Enemies? Moi? *eyes shift uneasily towards the shadows*

[Infidel Castro]

Quietimanes wrote...

Your friends vote high and your enemies vote low, go figure.

...as part of the discussion on Beltane and the sniping issue that had a large section of our Latin brethren up in arms (feedback/gripes/gremlins section) and has got me thinking as result. Namely, I\'m thinking have I been sniped; if yes by whom; and does that mean I\'ve got enemies?

He\'s made me consider who might not like me on this site, and that\'s interesting. The kind of people I\'ve pissed off in the past are strong characters who come across as authoritative. My reason for pissing them off has been that their opinions seemed quite pompous and needed pricking (I know, that means I\'m a prick). In time though, we\'ve met in the middle ground and I now consider most of those folk to be good sparring partners at worst and damnably nice at best. It pleases me when some people realise that i do speak sense on the odd occasion and then have to back me up (albeit grudgingly in some cases).

But what about the others? The enemy behind the curtain/throne/fridge/keyboard is a shadowy figure. I don\'t want to slip into a paranoid meltdown here, but is there really a dark, secretive underworld here that operates solely to undermine the work of the less shadowy but just as annoying anti-snipers (the folk who always mark high)?

Am I speaking with these people on a daily basis? Do they wear hoods and have funny handshakes when i\'m not looking?

But enemies is a strong word. Do we have to have enemies? Maybe I\'m just being naive. Maybe I just wanted a new thread that for once didn\'t involve a java cartoon or something. I want real debate

 

[Shaetano]

The answer is yes (that or 42)

 

[Legacy Account]

You\'re talking bollocks....

 

[Orb]

don\'t know about threads with java cartoons but after that I need some Java beans

 

[Klute]

Im a firm believer that your best friend is more often than not also your worst enemy.

Now pass me my meds.

 

[Infidel Castro]

Nice one Klute, you\'ve definitely hit the paranoia button for me now lol

 

[Avicenna]

Depending on whome you talk to, there are secret underground groups who snipe or vote highly depending on whether you are \'in favour\' or even speaking their particular language. Dont know if its true or not, but some people certainly feel they are being persecuted by particular groups of people...

I think sniping is inevitable. But also is favouritism. I think the trick is to get more people liking your work that they give you enough deserved good marks so that the false highs counteract the false lows I think it all balances out in the end.

Paint your hardest and the score wont matter

 

[Duende]

Originally posted by reverend
I want real debate

If you want debate, try religion, politics, or the finer points cmon rules

I just replied to a post of yours, Rev (want to guess which thread?). C\'mon, let\'s go at it!

 

[Hoblit]

After reading this I have come to the conclusion that I am being persecuted by people who like well painted figures. I deserve 10\'s. I want equality.

 

[Infidel Castro]

About a swear word? I shouldn\'t, but I think I might have...

 

[Dragonsreach]

@reverend:
You are a man with strong opinions and the ability to express them clearly.

Keep at it.

 

[marineboy]

Interesting point, reverend.

My question would rather be, what would anyone really get out of systematic sniping? What value could methodically demeaning the prime efforts of all who post their images here have at all?

Should some sad and dark snipers\' brotherhood come to light, I would be among the first to offer help that they might see the error of thier ways ... being a firm believer in the goodness of man, however, it strikes me that a sniper, any sniper, can only act in such a fashion as to right what wrongs they perceive to be evident in this most humble of worlds which we call CMoN.

I do not snipe, nor do I believe that others do. I choose to believe they, like I, vote with conviction.....what else can we do?

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by reverend
It pleases me when some people realise that i do speak sense on the odd occasion

On occasion? What are you talking about? You are a pillar of reason, Rev!

 

[Sand Rat]

Rev -

Having crossed electrons with you more than once, I can say that it is mostly an enjoyable debate - not to say that I havent looked at my computer and said \"Pompous Git!\" more than once when reading your posts. But to me thats part of the give and take of the community - if we all agreed, we\'d all be GW Fanboys, and nothing would go anywhere.

