I apologize if I offend but I have to ask .Is it just me?

[Xue Sheng]

And why the Hell can't I get these damn quote stuff out of the middle of the damn quotes I'm using

 

[Xue Sheng]

I make no pretense of greatness. I think I stand a much, much better chance than the average Joe or Jane against a personal attack, but that doesn't mean I want to make it easy for people to find me. I've already put that at risk with some postings here on MT and when I served as an Admin, I signed correspondence with my real name. I don't think it's a long reach to the possibility of somebody losing their cool over something I said or did, justified or not. Whether I could "take" that person is really moot - I have a family and I really *don't* need the extra hassle of having to fight someone over something I said on the internet.

I wasn't too worried about it at first until I read KenpoTess's account of being stalked by an internet psycho. Her account of the face-to-face encounter with this guy influenced me to take better care of not only what I said but who had my private information.

Even if I were the best fighter out there, there would always be someone better than me. To my mind, if I don't remain mindful of that in everyday dealings, I would go against much of what I trained for.

Do I live my life in fear? No. Will I exercise rudimentary caution? Yes.

:asian:

From now on EVERYONES name should be Bruce, it WILL cut down on the confusion...that is unless of course your name is already Bruce then we will call you Bruce

 

[Bob Hubbard]

On the subject of anonymity, I'm an old school BBS guy. Used to use a handle for years. Still do on a few other sites where I prefer the anonymity. But here, I'm going professional and I'd rather I'm known and not my alias.

But....anonymity has it's pluses. I've lost count of how many people we've banned who have issued threats. Some live in my town. Some know -exactly- where I live and let me know it, complete with Google Images of my house, and a photo of me taken from down the street. Yeah, it's unnerving, but I won't be bullied. But I can understand why some folks are cautious of letting too much info out.

 

[jks9199]

I agree.

Question though, why do so many people not use their real names on these boards? Is it just to have the anonymity to be able to say what they want with no consequences? Or when you look at “about me”, there is no information about them, why? Are they that embarrassed about what they write? Are they that insecure? Do they fear someone coming to stalk them?

I use a pseudonym because I occasionally post things that might be seen to reflect official opinions of my employer -- and they are not meant to. My name is not public, nor is my employer. Yes, if a person were to try, they might put enough pieces together. But this puts a remove in.

Regarding the issue of lack of "new" stuff... POST UP! Tell about something in your training. I'm also guilty of not starting a lot of new threads on topics; I've got a few things I'm working on that I'll be posting in the near future.

 

[blindsage]

I use to post on 3 other sites and I have stopped on 2 all together for various reasons and the one that was absolutely great for CMAIMA went down do to a legal struggle I believe and that was painful to see go because with replaced it was rather sad

I think I know what you're talking about, check the PM.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Boring repetition happens.

True but it should at least not be predictable and happen so often.

I can pretty much tell you, as can just about anyone else, yourself included the way certain threads are going to go and they are just old re-hashed repeats of some other long worn out over done topic.

As much as I have avoided it in the past because due to the use of it as an attack on other sites I am going to start telling people to stop wasting everyone’s time, including theirs and use the search function

True but it should at least not be predictable and happen so often.

I can pretty much tell you, as can just about anyone else, yourself included the way certain threads are going to go and they are just old re-hashed repeats of some other long worn out over done topic.

As much as I have avoided it in the past because due to the use of it as an attack on other sites I am going to start telling people to stop wasting everyone’s time, including theirs and use the search function

True but it should at least not be predictable and happen so often.

I can pretty much tell you, as can just about anyone else, yourself included the way certain threads are going to go and they are just old re-hashed repeats of some other long worn out over done topic.

As much as I have avoided it in the past because due to the use of it as an attack on other sites I am going to start telling people to stop wasting everyone’s time, including theirs and use the search function

True but it should at least not be predictable and happen so often.

I can pretty much tell you, as can just about anyone else, yourself included the way certain threads are going to go and they are just old re-hashed repeats of some other long worn out over done topic.

