I first encountered the 'Dope in 1999. It was my freshmen year of college, and a time when having your own web page was still cool. I joined because of GQ. I loved hearing experts answer questions I would have never dreamed of asking. And I loved how I could ask a question and know I’d end up satisfied with the answer within a day. Life, the internet, you guys…it all seemed so powerful and so full of possibility.
As time moved on, so did I. I started lurking in GD. And the stuff I learned there- how to make an argument, how to spot fallacies, etc. was as much a part of my education as anything I did in class. I’ve always been a voracious lurker. But I’ve never been a huge poster. I’m not one of the super-stars. I’m never mentioned in the mention-a-Doper thread. But I like to think I’ve at least been a constant.
Well, it’s ten years later. Adulthood has been a crazy ride. You guys have literally watched me grow up. There was my bout with depression. I don’t know if you guys really know how bad that was. But you also probably don’t know that the Dope was a big part of me getting through that. When I was lost in my dark pit of despair and my friends and family didn’t know how to talk to me, you guys gave me a kick in the ass in the Pit. You guys gave me the cold and objective perspective I needed to stop the self-pity and take control of my life.
And from then on, it’s been nothing but adventures! Even when I had to take a three hour bus ride down a dirt road in hundred degree heat to get a dial-up connection, the Dope has always been my first stop. I love having stuff to share with you guys and I enjoy reading from the overseas Dopers, who make me feel less alone in this strange time zone.
I’ve got to also mention that there have been some Dopers who have done amazing things for me. You know who you are, and I’ll never forget it. You made a huge difference in someone’s life. Thank you.
I’m not a person who likes to mix internet life up with real life. I don’t want to meet internet people ever. I don’t get involved in board dramas. I’ve managed to go ten years without a warning. I dislike people who get actually emotionally tied up in this stuff. It makes me want to yell “Get a life!” I’ve never had a beef with the moderation and indeed appreciate how well this board works. And I’ve always understood and respected the “this is not your board” attitude. It’s true. This isn’t my playground. It’s a wonder that this board became so great, but there are other things in this world. And in the end this board’s greatness is like a freak accident. It’s something nobody was even hoping for, and something that might disappear. It’s a gift just for it to exist this at this moment.
Anyway, I’m just sad these days about the boards. I hope things work out.
Sad about what, exactly? Questions are still answered, debates still rage, politics is about the same. So Cafe Society isn’t exactly inspiring much of the time and MPSIMS is just that. You can’t call somebody a fucktard, apparently, but I’m not sure I miss it much. I think there has been one question from me in six years that nobody has responded to. Computer Dopers have rescued me from electronic death, helped me with my MP3 file changeover, sort out the maddening changes on Word 07, etc.
So I’m curious as to what has your knickers in a twist, since, as you say, people should just “get a life” if it isn’t their cup of tea.
Agreed. What exactly has changed recently? So I can’t call someone a braindead asswagon anymore (wait, is “asswagon” allowed?), is that really something to be sad about?
I’m guessing she’s sad about the fact that a whole lot of people have left the Boards in a huff, and that there are numerous current topics about the operation (and culture) of the boards that you can’t comment on without starting yet another argument.
I share your sadness, even sven, and your dismay. (And though I’ve never mentioned you in a “list your favorite Dopers” threads – because I never post in those threads because any list would be incomplete – I feel like I’ve watched you grow up, and I’m proud of you in a “I had nothing to do with it but damn she turned out well” sort of way.)
That was a nice post, even sven. Over the last eight years that I have been posting here, you are one of the very few who has posted threads complaining about your situation and then actually taking the advice and improving yourself. So many more people have squandered our advice and are still in the same place all of these years later. Don’t think that it hasn’t gone noticed by a lot of us.
It’s been very gratifying to see you grow from an unsure teen into a very impressive young woman. You’re not even close to your peak either. I look forward to reading about it. Keep up the good work. You should be very proud of yourself.
I’ve been too busy to post much lately, and haven’t really followed much of the recent drama. I had some spare time this AM and read thru a few threads. Things seemed pretty much the same to me.
Anyway, I commented a few weeks ago about the OP and how she seems to have grown considerably over the years. You really have a talent for writing, even sven. Hopefully that’s something that will pay off for you eventually.
Other good things the Dope has done for me…it convinced me to buy a DivaCup, which changed my life and is the best one thing I’ve ever purchased. And it convinced me to do the Couch 2 5K program. It’s the first time I’ve ever exercised, ever. What a great program! I started out unable to run even for a minute. Now it’s a few months later and I run 2.5 miles several times a week and can feel my newfound strength and endurance as I go about my everyday life. I would have never tried it if it weren’t for your guy’s descriptions of how easy it is.
I really thought all this unpleasantness would blow over and the only people who’d leave were some die-hard busybodies who I didn’t much like anyway. But it does seem like the boards are slowing down and growing stagnant. I think it’s a shame, and I hope we all get over this hump.
I haven’t posted much in the last five years or so, and when I did post regularly, I was a mess. So much so that I did not leave a good impression on people who interacted with me here. But like you, EvenSven, the kick in the ass I got here was a big part of what eventually turned me around. I had simply never thought about my problems in the way people here did, and when I started to see things their way instead of my helpless pitying way, it was tremendously empowering. It helped me to change my life. Five years ago I was an unstable, emotionally stunted psycho with daddy issues. Now I am a wife and mother who can confidently say she’s functioning very well in both capacities. Not perfectly, but well.
When I weigh that against the new rules, the “hamfisted” attitude of the moderation, and Ed Zotti’s apparent dismissal of our importance here, all the disputes here seem so meaningless. If he’s decided the community doesn’t matter, so what? Look what it did for my life! It matters. He doesn’t need to say it. Don’t throw away all the amazing simply because of a handful of people’s misjudgment.
Anyway, I jumped out of my lurking corner just to say that I related to what you were saying in your OP. You helped me put words to exactly what was bothering me about all this mess. So thanks.
So, I’ve been away for a bit, as I tend to do these days. I’ve read the new pit rules, which came as a bit of a surprise. But what’s this talk about a lot of people leaving in a huff? What happened?
Hey, you’re like an older, female version of me. Only I never really got into posting. And now I’m about to head out to China too! Maybe we can have a dopefest in Chengdu or wherever you’re at these days ^^
Ed made new rules in an amazingly ham-handed way, Giraffe quit in protest, Ed published the rules, most people didn’t like it, Ed defended the rules in an amazingly ham-handed way, Giraffe started www.giraffeboards.com and someone else started www.domebo.net
If you noticed, the Dope’s slowed down considerably in the last month. Ed doesn’t care because he doesn’t make much money off the adverts anyhow.
