A lot of the "old timers" around here have gotten skeptical about people who have "made mistakes" in the past and the ability of those people to start acting like "good" members of the community.
In other threads, I have tried to defend these people and the possibility of redemption (at least in terms of this community). I am still not ready to abandon people who have made mistakes, I probably never will. If I can help someone be a better member of the community, then I will certainly do my best. All I need is some shred of proof that they are truly making an effort. I don't even expect great results- if my efforts were to help, say, 1 in 5 people I think it would be worth the effort. Maybe I am a nOOb, an idealist, or maybe just a fool...
Anyway, I would not be here if I did not believe I could ultimately do some good. I like this community, its people and its rewards. Other than an insatiable desire for thought-provoking conversation and good friends, my needs have been met. Seriously- I grab
True Blood every Sunday. It was available on 3 of my trackers at the same time! About an hour later, the HD version was available. Most other media is distributed in the same manner.
There seems to be an element in every group, community, city, country, etc., however, that cannot, to save their lives, just be an honest, respectable member of that group. Sometimes I understand why the cynics are the way they are.:angry:
So what is it with these people who have been banned from every tracker that they have ever been on, who get involved in trading, cannot follow a single rule of a site or show simple respect/appreciation to someone who helped them? Is there some kind of social defect? Do they not know how to be part of a community? I might be able to understand if we were sharing finite, tangible resources, but what we have here is infinitely reproducible. There will never be a shortage of any kind!
And really...of all the communities one could join, the requirements here are very, very minimal...seed back what you take...don't trade...don't cheat the tracker (how stupid is that one?)...don't spam or flame...respect the mods. There really isn't that much more. Those are the basics- how about the "advanced" stuff? make some posts that don't involve requests...help your fellow members with their questions...read the news section and make some comments...don't lie or deceive someone who is trying to help you!!!
Like I said, I am not ready to give up. Actually, my post have resulted in some very nice PM's. Ultimately, that type of response has made my efforts worthwhile. And I will never know if I have helped new members be more responsible from the start.
I would just like to know what is at the core of the people who just don't understand community. This is the ultimate in a "giving" group- the rewards outweigh the costs exponentially. Someone who is "connected" in this community literally has access to
all forms of digital media, past, present, and future. Is it asking so much for these people to follow the minuscule rules of conduct around here?
And, please, don't get me wrong- I do not feel like Atlas. I have only been here a few months and I know that I will never do as much for this community as some of the "old timers" have. This is a great community and it would not be nearly as good without those members. Mostly, I am just looking for some insight that people have gained over the years as they have seen nOObs, scammers, liars, cheats, etc. and hundreds, if not thousands, of good members come and go.
End of (mild) rant. :frusty:
MBM
hmy:
) I have my own voice and use it (arguably too much). I do, however, feel that there is still more for me to learn. Asking questions is, IMO, far better than learning from avoidable errors of judgment. I may never see eye-to-eye with guys like cinephilia (actually is there anyone else like cinephilia?), but there is definitely a place for his views. The guy is REALLY good at finding scumbags!:yup: