Competitions Discussion Thread Part 17

Daphne01

weeowens wrote: »

Cheers,Daphne01

I'll sort it :-)

Thanks weeowens you're a gem :A

renegadia

I want to apologise for a few things. Firstly, I apologise in advance for the length that this post could get to, I'll rattle on without realising. Secondly, I apologise if it seems that I'm stepping on anyone's toes or anything like that, I've just got a couple things I want to get off my chest and it seems Comp Disc is the most appropriate place (although I guess if I want more people to notice it I should put this in IWIWIW) I also apologise for copying bits of my last vent from the other night in that nasty thread that got deleted but more on that later.Finally I apologise if this isn't written in my usual cheekiness, but I'll try my best :P

I guess I'm just wondering: Why has it got so !!!!!y in here recently?

Now I'm by no means a considered 'regular' here after only beginning comping in December, but I would say over the past few months it's just got worse and worse and worse. See, I don't know if it's always been like this, but when I first started appearing regularly in here it was really nice and happy and chilled out. Now, if I'm perfectly honest it's become so grinding having to read through the squabbling and arguing and actually, some vicious postings that sometimes I'm tempted to just go join some other comp site and risk doubling up my entries for a month or two.

It just seems so silly that this board of the MSE forum has got so... playgroundy and childish. It feels every week there will be a mass debate about cheating, or whether someone's out of line added T&C's on other people's comps, or people having to even excuse the fact they sell winnings, or whether people press the thanks button even if they don't enter the comp to which it's attached and other silly needless aggravations like that. It really doesn't bode well if you're a new MSE'r looking to see what the comping thing is all about. If I signed up now for the first time I'd be so put off by all this cliquishness that I probably wouldn't want to even start and I'm sure that's not the message MSE or ML wants to give off. Could everyone that has grievances just get them off their chest and move on because you're wasting valuable comping time snipping and sniping about each other.

Because of all this makes me wonder whether it's worth me adding my bits on posts. It's only things like whether links work or not or trying to help out new guys with Rafflecopter, although it's the blind leading the blind there! I just feel every time I post something there (shouldn't be at all but there) is a chance I'll get flamed because I'm not doing things right in the sewing circle's eyes.

Why can't everyone just get along. Admittedly it's a struggle if you're the whole world, but we're not. It's a board on a forum. More importantly, who cares that people don't do things the way you would and therefore perceive everyone should uniform to. I've had to post before about my situations because I felt I had to explain my situations because some people decided I wasn't doing things right because it was different to them. Can we not just accept all of this and just do what we predominantly come here to do which is to post comps/amend comps/provide answers to comps/enter comps (you get my drift)

If someone's getting to you, use the ignore button or rather, get off the computer, because if stuff is upsetting you to the point you have to write about it then maybe it's time you have a break. I'll be taking my own advice on this will be going off-line after this

I just want to add a bit really about the other night when we had a really nasty thread running on the board. Now I'm not saying anything against the BG's here because they do a fantastic job as volunteers and without them this board would descend even further into chaos or quite possibly wouldn't even be here at all. It's just on this unfortunate occasion they weren't around when it all kicked off here. It just got me thinking about whether we could do with some extra BG's or something. I mean I don't exactly know quite what superpowers they have but when I was re-reading the comping guide by VG, I noticed there were 4 BG's in a screen-shot. I don't know what anyone else's opinion is on this, I guess I'm posting to find out! I don't even know if the workload the BG's currently have warrants having any more.

Anyway, that's the essay over with, please feel free to comment, good or bad. Any debate is good and healthy. I'm going to go take my own advice and go off-line, I've done my comping for the day and this sun is making it very inviting to go for a beach run

ren

Blulu

Wow Ren - that is soooo well said and definitely speaks for me too. I'll come clean to everyone, me and this little Renegadia have been e-chatting about this off and on sometimes.

It seems to me that the vast majority of folks here always intend to say things for the best, but it so often doesn't turn out that way - and I don't at all exclude myself from that. I know I sometimes let my gob run away with me.

I just wish as Ren said, that people would just allow people to make their own choices about all the 'niceties' of comping life, without have to constantly get at them for doing it differently.

There are things I've seen people do here that I don't agree with, but I don't want to start a campaign to force them to do it my way.

Don't you agree that this forum would be nicer if we stopped arguing and moaning about this and that?

I'm glad you brought this up Ren. I hope people read it and agree that the best for this forum is usually to agree to disagree and get on with what we're all here for, to do some comps and hopefully enjoy it too.

Blu

gentleorange

I tend to be oblivious to most of the politics on this forum but I saw the unpleasant thread on IWIW and contacted the targeted person on FB to check they were okay, in particular because of the insensitive (to say the least) speculation about the persons family life. I'm just going back to avoidance and oblivion now!

And does anyone know when the Look/Now/PickMeUp comps will be back up and running?

Barnabysue

I think at the moment there are certain people who are trying to 'prove a point' and are out to cause trouble, but if they're ignored they'll soon get fed up with it. I agree with the majority of what you have said, but to accuse others of being childish and then yourself saying 'I'll get flamed because I'm not doing things right in the sewing circle's eyes' does rather make you exactly the same doesn't it? Name calling is something that is done in the playground.

renegadia

Barnabysue wrote: »

does rather make you exactly the same doesn't it? Name calling is something that is done in the playground.

Points for Sue for spotting my er... 'error' I'll be over here sucking my thumb and sulking because she's snapped my crayons in half!

All joking aside, that particular paragraph was borne pretty much out of frustration plus my tendency to rattle on. I was thinking about a certain... 'debate' lets's call it when I was writing between a couple of posters which just seems to be over nothing more than a windup to us on the outside looking in. It just seems that some people can't post anything because it's not in other people's writing style and is therefore wrong... God that sounds like gibberish but I hope you get what I mean!

You shouldn't feel like you're treading on anyone's toes when helping out with comp posts. whether it's posting them or updating info or whatever. Obviously it's different for mag subscriptions and understandably so. I guess what I'm trying to say is that can we all just stop trying to win points over each other and just enjoy what for all of us is an fun and interesting hobby. It is after all a friendly community, is it not?

I must admit I wasn't expecting to get any replies posting in here because this sort of thing normally goes in IWIWIW for some reason I don't know or understand. I'm just happy people do read this thread!

**I don't know why I'm being all reasonable and sensible either. It probably won't last for long so do make the most of it. Normal ren service shall resume shortly.

ren (currently playing in a sandpit making goalposts out of jumpers)

Barnabysue

I really do understand where you're coming from ren, it's not nice to see arguments on the boards. I'm sure a lot of it is not being able to 'sense the tone' of what has been written, irony doesn't really come across in a post. Just keep at the comping and rise above it.

Blulu

I'm stepping in here because 'The sewing circle' is our pet name for those who go on the attack over every little thing. Perhaps you are right that it's also a bit childish, but it's a very tame name calling compared to being called greedy, selfish, rude, lowlifes and cheats. It's said with humorous affection.

I wish I could agree with you about ignoring the troublemakers and they'll get fed up with it. I see this other group as bullies. If you ignore a bully, they tend to get worse and more powerful.

Blulu

Just back to say that you are probably right though about us using terms like Sewing Circle. I wouldn't want to upset anyone. Doesn't stop me doing it, but not for the want of trying.

My saying about me is, good heart, shame about the brain

Helpmesave

Posts #252, #253, and #254 reported as spam (written by someone using a pseudonym, hiding behind someone else's name!)

Edited to add - they've gone now.