Subject: so...when is a newbie, NOT a newbie anymore?
fairy_ofdarkness
Member
Posts: 104 Registered: 30/1/2004 Status: Offline
posted on 12/4/2004 at 11:05 AM
how do you know if a newbie isn't a newbie anymore?
am i still a newbie?
____________________ so happy, but cant smile,
so sad, but cant cry...
so tired, but cant sleep,
grown wings, but cant fly......
BlueLinn
Fanatic
Posts: 246 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 6/5/2004 at 09:41 AM
:scroll scroll scroll: :read a bit: :nod: :scroll: :scroll: :scroll: Boy
I've been a bit neglegent for awhile. But then, that is what school and two
jobs does.... Now, as for posts. and newbie business. Contribute a relevent
artical, an interesting forum topic, something you have created from your
meager mentallity, and then, when you are truely happy with it. At least a
portion of everyone else will be too.
.... so they are keeping track of my posts?... :hides: :puts a piece of
duck tape over the ammount of posts on the screen:
There, I haven't posted much!....
... actually ,,, I guess I havent.... hmm... I need to post one of my
newer paintings... but I'll get around to it eventually.
____________________ When the world is over, will we wonder how it began?
fairy_ofdarkness
Member
Posts: 104 Registered: 30/1/2004 Status: Offline
posted on 16/4/2004 at 02:43 PM
awesome story schizo
____________________ so happy, but cant smile,
so sad, but cant cry...
so tired, but cant sleep,
grown wings, but cant fly......
Domkitten
Fanatic
Posts: 470 Registered: 23/9/2002 Status: Offline
posted on 16/4/2004 at 04:26 AM
Schiz, that was absolutely beautiful.
____________________ It's like kegel exercises for your throat.~Monolycus
Schizo
Extreme Fanatic
Posts: 897 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 16/4/2004 at 02:54 AM
Let me tell you a story...
Once upon a time, long, long, ago, I, yes I, Schizo, Mother Confessor, was
once a newbie. A dismal little wide-eyed, wet-behind-the-ears, nervous
little newbie. This was back in the days when Shmeng was bran-spankin-new,
and most people stuck to the older Gothic Enlightenment (like Bettie X, who
was one of the last to succumb!)
I wandered through the dark halls, I took the goth test, I read the words
and I looked at the pictures, every single one of them. I made a couple
posts, but mostly I stayed fairly quiet. I got to know these people before
they got to know me.
Then, there came a troll. A big, bad, nasty troll. Even worse, a
religious troll, who thought it was his duty to bring these evil, suicidal
goths out of their misery and into the light of God. And it pissed me off.
Because he never bothered to find out if these people were evil or
suicidal in the first place. He just saw the colors and the make-up and
jumped to a million conclusions, just like any know-it-all fanatic. I saw
red.
Well, I raked that bastard up one side and down the other. I was raised to
be a super-christian, and I knew that man's Book better than he did. I
turned his attention to myself, and told him just what I thought of someone
who judges someone else without getting to know them first. I told him a
lot of things he didn't want to hear. And finally he left.
This is how I gained the attentions of the powers that be. Who was it back
then, anyway? Devin, Ickgirl, Vampcourt, Callei, Bettie, I know I'm
missing some people. I gained their attention and their approval. Even
though I was a Christian, and didn't hide the fact, even though several of
them have gone through horrors at the hands of those who called themselves
Christians. I became their exception to the rule, their example of what a
Christian should be.
Shortly thereafter, the cult of Devin was born, and I received my title and
duties. Why? Because I took the time to educate myself on the ways of the
site before trying to get attention, and because I gained attention by
doing something exceptional, intelligent, and cool. I projected my persona
in a way that benefitted the existing members of the website. And I also
showed myself willing to learn.
I've had my trials by fire, too. Anyone who doesn't think so can read "A
Resident Christian's Personal Rant". But those trials were gained by a
daring and thought-out presentation of an unpopular stance. You agreed
with it, or you didn't, but you definitly thought about it.
I've mellowed out since then, and no longer even claim the title of
Christian, although it still seems to cling to me. But I've survived
years, and tumult, and months without computers, and personal upheavals,
and I'm still around and kicking, and submitting articles when I have the
time.
