Manic_Skafe

You've got it for the most part but it's really just as simple the fact that I really did enjoy the last two seasons of Jersey Shore and apparently so have millions of other people. I don't think there's anything wrong with aiming at more intelligent discussions but there's lots and lots of middle ground between pure genius talk and having no standards at all.

Many of those members may have left but I know that for myself and for plenty of others around here, much of the stigma has remained. Believe me, I don't want this forum to become the text version of watching the E! channel but there is a pretty clear lack of relevancy around here - a disconnect from what the rest of the world is out there making and consuming that very well may be worth taking a look at if this place is going to last as something more than this very same discussion reiterated interminably.

We may choose to make this forum different than the rest of the internet but as individuals we're no different than everyone else out there. Perhaps true evolution lies (at least within the terms of those old proselytizers) in regression.

__________________
"Porn is a zoo of exotic animals that becomes boring upon ownership." -Nersesian

Martian

My problem is and always has been one of relevance. I am, for example, just itching to have a discussion about a recent CRTC decision that will impact the nature and breadth of competition amongst broadband providers in Canada. I can start a thread on this, and have considered it, but who's going to respond? It's too esoteric.

I try to get a few posts in per day, but I've always been a participant more than a discussion starter. Maybe that needs to change, I don't know.

I'm also willing to throw a few bucks your way whenever I have it, but I get the impression that the operating costs are sort of beside the point.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

Willravel

I'd respond, Martian. I'd have nothing to add, but I'd respond just the same.

The_Jazz

Operating costs are AN issue but certainly not THE issue.

Martian, you and I are cut from the same cloth. Cyn and I had a discussion yesterday about exactly this topic. I find it very hard to write an effective OP. My point is either far too narrow or far too broad to generate much discussion (put aside "far too boring" for a moment). I do, however, do fairly well at responding to folks. And I think that there's room at TFP (or whatever evolves from it) for both original posters and responders. It just seems at the moment that we're a community of responders more than anything else. And that needs to change or there won't be anything to respond to.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

Baraka_Guru

Maybe one problem is people aren't willing to take enough risks.

Martian, post your thread.

Jazz, post your thread.

And the rest of you, post a response.

It's not like it's going to be a waste of paper or anything.

That's how forums work, you know. Enough with the text messaging and app-slapping on your smart phones.

Woulda, shoulda, coulda.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Ourcrazymodern?

Evolution is a response.

An attractive aspect of tfp has been its inclusively respectful attitude towards alternative viewpoints. It doesn't need to become an elitist circle-jerk, stroking each others' egos with unlearned discourse. If we want more people discussing more things, Cynthetic, you should get off your high horse & actually respond to what your community desires.

__________________
BE JUST AND FEAR NOT

Cynthetiq

I thinly you need to clarify your statement. See as I see it the community wants to discuss things more than they want to post images. The stats I posted in the OP back that up. I continue to allow the fun zone image thread so I don't see any disconnect.

I am catering to some degree your kind of activity. Am I missing your point?

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

Starkizzer

I often want to start science threads but I don't know where to post them. General discussion doesn't seem right nor does anywhere else. I'm not advocating we start another sub forum for Tilted Science since it may just end up being yet another sub forum that is not frequented much. However, I do feel we have a lot of science minded people. Maybe Tilted Technology could become Tilted Science, as technology is science.

Just an idea, maybe a bad one, but still an idea.

__________________
Frivolity, at the edge of a Moral Swamp, hears Hymn-Singing in the Distance and dons the Galoshes of Remorse. ~Edward Gorey

Willravel

Tilted Knowledge.

Ourcrazymodern?

Maybe not, but I'm missing yours. Is it only obviously pointed responses you're interested in? The stats you posted indicate that Nonsense is more welcoming, versatile, & unassuming. Do you believe that what you claim to want - intellectual discussion(?) - isn't a little more off-putting? Do you think it more attracts than repels? The crux of any argument we might have has been your apparent unwillingness to accept your fellows as they are. Halx never exhibited that problem.

