Do you care what other CAF posters think of you?

[ToeInTheWater]

So in light of the recent announcement about the new forum, and the caution that not all the material on the current forum may survive the upgrade, I’ve been reviewing my prior posts.

I’ve noticed that many times I have disagreed, sometimes vehemently, with posters on certain issues, yet able to reach common ground on others. Sometimes I agree with a poster about, say, feminism, but not about immigration, or vice versa.

For the most part I don’t get too attached to particular posters. Yet at times I admit I am more reluctant to publicly disagree with posters who I “get along” with, and I get sad if a poster I respect doesn’t agree with me.

Does anyone else feel the same? Or are other posters just impersonal internet beings that you debate with on a purely intellectual level?

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

So in light of the recent announcement about the new forum, and the caution that not all the material on the current forum may survive the upgrade, I’ve been reviewing my prior posts.

I’ve noticed that many times I have disagreed, sometimes vehemently, with posters on certain issues, yet able to reach common ground on others. Sometimes I agree with a poster about, say, feminism, but not about immigration, or vice versa.

For the most part I don’t get too attached to particular posters. Yet at times I admit I am more reluctant to publicly disagree with posters who I “get along” with, and I get sad if a poster I respect doesn’t agree with me.

Does anyone else feel the same? Or are other posters just impersonal internet beings that you debate with on a purely intellectual level?

Interesting… I’m not sure I’ve heard about the “new” forums. Can you link to the info?

I’d like to think I just don’t care. And for the most part I don’t. There are one or two posters that have offended or angered me. But in all but one case the ignore feature is used.

I’m quite sure I’ve done the same tenfold so I try to keep it in perspective.
There are a few posters I consider “friends”. But mostly, because it’s the internet, it’s hard to have personal connections one way or the other. Some posters I know who they are IRL and that adds to the social aspect.
Mostly, recently it’s just a handful of the same posters. The traffic has slowed up a trickle.

 

[ToeInTheWater]

Interesting… I’m not sure I’ve heard about the “new” forums. Can you link to the info?

Sure, here it is:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=14815632#post14815632

I’d like to think I just don’t care. And for the most part I don’t. There are one or two posters that have offended or angered me. But in all but one case the ignore feature is used.

I have not used the Ignore feature itself but I have placed many posters on an unofficial ignore list, meaning I usually only skim their posts, and very rarely if ever directly reply to them. Most such posters have eventually wandered away, or been banned.

Mostly, recently it’s just a handful of the same posters. The traffic has slowed up a trickle.

I have noticed that the current state of CAF is that there is very little traffic when it comes to the supposed main goal of the CA apostolate, engaging in Catholic Apologetics. The most active subforum is certainly the Prayer Intentions, and while I certainly think they are needed, they are not really related to the Apologetics mission.

It seems the second most popular overall topic are political ones. Either about actual politicians, or about political concepts such as feminism.

I also recall there was once more connection between CAF and the main CA apostolate. There was more traffic on the actual “Catholic Answers” subforum, too.

I get the sense that there is overall less of a “community” feeling to CAF than it once was. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. I recall some “regulars” of years gone by confessing adultery, ABC use, and other serious sins, and being treated with much more laxity and acceptance, or at least insta-forgiveness, compared to newbies posting of the same sins.

That kind of double standard based on whether you “like” a poster, or at least think the posters is a “good guy” or “good girl” based on their prior posts, is less apparent these days, likely due to the decreased overall traffic.

 

[ConfusedLucy]

Personally I don’t. I do try to be respectful though but I am who I am.

 

[AdamP88]

I guess I care to a certain extent… It is a community after all and you tend to develop an affinity for the regular members. Especially when reading their posts and getting some snippets of information about their lives.
I often think it’d be interesting to get all the regulars in the same room for a discussion.

