Is it Just Me?

Cpapian wrote:Lately, I have noticed that there seems to be less real XPAP problems on this board. It probably is due to no new members being processed. . . .

No, there is always lurking. Unlike many other forums, ANYONE can read any and all posts,
WITHOUT registering! This a very powerful feature, and reaches more people than we ever hear back from.
--and that is perfectly all right. It is possible that more people are using the search function, without adding a "me, too".
(as advised ad infinitum), and reading the archives for answers.
Lurking is "safe", and extremely informative--I did it myself for about a month before starting cpap, and three months after.
I only registered after realizing some of my unique experience with a "mask-resistant" face might help others.

nanwilson wrote: We were all newbys at one point and have since dialed in our therapy with the notion of the pay it forward credo.
....

Nan

Nan, I think this is such a good point. For me, had it not been for forums like this one I would not have succeeded at using CPAP. I had no support from my "medical team", it was a sink or swim situation. This place was my life line, and I'm not going to forget the debt I owe.

I feel a strong need to help other newbies as I was helped and to "pay it forward". Sometimes a kind word or a bit of encouragement is all a person can offer, but it helps so much.

I hope you stay, we need folks like you here.

Who said anything about my advice? Clean up your mouth and maybe someone will listen to you.

Julie wrote:Who said anything abou† my advice? Clean up your mouth and maybe someone will listen to you.

You're listening. You answered. Albeit a moronic response.

Arlene1963 wrote:

nanwilson wrote: We were all newbys at one point and have since dialed in our therapy with the notion of the pay it forward credo.
....

Nan

Nan, I think this is such a good point. For me, had it not been for forums like this one I would not have succeeded at using CPAP. I had no support from my "medical team", it was a sink or swim situation. This place was my life line, and I'm not going to forget the debt I owe.

I feel a strong need to help other newbies as I was helped and to "pay it forward". Sometimes a kind word or a bit of encouragement is all a person can offer, but it helps so much.

I hope you stay, we need folks like you here.

I think there are many like this here. I am grateful for the help I received, and I try to pass along any help I can.

It is frustrating to see this forum going downhill. I believe we are being trolled on purpose, in an attempt to take down the forum. Probably by a competitor. The spam attacks didn't work, so they are trying a different method. Attack us from within. Get people to hate it and leave. I am stubborn, so while I take a break sometimes, I will not leave permanently.

I do wish we had somebody on this group capable of tracing the IP addresses and locating the troublesome posters. I believe they have multiple accounts, and if outed with real names, would have to stop. There was one post from a certain poster that was totally different style from all the obnoxious posts. Nice punctuation and good typing skills. Not the bad posting that is claimed to be a voice system (which is capable of doing punctuation, if that were real). I suspect that post was supposed to be under a different name, and once it posted under the troll name, he was stuck with that that topic there. But he never posted with that style again. I believe the trolling is on both sides so that it can continue without much help from the rest of us.

I realize that they Goodmans would rather not remove people or moderate. If they did, they might then be considered responsible for removing medical advice. And we don't want them to have to deal with that. But, perhaps they could post an intro to all new people and guests that explains that there are some people who are negative and want to hurt the forum, but it is worth looking for the good posts.

Being a fairly new user, maybe I can chime in on the 'newbie' perspective.
1) I really don't get how they generate the alias list to the left. I for one have never posted under a different alias, and am 99.9999999% certain, no one else has posted under my IP before. Yet, I always seem to find
a small list of aliases next to my name.
2) I tend to likely come across as stubborn, when not faced with hard facts and logical evidence.
3) I noticed that many "old-timers" tend to become very impatient quickly and start to harass newbies when not agreeable with their advice.
I'm fine with that, but have problems when old-timers tend to resort to "he's in denial and he'll find out the answer when he dies," or "he's a troll," Then jump in and start back-slapping or similar rhetoric. It's not that they are right or
wrong, but I would prefer that they continue to convince with evidence rather than character insults.
4) I'm slow to accept, but fairly convinced that the 'majority' of comments have been helpful, even though not always patient.
5) Although I've gotten a more recent and short term lay of the land, I'm pretty happy with the advice and think I've gained a lot. I just try to avoid letting the debates run into flame wars as much as possible, and yield as much as I can.
2c

PS. I see a lot of the hazing go on in other forums as well. There are way more arrogant group attack forums and topics elsewhere (the higher the ivory tower, the higher the level). You just have to choose your poison. There are even forums that are supposed to be strongly objective, but one can see bias in up votes and down votes on newbies. I've found that patients helps, as over time the up votes tend to accumulate towards reality.

It's not an 'alias' list, but the system just pulls up similar ISP names from old databases and they run on the side until the poster is actually registered and the regis. activated. Nothing sinister about it.

It might not be sinister, but it is very misleading. "Also posted as" seems pretty explicit, no?
It should say similar posters are (list of posters) and define what exactly similar means, near the label.
I've seen plenty of users mocking others for having 'many aliases,' and how else would they draw that conclusion?
Ok, maybe they look for similar language and posts, but you can't say that label does not confuse the matter, unnecessarily.

