Perspective of a Prolific Poster

[Insanis]

I see sometimes people respond to me as if they are unaware of how others use the forum.

I have been a top poster on forums before and people do notice it. Almost every forum has a notable top thread starter and top commenter, and sometimes they are the same person and sometimes not.

This is not unusual. Many people will acknowledge it. This is normal.

However, on this forum, there isn't much activity. The top thread starters when I joined were posting threads, but had no or few comments. Some threads had activity, and they had comparatively a lot of activity, but only relative to the general lack of activity on this forum.

I'm posting much less than I used to, partly because there is less to actually respond to (I normally would be inclined to take part in discussions rather than start them). So I do spend a lot more time reading on this forum because they are long stretches of no replies.

I'm not sitting here staring at the forum: I do other things at the same time and I come and go. Typing is very easy for me and most of what I do write never gets posted at all.

I spend more time editing and scrapping posts than actually writing them.

So, the main point I want to emphasize to everyone who responds to me: someone who posts a lot gets a lot of replies.

This is actually desirable: it is a discussion forum and discussions are good, as the rules state:

5) Link your sources when posting news articles.  Conversely, do not link a news story without comment. We want to hear your thoughts and opinions. The best way to encourage discussion is to provide something for people to discuss.

So, lots of threads and lots of replies, with topically interesting threads and on topic replies, are a good thing for a forum and a forum owner typically wants this, otherwise, the expense and hassle of maintaining a forum is seen as wasted and the forum is likely to be closed when one thinks that renewing the domain or hosting is not worth the cost.

And the particular issue: people who respond to me don't seem to realize I get a lot of responses. They see, plainly, that I post a lot, but they don't really appreciate the equal and more numerous responses I get.

Even if someone makes one post in a day, and it is to me, it is part of the whole of responses.

When I respond to responses as a whole, it is often inspired by the volume: which people don't seem to appreciate.

I don't exist in isolation and neither do you. You all see my posts, and I see the replies.

For people annoyed by my volume of posts, the sort of replies I get dictate how I react, and those replies are just as numerous or more.

So think of that: for every post I wrote, I typically get at least a few responses on average.

What do you think those responses actually are?

People who say I shouldn't be sensitive or let people bother me might be seeing their responses or a few in isolation, not realizing that to me, all responses are responses, just as you see the forums and see a bunch of my posts.

If negatively responding to the volume of responses just because they are voluminous is acceptable, it goes in the other direction as well.

Now, I would like to point out for those naysayers: sometimes top thread creators don't get replies. They post a lot of threads, and get no replies. That is something you can do, but if you respond, think of how you are responding just as I think about what I post: other people read it.

[Insanis]

I see people get silent when it comes to acknowledging actually how I perceive forums (or how frequent posters on a forum perceive it).

A thread with no replies is not unusual, and many of mine get no replies. I don't think people realize that: for all I post, there is a lot of diversity, and some of it gets no attention at all, yet, people pretend like the number of replies a subject gets makes it real. No, people choose to respond to those things. If I post a thread about each of the ten commandments, and one gets a lot more comments than the others, it doesn't indicate I actually emphasize that commandment! The number of responses a given topic gets does not indicate its importance to the poster, but only the collective view of the forum.

People seem to sometimes attribute the level of response to the will of the poster they are responding to. It doesn't work that way.

[Insanis]

A forum "dies" when it is no longer usable and reachable. It is truly dead when it is offline with no useful archive available.

Of course, whether an online forum is "dead" or not, depends on what the owner wants it to be. Some forum owners use a forum for archival purposes: they restrict posting to themselves or a few select individuals, to post threads with links or content for others to reference. Nobody is allowed to comment, except for announcements from the owner or other select staff.

This type of forum can be very successful because measure of its "success" is in that people find it useful and the activity from the perspective of the owner is productive in justifying the forum's existence.

However, that is somewhat rare, and most forums are judged by their activity and growth in membership. This forum, originally, was very much keen to appeal to the members of another community who wanted someplace better.

So, attracting new members, encouraging discussion, and promoting the use of all forum features was common. It is even in the rules:

We want to hear your thoughts and opinions. The best way to encourage discussion is to provide something for people to discuss.

This is actually part of a rule about posting, but the context aside, this shows what the forum owner wants: people who actively engage in starting new threads that are subjects of discussion.

With this in mind, I visited a forum which was started by ex-members of this forum, but the forum was in disrepair: it doesn't have a security certificate, it doesn't seem to allow new members, it has very few recent posts, and none from recent days, and the people who are active are so sporadically, more or less being thread starters infrequently, whose empty threads accumulate over time to dominate the boards. The front page of any particular subforum is full of very old threads. The forum software is also not updated, indicating neglect.

This indicates the discussion forum is "dead", but perhaps it is free or cheap to host, so that is why it is kept open. They are using BlueHost which has many free and cheap services, and that forum doesn't have the expenses this forum would have. It might have a minimal cost each year or it might be prepaid for years already.

On the other hand, this forum has:

• Domain renewal costs (domains usually cost around $10 a year)
• Whois masking (which might be free, but also might have costs or require some other conditions which I haven't researched fully)
• Hosting costs (which I don't know)
• Software updating (free, but updating a live forum can be a potential hassle, but the owner he does it quite diligently)

So, what would it take to "kill" this forum? It would ultimately take the owner failing to maintain one of those things, especially the domain and hosting, but I suspect someone who does the other things would think that failure to maintain them as a reason to let the others fail.

... what this Forum's purpose is, was, and will continue to be.  It is to promote a Catholic community in these trying times, in these times of emergency, and it is to promote the growth and practice of the Faith for posters and lurkers. 

