posted August 16, 2008 11:35 AM         

- But I have notice a sort of sub-culture of some regulars who either are helpful to everyone or try to dismiss "newbies" by leaving snide remarks and comments.

I am a firm believer in the golden rule. "Treat others how you want to be treated"...You never know what is going on in someone's life, and generally when people post something on the internet like this, they probably don't have other people to talk to about it, or are afraid to, or something like that.
I am convinced that there is some negative energy out here in the world today, whether it be the stars or the stench of our human egos. Just the other day I waved randomly at a neighbor and had him stare blankly at me lol...What's the deal???

posted August 16, 2008 02:23 PM         

Yes, there is a way even though it is not the best way.

You can contact a Moderator by clicking on their name... then you and the Mod can discuss the the issue and then a soltion could be worked upon.

posted August 16, 2008 02:35 PM         

It takes all kinds to make the world go 'round. I just wanted to throw it out there to anyone, as a reminder. I don't think it's being "real" to be crass or tactless, and I just wanted to make the point that, people are looking for solutions not criticism. Why kick someone who is down?

posted August 16, 2008 02:38 PM         

Always remember that words do not always capture 100% what people exactly mean. Plus unlike in live conversation, here there is no body language or intonation or volume that the other person can use to gauge what we are trying to say. Some words have more than one meaning (worse, they even have connotative meanings) and the way we use them are colored or affected by other words that come before or after them. plus there are idiomatic expressions and euphemisms, oh no.

What i'm saying is let's not be too sensitive and touchy. sometimes, we imagine slight/malice where there is none intended. you know, the other person may just be joking or their sense of humor is different than ours. remember, we come from different cultures and backgrounds, we look at the world through different lenses.

it also helps to read other posts by the same person to determine their writing/posting style.

And please let's read/review our posts before hitting enter. (is this what i really want to say? is this the right word to use?) add a smiley or a wink or a bouncing frog where necessary. LOL.

posted August 16, 2008 02:46 PM         

quote:

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I don't think it's being "real" to be crass or tactless, and I just wanted to make the point that, people are looking for solutions not criticism. Why kick someone who is down?

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posted August 18, 2008 03:09 AM         

I think my eagle eyes might have spotted some crassness.

Being the 'net this outlet of expression lends itself to snide comments, tactlessness and so forth. If anyone really wants to let off steam I can recommend competitive gameshow sites or anywhere where moderators are let loose with big axes to hack down outpourings of crassness.

But, I always think, or maybe that is feel as I am Libran Moon at 0 degrees, you don't know what someone is suffering to make them behave that way. Being in the U.K, on some of the more aggressive sites, I have got talking to people in the U.S and have discovered that more than one was up in the early hours because they were in pain and taking cancer drugs. So, you just don't know.

posted August 18, 2008 06:11 AM         

That really has got to be a one-off thread of its kind.

Coming here has been a hugely positive experience for me. My interest in astrology has been rekindled after a 25 year absence.

There are all types of people who are quirky, cheeky, witty, fun, serious, loving, spiritual, egotistical, thoughtful, intelligent, studious, with so much to share and offer.

We are all learning from each other. Sometimes we are tired, sometimes vibrant and eager to share our day. Sometimes angry, or even typing with an afterglow of having had a beautiful experience.

Whatever is 'mad' will pass. I cannot see any negative feeling surviving long on this website.

Oh my gosh, is this transit Venus conjunting my natal Venus by 0° talking here

Seriously, this place rocks! and I have meet some very lovely friends here!!

posted August 18, 2008 09:21 AM         

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Seriously, this place rocks! and I have meet some very lovely friends here!!

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well said. totally agreed.

i guess the thing is that it's open forum and everyone has different opinions and words of expressions and the right to express them. and it's a matter of interpretation. sometimes people are sensitive and take things in ways that were never intended. it only takes someone to be having a bad day to take something personally that wasn't meant that way. and vice versa, to say something in a way that they didn't mean. sometimes it comes down to ego. maybe it comes down to how seriously you take yourself too.

i always keep in mind that with our usernames we have a persona to a point and that we only reveal certain parts or amounts of ourselves here. i think it's rude and out of place when comments are made attacking people's character, especially without knowing anything about them. that's just making it personal when it shouldn't be.

posted August 18, 2008 06:41 PM         

quote:

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..."`But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'
`How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice.
`You must be,' said the Cat, `or you wouldn't have come here.'
Alice didn't think that proved it at all; however, she went on `And how do you know that you're mad?'
`To begin with,' said the Cat, `a dog's not mad. You grant that?'
`I suppose so,' said Alice.
`Well, then,' the Cat went on, `you see, a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad.'"

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posted August 18, 2008 07:33 PM         

"i have noticed a pattern though. the ones that mainly complain and become hostile or most easily offended are the ones that are here for a short time - they post their charts, want to hear about themselves and then leave. no contribution to others' threads, no genuine interest in astrology or anyone else, or in friendship and socialising.

most people are here in the name of fun, friendship and learning. and to me that's the spirit of the site"

Funny how you mentioned ego...however, you fail to recognize how obnoxious and precocious that comment is.

posted August 19, 2008 12:39 AM         

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WHY'S EVERYBODY SO MAD???

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I haven't been on the threads since Feburary.

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posted August 19, 2008 03:07 AM         

Coming from varying cultural backgrounds we are going to have different means of expression before we even get down to personality and astrological types. Some posters don't have English as their first language, and even if it is that doesn't mean we are always going express ourselves as well as we would like. Humour can be misunderstood.

A bit more tolerance would be nice, but that would go for the world in general and I don't expect it to happen any time soon.

posted August 19, 2008 04:45 AM         

if you don't get a response, "bump" your thread and say that it's really important to you. you may add more information, supporting data, a picture, a map or a chart to aid the potential responders. hello, let's not expect others to do the legwork for us, they are busy people. remember, this is a free site and people spend time and energy to help us.

my observations: our "success" in a board/forum takes time. being here is like being in a relationship (or a community), it requires nurturing, knowing the other person/s and learning when/how to compromise. and the most important, it should be symbiotic and not a host-parasite relationship. yes, most of us are newbies (i can't even tell aspects yet without looking at my notes! ), but a one-liner, an anecdote, an observation, a comment or even a joke once in a while will show that you care enough about the "relationship".