As much as I have avoided it in the past because due to the use of it as an attack on other sites I am going to start telling people to stop wasting everyone’s time, including theirs and use the search function

True but it should at least not be predictable and happen so often.

I can pretty much tell you, as can just about anyone else, yourself included the way certain threads are going to go and they are just old re-hashed repeats of some other long worn out over done topic.

As much as I have avoided it in the past because due to the use of it as an attack on other sites I am going to start telling people to stop wasting everyone’s time, including theirs and use the search function

 

[myusername]

I agree.

Question though, why do so many people not use their real names on these boards? Is it just to have the anonymity to be able to say what they want with no consequences? Or when you look at “about me”, there is no information about them, why? Are they that embarrassed about what they write? Are they that insecure? Do they fear someone coming to stalk them?

From my perspective, when I first joined this site I had recently been working as a mental health nurse in a secure unit. I decided against using my full name and giving personal details for that reason. One needs to recognise that people on these boards come from a variety of backgrounds and professions and not all of them would be wise to post personal details online. For example, a police officer talking freely about what they would do to an intruder in their home would be best to use a nickname. I admit that since working away from secure mental health units my confidentiality guard has dropped a little but I will still be cautious about giving away too much. So I would say that for some on these boards there are very valid reasons for using nicknames or usernames instead of full names.

 

[Bruno@MT]

It is just the way communities work.
In my other community, I am an admin, and I have seen many changes of the guard. People come, become senior, interact, and leave. Only the occasional person stays for good. Even mods , supermods and admins come and go.

It is also interesting that every now and again, something silly happens which triggers a major flamefest / falling out. People leave or get banned, get villified or martyred. The community is in a state of unrest for a couple of days, things settle down, and normal business resumes for another turn the the wheel.

And every forum has its controversy. With martial arts it is no different. For ninjutsu, the controversy is with fraudulent lineage claims. For CMA it is probably something similar, or internal vs external. On my other forum, I have dealt with flamewars stemming from the argument about the bevavior of grit particles of a certain type of stone, and how that impacts the honing progression. These are all topics over which holy wars are fought. And outsiders will think 'get a life'. So these controverses are not specific to MT either.

These things work in cycles. It is just the way of the world.
It is normal for you to have these feelings. How you deal with them depends on you. This is different for everybody. Some people conclude they've seen it all and leave, others take a leave of absence and find other ways off spending their time, and then come back. Others embrace the repetitveness, and yet others find other ways to interact with the site (become a mod for example).

What you do is up to you. Choose what feels right to you, and it will be a good choice, no matter which you choose.

 

[celtic_crippler]

Bore
Bore, Bored
Bore, Bored, Boredom
Bore, Bored, Boredom, Boring
I Always Seem To
Wind Up
Snoring

......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Take a break, explore something new...then come back and tell us all about it.

 

[Steve]

Well said. My real name is on my profile page for anyone to read an know. My handle is a way to express myself;

Xue, brother, web communities are a funny thing. From time to time it can be very frustrating. My recommendation? Put a flower in your hair and eat some tofu! LOL okay, seriously - You are not alone. I enjoy this forum greatly, but I have been a part of forums where I just couldn't see the point anymore. I think that when that happens it is good to mix up the postings with something like Steve did hating all our MA styles

Maybe explore blogging, and post here every few days or once a week. Something that works for you to keep it fresh

It was a coping mechanism!

 

[jks9199]

True but it should at least not be predictable and happen so often.

I can pretty much tell you, as can just about anyone else, yourself included the way certain threads are going to go and they are just old re-hashed repeats of some other long worn out over done topic.

As much as I have avoided it in the past because due to the use of it as an attack on other sites I am going to start telling people to stop wasting everyone’s time, including theirs and use the search function

True but it should at least not be predictable and happen so often.

I can pretty much tell you, as can just about anyone else, yourself included the way certain threads are going to go and they are just old re-hashed repeats of some other long worn out over done topic.

