Karaoke Forums

1)  This place is supposed to be fun for you.
2)  Don't EVER set expectations too high in terms of other anonymous SN's etiquette
3)  Don't divulge your vulnerabilities. Vultures looking for scapegoats will feast.
4)  SELDOM apologise for your posts and NEVER appear obsequious or sycophantic.
5)  While fun is therapeutic, never use venues such as this as "therapy sessions".
6)  Try to be honest with others, and yourself while keeping in mind some don't care
     about you, me, etc.  Some even loathe us.
7)  When feeling compelled to share info of a highly personal nature.. THINK TWICE.
     What's said by you, often comes back to haunt you at a later date in such areas



Just the way things are !    and my 2 cents.  This is how MOST general chat venues are on the internet.  Keep a tough hyde in new venues (often always when online). For issues that are more personal, there are medical, as well as mental health moderated topic areas formed for such purposes.  General chat forums THIS large collectively are seldom compassionate places..

JMO


ADDED IN:

  I think the single most important piece of info I can give anyone in rooms such as this is to never offer yourself as a punching bag.  Many have varying degrees of impotent rage and will take you up on your offer assuming you do.

_________________
Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I'm gonna say one word...just because I can. WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!! That felt good!!  :oh yeah:
Well...that was more like 4 words x5 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 SOMEBODY HELP ME!! I'M ON A RUNAWAY TRAIN HERE!!  :fright:  :newlol:

Steven has a lot of good things to say!  Don't ever expect miracle answers here, but people will lend an ear and offer their two cents worth if they happen to have two cents in their pocket (the exchange rate may not always be that great though ).    Seriously, there are a lot of great people up here -- no doubt about it!!!  :yes:

I've never been spent much time on any other forums.  I was introduced to this place by Charmin about a year ago.  At first I just stuck to the SS side, then I wandered over to the KS side.  I figured if I don't have something in common with people who like singing and music then chances are I won't have much in common with anybody else!

I was introduced to how  chatter type BBS's worked around 1977-1978 (back when you could see the words form letter by letter on your monochromatic screen).  Language was Basic, and the system was DTSS.  (Dartmouth Time-sharing). Colleges in area were interfaced on the Dartmouth Time-share. I got my first system (Radio Shack CoCo 16)- (expanded basic) 320 Baud half-duplex modem, following my Timex Sinclair around 1984.  With the Upgrade to CoCo 64 I joined Compuserve, 6.95 per hour NON-premium- and other stationary BBS's.  Early 90's, I joined a few FidoNet BBS's... Got involved with Efnet, Undernet, etc..  Been in chat venues a LONG time.  Really didn't learn a few things until I saw how America Online, mIRC, and other large chatter venues work. I learned that chat venues unless moderated (as in the America Online Depression, Anxiety, bereavement type venues) ARE NOT the place to look for sympathy UNLESS of course you've met most of the regulars in real, are an established and well respected member, and even assuming such... There are still MANY readers that Troll and don't belong or participate if room type allows this.  Many sit on sidelines throwing eggs.

In here, an area set on high internet visibility, what you say, the world can read. *assuming the internet world cared to tune in here*.  Nothing is private.  Politics exist in chatrooms, as does side-talk, backstabbing, etc..

Generally,  If I've never seen a persons expression, eyes, etc..  If I do not know them for a LONG time (and even in real friendships can be tricky) I'm not going to pour my soul out to them.  Many of us try to compensate for social aspects missing in real life, via the Internet.  Although MANY have been doing this (self included), it's NOT the best substitute for the void some have in their real lives. While some have been lucky enough to find warmth on the internet,  this takes a LONG time.. Some might be very lucky and hit the jackpot sooner... however the Internet (given so much anonymity) also has the element of something I liken to "road-rage"... Lot's of comfort while typing in the safety of a livingroom (behind anonymous names) enables some less mature -or just messed up- to take shots at others. A lot of dispassion exists as well.  It's easy to trash or depersonalize typed fonts on a screen and lose site of the fact that some sensitive people are reading what we type

My feelings are that the Internet is it's OWN type of "real".  Not real as in our personal life, but not fantasy either. It's a different place that takes some aclimating to.

_________________
Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Steven is correct and very astute as always!  That's probably why Babs proclaimed him the Mayor Of KS!

Steve, I will not quote your dissertation as it was quite long and if persons are reading this then they've read your post as well (I hope).

I agree with everything you've said and wish to expound on your statement regarding the anonymity aspect.  There is a generational aspect to this as well.  Many of those of my generation and before that grew up without the internet view this form of media as the equivalent of letter writing.  This form of communication involved the written word and, except for business purposes, was the normal way of communicating over long distances to loved ones, friends and family who lived too far away for rapid or affordable contact.  The content of those letters was in fact a way to bare one's soul and receive comfort in trying times or to share joy and celebration.  The internet simply afforded the capability of doing so without having to place ones thoughts in the mail and wait two weeks to hear a response.

The younger generations and those who lived in tighter, less dispersed family groups, do not have this background and so do approach written communication with the same attitude.  In general, these are the ones more prone to the posting of messages with less thought to their impact on the reader and others.  Also, those whom I have seen to take joy and entertainment in 'stirring the pot' anonymously are also the ones that are less secure and even more sensitive to being 'poked' back.

A simple observation from the frozen one.

Perhaps like "Pen-pals" in certain cases. I've felt similarities when comparing Email and PM relationships.  It really is amazing when you consider how far technology has come in this way regarding our interrelating.  Snail mail used to be all we had. LD phone rates were costly.

You know what's funny tho ?   Back in the early 1970's you had to take an FCC test and know elements 3,4 and 9 prior to getting a microphone for a CB radio or anything over 100 mw AM  (which really offers very little transmission radius). Here on the internet we have kids and fools spamming the whole world..  No license required. It's been ages, but I wonder if HAM ops still need to go thru the same ordeal to get their General Op license.  13 wpm CW, same type schedule of events,  etc.  When you think about it, It's surprizing the criteria for who can yack all over the world on the internet is so lax.

Alot of CQ-DX'ing coming from unqualified individuals  LOL


(come to think of it,  it might've been license for over 500 MW, and elements 2,3 & 9 of the FCC test)

_________________
Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Awwww...now I feel special....thank you sweetie. All is as well as it's ever been I suppose. I'm just a karaoke junkie having withdrawals all the time. I haven't been able to attend karaoke as much as I use to because my job takes longer now. And when I'm home alone is the only time I can really cut loose and practice something. It's like I'm in love with something elusive and I can't quite get a grip on it...it's keeps slipping further away. I'll try to stop in and say hi more often.  :wink:

Actually Steve I resemble those days  LMAO had a CB license and was prepping for my HAM license.  Just didn't have the time or patience to get my WPM up where they needed to be.  Current HAM license doesn't require morse knowledge anymore according to one of my friends.  Haven't gotten it because, heck let's be honest, I'm planning on sinking my $ in karaoke equipment

.  I had a really nice SWAN 500C., Moseley TA-33 Ant (I think)..  This was prior to the condo days of course. Neighbors get an attitude when you transmit on their Televisions  :(

_________________
Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

And radios, telephones both wired and wireless, CD players .... Heck house wiring makes a wonderful antenna!

Whoops ... sorry all I think Steve and I just hijacked the thread ... will shut up now