Interesting theories (Page 6 of 7)

Bolded words my own emphasis:

I find this to be very interesting......interesting indeed.   You're right in suspecting this group is small.  I love the part about how they puff themselves up....and expecially the part about what a waste of time and energy it all is.

We already know, because of emails, who one of them is;  and I have suspicions about two more - one who's current, and another who was banned in the recent past.  They puff themselves up because they have nothing else in their lives.   No men.   Or at least, really lousy men.  No jobs, so they're not working and just sit around at home all day long.  No - real -  friends.  "Cyber friends" don't count.    It's quite sad.   And by sad I don't mean shed a tear, I mean, it's kinda pathetic.   But being that I've been on other forums, I'm familiar with the dynamics.   It's kind of cliche actually - could write a guide book manual for it!!   There is the total "Cast of Characters" going on with nearly every messageboard out there.   There's always several women, usually in their 40's to 50s, who become the behind-the-scenes pot stirrers, gossiping and clucking, emailing and phone calling;  for them, the forum becomes their life - it becomes their daily "Soap Opera" fix.  Then there are the younger "targets" that they don't like and cluck cluck about and sometimes even go after, depending on how vindictive and manipulative they are.................and the kicker is, sometimes the targets will get played by one or more of these women who act like their buddies, only to turn around and "stab them" behind the scenes.   Then you always have the nice males who get sucked into cyber "dating" situations with some of the crazy females on the board who need attention and validation since they're not getting enough in their real life, or nice females who get targetted by male predators, all of which of course ends in disaster;  Thre are the nice females who are in the same age range as the 40 - 50ish "gossipy cluck cluckers" and naively enter into "cyber friendships" with them, and never seem to wake up to what's going on there........or sometimes they do, and that "friendship" tanks and goes up in flames.   Then there are the neutral players and / or lurkers who only post on the board and minimize their off-forum contacts - they prefer to remain detached and like their anomyminity.   Then you always have your "Anti Heroes" and "Slick Willies."   The anti-heroes are the posters that some other posters mistakenly label as being the "bad guy" - at first.   Maybe because of their brash personalities or outspoken nature.   Come to find out down the line that they're actually good, while the supposed "nice guy/ good girl" are actually the troublemakers, or Slick Willies!!!   

Now, am I talking about Noble Realms here?   Actually, no!  I was thinking of a past forum I used to belong to a couple of years ago.  That was a description of A LOT of what went on there.   But in describing that forum, I realized that parts of it match up to what goes on here at NR.......and probably every forum out there.   Seriously, there could be a guidebook manual on it all.   We could call it "THE MESSAGEBOARD CAST OF CHARACTERS CLICHE!"     It's classic.   

Noble Realms is different though from many of these other forums, because it has something else that is missing from the standard cast of characters - actual meaningful networking that takes place.   It's amazing, and something you don't normally find on your average messageboard where anonyminity and behind-the-scenes chaotic drama is usually the name of the game.   

But again, it's all a total time and energy waster.    The bottom line for any messageboard participant is to Just Say No to the gossipy pot stirrers.   They bring down great messageboards like this one.   Tell them to take a hike, and to take their hate-campaign elsewhere.    If they're so disgruntled, then they need to get a hobby, get some real friends, find a meaningful relationship, and get over it.   

It would be funny to compile a messageboard cast of character / relationship dynamics list for the humor and fun section.  It would be funny, yet, very true, and would hit home for a lot of people.  I'll have to think about this, could be good.................

You'll definitely get a kick out of the Flame Warriors page. It doesn't get too deep into the interpersonal dynamics you discussed, but it does have some very accurate and funny representations of message board users.

I agree with Christine B. that kingius was most likely not a new member. Montalk could probably check IP addresses, but experienced trolls know how to use proxy servers to hide their identity. I think it would be interesting if there was a software package or forum plugin that could create a "linguistic profile" for each user that would uniquely identify them based on a whole range of markers found in their posts--such as their grammar, spelling, and the frequency with which they use certain words. Sort of like the internet equivalent of the biometric ID. If it was sophisticated enough, it would be a good tool for spotting duplicate accounts and previously banned trolls. It it wasn't sophisticated enough, it would create opportunities for devious trolls to frame other people by aping their posting style.

Seemefly.....it's not having just one thing on the list that I mentioned...it's all of the characteristics combined.  When people have little or no real friends, AND aren't working, AND cultivate these attention seeking cyber relationships, both "friend" and "romantic", AND get way involved in off forum negativity spreading and gossip mongering.......it's the whole shebang, combined.  Sure, I have cyber "friends" too....but it's about being everything on the list, then going around making trouble and stirring the pot behind the scenes.   Seriously, people like that need to get a hobby.  Soon!

And czyx...that link was too funny!  I love it! 

Funny!  I really recommend the "Flame Warriors" link.  Pictures can say a thousand words.

Apparently so!   But I'm out of the loop, so I've had to find out about these things, (what little I have heard) in indirect ways, usually after the fact.    This small group of puffed up behind-the-scenes disenchanted past and present NR members was news to me until only very recently.  I found it to be funny, actually, when I first heard about it.  I think my first reaction was to laugh!   Who would spend that kind of time engaging in that??  !  Seriously, find another forum, go away and be quiet if somebody is just sooooooooooooooooo unhappy.   The only kind of person who wallows in their disenchantment with a messageboard forum is someone with no life.   !

What a weird thread this has been though...4 pages of high weirdness in a moon period, of course!

And there is the crux of it,  not only can we not force change on another, we have no right to do so either, change can only come from within, but sending love back isn't about changing the other person, it's about changing your own negative reaction to negativity, breaking the cycle, cutting the fire of opposition's oxygen supply AND taking the opportunity to learn from the experience.

K.