Julie wrote:It's not an 'alias' list, but the system just pulls up similar ISP names from old databases and they run on the side until the poster is actually registered and the regis. activated. Nothing sinister about it.

This does cause a lot of confusion.
I think this, and other structural problems with the forum cause problems.
I would like to see posting by members only. If people are not willing to join (maintaining a single identity), then let them benefit from the search function only. If they are not willing to join the forum, they are not truly willing to participate in getting the help they need. And of course joining should be straight forward, which is currently not the case.

I also would like to have the ability to vote on posts (helpful, not helpful). Posters usually think they are adding value. The voters provide objective data.

user232 wrote:It might not be sinister, but it is very misleading. "Also posted as" seems pretty explicit, no?
It should say similar posters are (list of posters) and define what exactly similar means, near the label.
I've seen plenty of users mocking others for having 'many aliases,' and how else would they draw that conclusion?
Ok, maybe they look for similar language and posts, but you can't say that label does not confuse the matter, unnecessarily.

The names have no significance. It is meaningless and should be removed. Until that happens, it should be ignored.

Just have to laugh when some of the most chronic offenders act like they're actually on the other side. Seen some good points made - like how the slow registration time could affect the timeline. And that interference by opposing interests is common practive in this internet world. As a microcosm of society, it seems to be running pretty parallel to the tone of society at large. However, I am convinced a number of the most aggravating posters are not legitimate, and have long been trolling this forum. And I think even some of the attackers are plants. Use to keep a list of predictable behaviors and their identities, but decided I didn't want to give it that much attention so deleted it. I try to stay mindful that our community here may in reality not be in as bad shape as it appears with the proportion of issues, as some of those are simply soap operas of fake drama. Louder is not stronger.

@user232 Agree that the title for that feature is misleading and poorly stated for what it represents at this point in time. As to why people think some have multiple identities, some have acknowledged it. They may not be nefarious, but just a way to not have side conversations cluttering their primary account where they are giving knowledgeable CPAP advice. Many years ago one person who was in the middle of a bunch of crap later bragged about how many of the personalities we were interacting with were actually his created identities as a part of his plan to destroy the forum after becoming the one person ever banned on here. So, the thought that not all IDs are legitmate CPAP users looking either to help or be helped is based on history. Any time I think "Nobody can be this ridiculous" my radar goes off and I start backing off of the time I invest in trying to help.

user232 wrote:Being a fairly new user, maybe I can chime in on the 'newbie' perspective.
1) I really don't get how they generate the alias list to the left. I for one have never posted under a different alias, and am 99.9999999% certain, no one else has posted under my IP before. Yet, I always seem to find
a small list of aliases next to my name.

Every now and then, I see my name included in one of those lists. I usually post from home. I have posted while traveling and using the wifi in a hotel. I have never posted as a guest or using another name. I don't think I have even changed my avatar since joining. It is my understanding that IP addresses get changed more than they used to, so that is probably how that list is generated. I know they are upgrading some things, so hopefully, that list will get dropped since it is truly meaningless these days.

3) I noticed that many "old-timers" tend to become very impatient quickly and start to harass newbies when not agreeable with their advice.
I'm fine with that, but have problems when old-timers tend to resort to "he's in denial and he'll find out the answer when he dies," or "he's a troll," Then jump in and start back-slapping or similar rhetoric. It's not that they are right or
wrong, but I would prefer that they continue to convince with evidence rather than character insults.

I see this a lot. While I often believe a new person is in denial, I don't believe it is the first thing to say. Most people will come around if presented with a good explanation. I rarely see the need for the 2x4 method. It tends to turn people away, and I would rather help people in the long run, even if it takes longer. Unfortunately, we cannot choose who else is in the forum or how they choose to post. And many people don't see themselves as rude or disruptive. There are a couple people who are much better right now, yet I used to see them post snarky stuff all the time and then complain when somebody else is snarky. I can think of one person (NOT the ones currently being complained about), who rarely posts help with cpap, but tends to post rude stuff, or post complaining about rude stuff. No idea why that person is even here. But it does not good to complain since that people like that don't see themselves as a problem. I try to limit my posts to the actual topics of cpap and keep my personal comments to myself. (Okay, the cats can hear me say them, but I try not to type them.)

Re: Is it Just Me?

Ships don't sink because of the water around them; ships sink because of the water that gets in them. Don't let what's happening around you get inside you and weigh you down.

Ships don't sink because of the water around them; ships sink because of the water that gets in them. Don't let what's happening around you get inside you and weigh you down.

What a beautiful way to put it.
+1

xxyzx wrote:

Julie wrote:"the poster of affection"

What does that mean please?

amess is affected and does not know what that means in english

his alter ego is SO special too

In another post, xxyzx says "there are a few bullies who enjoy finding a target and harassing them

the incite many lurkers who would not start attacking on their own
but gladly pile on once the shark pack has started attacking

there are a number who have low self esteem and need to find fault with every typo to make themselves feel important "

So who is being a bully here, hmmm?