We share. That's a primary. And to share experiences - also because we want to know if anyone is the same as us, I suppose. Because we want to HELP - and when that is true we feel a need to be there for the rest of us.

But we don't have to...

This is an idea that has made me wonder ever since I met a number of people in Tennessee that told me:

"Yeah, I go there. But I just look through it for help, and don't ever even register. Everything I want to know is there. Why should I register when I can get all I want out of it?"

Ken - I'm not at all sure what i am suggesting here. That there should be BASIC threads for newcomers, and advanced for registered, and further on for supporters? Hmm....

I seriously believe that people should at least tell us who they are before reaping the benefits of the site. BE HERE! Or FO.

Contribute if you can, yeah. if not - at least acknowlege that you came here.

There is a part of me that fundamentally objects to stealth.

If you benefit from this site - at least REGISTER.
Or be forever a coward....

I suppose that sounds on the face of it kind of confusing, but to me it stands out. People use the site and its volumes of info for private uses. And that is what was intended from the first - but to do so by stealth seems somehow wrong.

Not even to reg but to take what is here and run with it. i think its time some sort of limit was set. Not for profit - but to at least set some sort of an expectation that people coming to the site would at least become a part of us. Some kind of a "Joining" function - even if in the long run it were entirely meaningless.


So I believe

~Wolf sends

 

Why did I know imediately after seeing the title of this thread know it was authored by Greywolf? Maybe I contribute too much...

 

Ummmm.....
I suppose it could have been because my NAME was directly underneath it.
But that would be to obvious....
Don't you think? (He asks, innocently)

Wink

 

Why do I post?
Well if I didn't I would have to find something else to do to distract me from the work I should be doing...
As for people lurking, thats fine by me, if we post something that interests them enough they might even actively join us in our shenanigans...

 

I resent the tone of the post that says, if you dont register, you are guilty of theft.
If it so important to register and enjoy this site, then close it to registered veiwers only, other sites have done this but none have grown to the stature of this site.
This subject has risen in the past and this has always been my reaction to it, but this time I had to speak out. FSC

PS. if it works, don't fix it.

 

thats crap, i come here to help people. i have received alot of help from this site and i feel the need to repay it all that i can. nothing makes me feel better than to help someone solve a problem they may be having, weather they are a new user or someone that has been around forever that starts an almost endless flow of useless threads....

 

I get grey wolf's theory on it too though, he wants people to join if the site helps them and they should, this site is all about helping others, learning about our vehicles and having fun doing it. But you are also right FSC, if it is closed to only registered users it won't grow anywhere near as fast as it does because they have no idea what all is actually posted here, I have seen that in numerous other forums. Cough cough allpar cough cough, I joined that one and used it about twice, since then I have used the Dodgetrucks.org forums and love it. There is just somthing about being a part of a site with alot of other great people that makes you keep comming back. I wouldn't personally take it to the FO extreme though.

 

I came to this forum because I needed help with my van and found this the best place to get some feedback. As a woman, a forum like this might seem daunting at first as trucks and cars in general have been "guy stuff". What I know is a pittance but was willing to take the plunge because I needed to. In return, I try to post something of worth in return. "A gift for a gift", so to speak.

However, posting useless threads is something I just do not do, though. Dont even do it in the PC gaming site I admin at. Just not a big talker even in the outside world. Some people, I swear, will talk about anything just to be heard, whether useless or not.

I have to admit there are some forums/egroups that I registered with as that was the only way to read anything. If there is something worth posting a reply, I will do so. In others, I have not registered in, I will gleen what information is helpful or read.

However a closed forum, to some, may not seem "friendly" enough to those newbies who never done this before. So they dont and are left out to look elsewhere. They may feel "put off" by a sense of "elitism".

 

Why do we post? Why do I? What causes it...

Becasue humans are pack animals, .......too......we all want to be part of something...IMO

 

Why do we post? Why do I? What causes it...

Wolf, this certainly is a very thought provoking thread, and the answer to this question is way more deep rooted than it may superficially seem! However, in a nutshell, the underlying cause can be summarized as:

"Humans always need help, and in reciprocity, they mostly want to help others!"