I'm trying to help you. Others & I have made more efforts in welcoming new-comers. I believe your approach is faulty.

__________________
BE JUST AND FEAR NOT

Cavi Mike

I suppose I'll write my novellas somewhere else. TFP may you RIP or something like that.

__________________
pearls ain't free

Ourcrazymodern?

Please don't say that.

__________________
BE JUST AND FEAR NOT

Cynthetiq

This isn't about welcoming new comers. This is about attracting them.

Directed or curated image threads do attract people. Examples that have caused crazy traffic is the Ziegfield Giles and Cosplay threads. The single handedly accounted for record breaking traffic to he point that the server was stressed.

Halx did make these same appeals. He used more stick instead of discussion with the community.

I'm not trying to change you. I'm appealing to those that participate here that if they just continue to response.d only to discussions and no one creates them we will have nothing to discuss.

Is no one posits discussions then what will people responsed to?

Since I see the writing on the wall of the steady decline of created threads I'm reminding people that responding only to threads gets is only the same 50 funzone threads. After a while that gets stale and how so you attract new people to something as esoteric as "Post an animal?" Or "post a circle?"

Inasmuch as you are stating or implying that I'm not doing what the community wants the last time I posited this 6 months ago and you have your way and method we are where we are today.

I can easily point to the statistics that show posting new threads begets more activity than your method of participation.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

Ourcrazymodern?

I have posted threads which have mostly been used in manners I didn't intend.
"Ain't We Been Usin' a Little?" was supposed to be about weapons, not drugs.
"Won't You Lie With Me & Make It a Whopper?" ended abruptly when I posted "I hate boobs," the biggest lie in that thread.
What happened to "Humanity, Sexuality, & ?" came about because of some of the same observations about the nature of virtual communications that have been stated here.
Others came & went...I only recently joined the picture brigade.
What do you actually know about my "method of participation"?
I long for the impression that you do.

__________________
BE JUST AND FEAR NOT

Shauk

*points at titty board*


Oh wait, it's off-site now.

tasineah

First of all, I do not beat CD up for misbehaving. However, discipline could be negotiated if thats what he wants..

secondly, you all are cock fighting now. Stop it. This is why you arent getting new people in here. You start off with a good topic, say some good stuff, a few really classic one liners, grab your balls, hoot a while, and then it downgrades from there into bickering...

you all are like a family who has spent too much time talking to each other.

I have posted probably 60 some posts since I have been here in less than 2 weeks. I have had ONE person ask me to extrapolate on a post of mine. ONE. Not any of you have asked me any questions. Few have commented on my posts. Now I am an aggressive femme. I dont care if you do or dont. I am fine putting it out in public and moving on. But you know, I deal with people's psyches in my line of work and some people just wont feel accepted if left alone in this environment.


I have been checking out the new member's thread. You have gotten a bunch of new members since I dropped in. I can count on one hand how many hellos they have gotten.

You'all are incestous. You're breeding amongst yourselves forgetting mules are sterile.

As for money...in other forums, they had free memberships which gave people rights to posts and postings, etc. To get to the other fun stuff, you needed a paid membership. And there were levels, from cheap to top dog.

and they also had banners and stupid advertisements . Big deal. It made the site money. I get flyers in my newspaper too and I throw them out. Ignore them if you dont want to see them.

and how many of you have invited anyone in here? Or do you consider this your sacred watering hole? Oh goodie. Lets all enjoy it until it dies a slow death, just between us and each other.

Sorry, folks, but I have been on a forum who died. I told you what happened. I dont want to get close to you too and watch it happen here as well. My boyfriend invited me here. He has been here since he was a tadpole, so he says. (he has all his parts now) So I am trying to save it for him too.

Now forgive me but I have to go make gooey with CD....

