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What are people like in this Star Trek forum?

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first of all: welcome, Captain Alex :)

There is a group of regulars who are very active. The majority of members turn up only occasionally. Most posters have their particular haunts - for example, I hang out almost exclusively here or in the Lounge.

I wouldn't say we are particularly bitchy. The atmosphere here is fairly relaxed, usually. Occassionally, someone will be a bit rude but that's mainly when he or she has a bad day, a toothache or some sort of frustration they need to vent. The Moderators and Admins are fair and you can always protest if you think there was a mistake. (And T'Bonz isn't half as fierce as she pretends. She's really a darling, only nobody must know that or else she'll lose her bad reputation :D)

As a general rule, just use your common sense. For example, it's not wise but rather suicidal to go to the TOS Forum and post there that Kirk was a bloody fool who never listened to Spock and this way killed gazillions of redshirts. But hardly anyone would protest if you'd say Kirk was too impulsive and was lucky he had a good crew. Like in direct interaction with people, here, too, it's all just a matter of tact.
Just be yourself, then you should be absolutely fine. Getting integrated into a close-knit community is always a bit tricky at first but it'll happen sooner than you think. If you are not sure about the etiquette, just ask. And don't be afraid to stick your foot in it - happens to me all the time, yet, I'm still here and not overly unpopular.
 
I've watched every series of Star Trek several times. Just like it does for so many, it has inspired, encouraged the direction of my university degree many years ago & has also saved me at low points in life. Sports have also been a saviour for me. Star Trek has a very enlightened way of looking at things. I've found people who are star trek fans to be a really interesting, diverse & welcoming bunch:biggrin::vulcan::crazy::devil::), and they often think in a similar way to me. The world needs more positive forces & cultures like the star trek community.

If you're finding that people on a lot of forums are being "bitchy," you might want to reassess your approach.

Wow. You're assuming I was being bitched at. I noticed some forums are cliquey in general, not necessarily directed toward me. I so far don't think that has really been the case here, it has been very welcoming. :)

We tend to get bitchy if someone new comes along with a lot of borderline trollish posts. Coming to my attention this early is *never* a good thing. Take note and adjust accordingly.

I never had any intention of trolling :eek: I've been going through a tough time in life with several bereavements & am trying to be my old happy self, not dwell on life & get involved with like-minded friendly people who share similar interests. No one should have to change, people either like you or they don't. Given how inclusive star trek culture is & since you're the administrator of this forum I was really surprised to see that message coming from you. I've never been kicked off any forum since the internet started & I don't mind a bit of banter but being given a warning like that by the admin or being told to take note & adjust makes me feel nervous about posting & unwelcome.

I would recommend you find your favourite Trek show and post for fun in there and pop over here for a dose of politics and religion and what is that other subject one doesn't talk about?

That's what I thought I was doing. I'm not sure how I feel about continuing after the above.
 
well i noticed the rules say no swearing (even with asterisks to blank it out), so that might help to create a congenial atmosphere I'm hoping


I have been a member of this board for almost 17 years and I didn’t know that swearing wasn’t allowed but I don’t think I have ever read the rules.
 
Wow. You're assuming I was being bitched at. I noticed some forums are cliquey in general, not necessarily directed toward me. I so far don't think that has really been the case here, it has been very welcoming. :)
She's giving some advice which has been brought up to you elsewhere.

I never had any intention of trolling :eek: I've been going through a tough time in life with several bereavements & am trying to be my old happy self, not dwell on life & get involved with like-minded friendly people who share similar interests.
That's a shame, on the other hand guilt trips are not the best way to introduce oneself or to explain oneself.

No one should have to change, people either like you or they don't. Given how inclusive star trek culture is & since you're the administrator of this forum I was really surprised to see that message coming from you. I've never been kicked off any forum since the internet started & I don't mind a bit of banter but being given a warning like that by the admin or being told to take note & adjust makes me feel nervous about posting & unwelcome.

That's what I thought I was doing. I'm not sure how I feel about continuing after the above.
Good. Fear is a useful survival trait.
 