 

[thephilosopher6]

I guess I care to a certain extent… It is a community after all and you tend to develop an affinity for the regular members. Especially when reading their posts and getting some snippets of information about their lives.
I often think it’d be interesting to get all the regulars in the same room for a discussion.

I feel the same way.

 

[phil_at_dayboro]

You seem to care less the further you go past the age of 60,
I’v upset a couple, received infractions for my trouble ,
The thing to remember is you can’t please everyone,
People misinterpret humour , what you Say in jest,others fall off their trolly ,
I’v created some great friendships, if they like you, they won’t get upset,

 

[Roseeurekacross]

It’s difficult to really communicate without the clues of body language. Also culturally, there can be some wide chasms. We speak English, but come from different cultures, and words have different meaning.

That being said, we are to set our stock in God, not what our fellow humans think of us.
I do enjoy the Christian fellowship here. I can relax and chat about some aspect of the Church, or the Trinity, and you guys all reciprocate, it’s nice.

It can be a very supportive community here. And it is interesting to read different perspectives.

I am a bit sensitive about certain events atm and probably should enforce a 12 hr rule before posting when these issues crop up.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’ve been on the Internet a long, long time, and I’ve learned that I cannot do much about what other people on the Internet think of me. I have had some people become my closest friends on the Internet, and I have also had people decide I am the spawn of the devil for little or no reason. Que sera sera.

I’ve reached a point in my life where I am using the Internet mainly to discuss or learn about subjects of interest to me with other people who share that interest, and I’m not looking to find either romantic partners or close buddies on the Internet. I also decided as of a few years ago that anyone who creates even a small amount of drama will simply be put on block/ ignore/ whatever feature is available for nipping it in the bud immediately. So “what people think of me” is generally a minor joy or a small cross at most. I try to act in a reasonable way that doesn’t trouble my own conscience, and let the chips fall where they may.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I recall some “regulars” of years gone by confessing adultery, ABC use, and other serious sins, and being treated with much more laxity and acceptance, or at least insta-forgiveness, compared to newbies posting of the same sins.

That kind of double standard based on whether you “like” a poster, or at least think the posters is a “good guy” or “good girl” based on their prior posts, is less apparent these days, likely due to the decreased overall traffic.

In my experience, this “double standard” is a problem all forums share regardless of whether it’s CAF or a forum for discussing how to take care of your pet parakeet. There gets to be a little group of early adopters or “insiders” who know each other and are very accepting of the peccadilloes of anyone who’s an “insider”, whether it’s annoying posts or questionable real-life behavior, but let someone who is either newer or not as well accepted do the exact same thing and it’s treated as a crime against humanity, or in the worst case, an excuse to make the person the butt of jokes and even bullying for a long time. Most forums also seem incapable of understanding that their members act like that or that there is anything wrong with it if they do.

I have to say I am uncomfortable with the board permitting people to start threads about “is this a sin or is this not a sin” etc. Aside from the fact that there are enough threads about having just masturbated to fill a Penthouse Letters column, and some people seeming to find a mortal sin under every bush, I really feel those discussions need to go straight to a priest, in person, and there is no good purpose served by having them here.

 

[DarkLight]

Really depend on the poster.

There are some posters that I’d take to heart if they criticized. There are some that I might be a little worried if they approved.

 

[Lea101]

Not really. I’m not close to anybody here so I don’t necessarily feel anything (besides annoyance) when the “relationship” sours. I also know that there are quite a few posters that aren’t fond of me. I’m way too exhausted in general. I’m not going to filter my thoughts in an attempt to be liked on an online forum.

 

[Xystus]

. Yet at times I admit I am more reluctant to publicly disagree with posters who I “get along” with, and I get sad if a poster I respect doesn’t agree with me.

There is only one person i agree with 100% of the time… myself. with everyone else there are going to be times where we dont agree and i am not going to withhold my point of view if i feel like i can add something to the discussion.