---------- Post added at 09:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:20 PM ----------

and frankly, I feel it was the wrong move to make taking down those forums with the photos.

For new comers, it was a good place to invest time in, get to know the culture, the wit and the character of the people in here in one image. Not everybody wants to jump into a discussion when they are new. But they might drop a photo or two to test the waters....

it felt like a daddy taking the favorite toys away from the kids so they will do their piano lessons. Simply asking us to post more first would have been more ....mmmm....encouraging...

Plan9

Holy shit, Tasineah. You're not an aggressive femme, you're the dongless Jesus Christ.

Let's get some things straight:

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Ourcrazymodern?

Wow.

Unfair, but enlightening. I had counted on you.

I've invited everyone I think might appreciate the many ways we appreciate our world. That none of them have become contributing members doesn't reflect on them or us.

I hope this one insignificant thread hasn't colored your opinion of the project so darkly that you can't see your way back, tasineah.

__________________
BE JUST AND FEAR NOT

Plan9

Goddamnit, OCM. You know I need to edit my posts like 483 times.

You missed a few opportunities to use male-bashing language in there. Somewhere.

In some ways this is true. This is why it is important for those who just sit on their asses and shoot one-liners or carry on in asinine "post a shape" threads to be more active. It doesn't have to be intellectual, just make it interesting. Hell, I started a thread about falling down the stairs once.

Turns out it isn't all about you. It isn't all about anybody here. There are no "elites" here, just people who actively post and those who don't. This is a discussion forum, somehow participating in actual discussions matter. Some of those who don't choose to whine about it. If you're butthurt about a lack of others being interested in what you have to say, perhaps you should consider how what you're saying comes across to others. In most cases (from what I've seen) you're like me: an extremist weirdo. Not everybody feels like engaging with someone like that. It's awkward.

This is a good point. My manners suck. In real life and online. I just figure people will put things out there first instead of having to be asked. Perhaps I should invest more time in that thread in order to give the right first impression about the kind of people that are here.

And you've deduced this from what?

I'm all for this. Nothing good is free and nothing free can last.

I hate banners, but as long as Firefox's AdBlock plus can thwart them I'm cool with this, too.

Turns out a lot of us have. Others need to work on that. You can see how many people have been directly sent to the site by the "referrals" listed in their user profile. Mine is currently 2 even though I've invited 3 people here directly. Don't tell my buddy Manic Skafe, though. He'll call me a sellout.

Then don't "get close." It's a friggin' message board on the Internet, nothing more. The solutions to "our" "problem" are listed in this thread and in numerous other threads starting back in 2004 (?) where Ye Olde TFP Demigods bitched just as much. The admins should pick a direction and move.

It's like the military: Good decision or bad decision? At least you made one. The only wrong choice in leadership is inaction.

...

Maybe we should all take our own advice.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

tasineah

chuckling...Plan9...I have been called alot of things but a dongless Jesus Christ is a new one!

I know I came off blunt ... I needed to get it out of me. Plan9, even tho I am really arrogant sounding, I am very sensitive and I know its not all about me. I dont EVER want it to be all about me in a forum. If that were the case, I would have been happy to be one of the few left on that old forum where I could pretend I had my own kingdom. Forums are about the people in them, not a person or a few people. I have a strong personality and you are SO right...I am an extremist weirdo. (putting that in my sack of labels) but I did say I dont care if someone notices me or not. Seriously. I used me as an example of not getting comments or questions, because I fear that other new people arent as well. And they might care. They might need more encouragement to share and stick around.

I like this forum. I like you, in particular, Plan9. And alot of other folks too. Because you are smart, witty, articulate, and capable of a good discussion and or debate. Plan9, I like you so much because your lids off just like mine. You dont hold back.

I didnt post to piss you off or insult you. I said what I said because its what I see. Does it make me right? Maybe. I could be wrong. Have been in the past and you know by now when I am wrong and I can see it, I promptly admit to it. But You wanted opinions....