Why are the great ones great? How do the personalities separate themselves
from the newbies? It is not through numbers of posts, or through amount of
time spent on Shmeng. It is through developing a personality that attracts
others, stimulating people's minds, adding beauty and intelligence to the
website, helping others grow, learning from other people, and above all,
having something interesting about you that stands out from the crowd. It
helps to be a brilliant photographer, to write amazing fiction, to have the
gift of the eloquent flame, or some other such talent, or you may just have
some quirk to your personality that makes you stand out among the crowd.
There have been people here who have shed the newbie name since day one.
There have also been people who have been around forever, and who are still
essentially newbies.
And that is my story - and advice.
And they all lived shmengily ever after.
The end.
____________________ "You can tell by the scars on my arms and the cracks in my hips and the
dents in my car and the blisters on my lips that I'm not the carefullest of
girls." - Dresden Dolls, "Girl Anachronism"
fairy_ofdarkness
Member
Posts: 104 Registered: 30/1/2004 Status: Offline
posted on 15/4/2004 at 05:04 PM
thank you feral
and MRD: considering that i AM a child, i am not surprised you feel that
way. ("That is what I see as a newbi and a child")
____________________ The earth turns on a tilted axis - just doing the best it can.
Hohenheim of Light~Full Metal Alchemist
fairy_ofdarkness
Member
Posts: 104 Registered: 30/1/2004 Status: Offline
posted on 15/4/2004 at 03:51 PM
yeah, i kinda found feral's thing funny too...lol
and again im sorry....was having a bad day...(not looking for an excuse)
sorry....
____________________ so happy, but cant smile,
so sad, but cant cry...
so tired, but cant sleep,
grown wings, but cant fly......
MystryssRavynDarque
Extreme Fanatic
Posts: 648 Registered: 24/9/2002 Status: Offline
posted on 15/4/2004 at 03:27 PM
Okay, so this is how I see it:
Fairy of Darkness: You asked a question, you got burned. You yelled at
everyone when they got your question wrong. You should not have yelled or
cursed, you should have explained yourself clearly. That is what I see as
a newbi and a child. Yelling and cursing instead of using your grown up
words to explain yourself. You did try to do that later, but you had
already dug yourself into a hole nearly six feet deep. The way I see it,
if you dig again you will be buried by everyone else.
Everyone else: You did a good job burning, it seemed like you've all been
wanting to go trolling, especially with all of the trolls we've had lately,
but she isn't a troll and we must learn to know the difference. I love you
all dearly, and I just am trying to protect people who are coming to the
site and I am not trying to exclude anyone. I did get a good chuckle out
of Ferals: "don't get your barbed wire panties of darkness in a bunch" as
well as many of the other people's jokes and funny comments. I was also
impressed with Kira's rebuttle to Fairy, it was well thought out and
thought provoking to the reader.
Enjoy my comments. Don't take things too harshly please, I am not siding
with either.
____________________ "People always say what we are looking for is a meaning for life…I don't
think that's what we're looking for. I think what we're looking for is the
experience of being alive." -Joseph Campbell
bellows his bourbon street get out ofthe way bellow... there... I win...
____________________ The earth turns on a tilted axis - just doing the best it can.
Hohenheim of Light~Full Metal Alchemist
callei
Extreme Fanatic
Posts: 759 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 15/4/2004 at 01:14 PM
ok course it is childish. as kira said 12.8 i so wasnt harshing at you. I
was sort of sympathizing with your statements about being part of a
community. the lord of the flies thing was more about how it thinks yelling
will make it powerful (a member) not working together with other people.
____________________ Real goths wear silver and crosses to keep the werewolves and vampires
away.
Jesi
Occasional Poster
Posts: 43 Registered: 30/3/2004 Status: Offline
posted on 15/4/2004 at 12:14 PM
Thank you, Callei.
It's good to know that I'm on the right path...
____________________
Starlight
Extreme Fanatic
Posts: 618 Registered: 27/9/2002 Status: Offline
posted on 15/4/2004 at 11:47 AM
Callei: Thank you, and I will take that hint and get on it posthaste.
