The difference between active posting and sticking your nose in EVERYTHING...

[eloquentXI]

So, I hope this doesn't come across wrong but this is something I want ask about because it's kind of bugging me.

While I love the fact that we have so many passionate people on these boards that are active and want to meet other people, that want to chatter away about the wonderful faires that we go to and the things we do, I want to present a very valid question.

When does so much become too much?

When you enter a conversation, here's a few things I want to ask:
Does your addition to the conversation have anything to do with the subject in the thread in any way possible?
If not, why are you posting?

This doesn't apply to the Absolutely Random Thoughts or Two Words! type of threads.

I understand that some people have more free time than others. More kudos for you for having more active time on these boards. But more often than not these days, I have to wade through posts by people that don't have anything to do with the subject, aren't even attending said event, etc and I'm left asking myself...why I am I reading this again? Oh wait, that's what the subject is- ah-hah, ok. Back on topic...I think.

Am I wrong for thinking this way or am I not the only one?

I hope this doesn't come across as derogatory towards any one person but I just want to present a very valid question.

[LadyShadow]

You are not alone. I have noticed it and wonder sometimes myself.

[Merlin the Elder]

Mea Culpa... sometimes I just get excited about things. I know I'm guilty, but I'll try to do better...

[Blushing]

Actually, this sentiment is exactly why I don't post all that much.  I wouldn't want people to think I'm a nuisance, or that I should post in a certain thread, so I silently lurk, a lot.

[iain robb]

Elo, I understand your point, but I don't if the "problem people" will.

Somewhere there's a happy medium, but I'm not sure we'd all agree where that is.

For instance, Merlin the Elder posts quite a bit, as he acknowledged above, but I have not felt in any way like he's sticking his nose into everything.

I generally take Blushing's approach, but lately I've "poked" into the Texas Renaissance Festival threads a bit since I'm planning to visit this fall. And it's possible that some of my posts may not be seen by some as pertinent.

I'm just trying -- as I think most people are -- to take part, and some of us may be more "enthusiastic" than others.

Drat, I hope that's added to the conversation ...

[Capt Spleen]

Let me take this opportunity to remind us all, that there have been some rules, more like guidelines to follow here on RF.Com:

and for this direct purpose, rules 5, 7, and 8 would apply appropriatly:

http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php?topic=452.0

I'm in accord with you EloquentXI.

[LadyStitch]

The way I feel about it, is if you have something constructive to add to a conversation, do so.  If you just want to post  to post, that is when it can become bothersome.  I understand this is a great outlet for many people, and sometimes the only contact with the outside world they get in a day.  I don't want to hinder their enthusiasum but it can be a little anoying. /shrug

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

Yes, i've posted quite a bit in the last three years but i rarely venture outside of TRF's forum and mainly stay on my own thread, which happens to be the neverending countdown.... where i'll be headed back to now.

[Merlin the Elder]

...For instance, Merlin the Elder posts quite a bit, as he acknowledged above, but I have not felt in any way like he's sticking his nose into everything. ...

I do spend a lot of time here—too much perhaps. I don't participate in any other social websites (Facebook, etc)...this is it.  My work tends to keep me isolated from most folks, and this is mostly by design—I need to be able to concentrate to effectively write software. When I break, I usually come here.

It's been here that I've made initial contact with a lot of people that I have eventually met in person. Being a rather timid person by nature, it has been a great help to me to use this forum to build relationships. I mostly stay in a few areas, but I do wander about to see what's going on elsewhere, and will occasionally open my yap. I don't want to wear out my welcome. If I get on someone's nerves, PM me and tell me nicely to shut up...

[Captain Teague]

Wow.

Text can be so confusing without tone and inflections. So I hope I am misunderstanding the feeling that we should pick camps and stay in them. Especially since I have no large "home faire" to pick that we can attend nearby to be able to attend its full run. We have only Mobile's one day and also Pensacolas, although we travel hours to attend others such as Tampa, recently Scarborough and in Nov., TRF. I also have great interest in making garb (including sewing ) , books, theatre, movie releases and tv series. Sometimes I comment on other faires, having been there at least once and any other subject I feel an interest in commenting on or attempting to help someone else with a question. Off topic occasionally, I decree guilty as charged, but I try not to continue said path once a comment of mine is made, I usually let that lie.

