TaoBums: The Cacophony

[rex]

Things have been pretty awful here of late so I've just done an experiment and put a number of posters on ignore function. Two results became apparent:

 

1) About 95% of posts are made by 2% of the membership. Sometimes entire pages of threads are hidden and the easy grace of hitherto unnoticed posters shines through.

 

2) Reading the forum with ignored users activated puts the forum vibe back to the amateur, enthusiastic, fun sharing vibe of how TaoBums used to be.

[Marblehead]

Things have been pretty awful here of late so I've just done an experiment and put a number of posters on ignore function. Two results became apparent:

 

1) About 95% of posts are made by 2% of the membership. Sometimes entire pages of threads are hidden and the easy grace of hitherto unnoticed posters shines through.

 

2) Reading the forum with ignored users activated puts the forum vibe back to the amateur, enthusiastic, fun sharing vibe of how TaoBums used to be.

 

 

Hehehe. I hope I wasn't one of the members you hit the "ignore" button on. I like to think that, except when I am joking around, most of what I have to say has at least a little value.

 

And the above is more of my joking around. But it is good that you have brought this up so that our newer members are aware of it and can utilize it if they so choose.

[Owledge]

1) About 95% of posts are made by 2% of the membership.

You should put it in relation to the total number of active (non-readonly) members.

 

EDIT:

I just thought about the allegory where animals can hear the calling of their offspring among many other voices, if you know what I mean. This might also apply to internet forum reading. When the unwanted part of the signal increases, you can still put your focus on the wanted parts. Rex, maybe it helps if you just put your focus more on what you like to read about. After all, that's a necessity in internet forums anyway.

Edited February 9, 2011 by Hardyg

[Sloppy Zhang]

Finally!

 

Somebody gets it!!!

 

Congratulations, rex!

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Yes, yes, but you must understand that some deeper purpose is served with these big firestorm threads, I started the DO thread last Friday and it spread and ran like wildfire. (I actually amazed a friend of mine when I explained what DO is and that a bunch of us are actually fighting over that instead of like healthcare or gun control or whatnot).

 

There is a part of us (me) that is unable to ignore that irritating member often (I know Vajra is just unable to not look at my posts, he's tried to ignore me many times). Also, it seems that the ignore button is much, much more workable in theory rather than practice because when it comes right down to it, we all like a little drams in our lives and so we splash and slog over 28 pages of dependent origination in a couple of days. What the hell, we're workin' something out here...

[Mal]

(I actually amazed a friend of mine when I explained what DO is and that a bunch of us are actually fighting over that instead of like healthcare or gun control or whatnot)

 

if I tried to explain many of the threads here, people would think I'm (more of) a nutcase!

[rex]

Cheers Guys!

 

Filtering stuff out is so obvious though it has taken an awful long time to cotton on to this. Being too open when reading has a lot to do with it as well as treating reading a forum as equivalent to reading a book at home where information is absorbed through the body too. Threads covering interesting subjects can attract certain undercurrents so apart from staying away there is always the option of doing what readers did in Middle Ages when reading grimoires and that is wear an iron headband!

[Encephalon]

I had myself voluntarily banned about four months ago because I just found the whole TTB experience too dreadful to endure. The intellectual level seemed to have bottomed out and the threads were no longer a battle of wills or intellect but mere exercises in egocentrism. I was ceasing to become a better person for participating, and through my nei kung practice I finally acquired the self-worth to stop wasting my time and concentrate on realizing my life-long goals. I meditated a lot more, wrote a lot more, worked out with my wife, became a better cook, and a better husband.

I had myself unbanned today because I feel a need to rescue Buddhism, and mutual causality, from the tortured and unrecognizable carcass they have become (responsible parties will go unmentioned). But a part of me is very wary of getting sucked into the fray. I'm having shoulder joint replacement surgery on Tuesday followed by a plentiful supply of Vicodin, so there's no telling what the hell I may do in here in the weeks to come!

[Mal]

I was ceasing to become a better person for participating, and through my nei kung practice I finally acquired the self-worth to stop wasting my time and concentrate on realizing my life-long goals. I meditated a lot more, wrote a lot more, worked out with my wife, became a better cook, and a better husband.

 

Sweet, but how did the play turn out?

[Makyea]

I hate ignore buttons, seems so lazy.

[.broken.]

The intellectual level seemed to have bottomed out and the threads were no longer a battle of wills or intellect but mere exercises in egocentrism. I was ceasing to become a better person for participating, and through my nei kung practice I finally acquired the self-worth to stop wasting my time and concentrate on realizing my life-long goals. I meditated a lot more, wrote a lot more, worked out with my wife, became a better cook, and a better husband.

 

Bravo

 

I found that even the intellectual discussions came to be of no use when I realised the time could be spent deepening my relationships and my spiritual practice.

 

The ignore function and such voluntary breaks allow one the time one needs to truly grow. The arguments, judgements and intellectualism within this forum are reflections of my seemingly ceaseless mind.

 

Spiritual practice is, after all, an individual pursuit.

 

Love, light and happiness,

James

[manitou]

What the hell, we're workin' something out here...

 

I couldn't agree more. We are working something out here. One day it will synthesize, but not until the various egos get out of the way.

[Marblehead]

I'm having shoulder joint replacement surgery on Tuesday followed by a plentiful supply of Vicodin, so there's no telling what the hell I may do in here in the weeks to come!

 

Best wishes with the surgery and a rapid and complete recovery.