Do You Invite Others to A2K, Or keep it to yourself?

I get huffier as I get older. Indeed, a few more years and I'll be a total huff puffy.

No one is owed your innermost thoughts. If you explain them, when feeling not quite so vulnerable, to a community, that doesn't mean the data is owed even then.

As may happen, said stupido community will take those thoughts and whap them all about, but, that's different.

Osso, I really like that last post. Each of those five sentences is a jewel... "said stupido community will take those thoughts and whap them all about"-- that's good stuff!

Soz, what you said about how she expected you to suddenly "get it" once you had a kid is interesting. I often wonder what our relationship would be like if I had a kid. In contrast to yours, my mom doesn't think I would "get it" (it, of course, being that her level of over-protective over-involvement was actually the only right way to raise a child-- anything else is cold). This has led her to intimate to me frequently that I should definitely not, ever, under any circumstances, subject a child to what I'd be like as a parent...<sigh>

Well, the stupido community is often on your side, at least eventually, no matter the railing insults.



Not that this or any other internet community is stupid, exactly. Just that we are a sort of plastic interface of dithering interested.

Ok, ok, I'll cut it out. I care in real terms about both Soz and Cyphercat.

".....No one is owed your innermost thoughts.."

Don't I know it! (now)

Well said, Osso.

Hey, Elp... (gives secret north coast to england handshake that only some of us know, including cyphercat)

mORNIN' oSSO.

dAMN CAPS LOCK!

sORRY!

(knowing nod goes back over the pond)

Ellpus, please don't drown... talk to us..

I have not shared A2K with any of my "real" friends. And I have not met any A2K people. If anyone out there is from the LA area and wants to meet let me know.

Actually, I was sort of considering the idea of starting a thread, talking about the nice side of A2K, which sort of relates to the secrecy part.

Maybe it should just slot in here, as a bit of an "add on".

It never ceases to amaze me just how tight we all are, here on this site. We may have loads of little sub groupings going on, but the vast majority of the A2K "regulars", or family if you like, tend to go out of their way quite willingly, in order to help out a fellow member when they might be having a problem, or just simply show support and loads of encouragement when required.

There is also a lot of behind the scenes stuff going on, which demonstrates to me that most of these family members are more than willing to help out in private, with no expectation of public praise for having done so.

They (we) also like to make people smile in private, or just do stuff to cheer up another member.

Sometimes this happens out of the blue, and comes as a lovely surprise.

The day after I'd started my thread regarding "best photo of 2006", I was delighted to find several PM's from people, enclosing some really lovely/funny/artistically brilliant family pics, which they would never dream of posting onto the public forum here.

1. This made me smile A LOT. One even made me laugh out loud.

2. They were totally unexpected, and therefore a massive, heartwarming surprise.

and 3. More importantly, it made me feel really good, knowing that people who are obviously very discreet about their "real" lives, would trust me enough to send me such stuff. I suppose the thing was that it made me feel honoured that they would consider doing such a thing.



A2K truly is a very strange place, with a certain dynamic that I've never experienced before. I also think that it's wonderful, even taking into account the shiite that can be slung sometimes.

I LOVE YOU ALL !!<sob> (well, nearly all)

Well, Nick, I'm LA born and bred, and would enjoy meeting you.

I've no idea if I can get back there, but if so, I'll be voluble about it on a2k, and, besides that, tell you and some other folks.

I was truly amazed when a2k members offered help to my daughter, who never posts here, during the approaching hurricane some time back.

A2K is on my resume.

Probably only Craven and I can make that claim. It's ... interesting ... talking about it in a job interview. Explaining that it's not a chat room, that it's an actual business with volunteers, I'm a manager, etc. etc. With the rise of sites like MySpace and LinkedIn, it's easier to explain to potential employers and they are less suspect that I'm just wasting my time here, yakking all day (well, a bit :wink: ).

My folks and brother know about it. My parents posted, um, twice. I still send my Dad occasional electrical questions but he doesn't seem to want to answer on the site, rather, he'll just tell me and I'll relay the info. My brother and sister in law think no one here is sincere and are suspect of any sort of advice, e. g. how could strangers have any stake in accuracy, completeness or sympathy? So I think that goes to getting/not getting the whole thing.

But I consider all of you my friends, just as much as, in another era, my parents would have considered a never-met international pen pal to be a friend.

That's sweet!



I like how this thread's gone all group-huggy! I do love me some group hugging...although if shewolf or kicky or gus comes along, I'm leaving before it gets dirty...

If anyone hugs me I shall kick them in the gonads.

Oh come on, widdle fuzzy-wuzzy floppy ears.
You know you want a huggy-wugs!

You know that, as a male, your gonads are especially vulnerable to a good kick, don't you?

Rabbits are known for thumping and kicking.

That's what I say to my bunny-wunnies all the time! You wittle cotton-tails shouldn't be so freakin' cute if you don't want snuggies (and you never do want snuggies <sigh>).

Anyway, the secret is to turn them on their backs and stroke their little white tums, George, they go all tharn. It's adorable.

Dead cat walking.