____________________ "When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never
tried before." ~Mae West
Callei: but those children acted with intellect... yes their was some
childishness to it... this whole site is a bit like lord of the flies... we
were alone in a world of stupid and we made our own place to be... I was
accused of being mean to her last eve... which still amuses me as I was
being nicer to a newb than I have ever been...
____________________ The earth turns on a tilted axis - just doing the best it can.
Hohenheim of Light~Full Metal Alchemist
Merry_Widow
Fanatic
Posts: 598 Registered: 24/8/2002 Status: Offline
posted on 15/4/2004 at 08:27 AM
Granted...but mine will be able to express her angsty whining in full and
complete sentences, with proper punctuation and capitalization. I don't
care if it is the webbernet, it's no excuse to be sloppy.
____________________ Okay, dazzle me.
callei
Extreme Fanatic
Posts: 759 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 15/4/2004 at 06:14 AM
Domkitten: i only want to kill the small children directly involved in the
post, or thier parents. usually. well most of the time.
Feral: remember Lord of the Flies? that is what you get when you let
children make thier own community. and about all they know about community.
We raise them to compete and somehow expect them to put that away and play
well with others. I pity the sick freaks sometimes.
Jesi: you are well on your way to being a member. short, interesting,
meaninful posts with a sense of humour and human interactions.
Merry: get used to this kind of noise, you have a noise maker in your
tummy. They dont understand "non" if they dont want to hear "no".
Mono: you know its a bad thing when YOU have to step in and make the joke.
Doooood.
LadyC: tough love, that same thing you got when you showed up, is ALWAYS
the best with these kids. They want attention and love, but not our
attention and love. Whatever love and attention we give them will only make
the ache for love from thier family worse. If we are honest and clear with
them we will better help them to find the real love and attention that they
need.
Star: I wish more kids would follow your example. you have been here
forever. you are calm interesting, thoughful, wise, compasionate, and
funny. And you have never pissed me off. but you also have never sent me an
article in a loooong time.... (HINT HINT).
[Edited on 4/15/2004 by callei]
____________________ Real goths wear silver and crosses to keep the werewolves and vampires
away.
callei
Extreme Fanatic
Posts: 759 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 15/4/2004 at 06:00 AM
"how do you know if a newbie isn't a newbie anymore?
am i still a newbie?"
Part 1
How the collective "you" knows when a new person is no longer a new person
tends to vary on the character of the new person. It can be a very short
time, like 4 or 5 weeks, or a much longer time, say six months, depending
on quantity and quality of posts, comments, articles and Instant Messages.
Often people will post a pic or two, a few trys at articles, and start a
forum that others enjoy before the become "real" members. Other criteria
include holding thier own in a debate with other members, in crowd behavior
from other members (where they take your back againt some n00b), and long
time members or pantheon members asking you for your oppinion.
Part 2
I would say you are still a newbie based on time, quality and quantity of
posts, lack of articles and pics, lack of member acceptance, and general
lack of participation. Personally I think anyone who hasnt been here for at
least one purge is still a newbie, but then i think that time and effort
are what make you a member. You dont have to be universally loved by other
members to be a member. you dont have to makes sense all the time to be a
member, you dont have to be cute or a great photographer to be a member.
you do have to take the time to know the rules, know the people, and let
them know you.
and you have to have spit milk out of your nose at you monitor over
something Bettie has said. again, that is a personal criteria for
membership, not endorsed by the whole pantheon, membership, and god. But it
should be.
____________________ Real goths wear silver and crosses to keep the werewolves and
vampires
/>
away.
Dolorosa
Extreme Fanatic
Posts: 856 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 14/4/2004 at 10:53 PM
Dammit...the pilot light on my flamethrower went out...hold on.
click, click.
foomf.
This would be a good article on how not to act and the consequences
inherent in not acting right...unless your like, twelve or
something...which would make sense.
____________________ In the valley of the Goats, the Goat Fucker is King
Domkitten
Fanatic
Posts: 470 Registered: 23/9/2002 Status: Offline
posted on 14/4/2004 at 09:43 PM
Answer to you question:
You are not a newbie anymore if you can post, write an article, do, or say
something that won't piss callei off and make her want to kill small
children. This takes time, and a great deal of talent, good luck.
____________________ It's like kegel exercises for your throat.~Monolycus