Plan9

I'm not pissed off or insulted. It's a message board.

Gotta play it up to keep things interesting. AmIright?

...

I'm involuntarily sober and celibate and it's Halloween.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

tasineah

oh dear...not good, about you being involuntarily sober and celibate. A tough tango.

But I am glad I did not piss you off or insult you. I meant what I said. I like you. I even admire you. And by god, I love what you call me....


yo

FuriousAvatar

I for one am happy you spoke out, tasineah. I've been around long enough to have seen this "familial bickering" in progress, but I've never really become a part of it, which allows me to see it in a objective manner I suppose.

Something else I've seen now and again is it really takes a strong will to "get in" with this crowd. I mean, you really either need some strong opinions, or to be pretty fuckin' weird to get noticed and incorporated into the discussion. I've never been in the thick of things here, mostly because there's so much history between everyone else. I've been mostly content to observe and comment wherever I feel appropriate-that is, mostly the new threads where I feel I can say something new without beating a dead horse.

I guess all I'm saying is that I see a lot of snarky comments toward each other, and they look a lot like what siblings say to each other: "No you!" And when someone comes in that has something new and interesting to say, it's either: That's been done and said before, or it devolves into this pseudo-debate that pretty much forgets the OP, and feels like a recurring argument between family members.

__________________
“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”
-Pope John XXIII

tasineah

FA...glad YOU spoke up ...so its not just me that sees this cock fighting..and I say cockfighting cuz I dont see the ladies engaging in it.

And yes, you do have to have a strong persona to get in here...and I wonder if even I would have been noticed if I hadnt smacked CD's fine ass on the way in....

FuriousAvatar

Whether CD's ass is fine is subjective at best, I'd wager.

... Say, can I try that out?

... No?

__________________
“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”
-Pope John XXIII

Plan9

My god, you ARE derailing a thread in a super serious conversation right after you just talked about how it is killing TFP.

Please continue.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

tasineah

nope...he is all mine and what is MINE I dont share...




---------- Post added at 11:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 PM ----------

looks around me, left to right.....looking for anything that says derail....wondering where I said it...I dont think I complained about derailing threads..hell thats half the fun of a good thread, the side conversations that then should be the start of a new thread....

OH DAMN! I was going to start a thread on CD's ass (is it fine or not?) to make my point but I guess I dont have enough posts or something to start a thread...but you get the idea...

Cynthetiq

I'm on the road that the moment so this is the quick one I can respond to...

nice snark, did that feel good? I think that's that is part of the tone that we discuss in since many of us are familiar with each other.

did you ever stop to think why it's off to the side now? first and foremost it jeopardized accepting paypal payments. second it made it next to impossible to address ts's invitation proposal. Many of us could not easily invite people over here with such kinds of adult material as part of the board, especially when it was the front center reasons for many of us being here in the first place. Finally if I wanted to switch to an advertising model for additional revenue, I couldn't because many terms of service for advertising banners don't allow for adult material to be the content.

as for how many people I have invited, many people at least 10 of my closest friends.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

Strange Famous

I prefer to not have the porn to be honest

If you want to find porn online it isnt very difficult I think, it was hardly something that differentiated the site.

As I said before, I really think you should consider putting some adverts on the site to raise dough, if thats the issue. I suppose the maybe the reason the site is quite niche is that it isnt tied to anything else... most other forums I have been a part of have been forums dedicated to something (like a game, a sports team, a celebrity, etc...)

_

edit - oh, and I would say the site feels quite clique'y to me if thats a word. For example, I am pretty sure that if I said half the things people say to me (multiple jokes about my weight, personal insults, calling me a troll in every other thread I start) I'd be banned, but people who are part of the clique seem to get away with it. I personally wouldnt want anyone to be banned, and I never report posts of moan that diss me. But it is pretty frustrating getting bashed all the time and feeling like you cant answer back... I guess I am not the only person who feels that way.