So, the process begins with us searching an answer to a question/problem, and we go to "Google" and try to seek some relevant links. Bingo!...Ken's incredible FTE website pops up, wherein you are welcomed and given an exceptional help & support through admins & mods!
Now, you are in a chat cafe' with an incredibly friendly atmosphere with forums kept highly organized in real time with "every post must belong in the right forum" philosophy. We all enjoy it, don't we?!

This brings us to the next point:

 

Why do I post ?

I hav been helping people....Friends / strangers all my life,

so ...It is usually to help someone or try to put a smile on someone's face.

This tough part is being thought of wrongly from the words you happened to have chosen by people to explain something who haven't lived the same time of life or mature enough to understand the differences in age & how people think.

IOW, No Empathy.

 

I found this site initially when I was looking for info on my Ranger 2.9 water in the oil problem. I found all the answers I needed here, and a lot more besides. There is sense of community and belonging here that is available to all. Some take advantage of this and stick around to see what else will happen, and some ask a question or two, get what they came for and leave, never to be seen again. But they are all treated with welcome and friendliness, and that's a big part of what makes this site so great. I enjoy the feeling I get when my advice solves someone's problem (I think this has actually happened, umm, twice now!) but I also enjoy asking the occassional silly question or sharing a good joke or story.

I have laughed with you people, and cried with you people and I feel there is something here for almost everyone. We are not all going to agree on what it is that we get out of FTE, but I feel that it's not up to us to criticize others for their reasons for being here. Some lurk for quite a while before finally stepping up to offer an opinion or some advice; some people are just a little more shy than others even with the anonimity that the 'net provides, and that's okay. And some of us are just not as eloquent as others, and that's okay too.

So, we all have our reasons for posting and they may be different from each other's reasons, but that doesn't make them wrong. Just my .05 (adjusted for inflation). 'Nuff said. -TD

 

Why do we post? Why do I? What causes it...

Wolf, this certainly is a very thought provoking thread, and the answer to this question is way more deep rooted than it may superficially seem! However, in a nutshell, the underlying cause can be summarized as:

Humans always need help, and in reciprocity, they mostly want to help others!

So, the process begins with us searching an answer to a question/problem, and we go to "Google" and try to seek some relevant links. Bingo!...Ken's incredible FTE website pops up, wherein you are welcomed and given an exceptional help & support through admins & mods! Now, you are in a chat cafe' with an incredibly friendly atmosphere with forums kept highly organized in real time with "every post must belong in the right forum" philosophy. We all enjoy it, don't we?! Then...

Whatever we enjoy, repeat, and are rewarded for, we get hooked to!

Now you ask, what are the rewards here? Humans love recognition, ego boost, and competitiveness, even when not paid for it! As a newbie, we have a lots of questions and are all excited, so our posts start pouring in...and our post count jumping by leaps & bounds, and so do our titles, e.g., new, freshman, junior, senior, etc. For quality threads we start getting stars, and for helpful threads we start receiving the "rep" points. Of course, some special threads even offer bonus prizes, then we have events, rallies...wow!! This process repeats & perpetuates, and we sure get addicted to the wonderful FTE!!!

Let's not forget that FTE is a hybrid (portal & premium membership) website!

Wolf, here is where you need to realize that this site attracts an incredible number of guests/visitors because of the portal nature of it. A portal site's strength is its popularity and its "hit" count, and can, therefore, receive good sponsorship/advertising revenues. The very basis of a portal site is to provide a lots of free information to crowds of people for “FREE”.

"FREE" information to a crowd of people then brings avalanche of crowds!!

In a way Ken has the same perspective to help the huge crowds as you and everyone else on the FTE! I am sure, you can now see, why there is no need for "stealth", as it would defeat the whole purpose of helping many more people! The system has been designed for guests to "steal" the information for free, without any guilt, because, in long run, a huge number of them would become "converts" to get the ultimate enjoyment out of the FTE. Once again, this idea is no different than free downloads, free trial, free whatever,...and the list is endless! The purpose is always to bate & hook the freeloader!!

Hopefully, this would enlighten you Wolf, and lighten up your "wolfitiliy" against the guest viewers!

 

I put it that way mainly to see if a response could be elicited from someone hanging back, and also to see what playing the devils advocate might bring up.

Although, I still have to wonder what gems of info might be out there that we won't hear from someone that is only a guest...

~Wolf
(the Vicious Beast)