 

[DarkLight]

There is only one person i agree with 100% of the time… myself. with everyone else there are going to be times where we dont agree and i am not going to withhold my point of view if i feel like i can add something to the discussion.

I dunno, I’ve read some of my old threads, and I’ve said some pretty darn stupid things on here before.

 

[Crusaderbear]

Many I desire, as the OP does, to be thought of as open minded and respectful. Others, I find their single minded view to be sad. Luckily almost all of them have been banned! The few remaining provide some comic relief, and an occasionsl good point - even opinions I don’t agree with can teach something!

I have learned much from posters here!

I think 87% of the posts here could easily be closed and archived as OBE (overcome by events). A fresh start in Sep/Oct would be refreshing…just try not to lose the post counts!

 

[christofirst]

I do care. I disagree with the views of many of my fellow posters here, especially when it comes to political ideology, but also with the interpretation and application of Church teachings. I tend to be more progressive or liberal in my views, but** I do not like fighting**, and so I usually just keep quiet when I read the posts and posters I find disagreeable. I’m the first to admit that I do not have all the answers, and I my understanding of things could be faulty, so I tend to keep my opinions to myself rather than getting into multiple confrontations and possibly alienating others here. I doubt anything I have to say would change anyone’s mind anyway, especially those most strongly attached to their way of seeing things

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I do care. I disagree with … the interpretation and application of Church teachings.

Me too, in some (not all) cases, but it’s pointless to argue with people who have their minds made up, which is pretty much the case all over the Internet, and it’s generally pointless to argue, period, unless the person who you’re trying to convince is a decisionmaker.

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

So in light of the recent announcement about the new forum, and the caution that not all the material on the current forum may survive the upgrade, I’ve been reviewing my prior posts.

I’ve noticed that many times I have disagreed, sometimes vehemently, with posters on certain issues, yet able to reach common ground on others. Sometimes I agree with a poster about, say, feminism, but not about immigration, or vice versa.

For the most part I don’t get too attached to particular posters. Yet at times I admit I am more reluctant to publicly disagree with posters who I “get along” with, and I get sad if a poster I respect doesn’t agree with me.

Does anyone else feel the same? Or are other posters just impersonal internet beings that you debate with on a purely intellectual level?

There are some posters that I enjoy reading more than others, and others I enjoy reading less than others.

I have an ignore list, probably many are from years ago (trolls etc) that ended up being banned anyway.

I’ve been posting for about 10 + years, I’m not sure how to go about copying and pasting all my posts in order to save.

 

[friardchips]

So in light of the recent announcement about the new forum, and the caution that not all the material on the current forum may survive the upgrade, I’ve been reviewing my prior posts.

I’ve noticed that many times I have disagreed, sometimes vehemently, with posters on certain issues, yet able to reach common ground on others. Sometimes I agree with a poster about, say, feminism, but not about immigration, or vice versa.

For the most part I don’t get too attached to particular posters. Yet at times I admit I am more reluctant to publicly disagree with posters who I “get along” with, and I get sad if a poster I respect doesn’t agree with me.

Does anyone else feel the same? Or are other posters just impersonal internet beings that you debate with on a purely intellectual level?

Sometimes, it is the case that you will agree with certain posters on most things, and with others, hardly at all. It can be a surprise to find that someone you thought highly of, then speaks in a way that you don’t agree with - perspective-wise. Depending on the subject-matter, this can range to a reaction of shock, to disgust. Yet the point is to remember that everyone is learning and deepening their knowledge of things. In threads, I think it is best to just move on and not hold people’s views, against them. Most of the time, those you mostly agree with, will probably not be offensive in the way they put forward their comments, even if you don’t agree with them over one detail, and this usually makes it easier to forget. There might be another chance of the same topic coming up again oneday and at such a time you might find that the conversations take a different turn for the better.

 

[rfournier103]

I care about not offending the moderators and not getting banned.

Aside from that, except for a couple of close friends, it’s not something I think of at all.