But then again, I dont know what the alternative is... if it becomes a free for all that would drive a lot of people away, and at the end of the day when it is quite a small community and by nature a lot of people become friendly, you cant really expect the moderators to ban their mates can you - but it can make things quite insular. Even though there is obviously no deliberate plan to discourage new people, it can still be that way.

---------- Post added at 02:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:49 PM ----------

I aint an expert, but I plenty of out and out porno sites are covered in adverts.

__________________
"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."

The Gospel of Thomas

Craven Morehead

Plenty of good points made in tasineah's post. As someone who is not on the 'inside' but has been here for several years, I can relate to many of the points made. Might be that unless you participate in chat (and I don't) its difficult to relate to references made in posts to threads. But since I don't do chat, its only a supposition. There does seem to be a certain cliqueishness to TFP that I'm guessing makes it difficult for new posters to join in. None of this is intended as I see it, its just the way it is.

Lasereth

This is a very interesting thread and something I've thought about many times in the 7 years+ I've been here. Now I will post some random shit in a numbered list.

1. Facebook has single handedly ruined many forums on the Internet. One forum I used to go to for 4-5 years or so had dozens of posts per day by my friends. The forum was comprised entirely of my friends and little to no outsiders. It thrived. We talked about everything there, and slowly as Facebook got more popular, people stopped posting. One day the owner of the site said "I'm shutting the forum down. People post everything they want the Internet to read on Facebook now. Sorry." And it was gone. Like it or not, the same thing is happening to TFP. Definitely not as drastically, but it's true. Blogs, discussions, they all happen on FB now, except on FB you usually get a response quickly and it's far simpler than going to a forum to do it where everyone you've ever known WON'T see it.

2. The banner at the top saying how broke TFP is and asking us to donate money is discouraging. At first I was like OK ok, we need some upgradez, here's some billz. Then it kept coming every single month. You know what it screams? It screams that the owner of this site doesn't like it enough to pay for it. How's that for encouraging a site's popularity and use? The owner doesn't want to pay for it, or can't. I have a simple question: if TFP is so dead (and I admit it's very, very close to death), then why is the bill so high for it? Axe the functionality of this site, merge half the sub forums, and get the costs down so you don't have a "donate or we die" sign at the top. Seriously.

3. Bring the porn back. It was a huge mistake to move it. You know what, make the porn section even bigger and have intricate little sections about porn. Porn is what started this place so why is it gone now. Dumb.

4. My posts have gone down drastically in the past few years as well and it's because no one gives a shit. When I reply, no one replies to me. When I try to get a discussion going, there's just no one to talk with. In the Tech Section (my favorite obviously) there's little to no activity. There's just no reason to post something I saw on engadget or Kotaku or Wired here because it's been posted and discussed on Facebook already, and because if I post it here, one person will come in and be like "cool" and the thread will die.

Internet forums in general are dying because of the evolution of the Internet. More people are on the Internet now and social networking has cause discussions to move on to Facebook rather than websites made for discussions. TFP doesn't allow the real interesting stuff of the Internet to be posted here (illegal stuff, torrents, cracks, etc.) so the only reason to come here is to get an intelligent discussion going (which doesn't exist because no one posts anymore). It's a cycle that has to be broken somehow. You know, when I think about TFP and why I stay here, it's because of the intelligence and friendly attitude here. Why can't we have intelligent discussions, awesome moderation to prevent flame wars, and some fucking warez. Which direction do you think TFP will go if we offer intelligent discussions, a shitload of non-spam porn, flame-free discussions, and a 1-stop shop for torrents? I know TFP has been totally against this from the beginning but you have to evolve if you want to survive.

In the short term I think TFP needs to get its costs down by eliminating functionality of the site and merging some of the subforums. When I tried to get my friend from work to join here, he said holy shit that's too many subforums and closed the window (quite literally).

