The Compliment Sandwich: Forums!

[Dave]

So, this is the latest in my series of threads that encourage people to really look at a subject matter and get to grips on what they really think about something. The way it works is very simple. You state something that you like about the subject matter. It could be something as simple as how they look or how much they make you enjoy something. After that, you simply state something that you do not like about the subject matter. Again, it could be anything. After that, you, simply round it off with something positive.

Simple as that

Oooh! So this is what the inside of the Cigar Lounge looks like? Luckily, I managed to get past the CLS security at the door with a quote from Aristotle... That should buy me some time to get this thread posted! This time, the concept of Forums is what is coming under the microscope as we look at the positives and negatives of these services. So without further ado... Let's discuss this shit!

Forums are not something I have been doing for a long time. I joined my first forum when I was 13 and I never ever went on it. It was a games forum that was well-run but far too big. It covered everything and had far too many people trying to say the same thing. I stayed on it for a month or so and then forums went out the window until I started to take a renewed interest in wrestling. One day I was looking for Smackdown spoilers and ended up here. I joined the forum and immediately tried to post my thoughts on everything. I didn't realise that I sucked at this game and got myself banned rather quickly. However, it was the excitement of the place that got to me. Forums tend to encourage debate and thought. At this point, I was just a rookie to how they worked but it seemed like the place where I could talk to like-minded people without fear of being looked down on. I guess that is the greatest strength of a forum, it brings people together to talk about a common interest. It opens people up to a world of new information and outlooks that wouldn't be accessed anywhere else.

That being said, forums are still on the internet and on the internet, there is always going to be imbeciles that think that are better than everyone. Not only in terms of intelligent but also think it is clever to put people down for their attitudes towards something. I never get on at people for posting something outrageous but there are always people who like to make themselves feel better or superior by crushing the idea of someone else and that is the biggest flaw of a forum. Add that to the fact that forums are addictive and you sometimes have a recipe for disaster. When I joined this place, I was obsessed with getting a full rep-bar and then becoming a moderator. I was so desperate to achieve that, that I would think about it constantly when I looked around the forum. It took over my life for a long period of time and if you think that I am the only person who has fallen victim to that, you are sorely mistaken.

However, forums give people some solace that they might not ever get and most of the time, a forum becomes a brotherhood. I have met Lee, Tasty, Deej and Phoenix from this forum and I have made friends due to that. Forums are not only a place to discuss things, they are a place where a microcosmic society is employed. There are all manner of social groups and social circles that reflect society and I guess that it teaches people a lot too.

Your turn!

 

[Calderownz]

Like everything, it has it's good and bad. Your experience is based on how serious you plan on taking the comments of perfect strangers.

At times -- most of the time for me -- it's a completely positive experience. Fun. You can voice an opinion without having to feel the pressure of getting it all out at once like you might in person. You can think it out and say it the way you intend it.

However, it's also something that has it's bad side. People often hide behind computers because they have nothing better to do. It's quite sad. But it happens. It doesn't bother me as a person, but it does ruin the flow of a forum when adults are trying to have a cordial discussion and douche bags have to mess it up.

Nonetheless, all in all, I love forums. I love voicing my opinion and I love arguing/debating. It's helped in real life as I don't feel the need to argue all the time. I'd also like to think that I voice my opinion online in a way that isn't too abrasive or confrontational.

 

[#hamler]

The Good

Forums are a good way of hiding who you really are. Forums give you a chance to put on a different face. If you're a loser in the real world, you can be treated great on the internet. People can hide behind their computer screens and do whatever they please without suffering the consequences of a good ass kicking. A forum provides the opportunity to hide who others believe you to be, and be who you want to be.

The Bad

The little shits who think they own the site. No, not the wonderful Nazi mods, or the Admins, but the pricks with huge amounts of rep power and think they're better than everyone else. The ones who can't accept anyone else's opinions but their own. The ones who can't agree to disagree. We have our fair share on this site. People are here to have fun, not to be bullied by someone sitting behind a computer with better grammer skills then you have. There can always be that one or two people who ruin it for everybody. And every forum has that person.