As much as I have avoided it in the past because due to the use of it as an attack on other sites I am going to start telling people to stop wasting everyone’s time, including theirs and use the search function

True but it should at least not be predictable and happen so often.

I can pretty much tell you, as can just about anyone else, yourself included the way certain threads are going to go and they are just old re-hashed repeats of some other long worn out over done topic.

As much as I have avoided it in the past because due to the use of it as an attack on other sites I am going to start telling people to stop wasting everyone’s time, including theirs and use the search function

True but it should at least not be predictable and happen so often.

I can pretty much tell you, as can just about anyone else, yourself included the way certain threads are going to go and they are just old re-hashed repeats of some other long worn out over done topic.

As much as I have avoided it in the past because due to the use of it as an attack on other sites I am going to start telling people to stop wasting everyone’s time, including theirs and use the search function

True but it should at least not be predictable and happen so often.

I can pretty much tell you, as can just about anyone else, yourself included the way certain threads are going to go and they are just old re-hashed repeats of some other long worn out over done topic.

As much as I have avoided it in the past because due to the use of it as an attack on other sites I am going to start telling people to stop wasting everyone’s time, including theirs and use the search function

Some topics are like that, whether on a board or in person. We all know someone who, given half an opening, will regale any and all with their high school glories in football or "what they did in the war" or whatever...

 

[Archangel M]

I think that discussion boards and their admins have to juggle many competing issues.

While there is the necessity for "policing" bad behavior, in this medium it's controversy that "puts people in the seats" and keeps them coming back. Like soap opera and car wrecks, people in this sort of media are REALLY looking more for entertainment, discussion and debate than they are for "information". If you were to look at the busiest threads in this boards Im willing to bet that a large percentage of them contain argument, personal shots and "bad behavior". A balance between entertainment and civility needs to be maintained. Going too far in either direction can kill a board.

 

[shesulsa]

I think that discussion boards and their admins have to juggle many competing issues.

While there is the necessity for "policing" bad behavior, in this medium it's controversy that "puts people in the seats" and keeps them coming back. Like soap opera and car wrecks, people in this sort of media are REALLY looking more for entertainment, discussion and debate than they are for "information". If you were to look at the busiest threads in this boards Im willing to bet that a large percentage of them contain argument, personal shots and "bad behavior". A balance between entertainment and civility needs to be maintained. Going too far in either direction can kill a board.

While that is most definitely true, it is imperative for a board which takes such an outward stand against fraudbusting and purports polite and respectful conversation is its hallmark to carefully (not always stringently, but *carefully) enforce the rules which make it what it is. When that is neglected, membership often withdraws itself.

Those of us who have seen the ebb and flow more than a handful of times can call it pretty well, methinks.

Ride it out, post it up.

 

[bekkilyn]

You're probably just run into the "you can't go home again" aspect of this forum. When you first joined, everything was new and exciting because you were experiencing the forum for the first time. As time passes, you start seeing the same things over and over and become more and more jaded. It's normal for an internet forum.

I'm pretty new to this particular forum, but not new to the internet and various internet activities. For example, I used to play various MMORPG (mass multiplayer roleplaying games) and there's a big difference between a true newbie and someone who has been playing the game for a few months or years.

The true newbie has a whole new world to explore and everything is fresh. The experience player can never again have that experience in that particular game, even if the experienced player makes a brand new character. The character will be brand new and there will be some new things to do, but the previous months of experience still "ruins" the true newbie experience.

While you may never again be "true newbie" to this forum and be able to see and experience the forum in the same way as the first time, you still have the power of how you decide to choose how you will continue (or if you will continue) to experience the forum.

Perhaps you are bored merely because you choose to be bored?

Perhaps you just need a bit of a break. Maybe you're just in the midst of some stress and it wouldn't matter what the forum was like.

Also, just because you've seen something 1000 times, it doesn't mean there still might not be something to learn, so maybe there is a new perspective there somewhere.

Or it might just be that I'm just being delusional and rambling due to the 2.5 hour accounting exam I had tonight.

