't trying to get rid of my dog, or anything. I was looking for some advice for behavior modification for my dog. I thought I couldn't be the only person that had issues like these. But apparently I was because I got reamed. I left the forum and never returned. I didn't get one stitch of anything constructive.

Anyways, I prefer to be part of a forum that has a little more emotional distance to the subject matter.
 
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