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Can A Forum Become Too Large?
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Posted by: forwardone
Can and do Forums get too big, too hard to manage?
I think of a forum where I can interreact with other members. Learn from the experiences of others. Ask technical questions. Get the latest security warnings and advice. Throw a few ads of my own in. Be warned of scams. Maybe even help my fellow members with some answers to questions they might have. And as a pleasant diversion enter into non-related topics from time to time. (All of which Web-Life has to offer of course.) \
/
But, I`ve just visited probably THE biggest HYIP Forum, and what do I see?
One thread, discussing the pros & cons of Freeland Opps was started on the 16 April. As of today, just over 3 weeks later, that topic has received 124 replies, and had 4,585 views! And the crazy thing about it is that many of the posts are asking for no more posts and making the point that future posts are a waste of time. #-o Talk about going round and round in circles. And there didn`t seem any resolution to the original post after all that anyway.
The same forum also has a Warzone folder for members to have a go at one another. It`s a bit like a workplace having a boxing ring so that employees who aren`t getting on can get in the ring to sort their differences out that way!
So, is it a question of too many members, or some of society`s misfits all belonging to the same place? Or, other factors?
I think the Internet for the most part has evolved rapidly. It can be a great place for a number of reasons, too numerous to mention here. It`s just a shame that such things as I`ve mentioned can have a negative effect on people. :-({|=
Geoff
Posted by: friendly
You know, it's kinda funny, but nearly every "large" forum I've ever read (large as in number of members and number of posts) ends up making me think that 90% of the people on the Internet are idiots!
I know that's not true and I think what gives me and probably a lot of others, this impression is due to having to communicate with written words alone. It probably is more accurate to say that 90% of Internet users are not effective communicators either orally or in writing whether that be due to non-English speaking backgrounds, difficulty in sentence structure, spelling, laziness and a host of other reasons.
And to me, this just results in so many people and their posts being taken out of context which starts the "bickering" I've seen in so many places. A lot of people (like me) tend to write a very long-winded post which some people just can't be bothered to read. Others write posts in very short, concise "mini-sentences" which may come across sounding rude and abrubt.
And the biggest thing I've found is that there's no 'consequences' in a forum. Not like real life anyway. You can abuse, harass, question, threaten, and do many other things on a forum that you wouldn't dream of doing or saying to a person face-to-face. So sometimes it tends to bring out the worst in people because they can remain faceless and anonymous.
And I think you're partially right that when a forum gets too large you get such a mixture of people that would NEVER come together in a discussion group in real life - which just 'fuels the fire'. And of course, there's always those that love to stir it up even more and only come along and join in when there's a fire going and dump more coal on it!
I've 'met' a few people on the Internet now who I'd be happy to call my friends, but I've also seen how easy it is for someone to play a different persona when online and turn out to be nothing more than a "phony". Of course, there's also those that do that in real life!
I try to stick to my own 'moral code of ethics' when I'm online and that basically means treating people the same online as I would offline. And also, if I don't like the type of "talk" going on in a place - I leave. Simple as that!!
I don't want to be a fake person and do things that I wouldn't do in real life, but I know many, many people who do. Some even seem to have multiple personas (MPD perhaps?) which they switch between depending on which group of people they're interacting with. I can't stand that!!
Anyway, that's enough of my rambling thoughts and opinions on the subject! But don't worry, I've got lots and lots of other opinions too (which, just like in real life, probably no-one is interested in hearing them [-( ) hehe.
Posted by: WL_almac
Geoff,
As long as the forum format has the "view posts since your last visit" link I think it can grow as large as it wants.
Al
Posted by: WL_silentpartner
Hello friendly and hi to you as well forwardone:
I to try to carry myself as I would like to be treated, not sure if it came with my home trainig or if I'm basicly good-natured. I have visited a forum with a "war zone", it was and is too heavy for me. I could never join a forum like that, they are always at each other and calling everything a scam. Me being new to this arena, am attempting to feel my way around- weed out some of the bad programs out there without getting lost myself. Hopefully I'll be able to call web-life home and learn some good things here.
I've meet two good people over the net that I call my friends...they are who and what they say they are. We talk by" IM "daily, I'm in Virginia, one's in Cananda, and one's in Texas-we talk about all things in life. I'm sure I will meet more good people here @ web-life.
Always positive, Always the same,Always your silentpartner :smt001
Posted by: forwardone
Well, silentpartner, this is what in my opinion forums should be all about.
We don`t all think alike. We don`t always share the same viewpoints. We don`t all have the same level of experience. And sometimes we might strongly disagree.
But, the strength of one member may be the weakness of another. And of course the opposite is true. So, of course, as in any walk of life, we can all learn from each other.
Saying things in the right way isn`t always easy, especially when putting it in to print. And I think being straight is a good thing. On the other hand putting others down even though we may disagree with them, can just escalate out of control. And that`s where I think some of the bigger forums have lost their way.
Respecting the dignity of others is vital. And, sometimes, knowing what not to say is as important as knowing what to say. :-#
So hopefully we`ll all find this `homely` and look forward to you continuing to be not too much of a `silentpartner.` \/
Geoff
Posted by: admin
Interesting thread, well said Geoff, Robyn, Al and SP =D>
Web Life was basically set up with the vision to become a community of members helping members in all different topics and area's and we are already well down that road. However, it will take a while to get new members on board but it will eventually happen, mainly thro word of mouth. That's where I need your help, please let all your web friends know about Web Life and get them to drop on by and become members \/
Web Life is not just about HYIPs but about "Life on the Web" and covers many topics and if they are not covered, they can easily be added, just let me know
Posted by: forwardone
Returning to the Warzone in a previously mentioned forum, I see the combatants are still at it.
Some people do seem to like the sound of their own voices. :-#
I think for entertainment value it scores pretty high, with `high profile` experienced members trading verbal blows. In fact I`m thinking of getting rid of my TV and just watching the Soap Opera that is "The WarZone!" \/
One solution I suppose could be to lock all the participants in a room together to sort out their differences. Oh, and maybe they could be joined by another small group from a normally highly rated forum which seems to be sliding into acrimony. :-({|=
Geoff