__________________
"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

Plan9

Now that we're back on the porn, I'm glad that I can reiterate that it'll get rid of many of the "intelligent" posters and almost certainly nix the female population. Nobody respectable wants to hang out at a porno / discussion site. And I can't post at work on such a site. I'd rather this place not turn into WhatBoysWant.com or Phun.org. I'd have to leave if it did because I don't want a post about someone learning how to play the saxophone beneath a post about "Anal Beads Picz Marathon." I'm sure I'm not alone. Porn and warez might be good for business but they defeat the purpose of the site.

You can hang the TFP title on a porn site, but it's still just a porn site. Forums are dying because peoples' braincells and willpower are declining.

I don't have Facebook, I don't like Facebook... but my perspective on "The Death of Forums" is that people are lazy. SMS has become a language because people have a hard time operating the shift key and got a C in ENG-302. When they have questions, they get answers from the closest person they can when they need something. A forum isn't about that. A forum is about meeting strange new people with different perspectives, right?

TFP is outside my social network. I'd never have met any of you on Facebook. Before TFP, I'd never conversed with a Canadian.

I am better for having found this place. I'd like to work to keep it going in a positive way.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Ourcrazymodern?

^^

1. facebook is only a facilitator, not a replacement, if evolving a relatively large group is our actual goal here.
2. Reminding us that it takes money to do this is not offensive.
3. (whatever)
4. I completely give a shit.

Why should "the real interesting stuff" be here if it's ?able & available elsewhere to those who want it?

"Eliminating functionality" is perilously close to suicide.

__________________
BE JUST AND FEAR NOT

The_Jazz

A couple of things:

I really wish I could get someone to define who is in the "in" crowd and who isn't. Because, honestly, I've got no fucking clue. And every time there's one of these self-observant, navel-gazing threads, that term gets thrown out there, and I'll be damned if I know who's in or out. Long, long ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I wasn't on staff, I KNEW that I wasn't in the "in" crowd. And I was fine with that. Then, literally out of the blue, someone who was on staff at the time told me I should apply. Now I'm apparently a part of the "in" crowd even though the median feeling among members about me is "mild-to-moderate dislike". And I'm fine with that.

When I read a thread, I make it a point to read (and sometimes reread every single post), provided that it's not two sentences from someone I don't know in a serious discussion (mainly because if you can't be bothered to type more, I assume that you're just trying to artificially raise your post count, which makes me pay attention to you in a different way). So I don't directly quote you, don't get offended. I read what you had to say, but I probably agreed with most, if not all, of what you had to say.

Why don't we? Because it's illegal and will get us shut down. Limewire used to be "the shit" back in the day, but it's gone now. We've allowed some very limited torrent stuff, but we're not set up to host anything serious. And I will personally fight you tooth-and-nail to keep most of that stuff out of here because I don't think that the risk even begins to approach the rewards.

Cyn's already given everybody a really good reason why the porn has moved - IT KILLS ALL OF OUR FUNDING. Again, PayPal will drop our account(s) if they see that porn is involved. Don't like it? Blame them. There aren't many other secure services that we can use, and sending cash in the mail is a bad idea.

Finally, 9er, we've picked a direction. We're moving to it. This thread was started as more of a heads-up than anything else.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

Plan9

This says more about dude's attention span than it does the website. If you can't be bothered to read the ~30 no-shit categories, you probably can't be bothered to post anything useful other than a LOL or FTW. This is why America doesn't go to libraries and why we have 600 channels but "nothing is on."

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

tasineah

I missed how having the porn makes us lose money. Trash the porn then...

notice I said "us". I feel "part of" whether agreed with or not. I am not one of your "in" crowd and knowing my personality, no matter how long I am here, I will never be part of it. I stand pretty much on my own but I still belong. But you all need to stop denying there is a clicheyness to this site. You could begin by not using terms like "navel gazing threads" which pretty much is saying that most shit written in this thread is deemed not worthy of (fill in the blank) and are worthless self absorbant mewlings..yah...REAL encouragment for newcomers and less vocal veteran members to start/continue writing. If anyone had an opinion and read that little quip, they would think twice about posting and bringing the wrath of the almighty down on them.

you all ARE a tough bunch...damn...you are so invested you just dont see yourselves from the outside.

