[ntluser]

Originally Posted by Drudge

This is my first post for over 6 weeks.
Perhaps part of this forum should be renamed "CLOWN ACADEMY".

I watched this forum from the first day it opened. I had little experience of forums but I was amazed with how much importance so many members gave to the number of posts they had made (even asking for their posts on .com to be added to this one). Poor sad souls.

Now so many of the regulars seem to think that their rating in the "Reputation System" is of utmost importance and even go begging for points. Compare the list of top posters and the ones discussing "Reputations", there are differences, of course, but many of the names appear in both. Perhaps they have unfulfilled lives. Remember these are the people who have enhanced powers of creating reputations!
Another reason for not posting in the "serious discussion" threads are that you are likely to be insulted by a small group if you dare to post anything which suggests that NTL are not part of the devil's army or ever do anything classifiable as O.K.

I do not post because I come onto the forum, I select "New Posts", read down the list and, usually with a deep sigh,think "Nothing worth bothering about there" and go off. Sorry if this is offensive to some but it is just the way I have come to feel about the forum. Others must have the same or similar feelings or there would be many more and varied posts. Ah well, back to silence.

Thanks for that. I must admit I hadn't realised that some forum members do pay so much attention to the ratings and their reputations.

Not sure what you mean about the postings on .com being added to the postings on this site or the begging for points. Perhaps you've seen a thread that I have missed. As far as I know the number of postings displayed under each member's name is automatically recorded by the site software, but maybe you are referring to something else.

However, I do agree that some of the forum discussions do get very heated and some forum members do become abusive. The moderators do the best they can to control this.

I do agree too that some days there is nothing worth bothering with, but you aren't just a reader of this forum. You are entitled to be proactive and start threads which you think will generate interest and serious discussion.

I'd welcome more people interested in a serious discussion about topics of interest. The whole point of the forum is to get people talking and raising issues.But it's up to each member to decide the forums and threads to which they want to subscribe and contribute.

Personally, I hope that you'll start up some threads and raise issues that you are interested in, just be ready for the rough and tumble of the forum.