But I do hear you clearly on threads that have gone way off the path of what they were intended for. But I accept them no less than seeing a hundred posts of the mundane forums to wade through in getting to what brought me here in the first place, Faires and whatever that involves. The powers that be put them there and allow them to continue, so who am I to quibble. Goes with the territory, at least that is how I feel.

I just won't pick a camp and stay in it, though. If that's what is expected, then I shall simply bow out. I hope I am wrong about that, but as I rarely post as it is save for in the first when I was trying to fit in, I doubt I would be missed all that much anyway. 

[Zardoz]

While I look at a forum a lot, I generally don't post unless I've really got something to say on the subject at hand. This is partly because I sort of take a 'quality over quantity' approach... and partly because I'm a slow and labored two-fingered typist!

I guess it depends on the thread, but while 'topic drift' always can happen, I have not really noticed that much pointless posting here compared to some forums I'm on where the post whores run up like 7000 posts without saying anything more useful than "I agree" or "well said" 10 times in a 30 post thread just to see their post count go up.

(and I'm NOT saying that everyone that has thousands of posts is a 'post whore', or that post whores never make a useful contribution!)

[Merlin the Elder]

I think it's about threads just spinning wildly off into the universe with no connection to the original post, Lord Dragon. You need to hang around...definitely. I've enjoyed yours and the Lady's posts.  

[eloquentXI]

Wow.

Text can be so confusing without tone and inflections. So I hope I am misunderstanding the feeling that we should pick camps and stay in them. Especially since I have no large "home faire" to pick that we can attend nearby to be able to attend its full run. We have only Mobile's one day and also Pensacolas, although we travel hours to attend others such as Tampa, recently Scarborough and in Nov., TRF. I also have great interest in making garb (including sewing ) , books, theatre, movie releases and tv series. Sometimes I comment on other faires, having been there at least once and any other subject I feel an interest in commenting on or attempting to help someone else with a question. Off topic occasionally, I decree guilty as charged, but I try not to continue said path once a comment of mine is made, I usually let that lie.

But I do hear you clearly on threads that have gone way off the path of what they were intended for. But I accept them no less than seeing a hundred posts of the mundane forums to wade through in getting to what brought me here in the first place, Faires and whatever that involves. The powers that be put them there and allow them to continue, so who am I to quibble. Goes with the territory, at least that is how I feel.

I just won't pick a camp and stay in it, though. If that's what is expected, then I shall simply bow out. I hope I am wrong about that, but as I rarely post as it is save for in the first when I was trying to fit in, I doubt I would be missed all that much anyway. 

I am in NO way telling people where they can or can't post, at all. And bunny-trails happen, sometime, we go off on a random tangent and then...oops! Its just whenever it seems like honestly...someone has to dip there toe into everything without it being even related to the conversation. That's when it gets frustrating. I am by no means telling people to pick a camp and stay in that one. Had that been the way, I would have never talked to some of the people who have become almost like family that live half a nation away from Texas.

And no, Merlin, I don't consider you one of those people. You are almost always a great addition to any conversation (and funny as hell even if you aren't...)

I'm sorry if any took offense to what I was saying. I don't want people to feel like they aren't allowed to talk to other people or that if they have been trying to come out of their box, that they should revert back to being shy. That's not it at all. This place is wonderful for meeting people from around the nation.

I've been around these boards or one of its previous versions since 2006 and watched it grow to amazing bounds. But sometimes, things can get to be a bit too much. Being enthusiastic is great but apart of being an adult is also knowing when to shut your mouth.

If this is making some people want to shy away from this place, then I will gladly delete my post.

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

 

[Captain Teague]

Oh I am certainly not offended. Takes a caravan and more to do that.   Many thanks for the clarification.