The Good Again

Overall, forums help you learn. I for one know my language skills have improved since coming to this forum. With the wonderful spam rule we have here, it gives us an opportunity to hear other people's opinions with a little back up. Forums are a great way for people who aren't very 'loud' about their opinions to get their opinions heard. All in all, forums are a great. I do most of my arguing on here instead of with my girlfriend and other friends. I love how I've made plenty of friends on here, friends I'll likely never meet, and I'm fine with that.

 

[UltimateHitman]

I agree with everybody. As with all walks of life, there will be good and bad. Sometimes the bad can be irritating, just based on the fact that you come to have fun, post serious thoughts, and sometimes just be silly, let off steam, and unwind.

I have noticed that thing about people w/higher rep bars who seem to think that if you try to join in on a little goofing around or something it's almost like they take offense to it. Kind of like you're not allowed to play around (even if it's somewhere like the cage) until you've made 2,000 posts and have the maximum amount of green bars in the top right hand corner (as you're looking at it, of course. )

Forums are a way for people to come together about similar interests and share ideas. In my situation, I'm an older guy and a lot of the people that grew up w/me watching professional wrestling have since fallen out of watching it. As such, it's difficult to find somebody to just chat about the companies, storylines, history, matches, that week's programming, etc. It's good to go somewhere that people have similar interests and can discuss/debate things relevant to that similar passion.

Like you guys said, though, there is bad. One thing is people getting too uptight about things. I mean honestly, is it that big of an issue to be able to flaunt rep power around and act like you're straight out of a Revenge of the Nerds movie, acting like the country club elite while poking fun at "nerds"? It's a forum, everybody is here to discuss and have fun.

Another thing that comes to mind is the amount of, "ignorance", for lack of a better term. The amount of posts that just say "yeah, Stonecold iz gone too come out, stun everbudy, and flip them the bird cuz Attiude rulz!" even if Stone Cold is nowhere near in talks to be on WWE programming. Have a little common sense, make a coherent, well thought out comment, and please, don't post if all you're going to do is call somebody a name just because you think Trent Baretta is the best ever and think he's going to get a title run in the next month. Decorum, people.

That being said, though, forums are great for people to come and chat in a non-intimidating environment. Some people get picked on for either how they look or act, and sometimes wearing a pro wrestling t-shirt around doesn't help that at all.

Forums provide a haven that people can come to when they don't want to give up what they like simply because assclowns put them down for it. It's anonymous and it can even give a person a sense of self-esteem to know that there are people out there that love what they do and they can share their opinions and tastes about something. In the case of professional wrestling, you obviously know you're not the only one out there because of the live crowds, but you don't have the interaction of those people as you do on a forum.

As long as you don't take it too obsessively, you can have a fun time and feel like you're a part of a common group. That can help immensely if you don't have anybody immediately around you that shares your interests. Forums and the internet are good tools to utilize in that regard. Just don't let them become so ingrained in your life that you don't ever try to interact w/anybody personally, though. That's a little too far.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

Like most people would say, the forum is a great place to get your opinion be heard. For subjects such as wrestling -- to which, there might not be that many friends that are fans of that in real life -- you can come on a forum and publically discuss your opinion and have it be heard by other people who come here to do the same. Vise-versa. As such, this becomes the perfect place to not only discuss said subjects, but debate about them.

But therein, lies the negative side to forums. More often than not, you encounter your people who tend to put down others for having their own opinion on said subject. Whether it be because the person being ridiculed isn't as educated on the subject in question, the person who is doing the ridiculing thinks he knows more than the former, or simply because that person likes to feel superior for putting others down -- these people make the forums less fun for that person and anyone else who gets ridiculed. And it's because you have these people being the way they are that you have the creation of "bandwagons" who directly or indirectly either do the same or believe the general idea that is spouted by those that ridicule others. Thus, you have more people making the forum less fun for even more people. It becomes a never ending cycle of "less fun."

