Why do people leave?

JimmyJaceyMom · Sep 25, 2007

hmmm, the online world. It's an interesting place. The stories I could tell you - MY GOODNESS! You can only imagine as the only other type of message board I had belonged to before photogtraphy was a pregnancy one! All of us due in the same month. A bunch of hormone driven women all in one place with differing opinions on just about everything! C-R-A-Z-Y!
But also one of the neatest experiences in my life. No kidding. Then things got really wierd and after all the babies were born and people had gotten so comfortable with one another and 'cliques' had formed and the sh#t hit the fan! I stayed out of all of it until it was time to stick up for what I believed in and it didn't go over well with those in charge so I got the big old BOOT!
I started my own board and invited some from the one I was kicked off of and you know the ones that booted me actually pretended to be someone else, gained access to my private board and copied and pasted information from mine and sent it to all of their members. Then proceeded in kicking off any members of their board that would not agree to leave mine?
Weirdos.
I closed mine after some threats were made to a few of my members and one of mine made HER own so now it's just a tiny, nice, quiet board with a few calm people. yay.

As far as TPF, I did not know one single thing when I came here and I am not kidding. Look back and see my first few posts and my face will turn red at the embarassing stuff I asked - the very questions that irritate many members here.
But I asked, got answers, tried and practiced and asked for more and more help and am moving up and up as I go along. I don't take breaks from here except when life is nutso and I try my hardest to stay out of trouble although when I see something that really bugs me I can't bite my tongue sometimes.
I feel that even if I knew all there was to know I will love to help those that are genuine in their want to learn more. If no one wanted to help me when I started I don't know where I would be now. Still taking pictures of my kids with my crappy 2.1 megapixel.

My advice to people on message boards is to ignore the things that don't interest you. Roll your eyes and move on. LOL. I know you are a great teacher. You taought me a lot of things so far and I hope you can stick around to share more of your thoughts with me.

One of the first times you critiqued something of mine I was like "Uh, whatever!" haha. But I knew you were right and apon getting to know what your style of helping was I learned to appreciate the honesty of it. And now I look for it.

Hang in there.

Mike Jordan · Sep 25, 2007

Corry said:
And also, before you post, remember that behind those screen names are real human beings...neighbors, brothers, fathers, aunts, daughters, ect.

Actually, that's not always true... I've been in computers almost as long as I've been in photography and I've found that a good number of posters on forums like this are not human. They are programs and automated AI's (under the guise of search engine data gathers) that have been very ingeniously created to simulate human behaviour. Probably as many as 50% are not real flesh and blood. Another 49% are one person running two or more computers under multiple screen names so they can play off each other, edge each other on, be the straight man and generally make it look more active than it really is. That usually leaves one person at most that is the real user in any given conversation. So will the real forum member please raise their hand?

Mike

Corry · Sep 26, 2007

Mike Jordan said:
Actually, that's not always true... I've been in computers almost as long as I've been in photography and I've found that a good number of posters on forums like this are not human. They are programs and automated AI's (under the guise of search engine data gathers) that have been very ingeniously created to simulate human behaviour. Probably as many as 50% are not real flesh and blood. Another 49% are one person running two or more computers under multiple screen names so they can play off each other, edge each other on, be the straight man and generally make it look more active than it really is. That usually leaves one person at most that is the real user in any given conversation. So will the real forum member please raise their hand?

Mike

I am not referring to spambots/search engine spiders that don't post, unless it's spam. I'm pretty sure you know that.

skieur · Sep 26, 2007

Mike Jordan said:
Actually, that's not always true... I've been in computers almost as long as I've been in photography and I've found that a good number of posters on forums like this are not human. They are programs and automated AI's (under the guise of search engine data gathers) that have been very ingeniously created to simulate human behaviour. Probably as many as 50% are not real flesh and blood. Another 49% are one person running two or more computers under multiple screen names so they can play off each other, edge each other on, be the straight man and generally make it look more active than it really is. That usually leaves one person at most that is the real user in any given conversation. So will the real forum member please raise their hand?

Mike

Hey, sounds like a great conspiracy theory! :lol:

The question then becomes: "Are you real or an automated program?" :lol:

Of course, since I don't have an avatar, maybe I'm a program.....hmmm :sexywink:

skieur

RMThompson · Sep 26, 2007

All in all these things work themselves out. It's a good forum, however bitter I seemed earlier in the thread, I enjoy it.

abraxas · Sep 26, 2007

RMThompson said:
All in all these things work themselves out. It's a good forum, however bitter I seemed earlier in the thread, I enjoy it.

Full moon tonight- tends to draw water into people's heads, like a blister. Things will work out.

skieur · Sep 26, 2007

Iron Flatline said:
It can be both. We have sections for each, and they can happily co-exist.

Certainly they can co-exist if they stay in their sections. I think motcon said it originally and I tend to agree... Critical Analysis is not the place for chat. Readers are looking for critique there.

skieur

Mike Jordan · Sep 26, 2007

Corry said:
I am not referring to spambots/search engine spiders that don't post, unless it's spam. I'm pretty sure you know that.

Oops... I see I forgot to put my "beware of humorous comment" warning in my post. Now where did that warning go...

Mike

Patrice · Sep 26, 2007

As has been said 'sometimes life gets in the way' and other times it's 'just time to move on'. I used to belong to a truck forum and an rv forum - they got boring and no longer held my interest. Another photo forum I belong to is brand specific is absolutely huge so a search of the site will give me a result before my having to ask in a post. I also participate in a brand specific motorcycle forum that had a few hundred members when I joined and now is approaching 100 thousand, just can't keep up with who is who and what the threads are anymore. I've been inactive for quite a while on any of the forums whith life changes taking priority for attention over the last 6 months.

abraxas · Sep 26, 2007

Oooowh, oooowh, I got one...

Sometimes people leave 'cause they die.

skieur · Sep 26, 2007

abraxas said:
Oooowh, oooowh, I got one...

Sometimes people leave 'cause they die.

Sure, but getting cancer, or having a family member suddenly in a coma due to a car accident or catastrophically brain damaged can be rather "distracting" as well.

skieur