Newbys...think of it like this...

[Sarge47]

I've been hiking alone for many months or years now, & now find myself in the woods. I do just fine fending for myself, but as usual, I'm running low on some things I need. I spot some tough-looking people gathered around a fire roasting something that smells good, which maybe worth trading something for. I don't steal, I don't beg, I trade or share.

So, what do I do? I watch you all around your fire and size you up. Do you have anything that I can see worth trading / sharing? How do you interact with each other. Are you tough or just tough-looking?

If I decide to, and not just pass you by without you even knowing I exist, I whistle, so as not to alarm you and say 'friend ahoy' from hiding, watching your reactions. Do you go for your weapons? My escape path is set, should you be trolls disguised as men. I have already picked out the alpha(s) to deal with, and hidden my stuff on my escape path.....Anyway you get the picture, just like I get the picture. I am assuming the folks around the campfire are basically friendly in this neck of the woods, so we should have no dramas, right?

Remember, not everyone is starving and lost, and even those who are may have valuable skills and stuff to trade.

...the point was the need of an intro 1st. Most of the Trolls we get don't bother with one & jump right in. So that's me point mate; cool?

[klkak]

Two Nicely dressed young men approach your house. You see them through the front window and your first impression is "Mormon recruiters". So you decide to not answer the door. But, when you were looking through the front window at them they also could see you so they know you are home and persist in knocking on the door. Finely you grab the door and fling it open at the same time saying in a loud voice "What the he11 do you want?" One of the men says "My name is Detective **, we apprehended two men a short time ago who took your daughter hostage when she entered the bank they were robbing. She is shaken but OK. We are here to take you to the hospital where she is being checked out.

Introductions are very important whether in person, on the phone or on-line.

Remy, that line of crap you just laid out is just that. If someone is faking it will show eventually.

[nell67]

What if, and it is not a very powerful "if", "a newbie" would give you as an intro...
-fake name
-fake bio
-fake location
-fake interests
-fake occupation

We could still have a meaningful rapport and have many discussions about many different subjects, the "introduction" meaning absolutely nothing.

Your analogy negates to take in consideration the "true" introduction/information, as in body language, eyes, tone of voice, facial expressions, chemicals, temperaments, attitude...etc.

Pict could be making up his name, his location, his interests and his occupation, and still fulfill his role here.
Because, in the end, that is what it is about...roles.
You have yours, i have mine, Crash or Bragg have theirs and so on...we all have a role, and this role does not rest on a vague, incomplete, fake or even true introduction.
It is based on what we do here...on our style, our approach...

Let's say i am a "newbie" (i dislike this term but OK...), and i arrive here...if i look at the active member's "about me" after being told to introduce myself, i will find nothing.
Because we all know that personal information is at large irrelevant to the main interest which is survival...in fact, in many ways, giving personal information is often viewed as counter intuitive in terms of "survival".

Dogs and cats make themselves bigger by fluffing their backs while "introducing" themselves. And most living things send mixed signals, have built-in camouflage systems, or adopt certain attitudes upon a bump which do not reflect "who they are", since who they are is a lot more than an introduction.
Introductions are influences.

For specific conversations, the need for certain information is indeed relevant...as in the location of the individual, to better personalize the advise on plants or shelter or who knows what...but after that...the need to acquire information is added baggage and therefore weight.

It is not in FVR's "about me" that i find "friendship", but in his place here, his role, his style, his presence, his contribution, the relevance of his posts and the coherence of his words...

Simply put, i can come here with a fake everything, and still fulfill my role. So what is the motivation behind "introducing" myself if not the resolution of untold protocols based on power, need, control and compulsions ?

What are the motivations of an individual like Nell, to again and again ask for information, when her participation here is at best a substitute for feeling like she is part of something ?
Having said that, she is fulfilling her role here...
Which says a lot more about her, than any "introduction" could ever do.
You know what i mean ?

The "introduction" is our participation, the fulfillment of our role...the "introduction" is the revealing of our nature, our temperament, the coherence of our words, and not a "bio" or a "location", or a list of interests.

The "introduction", is our role.
Show me your role, and i will tell you who you are.
Tell me who you are, and i will tell you who you are not.

Whatever remy/volwest,whomever you are today,I have no need to fit in anywhere,never have,and like you keep saying,people only tell what they want others to know,so really you know nothing about me at all,not even from when I called you friend.

