forums author unconscious dishonesty.

written in microsoft word. hence the proper punctuation...

I’ve figured out another reason why I blog. Posting on forums gives more publicity to your opinions than is imaginable. Your posts on forums though, are fair game. Forums hardly allow you enough credit in that the moment you introduce a new perspective or idea into the discussion, the next post, or a post another few posts down immediately plays on that original remark, the poster in effect taking the idea for their own. Introducing it into future topics, as well.

It may just be that I’m selfish, or not inclined to do that. I typically credit the author, poster, or site, or at the very least, if I can’t mention names, steer credit away from myself. By adding things like, ‘as has been mentioned multiple times earlier’, or ‘as others have pointed out’. It just doesn’t seem honest to do otherwise.

When I find that annoying, therefore, it’s not because I’m upset that credit hasn’t gone to me. I'm more of a silent visitor, I don't post very much because I tend to get carried away posting, as I do on my blog. Neither do i have ideas actually worth the taking, what I do is read and find myself re-reading the same originally unique points, posted by different people.

It just gets rather depressing because you realise – many people are not honest, and not inclined to be. It’s not quite as bad as not returning items to someone who died in front of you. It’s that it isn’t a conscious decision to take someone else’s thoughts for your own; it’s something that comes so naturally it’s not even thought about. That’s a terrible thing.

It’s when I come across this particular brand of dishonesty all the time on forums, just by reading threads and posts by others that I retreat into my blog for a week or so, and promptly head back for more disappointment during the weekend.

Why? Because otherwise, I wouldn’t be heard.

After all, it’s a fair price to pay for the pleasure of being heard. In the meantime, I’ll see it as that I managed to persuade someone to hold the same opinion as I. I’ll see it as a victory in being able to convince. A fair proportion of people taking the same courses as me are about as intent as I am on a graduate degree in law. I’d imagine most of them want to practice. I haven’t decided yet myself, which is rather a terrible thing, and terrible timing, but I’ll choose to view this, in the meantime, as practice for practice. In case I ever do need to convince anyone that way.

I’m only able to convince well, however, if I believe in what I’m saying. That’s exactly why I’m unsure about practicing law. How can you fight for what you don’t believe is true? How can you fight for what you don’t believe is right? How can you let someone who trusts you enough to pay you down by not putting in your best, at the same time?

But I digress.

I would, in any case, rather people practiced dishonesty by posting where I can see it, rather than anonymously reading my blog, and going away relaying again whatever I did say. Sometimes, I’m thankful that so little people actually read my blog. It’s occasionally frustrating, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It would be plain stupid to inform every person I saw in effect plagarising of their inherent dishonesty. It would start a flame war. It would eventually have me banned from the forums.

Some battles are won, after all, by retreating.

undeserving mods.

consider this a full series.

previous posts include why and how to be(come) a mod.

i just came across a forum topic about mods. there were screenshots and complaints, basically about mods who acted in a fully unmodly manner.

consider this akin in format to a public service message.

you can report mods for behaviour you deem not befitting a mod. in other words, if a mod's breaking a rule, or acting as s/he shouldn't, don't be afraid to report. (do bear in mind though, that there's such a thing as "misuse of customer support" so please don't just report mods in a fit of schadenfreude.)

if i acted in a way i shouldn't have, i would want to know. if i didn't deserve an honour jagex bestowed on me, i'd want jagex to know.

and i'd want to accept the consequences, as i'm sure most would.

so if it's richly deserved, consider it a favour you're doing.

(ranting on forums isn't going to help at all, just make matters worse for everyone else. but as always, people have their reasons.)

so my point in saying all this, was just to broadcast that fact, if this counts as a broadcast at all. frankly, it's immensely disappointing to here people say things like "what the hell is up with the latest runescape mods".

i wouldn't want to be the cause of anything like that, and i doubt anyone else would.

do bear in mind this, though. mods are human. mods are people. people with genuine emotions. people who make mistakes. people who have the capacity to anger, just as they have the capacity for kindness. for hope.

for every other emotion you yourself have.

expect that, if nothing else. expect from mods what you would expect from any other person. because really, why are should that make them any different? expect what you will, but please

don't expect perfection.

you don't need to trust me.

this is hope.

and this is what it's like to be humbled.

a guy goes "follow to win 10k", in the usual fashion. a low-leveled player, standing in the middle of lumby. not many pay him any mind, just two obviously inexperienced, and one slightly more savvy player. i tag along, hoping to catch him in the act.

"trade to win" isn't exactly incriminating. i wait. the first guy doesn't understand, he keeps asking questions. by now the third guy's left. he explains "trade. whoever's got the best items wins." after a few long rounds of deciding and stating who's leading, i trade him. i put up a power ammy, an addy pick. stuff i just happened to have in my inventory. apparently, after that, i'm leading...

it goes on. it's incredibly boring. the lure of more money than they've probably ever touched is what keeps them here.

he brushes off the second girl with "it's a tie. between..."

i trade him for the last time, apparently "you have to beat my items to win", which i do, only to decline the trade and talk about how trust games're such awful things.

so he obviously chooses the first guy, with whom i've been having a conversation about the evils of item scamming via pm the whole time. and over pm i get "he's for real."

it's excruciatingly embarrassing, and i do believe i made a larger fool of myself there than any other time in that capacity. still, it's too ever so heartening.

i explain myself, and apologise simply, "i'm sorry." he replies with "np" and i go on to talk about phrasing his alturistic intentions less suspiciously. he's patient, almost condescending in his monosyllabic placating, and i can't say i can blame him at all. either of them, really, the first guy takes a leaf out of his book and responds in pretty much the same manner "np", "same here lol", and after the demise of our awkwardly brief exchange, "you're nice." hey, he even uses "great", and "i can see why..." i apologise to him, too.

i refuse to wonder if he delivered only because i spoke too early. it'd do him no credit, it'll be like, crying sour grapes.

besides, i like to think that he just did it, out of the goodness of his heart.

like i said, that's hope.