Even so, I don't think your feelings are abnormal.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Bore
Bore, Bored
Bore, Bored, Boredom
Bore, Bored, Boredom, Boring
I Always Seem To
Wind Up
Snoring

......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Take a break, explore something new...then come back and tell us all about it.

Hmmmm….wha???? sorry were you saying something…. I was napping

But…but…. I just came back from a break

Hey you never know what I will do, I am the Grand Master evil wizard and grand poobah of Xuefu after all. :mst: :EG:

Some topics are like that, whether on a board or in person. We all know someone who, given half an opening, will regale any and all with their high school glories in football or "what they did in the war" or whatever...

That is really not that big an issue. The issue would be, in that case, someone regales us with their football glory days and then someone else regales us with the same exact story with only slightly different wording about their football glory days and that is followed bt 15 other people doing the same exact thing.

And of course those that wouldn’t dream of doing anything in person that wait in the shadows of web anonymity to attack topics they know little about or just attacking for the sake of attacking because they find it to be fun.

I think that discussion boards and their admins have to juggle many competing issues.

While there is the necessity for "policing" bad behavior, in this medium it's controversy that "puts people in the seats" and keeps them coming back. Like soap opera and car wrecks, people in this sort of media are REALLY looking more for entertainment, discussion and debate than they are for "information". If you were to look at the busiest threads in this boards Im willing to bet that a large percentage of them contain argument, personal shots and "bad behavior". A balance between entertainment and civility needs to be maintained. Going too far in either direction can kill a board.

Nothing against the admins and mods, it is a rather thankless and difficult job that I do not want. and I know where the busiest section of the board is and there is nothing wrong with it but it has little to do with “Martial Arts Talk” other than it is in most cases Martial Artists talking and when I say Martial Arts Talk I am referring to MT not the website with that URL and please please don’t go there, it’s a VERY silly place. But to each his own and I tend to stay out of there beyond the occasional interjection of fact or humor, which by the way I have noticed that facts in the face of absurdity generally get completely ignored in order to maintain the absurdity... Apparently much like calling everone Bruce, it cuts down on teh confusion

While that is most definitely true, it is imperative for a board which takes such an outward stand against fraudbusting and purports polite and respectful conversation is its hallmark to carefully (not always stringently, but *carefully) enforce the rules which make it what it is. When that is neglected, membership often withdraws itself.

Those of us who have seen the ebb and flow more than a handful of times can call it pretty well, methinks.

Ride it out, post it up.

To a point I agree but there should come a point when you look around at your community and start to ask why do many of the real good people leave or post so little and not just chalk it up to that is just how it is. Otherwise sooner or later your site dies or worse ends up mundane.

You're probably just run into the "you can't go home again" aspect of this forum. When you first joined, everything was new and exciting because you were experiencing the forum for the first time. As time passes, you start seeing the same things over and over and become more and more jaded. It's normal for an internet forum.

I'm pretty new to this particular forum, but not new to the internet and various internet activities. For example, I used to play various MMORPG (mass multiplayer roleplaying games) and there's a big difference between a true newbie and someone who has been playing the game for a few months or years.

The true newbie has a whole new world to explore and everything is fresh. The experience player can never again have that experience in that particular game, even if the experienced player makes a brand new character. The character will be brand new and there will be some new things to do, but the previous months of experience still "ruins" the true newbie experience.

While you may never again be "true newbie" to this forum and be able to see and experience the forum in the same way as the first time, you still have the power of how you decide to choose how you will continue (or if you will continue) to experience the forum.

Perhaps you are bored merely because you choose to be bored?

Perhaps you just need a bit of a break. Maybe you're just in the midst of some stress and it wouldn't matter what the forum was like.

Also, just because you've seen something 1000 times, it doesn't mean there still might not be something to learn, so maybe there is a new perspective there somewhere.

Or it might just be that I'm just being delusional and rambling due to the 2.5 hour accounting exam I had tonight.

Even so, I don't think your feelings are abnormal.

