what makes a forum friendly?

biggysmalls

Too big to fail
Hi everyone,
I occasionally post on another forum but have always found that there is always some loon ready to jump down people's throats/spend their time looking for spelling mistakes/make barbed comments and generally be unhelpful........
But on here, I have always found everyone so friendly. What's the secret? How do the trolls know to stay away from here? Long live minimins!
 
I think because it's a site sprinkled with fairy dust...

Honestly - I can't answer the question other than by saying the vast majority of people on here are lovely, they are happy to offer advice and support which makes it a very friendly forum.

xxx
 
I too find everyone on here to be so open and friendly, to really empathize and CARE about how how others are feeling, and feel very lucky - no priviledged - to belong to this forum.

I can't compare, as don't go elsewhere, but long may the fairy dust continue to fall - and long live Minimims!!!
 
maybe they think we are all too scary but I do know what you mean, some other forums are nasty, possibly we are also better monitored by the forum police so if someone does make a nasty comment it is removed?
 
There are parts of Minimins that aren't as friendly, but the SW section is absolutely marvellous. People are always happy to give honest advice and encouragement xx
 
I would disagree with the statement about everyone is nice on this forum, as a times I have eyed conflict on the screen, but majority people are nice and can emphasis with what you are going through :)
 
Because of the nice, friendly and supportive people that post on this SW part of Minimums - I've never posted on any of the other weight forums on Minimins so I can't comment on them.

Also I think a lot has to do with the Admin side of things, we have good moderator's and good Admin staff who look after us and our forum so well.

And of course a bit of fairy dust doesn't go amiss to keep us on an even keel, LOL.....
 
I agree it is the friendliest forum i have ever experienced and i think it is possibly that as we have all have/had weight problems we are more sensitive to other people and their feelings . We mostly have empathy with the other members of the forum. The fairy dust doesn't go a miss either.
xx
 
I think it's because we are all here for the same reason, and dieting is a thing that is with you every day, rather than like a music forum where people end up talking about random stuff and not the topic of the forum, which probably leads to boredom which then leads to bullying or arguing or whatever. Maybe it's not but I think it makes sense in my head...!
 
I have in the past used many other forums, and have never found one like this before. I think its down to the moderating, they do an amazing job on here. I honestly can't see any other reason. This section is particulary lovely - thats why I use it even when not doing sw - because I get so much support and motivation from it. I love it!! I find that this site isn't just as busy as some others I have used, I think that helps too - you really get to know people. And it means you always get reponses, and usually pretty quick. Other sites I use that are really busy can be fruastrating when you post, and it disapears off the page quickly without any replies.
 
Apart from the fairy dust, :angel: the EXCELLENT admin/mods :whip: and the WONDERFUL people who post............ :innocent0002:

I think that everyone is more friendly and positive because of how great SW actually is. I think that because none of us are permanently hungry and the majority of us lose weight most weeks (yes, I know, there are a few exceptions amongst us), we all have a more positive attitude.

But PERSONALLY............ I think it's all to do with the S M I L I E S !!!! :D:D:D:D;):p
 
I would agree with what other people have said here. This site is very well moderated, which is no easy task. We do not seem to get the random irrelevant postings here which other forums seem to get, and I put that down to quick reactions by the moderators.

Also, although it is obvious that we are all very different people, from different backgrounds, different experiences, different everything, really - we are on this particular forum for the same reason. That is, to get help and to offer it.

I have been on forums which have been quite vicious and nasty and have had to stop reading them because I found them quite upsetting. Most of them were in one way or another political, which tends to attract people who have a particular axe to grind and points to score.

I was following a particular current affairs issue recently, and looking at various websites and forums. The same person would post a fairly innocent message on a forum, then when some replies were left, would leave messages which were guaranteed to wind everyone up and set people against one another. Then off he or she would go to another forum and do exactly the same thing. Why? Heaven only knows! Most of us have got better things to do with our time!


I do make rude remarks about spelling and punctuation, but I do it very quietly and to myself, so unless you are sitting under my desk you won't hear them! What matters here is what people have to say, not how they say it, as long as they can be understood.

Having said that, we did have a topic recently where we discussed spelling and grammatical errors and other things which irritated people, but it was done in a friendly manner and I don't think that anyone took offence at what was said (at least I hope not!) .
 
As a guy I hope I am wrong, but I suspect the answer may be testosterone.

Unlike all the other forums I am a member of, the members of this forum are mainly female.

It is the only difference I can think of to be honest, shameful as it is lol
 
Actually, Laddiesboy, I have found that the worst troublemakers on some forums have been women. Not all - it's probably an even balance.
 
It gets really personal and nasty on the BBC forums! Here we are a select bunch!:)
 
I think some people just like to moan though boredom this board is no way boring so they don't have to.
i left ivillage sw board because i was fed up of being told no way no how i should do something and i was being stupid on here u understand sw isn't easy and if its working carry on.
i go on a few boards that r suppose to help people and certain people just jump down peoples throats its so irrating cause it takes away from what the boards trying to do.
 
I agree with lots of the reasons stated previously!

I also think that we're all here for support and to help each other, and to start getting nasty or picky, or starting arguments for the sake of would just be a waste of time...because those who do wouldn't then get the support they need from the site!

I have sometimes seen the odd 'heated discussion' which, in my opinion, is normal and not a problem. People are bound to have differences of opinion. It very rarely gets personal and is usually done with respect.

We all have a vested interested in making sure things are happy and friendly, so as well as the fab moderators, I think we sort-of police ourselves a bit too.

And we are all covered in fairy dust!
 
have to say i love this site and i'm quickly becoming addicted! i'm usually very shy and not confident but feel really at ease chatting in here and asking my stupid questions about cooking and stuff! to be honest i feel quite liberated to be able to let people how much i weigh and want to lose and stuff and be able to say 'i've had a bad day and eaten chocolate' without feeling judged. i think it will play a big part in my SW journey. :)
 
I agree that the people on here are lovely - but to be honest, most of the nastiness I have seen on other sites (including the Times Ed Site for teachers) has been deliberate and not (I believe) from genuine users of the forum. These 'trolls' just get a kick out of controllng people I think.

I would be interested to know just how much deleting / banning our administrators have to do. Maybe it is happening but they're busy getting rid of it. They're certainly very on the ball when it comes to redirecting posts that people put in the wrong place (me included - doh!) and offering technical advice.

Three cheers for our admin team - hip hip, hoorayyyyy! hip hip, hoorayyyyy! hip hip, hoorayyyyy!

xx
 
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