Peers?

Post #134,931 by broomberg 1/12/04 12:52:11 AM Reply	Peers? Touchy area. We started as a technology focused discussion group based on a magazine's web site. So almost all of the originals have a strong tech focus. Even people like Beep who are not tech for a living know more tech than most people. So this seems to be the basis for membership in the "peer" group. Even people like Norm (who to me seems to waffle between crazy, dumb as a brick, and then moments of serious tech competency / knowledge) show aspects of this. If there are non tech people here, I really don't notice them. They don't make themselves so obviously known as you do. So there is no starting point for me to judge you on the tech side, which means you start with minus points. I dunno about the self-centered aspect. I think we all are. I know I am. I don't consider anything wrong with it. I don't give a shit what people think about my personal attitude, but I do care about people who's knowledge I respect and how they feel about me. It's part of making sure I don't get locked out of a source of knowledge. I consider most people here have a wealth of information that I'm happy to suck out, occasionally using one to sharpen my debate skills. I think you invite people pissing on you. You don't really come to the table with anything of value. You don't supply any critical information, your entertainment value drops like a rock when you start whining, and your political views are based on faith rather than reason, which really pisses some people off. Almost everyone here is non-religious. Those that are seem to have enough knowledge about their religion and the world around them to consider the time and place for it. When you talk about prayer outside the context of the Religion forum, you lose points. Non religious people to NOT want you praying for them. Even religious people of a different faith do NOT want you praying for them. Let me rephrase that. We don't care if you pray for us, we would rather you not tell us. Kind of like if I told you I had a lovely Satanic ritual with you in mind. You talk about a right to be here. We have NO rights here. We are guests. We are here because our host allows it. A few of us spend a lot of time and money allowing it to happen. I'm not one of them, so I have no claim to this bit of cyberspace other than the fact I'm an old-timer and hopefully I provide enough entertainment and information that people want to read my posts.
Post #134,933 by Nightowl 1/12/04 12:59:56 AM Reply	Re: Peers? If there are non tech people here, I really don't notice them. They don't make themselves so obviously known as you do. So there is no starting point for me to judge you on the tech side, which means you start with minus points. No problem, I don't recall being asked to be judged on the tech side. :) I dunno about the self-centered aspect. I think we all are. I know I am. I don't consider anything wrong with it. I don't give a shit what people think about my personal attitude, but I do care about people who's knowledge I respect and how they feel about me. It's part of making sure I don't get locked out of a source of knowledge. I consider most people here have a wealth of information that I'm happy to suck out, occasionally using one to sharpen my debate skills. And that is why I'm here. Because this place is a source of a wealth of knowledge, both technical AND non-technical. And because everyone here for the most part is fairly interesting. :) Your post is appreciated and noted. Thank you for your honesty. Nightowl >8# "It is understanding that gives us an ability to have peace. When we understand the other fellow's viewpoint, and he understands ours, then we can sit down and work out our differences." Harry S. Truman "Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude." Timothy Bentley
Post #134,939 by Nightowl 1/12/04 1:27:55 AM 1/12/04 1:57:24 AM Reply	Meant to address this too :) You talk about a right to be here. We have NO rights here. We are guests. We are here because our host allows it. A few of us spend a lot of time and money allowing it to happen. I'm not one of them, so I have no claim to this bit of cyberspace other than the fact I'm an old-timer and hopefully I provide enough entertainment and information that people want to read my posts. That's what I meant by a right to be here, Scott and the other admins and the host give us the right to be here as guests, and as long as we conduct ourselves in the proper ways, we can stay. But what I meant by that is that any member has just as much right to be here as any other member, whether they post often, sometimes or not at all, as long as they follow the rules. Edit: Also I'm not sure what you mean about my political beliefs being based on faith, because my political beliefs have nothing to do with my religion. Do you want to explain what you meant? If not, that's ok, just curious. :) Nightowl >8# P.S. added "as guests" to line 2, and added comment about political beliefs. "It is understanding that gives us an ability to have peace. When we understand the other fellow's viewpoint, and he understands ours, then we can sit down and work out our differences." Harry S. Truman "Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude." Timothy Bentley Edited by Nightowl Jan. 12, 2004, 01:28:56 AM EST Edited by Nightowl Jan. 12, 2004, 01:57:24 AM EST Expand All History
Post #134,961 by Ashton 1/12/04 7:05:23 AM Reply	What is this "rights" stuff? One is read, replied to or ignored: on the basis of CONTENT of posts. And while that content may vary from the ludicrous to the profound -if we're lucky- it's nonsense to speak of "a Right to be here", except in terms of its negative: on only a few occasions have we had to face the issue of expulsion. If someone proves to have little of interest to say, then there will eventually be few or no replies. Don't need no stinkin 'procedures' 99+% of the time. Call it benign anarchy. While it's true that any script kiddie might drop in here - as occurred in Episode XVIII of an earlier Norm flameout.. when he invited over some brain dead Mac VS non-Mac VS {absence of intelligent thought #1} idiocy: It was made clear that these children could NOT bring in their mondo-graphic sigs, inane balderdash - and play here. There's consensus that - nobody wants to get into Throwing People Out.. unless and until they become a palpably disruptive irritant (and no: there is no algorithm for setting forth all the possible things that might mean). As has been suggested in this thread - CONTENT [on SOME topic] is the common denominator of 'approval'. Also said, the original nucleus formed in the IW technical forum - mainly around 'IT' matters, but often with oblique refs to quite different things. Little interest in pop psych (I observe over the years) - to name just one obv topic that produces ZZZzzzzs. This is not "a support group" for any and all comers; accomodate the moods and wit of the participants or don't; whining earns eBay negative feedback. Anything from aardvarks to Zoroaster can.. work; nobody can show someone else how "to Be 'Interesting'", y'know? Obviously, minute attention to "procedures" won't do it. (And as you've noticed, "psych / therapy" appears to be interesting only as an object of scorn.) HTH
Post #134,982 by Nightowl 1/12/04 11:09:49 AM Reply	I explained that. It was simple, everyone has a "right" to join any public group on the net, as long as they play by the rules of whoever runs it. I never even hinted I had a right to be a)liked, b) responded to c)read or d) not ignored. Have a nice day Ashton. Brenda "It is understanding that gives us an ability to have peace. When we understand the other fellow's viewpoint, and he understands ours, then we can sit down and work out our differences." Harry S. Truman "Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude." Timothy Bentley
Post #134,979 by orion 1/12/04 10:55:57 AM Reply	About my postings here So this seems to be the basis for membership in the "peer" group. Even people like Norm (who to me seems to waffle between crazy, dumb as a brick, and then moments of serious tech competency / knowledge) show aspects of this. I think that my illness cycles between those things. A sign of my schtizoaffective disorder. It is almost bipolar, but not quite. I haven't quite figured out the cycle yet, but I was told that I could have an episode for two weeks at a time. Yes there are momments of clarity, which prove I am not an idiot. Of course I could just be an idiot savant who is only good in Windows technologies. ;) *"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"*

Welcome to IWETHEY!