You’re not delusional but a 2.5 hour accounting exam is most certainly enough to drive anyone over the edge

I took one once and that went a long way to helping me decide I never ever wanted to do anything even remotely associated with accounting ever again

Thank you but I do not think it is “I can’t go home again” and to be honest I couldn’t have been more Jaded that I was when I got here (I’m old) and I was on EF before I got here. And as for seeing something 1000 times in some cases you are right but what I am mainly referring to is the MMA vs. TMA vs. RSBD stuff in all its many incarnations and veils that are all exactly the same and all end up exactly the same way and the OP is convinced they have a new topic that has never been done before or a no w slant that will help them win the argument and to be honest it is all the same ole same ole... oh and don't forget the "all fights go the ground stuff"

And I was seriously missing EF due to the amount of Info that use to be there and the amount of real IMA people and its substitute of a similar name got incredibly silly with online training and the such but I was recently told the old page is still there under an entirely different name and I am going to see what it is like for a bit.

But here’s the thing, and this might be the answer as to why many (not all) very good people don’t post much or stop posting and my quick look at the new page that was formally known as EF (not the one that still exists as EF) there is not much activity and I use to post on a sanshou page as well that is still in existence but virtually dead and the reason why is training.

The Sanshou page was full of guys training for fights, traveling to Thailand to train Muay Thai so they could be better fighters and such and they simply do not have time to post. I suspect the same might be happening on the new version of the page formally known as EF and I suspect that is why some of the real hard core (not all) MA people on MT vanish or simply post little. And if this is the case there is really nothing you can do about it at all except watch them come and go.

As for me I am getting over a broken foot and have time so I am at MT and that is pretty much why I came back (I was bored, I did not choose to be). Soon I will have no time which has more to do with getting a new house than anything else but once the foot is better I too will need to train a lot to get back where I was, not that I am as good as those that left but I want to try and get there if at all possible and my Taiji Sifu wants to beat on me to get me there so there will then be less time so who knows what the future holds for me on MT at this point.

I have had this discussion with a few that I consider some of the great old school posters on MT via PM, not that there are not other great old school posters, there are, I just did not PM them about this nor they me so I have not talked with them. But from those PMs I know I am not the only one that feels this way but I wanted to bring it out to the general population of MT to see what others thought and to see if there was anything that could be done. And IMO I do think there is one thing (not the only thing) that has changed things but to be honest I have no idea how you could change that nor am I willing to open that door (Pandoras box) to discussion.

Thank you all for the responses I do greatly appreciate them and they are helping me learn a few things and understand things a bit :asian:

 

[Xue Sheng]

my sage advice is to change your avatars

OK, I did, back to the old one :EG:

But it is just not fitting in the space right at the moment

 

[still learning]

Hello, As the years go by, as we get older...times do change us..our thoughts and priorties also change too... (goals in life).

We all go thru changes as we grow older...seeking "happeness" in our lives...one must look at the present times...and see what one wants to achieve in the future life or (tomorrow).

Just to live in the here and now (today)..effects the future too... the past is gone..nothing can change that..

Seek what you want to do today and the tomorrows....may mean to stop training or seek other styles...to excite the blood in you..

Sit down and feel what you truely is seeking in life "today" ...find your new goals, life is very short and getting shorter with age....

To find your NEW "happeness" ...is to truly find your "wants"....and needs...for the here and now.

Aloha, Study this further.....life does change us in as we age...

PS: just like a seed, that grow into a tree, can branch into many OTHER areas... sometimes to reseed....

 

[Jenna]

OK, I did, back to the old one :EG:

But it is just not fitting in the space right at the moment

Nope it fits just lovely so stop complaining mister!! I am not giving you no more excuses to bugger off again you are staying right here and I am going to lock this door on you until you have posted something truly momentous from your vault of wisdom.. so! The clock is ticking! There is only enough air in this little rooom of this here forum for another 12 hours.. 11:59, 11:58.. mwah..

 

[Live True]

I can only speak as someone who has only been on these forums for...oh wow...almost two years...doesn't seem that long.

