The_Jed said:Driven5 said:In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
While you may have to be a forum member to post, anybody anywhere on the internet can search for and read everything posted here. This forum has shown great capacity for helping those who are willing to share deep personal content with the entire world, but perhaps more could benefit from the same if reading it were restricted to only those (GRM'ers) whose input is being sought... Perhaps with some minimum post count requirement.
I see nothing beyond some shoulder chips indicating any intent for this requested area to be restricted to 'paid' or 'supporting' members only.
Thank you. Exactly this.
Gotcha.... understood. Carry on. :)
OK, so trying to reframe this into the meaningful discussion it was obviously intended to be from the start:
I think The_Jed's idea for a "Dear GRM" or "GRM Family" forum for personal content that goes beyond general off-topic content would add value to the board. Yes, there are already those that share without reservation either way, those who have too many reservations to share either way, and those that have reservations but share with a burner account anyway. Considering the amount of personal off-topic content that I've seen over the years, I wouldn't even argue against a dedicated space if it were still a publicly searchable forum.
However, I also think that having it be verified (not 'paid') members only would add a level of basic security that all members using it would benefit from. It would encourage those not comfortable sharing in a publicly searchable space the ability to do so, or do so more freely, especially when viewed as 'in addition to' rather than 'in place of' burner accounts. Beyond that, I even think a more dedicated space could even have some less obvious benefits to anybody else who might otherwise engage in the personal content threads, regardless of whether they're of the 'comfortable sharing' or 'not comfortable sharing' persuasions.
I would argue that there is at least as much value to the community in this, as having dedicated forums for 'sim racing', 'deals', 'bicycles', and 'trips'... If not more so, considering the impact these many personal threads have had on people lives.
Beyond the logistical resources needed to physically implement it, what are the reasons against having a "Dear GRM" or "GRM Family" forum for discussing personal content that is only accessible to (all) verified members?
The biggest one I can think of is people only frequenting certain or higher activity forums would probably result in less and viewership and less immediate responses from the intended respondents. It's a real thing that would warrant some additional consideration, but I wouldn't call it an immediate deal killer either though.
I'm not 100% sure when I joined this forum but, I had already been on the boards for a year or two when I met my ex-wife and that was in 2005. The following decades have had a few ups and lots of downs. I always told myself, "Next year I'll make it to the challenge..." These past few years have been E36 M3. After interacting with the people here I started to feel like a member of a long-distance, dysfunctional family with many members who started out in a much better place than me and have become very successful. I've sought advice from the GRM family on multiple occasions and learned some things that I otherwise might never have known.
There was a time when I thought I knew what I was doing in life. I made plans and worked toward them; a scant few worked out and a very large number did not. I've begun to wonder if I have another personality that wants nothing more than to berkeley my life into oblivion. I am utterly financially paralyzed to the point that it must be by design and not just a series of random E36 M3ty events. The E36 M3tiness is deep and there are multiple, interlocked layers.
I also thought I was able to communicate clearly but, apparently I am not. Sometimes I am able to do things and think things through and other times I am not. I call them my "good brain" and "bad brain" days. Sometimes it just doesn't work. I can't work on cars any more without flying into a murderous rage. I know lots of people say that but, even in the moment I can tell this is different.
I've started writing in a journal, just jotting down what I do throughout the day.
I'll probably type out a long, whiney diatribe when I get home.
In reply to Driven5 :
Thank you.
For whatever it's worth - and it ain't much - the fact that this forum is viewable by every bot and crawler in christendom makes me nervouser than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I trust everybody here except maybe like three guys, and am not at all comfortable posting anything particularly personal.
I'd be in favor of a Members Only section that was restricted according to post count and/or paid membership.
The_Jed said:I'll probably type out a long, whiney diatribe when I get home.
I know that I'll be looking for it. Much respect. Zero judgment. PMs are open, too.
I kinda like the idea of a private forum but have no belief it wouldn't get crawled regardless. Because internet. Thus no real privacy.
...I also think it would be amusing to have a "guess the burner account" thread. There are only a couple of members whom I think that I could definitely identify by language, by spelling, by talking about cats and Boxsters, etc.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
I've typed and deleted a bunch of E36 M3... maybe I'll just clog up the rant thread instead... dunno.
The_Jed said:Wow... no, that's not what I meant at all. The entirety of the forum can be viewed by non-members. I'm trying to ask for advice without supplying people with ammo for personal attacks.
Oh there it is. The reason some of us left and almost never come around here anymore.
In reply to The_Jed :
Half of anyone's success, be it in life or just effective communication, is outside of their control. There is nobody that hasn't made mistakes on the half they have control over, and it seems that the half you don't has not been favorable to you either. I know it does nothing to actually help you, but I am genuinely sorry that you're facing this. For whatever it's worth, we're here for you.
I know this is far easier said than done, but try to give yourself the same compassion you'd give anybody else in your situation.
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