I Can Spot 'Em a Mile Off

It's strange that there's often a series of threads from new posters on the same theme, Phoenix. Currently there are a number about being madly in love with married men.
It's the ones that ask for advice, get lots of it, but keep saying "yes, but..." to any advice that contradicts their already made up mind that make me sigh a bit ....

I used to run a forum, though not near the size of this (only about 1,000 members or so at its peak). We constantly had people signing up, posting this sad, sad stories and then either whiplashing us with anger ("how cud u say dat, i wuz lookin 4 advise!!1") or threats against themselves ("gr8, now im goin 2 go cut myself"), others disapeared completely.

I was extremely active on that forum, and like I said it had less members as A2K - so I'd take it upon myself to check these members out, question them (while consoling), telling them rational advice (testing them to see if they merely wanted attention [in need of continuing the pity-fest] or actual help) and, suprise surprise, most of the time they would leave.

So I am always suspicious. I like A2K because there isn't much spamming, there aren't a lot of 12 year old whom actually type in the examples above. But alas, no one is exempt. They get a kick out of it, sitting behind their keyboards with their buddies, snickering and saying, "man! They're really fallin' for it this time, OOHO!"

I used to be an **** too, when I was around 11 and had first discovered the 'net. I think it's just a maturity thing. And the fact that they probably completely all the levels on their latest video game, and so they're extremely bored and God forbid someone pick up a book :wink:

msolga- I tend to think that these folks KNOW that they are not reacting appropriately to their situations, but are still looking for affirmation from the rest of us.

Sanctuary- I will seldom respond to a thread with the type of writing that you describe. If they can't take the time to write a decent English sentence, I won't waste my time either.

I see non-English speaking folks attempting to write much, much better than that.

Of course, Phoenix! The affirmation, I mean.

But I guess that A2K serves a useful "sounding board" function for some. Like when it's about a situation that the poster can't talk about with friends or family.

I'm curious, though. How many of such posters stay on & participate in other threads? Often you don't see them again after their own, personal problem-solving thread. You COULD wonder a bit how genuine the poster was in the first, place ...

Msolga-There are probably a number of answers.

The thread was a put-on, to begin with.

The person is so embroiled in their own personal sturm und drang, that they don't have the time and/or the inclination to put anything more into the forum.

The person is embarrassed after what he/she has written, and really wants to remain as anonymous as possible.

I think most, but not all, of these threads are contrived. Some of them, those that appear in late fall or middle spring, I suspect are posted by undergraduates looking for material for term paper topics. Some of the more inarticulate are adolescent males with too much time on their hand and too little intellect to employ it productively. Some of the more articulate and sophisticated are probably posted just to see what kind of response the poster can raise.

I agree completely. It's entertaining, really. I can rarely, rarely respect someone who types like that. God knows I have my typos, but that? Oy...

It's a pain in the butt. I have no patience for them at all and feel pretty certain that the poster knows that he/she is being a pain. And relishes in it. Also, many of these postings are pranks, nothing more, and like Phoenix, you feel it in your gut, you know which ones are real and the ones that are made up (such horrific circumstances and only 12 years old!?) and I choose not to answer those. If I'm wrong in my accessment, and that's always possible, it's okay because there's always, always someone/s who will take them seriously and respond. Everytime.

Oh Eoe, you'd be amazed.

By the time I was 12 (I told you all that I used to be one of these fools), I had contacts believing that I was a 17 year old guy who had just gotten his girlfriend pregnant. Sometimes I was a bit older and claimed to already have a child with one on the way. I made up claims ranging from molestation, rape, break-ins, pregnancy, marriage proposals and adultery all spewing from one confused, creative, and completely idiotic 12 year old pre-teen livin' in Oklahoma. People always tell me I'm mature for my age. I see it as merely compensating from the immaturity I used to suffer from.

I typically do not respond to threads where the person types in non-words (i.e. wuz, cud). The writing just irritates me.

Sanctuary- I am certainly glad that you matured out of that phase of life.

I am curious. Why did you do those things? I know that it was immaturity, but what were you thinking when you wrote those things? What were you attempting to do? I have a good idea of the answer, but I would like to know from your perspective.

I usually can't even read the whole post if it's written poorly.

What I can't believe is that people keep posting replies on a thread from someone who has 1 post...and they keep replying, and replying. They're just as clueless as the thread starter.

and here i thought i was the only person who had this feeling on my mind.
Since the begining of June, wich is a great universal " Schools out" month, there have been almost 30+ threads about -home life- problems.
Hmmm.. !

That was a great point about people needing the input for term papers. That would/ could apply to quite a few threads lately. They have a very real problem , but counteract the situation with a generic statement like " he - she says she loves me and only wants me " >sigh<

Very interesting point...

Slappy- I am guilty of sometimes doing that. Sometimes, a thread takes on a life of its own, and it no longer matters who wrote it, or if it even were real.

There are certain relationship issues that are rather universal. If the discussion gets interesting, I see no problem with adding to the comments. Someone, somewhere, out there, might gain some benefit from our words.

It would have been a wonderful thing if I had had the internet, with a forum like A2K, when I was an adolescent. I probably would have saved myself a lot of grief if I had had a diverse group of people with whom I could kick around problems!

I hear you there.

Someone could have given me a virtual bitch slap because I was such a pu$$y with women.

And I could have witnessed scat porn as a kid. Now THAT would have been valuable.

without reading any other posts. I will say that my first post was a little like that (the who exists? thread) but now my writing is different and i think you must be pretty sad to put that stuff on as a joke.
these people probably have come on here because they want help.

pisses me off. That's my way of book marking, Phoenix.

Slappy- If you would have interacted with the lot of us when you were a kid, you would be DANGEROUS by now!