Some of us just seem to like going around in little wirdles, revisiting the same topics again and again, struggling to say anything new and original. There is a bit of an echo chamber in here but the echoes tend to be comforting rather than discomforting if you adopt the default mindset - IDIC is a valuable mantra to avoid conflict. Why even bother? Let's ask a paranoid android:
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That's a shame, on the other hand guilt trips are not the best way to introduce oneself or to explain oneself.

I don't think it was meant as a guilt trip and I'm sorry if it came across that way. I was responding to the warning from the administrator and trying to explain that I wasn't trolling. I can't understand why he got that impression or what I've done to warrant a warning. I've actually never been warned in a forum before and I've been trying to work out why the admin thinks I needed that. Perhaps my smilies were mis-interpretted as sarcasm or trolling? I'm not like that; I'm a genuinely friendly person. That's a problem with written text because everyone expresses themselves differently & it can be easy to mis-understand when written down. It's why it's so important to be tolerant. I still can't understand what it is I've said or done to cause his reaction or why, and I'm very careful about not offending people, it's in my nature. His warning has actually upset me quite a lot & I've been reading the rules trying to work out what I've done.

I think many people reading this must be equally surprised but I can understand why no one would publicly speak out. It wouldn't be worth risking their membership of the forum.

Some people spend years on forums making friends & as strange as it sounds those friendships can end up being very important to them. To have all of that taken away suddenly could be really bad for someone. The opposite is also true in that some people may have lost their support network & a social group thats fairly new to them might not realise how important they actually are to that person.

It's an old saying, "the best governments are those that govern the least", or with the lightest hand. That also holds true for any positions of power wether it be in real life or online.

I think when we're in a good place in our own lives, it can be easy to underestimate how important a new social network might be to someone else, no matter how trivial.
 
I don't see this board as a social network. As someone who is aged 60+, I suspect any online persona as not being a true representation of the real-life person. I don't attempt to garner either friendship or enmity (although sometimes I achieve the latter by my blundering insensitivity). I just don't trust what I read online as being true by default. I hang around here mostly for the entertainment value of amusing posts and the occasional flame war, insight into other possible points of view and interesting facts, links, news etc. Sounds fairly parasitical behaviour by me I know but I like to think I'm mostly harmless. I have no wish to perturb others' equilibrium unduly.
 
I have been a member of this board for almost 17 years and I didn’t know that swearing wasn’t allowed but I don’t think I have ever read the rules.
The only place where swearing is not allowed or is discouraged is in avatars, sigs, custom titles in your profile, and thread titles, (stuff that is visible across the whole board), rather than in individual posts. No one has ever been given an infraction for it that I'm aware of, just asked to remove it or had the staff edit it out.

Wow. You're assuming I was being bitched at. I noticed some forums are cliquey in general, not necessarily directed toward me.
No, she was just giving you advice in a thread where you were asking for it. I suggest you not take it so personally, accept it in the spirit it was given and take it to heart. That goes for the advice from the admin, T'Bonz, that followed, as well.

I never had any intention of trolling :eek: I've been going through a tough time in life with several bereavements & am trying to be my old happy self, not dwell on life & get involved with like-minded friendly people who share similar interests. No one should have to change, people either like you or they don't. Given how inclusive star trek culture is & since you're the administrator of this forum I was really surprised to see that message coming from you. I've never been kicked off any forum since the internet started & I don't mind a bit of banter but being given a warning like that by the admin or being told to take note & adjust makes me feel nervous about posting & unwelcome.

That's what I thought I was doing. I'm not sure how I feel about continuing after the above.
I don't think it was meant as a guilt trip and I'm sorry if it came across that way. I was responding to the warning from the administrator and trying to explain that I wasn't trolling. I can't understand why he got that impression or what I've done to warrant a warning. I've actually never been warned in a forum before and I've been trying to work out why the admin thinks I needed that. Perhaps my smilies were mis-interpretted as sarcasm or trolling? I'm not like that; I'm a genuinely friendly person. That's a problem with written text because everyone expresses themselves differently & it can be easy to mis-understand when written down. It's why it's so important to be tolerant. I still can't understand what it is I've said or done to cause his reaction or why, and I'm very careful about not offending people, it's in my nature. His warning has actually upset me quite a lot & I've been reading the rules trying to work out what I've done.