I moderate a forum on another site, and I can appreciate the work that can sometimes be involved and also a lot of they "c'mon guys, use the friggin search function! We've been over that upteen million times already!", but.....

I've brought up some subjects here and there to see how people's concepts have changed over time...because they have a funny way of doing that. It's like Celtic Crippler's challenge to me on another post...take some ideas I'm playing with and look at them again in the months and years ahead. It's interesting to see where you are compared to where you've been. I don't know if you are interested in looking at it from that perspective or not. But it might be interesting to look at your posts here (all 10,000 + of them!) and any notes or thoughts you have from when you started out. Sometimes, seeing the changes over time can trigger some new ideas as well, and sometimes it's just interesting to do a little retrospective. I try to

You talk like you are as old as dirt, and while I'm sure we all feel that way at times, I doubt you're that dusty %-}! It is clear, however, from what you post that you've trained for many years and have a lot of knowledge. I, like Jenna, very selfishly would not like you and several others who post to leave as I learn so much from what you have to say..and sometimes what you don't.

I agree and will not repeat what others have said about the internet, but I would hope that you will find some things to keep you coming back, even if only occasionally....as many of us would miss your voice.

That said, you need to do what is best for you...regardless of what us selfish types say....either way, I hope you find something to bring you happiness and continued growth.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Nope it fits just lovely so stop complaining mister!! I am not giving you no more excuses to bugger off again you are staying right here and I am going to lock this door on you until you have posted something truly momentous from your vault of wisdom.. so! The clock is ticking! There is only enough air in this little rooom of this here forum for another 12 hours.. 11:59, 11:58.. mwah..

I'm guessing that with Qigong I can extend that to 18 to 24 hours :EG:

I can only speak as someone who has only been on these forums for...oh wow...almost two years...doesn't seem that long.

I moderate a forum on another site, and I can appreciate the work that can sometimes be involved and also a lot of they "c'mon guys, use the friggin search function! We've been over that upteen million times already!", but.....

I've brought up some subjects here and there to see how people's concepts have changed over time...because they have a funny way of doing that. It's like Celtic Crippler's challenge to me on another post...take some ideas I'm playing with and look at them again in the months and years ahead. It's interesting to see where you are compared to where you've been. I don't know if you are interested in looking at it from that perspective or not. But it might be interesting to look at your posts here (all 10,000 + of them!) and any notes or thoughts you have from when you started out. Sometimes, seeing the changes over time can trigger some new ideas as well, and sometimes it's just interesting to do a little retrospective. I try to

You talk like you are as old as dirt, and while I'm sure we all feel that way at times, I doubt you're that dusty %-}! It is clear, however, from what you post that you've trained for many years and have a lot of knowledge. I, like Jenna, very selfishly would not like you and several others who post to leave as I learn so much from what you have to say..and sometimes what you don't.

I agree and will not repeat what others have said about the internet, but I would hope that you will find some things to keep you coming back, even if only occasionally....as many of us would miss your voice.

That said, you need to do what is best for you...regardless of what us selfish types say....either way, I hope you find something to bring you happiness and continued growth.

I need to clarify something; at this point I am not planning on going anywhere I am just noticing a lot have gone and things have changed; not all for the better, IMO, but then not all for the worse either. However I am going to have much less time in my offline life starting tomorrow so it is likely I will be here less and when the foot heals I will need to do a whole lot of training just to be semi-happy with me so again I will likely have less time to post but I am not, at this point, going anywhere.

As to old as dirt...dirt’s a WHIPPER SNAPPER compared to me and it needs to get the HELL of my LAWN...damn kids

Actually I am older than many on MT and younger than a few too so I am far from old (unless you ask a teenager ), But it is just a nice excuse to act cranky and tell the younger people that complain that they are old that I have leather jackets older than they are :EG:

But I will say Kung Fu (the first show) was new as was Enter the Dragon when I started this stuff so I am not all that young, but there are a few of us here that can say that