P
P50
Guest
I've noticed that I have recently become uninterested in a great majority of posts that have recently appeared; primarily because they aren't really about tickling. Yes, I have posted some ancillary (at best) material in another recent post defending the actions of certain mods here (I'm so pious and all that) which perhaps interested a few members here (well, it spun off an amazingly tangential thread) but the reader knows what I'm talking about.
I began to notice that my annoyance and uninterest in various posts (and perhaps the reader's annoyance and disinterest in my posts) surfaced with my mind nearly instantly forming a mental response to various material that would fall somewhere under any number of broad headings such as...
<I>
He's just saying...
She's just being...
That's another...
Oh, it's Ivan Axt'grind
That's not even related...
Another guy trying to cross...
That idea has been tried and disproven a thousand times.
Oh, right-winger. (Oh; left-winger) (Oh; another hater-of-all-rules)
</I>
Observing these things, I think I can identify some categories that describe the members here; and I invite additions and suggested sanding and polishing on the rough edges of my offerings.
The categories I see are...
-1-
The unhealthy time-waster: He or she has a post here nearly every single day; workdays, off-days, Saturday, Sunday, no breaks. The person focuses so much attention on the TMF it qualifies as near illness; and certainly neurosis. This person hardly ever lets a post go by without adding a comment. It's not a 20-minute check-in once a day, either; it's hours.
Attention newbies: for the first month or two, this is quite natural behavior.
-2-
The professional lurker: He or she has been a member for more than a year and has less than 12 posts. Perhaps among the smartest members present; but still, the level of participation is almost as questionable as the unhealthy time-waster.
Newbies: this is equally natural.
-3-
The flame chip: Ready to rail anyone, anywhere, anytime, for anything. He or she maintains a state of mind much like attorneys who specialize in courtroom litigation.
-4-
The diluter: This person is interested only barely in tickling, and that, only as an aside. The true interest is to mix in this person's own special interest and try to convince every single reader that they also share his or her "secondary" interest. This person attempts to draw logical connections between anything (snow from the north pole, if needed, The Radio City Rockettes if needed, Nuclear Physics if needed; anything works) and their special interest, with an occasional tangential reference to tickling. Favorite phrase: "See ?" In the realm of psychology, this is near fraud.
-5-
The big flirts: No question as to intent; they want E-mail, then phone calls if the E-mail comes across well; after that, they want to date. Horror of horrors, they may even want to marry you. Perhaps these people are among the most noble members here.
-6-
The big jerks: He (it's never a girl) will never post a public comment, but he will send E-mail proving his written language skills to be lower than mine were in kindegarten. (In my school, we began the alphabet in kindegarten, while actual word formation was held back until 1st grade, day 1.) He will normally send these only to female members.
Hint to jerks: using deliberate misspellings and ham radio type abbreviations in your communications guarantees that you will receive zippo for your time; which is fitting in that you don't deserve the rewards for your time that others will get for providing constructive additions to the forum. Think: structure helps communication. Think: few people are annoyed by good manners.
-7-
The psychologically curious: This person wants to know who, how, when, and what's behind it all. He or she has opinions galore, but doesn't put too much behind any of them; often deliberately holding them back in deference to others' feelings. This person is highly inquisitive; even moreso with respect to workable lifestyles that include tickling.
No brag, no apology; I know I'm at least partly present in this category.
-8-
The married couples: I haven't figured them out yet, but welcome and stick around. You are among the most encouraging members of the TMF.
More to come later, my time limit just expired.
Please, others, feel free to suggest other categories, or to suggest sanding and polishing anything here.
I began to notice that my annoyance and uninterest in various posts (and perhaps the reader's annoyance and disinterest in my posts) surfaced with my mind nearly instantly forming a mental response to various material that would fall somewhere under any number of broad headings such as...
<I>
He's just saying...
She's just being...
That's another...
Oh, it's Ivan Axt'grind
That's not even related...
Another guy trying to cross...
That idea has been tried and disproven a thousand times.
Oh, right-winger. (Oh; left-winger) (Oh; another hater-of-all-rules)
</I>
Observing these things, I think I can identify some categories that describe the members here; and I invite additions and suggested sanding and polishing on the rough edges of my offerings.
The categories I see are...
-1-
The unhealthy time-waster: He or she has a post here nearly every single day; workdays, off-days, Saturday, Sunday, no breaks. The person focuses so much attention on the TMF it qualifies as near illness; and certainly neurosis. This person hardly ever lets a post go by without adding a comment. It's not a 20-minute check-in once a day, either; it's hours.
Attention newbies: for the first month or two, this is quite natural behavior.
-2-
The professional lurker: He or she has been a member for more than a year and has less than 12 posts. Perhaps among the smartest members present; but still, the level of participation is almost as questionable as the unhealthy time-waster.
Newbies: this is equally natural.
-3-
The flame chip: Ready to rail anyone, anywhere, anytime, for anything. He or she maintains a state of mind much like attorneys who specialize in courtroom litigation.
-4-
The diluter: This person is interested only barely in tickling, and that, only as an aside. The true interest is to mix in this person's own special interest and try to convince every single reader that they also share his or her "secondary" interest. This person attempts to draw logical connections between anything (snow from the north pole, if needed, The Radio City Rockettes if needed, Nuclear Physics if needed; anything works) and their special interest, with an occasional tangential reference to tickling. Favorite phrase: "See ?" In the realm of psychology, this is near fraud.
-5-
The big flirts: No question as to intent; they want E-mail, then phone calls if the E-mail comes across well; after that, they want to date. Horror of horrors, they may even want to marry you. Perhaps these people are among the most noble members here.
-6-
The big jerks: He (it's never a girl) will never post a public comment, but he will send E-mail proving his written language skills to be lower than mine were in kindegarten. (In my school, we began the alphabet in kindegarten, while actual word formation was held back until 1st grade, day 1.) He will normally send these only to female members.
Hint to jerks: using deliberate misspellings and ham radio type abbreviations in your communications guarantees that you will receive zippo for your time; which is fitting in that you don't deserve the rewards for your time that others will get for providing constructive additions to the forum. Think: structure helps communication. Think: few people are annoyed by good manners.
-7-
The psychologically curious: This person wants to know who, how, when, and what's behind it all. He or she has opinions galore, but doesn't put too much behind any of them; often deliberately holding them back in deference to others' feelings. This person is highly inquisitive; even moreso with respect to workable lifestyles that include tickling.
No brag, no apology; I know I'm at least partly present in this category.
-8-
The married couples: I haven't figured them out yet, but welcome and stick around. You are among the most encouraging members of the TMF.
More to come later, my time limit just expired.
Please, others, feel free to suggest other categories, or to suggest sanding and polishing anything here.
