What made you do it the first time?

Was it intimidating? Was the result better than you feared?

Any decloaking tips that we can use?

How much you got left to do, in the mad rushes of christmas eve.

[This message has been edited by MJR (edited 03-10-2001).]

I am not saying any particular person is biased but in many cases from thousands of miles away, that is the impression that is created when readng many posts and in this world today, impressions rather than fact is what controls so much of what happens in society.

The other point is when somebody posts something which in effect trys to make another member appear silly, that member should be allowed to fully counter the previous posters comments on an "Eye for an eye" basis as long as the language is not unnaceptable. What happens on many occasions is that a moderator steps in and terminates the discussion on the down stroke and usually against the person being attacked which is unfair to the targeted person.

I think this type of attitude scares many lurkers into posting because although they may not be experts in,for instance SEO, they are in many case very much experts in other areas and do not wish to be talked down to by people who they do not know and by Jim's own admission,these forums have Children posting so what CEO of perhaps a major corporation is going to risk being ridiculed by such a member?

Finally on the GOTO forum, how can the Moderator in effect disappear for months on end than all of a sudden re-incarnate his or herself and without even an apology or proper introduction, post what was in effect a press release then run off again.

Do you not think we are entitled to an explanation from Mother for this discourteous behavior?

It is this type of stuff that put's people off posting in my view

I started posting at first because I loved the idea of sharing observations. Search engines were clearly becoming the a big new power by routing highly potential customers to destinations. There had to be a group of sharing, like-minded individuals. I looked. I found Search Engine Forums.

So, I worked up the bravery to overcome the hyper-critical posters who hijack every well intentioned thread to rant. And I posted. I've been addicted to the spirit of sharing ever since. It's a pleasure whenever a newbie posts, because I know it's the beginning of a most exciting and rewarding journey.

MJR -- do you feel that the "Help and New Member Forum" does not work that way, allowing new members to ask questions and get good answers without whatever pressure the other forums may bring to bear? I know that many of us who post there try to be extra gentle. What are your thoughts?

Nickola -- understood that many people are experts in various fields and have much to give. We have always recognized this as one of our strong points. I should also point out that I have little knowledge of the internal workings of GoTo and so am not in a position to make statements.

Some of our younger members are extremely accomplished and give advice based on experience and extreme success in their fields, and I doubt that you would be able to tell their ages from their posts. But I would guess that most of what one might see as "problems" are not caused by these young webmasters and, because they are going to be adults soon anyway, we are happy to have them here, learning and sharing.

One of the more delicate areas to moderate is in allowing members to express their upset, yet not have it ruin the experience for everyone else. For instance, where people are asking questions yet someone interrupts each thread with a rant about that SE/directory, which may not be how the original poster feels. I have personally been "chewed up" where ranting was allowed to go on too long, so it is not always us doing the "demanding" -- but I was happy to see that the members felt comfortable about expressing their views. So, it is quite a balancing act between allowing people to express themselves and keeping ranters from ruining the value of these boards for others. (We also try to ensure that incorrect information is not left on the boards for people who read these posts later.) This is our think on it; if the members have any other ideas, please let us hear from you.

As well, flaming is against our community rules. I am not sure that allowing an attack to remain on the boards for a response is the best way to handle this, as history shows that they often devolve into flame wars. Our thought is that cutting it off at the start ends the whole issue and makes it more fair.

It seems that what is being expressed here is about how people treat other people. It's true that some people's tolerance of or customs re flaming (rudeness and hostility) are greater than others', and with our international audience, customs vary greatly and what is okay for one may be very offensive to another. But aside from trying to "legislate manners," what are the community's thoughts here?

[This message has been edited by Mother (edited 03-10-2001).]

Saying something stupid is:

1. posting in a manner which violates Jimworld forum rules
2. posting deliberately misleading information
3. making post after post saying virtually the same thing each time such that others do not want to join in (thread killers)
4. being deliberately argumentative instead of helping other forum users improve their knowledge
5. making the same attacks time after time against the same forum moderators who give their best and their time voluntarily to assist other members, such attacks being without foundation, misleading and negative

Saying something stupid is NOT:

1. trying to help other forum users even though you don't have a complete answer to the question being asked
2. trying to help other forum users even though your advice is slightly wrong because you don't have all the necessary knowledge yet (it's the thought that counts)

Let's get this thread back on track and address the questions in Jim's original post.

[This message has been edited by DianeV (edited 03-10-2001).]

Over the last couple of years I'd find this site. Lurk. Get intimidated. Wander off and find articles or tutorials to answer my beginner questions.

But I got used to posting in forums on another site which acted as a -- bunny slope for me. When I checked back in here this time I realized that I do, now, know a few things and maybe can be of some small help -- and continue learning. (I'm probably of more use in the GHF than here.)

MJR might have a good point, the bunny slope needs to be treated a bit differently and made to feel that they are getting help but also made welcome. Others will see that and decloak as well.

My parenst are split so are hers, It means you have to rush about so much at christmas trying to please everyone.

Registering and posting thanks is a great bunny slope beginning. I expect it would raise the comfort level of a second post containing a question.

And frankly, it would help renew the spirit of some active contributors who feel beat up from time to time.

kinda spoils the fun of mad dash shopping.

I know what you mean thoug it was very hard to find a christmas crad to my girlfriend yesterday, I wa slucky to actually find one, If i got it one week earier my problem would have been avoided.