 

[Infidel Castro]

Let\'s not make this rev-centric. I only started the conversation lol

I suppose I could only use myself as a way to see how I make enemies (if that\'s the right word) and what motivates people to then form cliques and beyond that snipe (which is and isn\'t important to my point, just a natural end result).

Otherwise, cheers Mike and Mr Cult and especially Mr Munkie who has probably hit then nail on the head.

And when did you become a guru, Marineboy? Wise words lol

Pillar/pillock, I\'m neither, just somewhere in between.

 

[Logan]

Holy Man

Although it should be about the paintjob, I think some people vote (both positively and negatively) on the personality. If you\'re an abrasive confrontational so and so, then human nature dictates people will, even subconsciously, hold that against you. If you dance with the devil, don\'t complain when you get pricked by the horns.

\'Enemies\' is difficult to define. It suggests hatred or hostility, which is kind of pointless against people you don\'t physically know. However, we do see enough of each other\'s personalities emerge, both the good and the bad, the good days and the bad days, that allow us to form a reasoned opinion.
You\'re someone with strong opinions which is always bound to rub some people up the wrong way.
Personally speaking, although you have strong opinions, you don\'t ram them down our throats (unlike certain others). In the main, I enjoy your posts. I find them humorous, entertaining and generally pleasant. Plus you\'re knowledgeable on football, cricket and rugby which makes you alright in my book.

2 things;
1) It\'s toy soldiers mate... don\'t sweat the small stuff.
2) I think you\'re alright... which I\'m sure makes you feel a whole load better lol

 

[Infidel Castro]

Cheers Logan, but again this isn\'t about me. I could only start with my viewpoint and example, but I didn\'t start a thread to be about me. I want to know what others think they MAY have done in their time here lol

But again, cheers

 

[Sand Rat]

Well part of the issue is, in my opinion, that on the net one is not looking the person you are debating in the face, and its a lot easier then to go for the perceived insult, or say something that the person you are debating takes as an insult - because of the lack of feedback that we humans are used to in our day to day conversation.

 

[Orb]

I wonder how many votes you get from forum denizens vs casual voters.

and if you pimp your mini, you naturally draw attention to it. From those who love you or loath you.

Bottom line, is that there are some who will snipe with ones REGARDLESS of who you are.

Brilliant mini from artist not yet on site? Sniped. It happens.

 

[EArkham]

Sometimes I think I\'ve done something to get snubbed by the community. I did have a \"fan\" for awhile, who\'d snipe everything I put up as soon as it went up (mix of sympathy and jealously for someone with that much free time). But scores don\'t bug me; in the forums, however, sometimes there are subtle things which make me feel like a complete outsider.

There are subtle things, like starting a topic and having hardly anyone respond, then watching someone else start essentially the same topic with runaway replies. Or posting about fast curing green stuff and then seeing two other topics essentially the same spring up -- I guess the original thread wasn\'t good enough, eh? <G>

Also could be that I don\'t like making dozens of meaningless posts. I try to put thought into most of my posts. Really annoying to watch people become \"respected\" only because they posted hundreds of \"me, too\" posts. Of course, putting time and thought into a post only makes it sting when it\'s completely ignored later on.

So how much of that is paranoia or chance? Probably all of it. But even if it\'s not, so what?

In the end, it comes down to everyone here being for the most part strangers on the internet, so I can\'t bring myself to put much work into \"being popular on some web forum\" or \"having really high scores.\" I mean, what\'s the point? Obviously exceptions with that \"strangers\" rule would be those I\'ve met in real life, and those I\'ve never met but have a great deal of respect for due to their contributions (such as Dragonsreach, Spacemunkie, etc).

So the bottom line is that there\'s no value in simply being popular on some random forum. The value from a forum is its contributions, and the friendships borne from that. The constant crap posts, the \"enemies,\" the sniping, the kiss assing... all meaningless. Don\'t let it give you pause.

Also, don\'t go changing, Reverend! We\'d have to send someone to your house if you ever become less of a tit.

Kep