Plan9

Bingo. I do, too. Roachboy can mop the floor with my ass all day long but I still feel like if I said something halfway intelligent, he'd acknowledge it. I learn a lot from the people I don't necessarily agree with. I argue with Snowy about marijuana, I think DK is a nutjob extremist, I totally dig Shauk's weird stories, etc... but I genuinely value their input because it isn't me feeding me the shit I wanna hear. If that's defined as conflict then it's safe to say that I get off on it. I wouldn't get this anywhere else, especially not from my "social network" of like-minded baby-killers. TFP puts fiber in my mental diet.

Where's your legendary prostate-punching confidence? And let's redefine the "in crowd" as people that post once a week instead of those that post nothing and then act all neglected when the board has problems. If you're not posting, how does anybody know you're even here? I don't want to hear the bullshit about how people's posts get ignored. I've posted and bombed plenty of threads (Nobody wanted to take pictures of their knees, I see how it is). It's just page inches. Get over it. You can't drop an earthshatterer every day, guys. The point is that you have to Say Anything.

Huh, I don't see it like that. I think the Jazz's comment was a sarcastic pointer that reflects the sentiment of threads like this where everybody is standing around with their arms folded. People come out of the woodwork to express their opinion only at the lowest point instead of saying something at any other time or actively participating in the site. This isn't a middle school dance where you look around to see what everybody else is doing to make sure you're not too weird. It's okay to put yourself out there. Some of you post your dicks, for chrissakes. It's the anonymous Intarweb. No excuses.

Invested in what? Trying to get people that have been here for almost a decade to act like you for ten seconds and post something... anything?

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

snowy

I've been thinking about this thread off and on since it was posted, and knew the minute it appeared that some statement about the supposed "in-crowd" would appear. 9er hit the nail on the head: the supposed "in-crowd" is people who post, create threads, and attempt to generate discussion around here. If those are the criteria, and I do think they are, then it is a fairly easy thing to join, is it not?

And 9er, I posted my knees! They were terrible pictures, but I posted just the same. And I think we've all created our fair share of threads that went nowhere. But at least we tried!

Whatever it takes to keep this place going and active, I'll do it.

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

tasineah

Plan9 wrote: Where's your legendary prostate-punching confidence?

God I love it when you talk to me like that....

to answer: its here. It hasnt gone anywhere. Posting doesnt make me part of the in crowd. Yesterday you called me one of the weird ones. I liked it. Thats where I belong, not part of a flock of sheep that form some kind of wall that keeps people out of the inner flock. Seriously, again, its there...


and I agree, people need to post, post anything. But I am also saying why I think some of them arent....this is a tough group to crack. I have balls. Most people arent so ballsy as I am. Just saying....

and when can I be allowed to start threads? I SOOO want to get some going....

Plan9

I remember. And Uncle Phil went above and beyond. Way above and beyond. I was afraid to scroll down at one point.

Righteous.

...

That's good, because I was referring to you as an individual who posted something weird. We're individuals. Each of us is different. There is no groupthink. Using Weaponry as an example, each dude of the In Crowd (TM) there has different philosophies on the usefulness of gun laws. I'm pretty sure the more experienced guys see me as a giant retard, but they don't step on my dick too much and correct me gently when I'm wrong.

What is so goddamn tough about hiding behind a friggin' username and posting a question or thought? I have questions and thoughts all the time and I've got an IQ similar to a Dark Chocolate Raisinette. This isn't Faceyspace, I'm not going to see your girlfriend or find out where you live. Your boss and your mother shouldn't know about TFP. Come here to post your thoughts, not just to ogle Exhibition or whatever the hell it is that goes on here.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."