Having said that, forums tend to have another problem that I've began to notice over the course of the past few months: they become addicting. There was a point where I, too, became addicted to the forums. I'd neglect my real life responsibilities just for being able to browse forums like this one and see what people were 'discussing at the moment.' Sure, it was all fun, and it was a great way to kill time; but after a while, you start to see how much this has dragged you out of your real life and made you question your ability to, uh, go out there and enjoy your real life -- and not this "fake" one.

Eventually though, after a while, you get over the "addiction" and visit the forum alot less; furthermore, you're able to enjoy real life alot more.

In any case, forums -- especially ones like this one --improve your knowledge on said subjects. Whilst reading other posts or even whilst debating -- when you read what other people have to say, you learn what they think and ultimately increase your own opinion on said subjects. Reading what others say opens doors to new sides of a topic that you probably would have never considered.

Overall, I'd say forums are a great source for obtaining new knowledge. Sure, there may be 'posters' who make posts that aren't very knowledgeable; but that's why you make sure to pay close attention to those that DO know and that ARE very knowledgeable. Posters such as the creator of not only this thread, but this thread series to which I've enjoyed posting in.

 

[LSN80]

The best thing to me about these forums are the diversity. Yes, it's a wrestling forum first and foremost, but it's so much more then that. I want to talk sports? Awesome, there's this cool debator's league Im involved in that's been incredibly rewarding as I go head to head with some great sports minds. You say you want to hear some music? I have the opportunity to find a new band every single day and add their music to my library and share the process that went in finding such band thanks to Dave's thread. I don't want to worry about grammar, spelling, or staying on topic? I can just head to the cage and chat with people I have the pleasure of calling my "e-friends". Find me a place on the Web with more diversity, and I'll call you a liar.

Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks of that diversity is that it can be too time consuming. Don 't get me wrong, I have a stressful life, and the forums are a great escape. But there are times when in that escape wherew I forget my real life responsibility, and lose track of time. I often forget the smallest things Im supposed to or need to do because I find myself getting so involved in the forums. While the forums can be a great escape from reality, they can be too much of an escape from a very busy reality.

But one of the reasons I enjoy escaping reality is the people here are second to none. I have some real life friends that Ive encouraged to join the site and have done so, which provides another way for us to interact. Ive also met and gotten to know people here on this site that I would meet in a heartbeat and gladly meet if the opportunity rose. Im sure we'ld have a great time if our experiences on the forum are any indication, and I'm an excellent designated driver to boot! Between the wrestling knowledge, laughs, and captivating personalities, Ive always been adverse to social networking as my life felt complete without meeting people online, but I've been drawn into the people on this forum that Ive never done anywhere else, including Facebook or MySpace.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The Good

It can be a great place to discuss a passion that you have that you cannot really do in the real world. I have very few friends who are big wrestling fans nowadays. Most people I know were fans like I was back in high school and know all the old school wrestlers, but have no knowledge of the current product and are no longer passionate about the business. They can get disinterested if I try to bring up wrestling, so I really like the fact I have somewhere to chat about wrestling with other fans.

The Bad

Assholes who are losers in real life, but have built up an online persona where they act like the king of the forum and expect to be treated as such. I find you have to watch what you say, and who you say it too, otherwise you get a mouthful of abuse from people who in the real world would not say shit. It isnt this forum in particular, it happens on all.

The Good

Its a great way to learn more about your interest. I have found alot of new music through this forum and recommendations people have made. I have discovered great wrestling matches that I never knew existed and met some great guys on here. Through this forum I know shit loads more about wrestling, music and lots of other stuff that I otherwise may never have known about, and I thank you all for that.

Long live Wrestlezone!