I think many people reading this must be equally surprised but I can understand why no one would publicly speak out. It wouldn't be worth risking their membership of the forum.

It's an old saying, "the best governments are those that govern the least", or with the lightest hand. That also holds true for any positions of power wether it be in real life or online.
You seem to be going for a bad combination of creating maximum drama and lecturing the admin on how to run this forum (not to mention erroneously implying that she bans people indiscriminately) after you've been here for about five minutes. That is not a wise course of action if your goal is to smoothly integrate yourself into the community. T'Bonz (who is a woman, btw) was simply giving you advice on how to read the room and fit in as a new poster. She did not give you a warning in the formal sense like you were actually penalized or anything, she just said what not to do for future reference. There's no threat implied there unless you decide to take your own frankly misguided advice and think the forum should bend to your will instead of you adjusting to fit the established rules and norms of the forum.

It's actually quite easy to blend in here and have fun without having to change who you are, so I would advise not taking everything so personally, listening to the advice given by people who have been here a long time or who are staff members, and not expecting the board to conform to your personal standards.
 
Well I have enjoyed this forum for the short time I've been here, it's actually been a breath of fresh air to be able to talk about one of the things I've always loved.. Star Trek! and finally with people who can understand the things I'm talking about lol

I'm not that thin-skinned but when a post aimed at me like that comes from the administrator it's a different story :sigh:

We tend to get bitchy if someone new comes along with a lot of borderline trollish posts. Coming to my attention this early is *never* a good thing. Take note and adjust accordingly.

Sign me the Head Bitch.

T'Bonz, I'm surprised you haven't replied. I still don't know what it is I'm supposed to take note of or how I'm supposed to adjust. I really would have appreciated at least a reply or even a private message to clarify. I sent in a message to try to clarify also using the "contact us" link. I don't have any ill-will toward anyone and was actually having a great time but I don't think there's much point having to second guess everything I say or do. I still don't know what it is I've done but given the totalitarian support people seem to have for you here, I'm going to fold & leave you all to it.

I'm a really nice person but I must admit I feel a bit bullied now (I hope it might be possible to take this onboard without dismissing it as me being thin-skinned because I'm really not). I don't think I've ever been warned by an admin like since the internet started. I guess like you say if I've come to your attention this early and that it isn't a good thing, then this isn't the right place for me. I don't mean this is a bad way, I genuinely wish you all the best & guess I'll find another group to become a part of. x
 
You do seem ever so highly strung, here, have a beer.

By the way, OF COURSE we support @T'Bonz, she's been keeping the worlds largest trek related fan sire running for years.
 
Well I have enjoyed this forum for the short time I've been here, it's actually been a breath of fresh air to be able to talk about one of the things I've always loved.. Star Trek! and finally with people who can understand the things I'm talking about lol
Come over to the Voyager forum if you're inclined. It's a nice to be in my opinion :)
 
I'm not that thin-skinned but when a post aimed at me like that comes from the administrator it's a different story :sigh:

T'Bonz, I'm surprised you haven't replied. I still don't know what it is I'm supposed to take note of or how I'm supposed to adjust. I really would have appreciated at least a reply or even a private message to clarify. I sent in a message to try to clarify also using the "contact us" link. I don't have any ill-will toward anyone and was actually having a great time but I don't think there's much point having to second guess everything I say or do. I still don't know what it is I've done but given the totalitarian support people seem to have for you here, I'm going to fold & leave you all to it.

I'm a really nice person but I must admit I feel a bit bullied now (I hope it might be possible to take this onboard without dismissing it as me being thin-skinned because I'm really not). I don't think I've ever been warned by an admin like since the internet started. I guess like you say if I've come to your attention this early and that it isn't a good thing, then this isn't the right place for me.
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