Joining a forum? yuck. No, that kind of thing is not for me. I can't spend all my time posting to people's comments.
So that's what I have always thought and acted upon.
Admittedly though I have felt a twinge of guilt at times that I have read postings of many forums and benefitted from the posters' advice and experiences. So I kinda felt that maybe I should join one or two - just to even say thanks for the benefit I've derived from their collective wisdom.
I tried to once. I posted but never saw my comments later on.
Discouraged, I never posted again.
Until now.
This time I joined a forum - yep, actually joined - with the intention of really posting my own initiated comments and continuing discussions started by others.
It almost feels like I am doing my civic duty.
And I'm enjoying it a bit. I joined a forum called the coconut diet forum. And no, I am not on a diet. But it's about using virgin coconut oil for cooking and as a supplement. I have used it for over a year and let me tell you the benefits are fantastic. This uncorrupted oil has been doing lots of good for my body. And I learned alot about using it by reading other folks' experiences via forum postings.
This time I decided to post my experiences with using the oil so that it could help others.
I was so proud of myself.
Then after creating a few posts for each one it said ' this post will be reviewed first'
I was surprised. Then when I read the guidelines (which of course I should have done before trying to create a post) it said that intially postings were not monitored but due to the increased traffic and contributors, it became necessary to filter things. Which I understand - it's always a few bad folks who mess things up for the rest of us and then rules get put in place.
But I was suspicious so I checked the next day to see if my posts made it through the review and they did. They were there!!
Now others can ask me questions about my experience with something that has helped me. I really feel like I am doing something charitable!!!!!!!! Hey, charity just went asynchronous and free!!!!!!!
I guess a great part of my hesistation has always been reading lots of posts on prior forums that are just nonsensical in my opinion - such as 'whasup' (as the only post!!) and such things. I realize now that kind of forum probably does not have posts reviewed beforehand.
THe forum I have joined has a lot of personal relevance and there is a lot of courtesy which I am really appreciating.
It just goes to show - once again, it is not the tool but how it is used.
END
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2 comments:
Generally, I find most forums either too dull or time consuming for me to post. Perhaps a large part of it is my own somewhat "aggressive" nature. I like to be the one in charge!
But, I have found some forums, esp. the technical ones to be useful and often helpful reading. I found stuff on the tech. forums that, for some reason, Microsoft won't tell you - at least not without some serious hunting.
No, I can't see I view posting as any "civil duty" whatsoever. It's not that I don't think I don't have something nice or useful to say. It's more that in most cases, someone else has already said it for me. And, the way I view it:
If it was wrong, let them look stupid instead of me. If the advice was right and useful, well, guess what? There are people who would (and should) pay for intelligent advice, and these people gave away some of their intelligent wealth for free!
People should read this.
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