I've always been torn on the precise end-goal of this place, but I was glad to finally have the stark realization of why I have this place, and why I keep it around.  .

This means that this entire forum's existence depends on a single person actively paying the money and taking the time necessary to keep this forum operational.

With this in mind:

• One who cares about the forum should use it for the stated purpose
• One who cares about the forum should be mindful that attacking or discouraging other people who are not anti-Catholic in their posting is foolish: why wouldn't active Catholic posters be desired?
• Rule enforcement aside, we should respect the rules, especially the most important ones, to keep this forum appearing to be used productively, rather than being a hassle to deal with. Is this forum for Catholic adults or unruly children?

I have great respect for Kaesekopf keeping this forum active continuously for so many years, even as it changed and his life (I assume) changed.

When I had my website, blog, rosary making promotion, etc, I did nearly the same thing: paid for hosting costs, maintained it, domains, even whois masking, but when I had clear signs that my medical condition was progressing, I had concerns that I'd be able to respond and keep it to my standards, and I removed the site in an orderly fashion (deleted the site, released the domain, canceled any accounts I no longer needed, etc).

So I have a clear understanding of what maintain this forum actually requires, and just how easily one could shut it down and save one the time the expense, time, and aggravation.

That is why I wrote this: Make This Forum Great Again.

I had hoped people would realize that petty nonsense is not worth the effort and to focus on what matters, in line with this forum's purpose to promote the growth and practice of the Faith for posters and lurkers.

Something that goes against that would be worth cutting out forever, and people who want to post something should reflect: does it actually promote the growth and practice of the Faith?

Or does it discourage it?

Do any of my posts actually discourage Catholic living?

[Insanis]

It has come up again that some Catholics are "embarrassed" by my posts, because of their number.

I would like to point out, again, that my posts that are on serious issues are responses. If you see a lot of posts by me on an issue, that means there are more things I am responding to.

If you let it be known that you disapprove of me even to the point of thanking false accusations and lies about me just because I post a lot more than others, while you ignore the even more posts that I am responding to, you are inordinate at least, and you are wrong.

You are seeing a prolific poster, which is rare on this forum so I understand you might not be used to it, but there should be a few others who post as much or more on a regular forum.

If you don't use the forum that much, and you see a bunch of posts of mine, and you start responding to the last ones without seeing what led up to them, then you are very imprudent.

It takes time to see a history and you have to go back and read to see what lead to a post you happen to see at the time.

It is clear people don't do this. People take a glance and then form an opinion, and express themselves without care.

You don't realize: for every one of my posts, there could be 10 I am responding to, and 10 responses I get.

You tolerate blasphemies, false accusations, lies, and anti-Catholic trolling, yet will make an effort to harass me in some way.

Yes, you think it is one post and I shouldn't be "sensitive", but it is not: it is a crowd of naysayers who only get involved to criticize me, while they ignore blasphemies, heresies, and anti-Catholic trolling.

I'm sick of it.

It is a collective tolerance of grave errors, and a collective intolerance for a Catholic posting a lot.

If people are reading what I write and responding that way, that is indicative of a very sick mindset.

If people are glossing over what I write and then responding that way, that is highly imprudent at the very least.

[Insanis]

And if someone criticizes me and thanks liars, and I respond with a little criticisms of my own, it is the end of their world.

It is double standards.

It is sick.

It is perverted.

You are to blame for the errors you tolerate if you criticize me because I respond in opposition.

If you side with blasphemers, you are a blasphemer. If you side with non-Catholics against the defenders of the faith, you have forsaken your religion.

If you don't like my posts in response to errors, and you are not setting an example of how to respond that I can learn from, but you criticize me, you have just aided them.

I am imperfect and I might do things the wrong way, but if you aren't doing anything, that is worse, and I don't want to hear your judgements. You are condemning yourselves.

[dymphna17]

Feel better? I don't know you from squat but if this is how you usually post, I can see how there would be problems. People don't ususally like being told how terrible they are and why, so a big long post about it isn't going to help the situation. Usually. I just can't see how droning on about how other's post gets you anywhere. No  one is thinking, "you know, he's right, I'm a terrrible poster and need to cut it out and become more thoughtful." Maybe a sainted person would do that but on the whole, not so much. I hope we all get it figured out and right. In a Catholic way as well as human. Look to yourself to see what you can do better, not everyone else. jmho.

[The Curt Jester]

Insanis hasn't even posted on SD in over two weeks, and it has been over three weeks since this thread was active until now.

[Lynne]

Feel better? I don't know you from squat but if this is how you usually post, I can see how there would be problems. People don't ususally like being told how terrible they are and why, so a big long post about it isn't going to help the situation. Usually. I just can't see how droning on about how other's post gets you anywhere. No  one is thinking, "you know, he's right, I'm a terrrible poster and need to cut it out and become more thoughtful." Maybe a sainted person would do that but on the whole, not so much. I hope we all get it figured out and right. In a Catholic way as well as human. Look to yourself to see what you can do better, not everyone else. jmho.

Hi Dymphna! I hope *you* stay around for a while...

[red solo cup]

Feel better? I don't know you from squat but if this is how you usually post, I can see how there would be problems. People don't ususally like being told how terrible they are and why, so a big long post about it isn't going to help the situation. Usually. I just can't see how droning on about how other's post gets you anywhere. No  one is thinking, "you know, he's right, I'm a terrrible poster and need to cut it out and become more thoughtful." Maybe a sainted person would do that but on the whole, not so much. I hope we all get it figured out and right. In a Catholic way as well as human. Look to yourself to see what you can do better, not everyone else. jmho.

Hi Dymphna! I hope *you* stay around for a while...

Ditto

[Gardener]