I fit in here because like most of these guys,the wilderness is where I am most comfortable,also unlike you who have no desires ( according to your posts,oh yea,I forgot,you are the master of wiping out your past here on the forum,by removing all your old posts)

[nell67]

Remy,if there is something that you wish to know about me,then ask,there is only one person on this forum whom I have opened up that much to.But I am giving you the opportunity right now,to find out the answers to questions you seem to have about WHY I am so guarded about who I am,I'll give you a hint though,it has nothing to do with my momma.

[nell67]

You are very wrong,remy,I have divulged personal information about myself in posts throughout the forum.

If you go back through my posts,especially from last year,you will see alot of information I have posted.

I simply ask them to post about themselves because I like knowing about people,especially likeminded people. You have noticed that I have never asked you to do an intro?

[nell67]

I do not care if they like me. I consider everyone a friend,until they give me reason not to.I like everyone,until they give me a reason not to.

If anyone on here wishes to know more about me,they are more than welcome to ask.

I do not think that you and I are all that like minded,lets just say,that you remind me of a controlling individual I once knew and leave it at that.

Anything else you would like to know?

[Smok]

remy... How the he11 cares , as I tip my hat back and spit on the ground

[nell67]

LOL,you do not see,I don't give up on friends easily.

I have many friends who have come into my life,not so many that I have closed the door on.

[nell67]

It is both,I don't let my friends go easily. It takes alot for me to let go of them,and I usually give them more than one opportunity to break my trust before I let go.

Smok,it's ok,remy's patient load is weak today,he is doing my therapy pro bono today....

[Arsey]

While I appreciate a good debate I feel I owe you all an apology. I certainly didn't mean to rock the boat like this by joining your community.
I had joined about 4 other forums that day in an attempt to find alternatives from the forum I had been on for quite a while.
Rather than be overly verbose on my first introduction I decided to just stick my head in the the door and say G'day, as is done in these parts, insulting no-one.
I did the same on the other forums as well. Gradually as I have time I'm going around the forums I joined that day and introducing myself further.
I appreciate the efforts on Sarge's part. I got the point and I think if you read my post with that thought in mind, you will see that I did and was acknowledging my position.
Remy, you put things very well.

Further, I'd like to thank everyone for their welcome and look forward to participating with you all.

Cheers for now.

[nell67]

Arsey,you have no reason to apologize.

[nell67]

Do you feel like you need therapy ?



Hello Arsey...
Since you are here...
What do you think about this "introduction" tradition....

Nope,but you seem to think so,since I am so guarded and all (shrugs)

[nell67]

If you think that thread was so great,than start a new one,get all the people who where not here involved in it,but since we don't have that type thread going on right now,we do have an intro thread,and there are several here who are the "support" for that thread,I just happen to be the most visible,because I am the only female directing traffic in that direction?Oh,and your services as a shrink are not required,I never asked.

[nell67]

Believe me ,I am not insisting that you be my shrink.I have no need for therapy.

I didn't start the introduction habit another member did,and a few of us keep it going,it is one way we try to make the newbies (oops,forgot,you don't like that word) feel welcome here.

[Arsey]

I agree with Remy on the whole I think.

I try to be as truthful as possible without being so stupid as to give everyone and anyone my personal details. But I do know of others who lie/treat it as a game and have different personnas (sp) that they invent for different boards.

You as the welcoming committee would have no idea which was which. It's only by the quality of feeling of involvement that you can make your minds up about me, and that will only happen if I participate on the forum.

Therefore it is nice to be welcomed.

It is not nice to be sniped at straight away.

Like I was pointing when replying to Sarge's post, in real life it is natural to hang back and be a bit reserved until you get a feel for a new bunch of people you have met. Invariably by the end of the day you have identified who you can have a rapport with and who you can just talk with.

So Aye, I would carry on welcoming people, that's only polite. But to turn, in the space of 3 or 4 posts, into BS is not very cool. (He's been on other boards....I googled his signature......He's legit....He's not legit etc etc).

I can of course only speak from personal experience. You've probably welcomed 1000's of people with no hassle.

Bottom line is, I still look forward to being a participant.

[crashdive123]

.....as we look forward to you participating.

[Sarge47]

...1st, it's the POLITE thing to do; 2nd, it gives others on here sufficient info to answer questions asked by said individual; so if someone is fabricating their data, then ask a serious question they need the answer too, then they're going to get the wrong info, so it can backfire on them; 3rd, I take everybody at face value, even though Remy is experienced in he what he refers to in regards to recreating an identity, right Vol West? So am I going to throw the baby out with the bathwater? No. I think that one of our members that recently left in a huff was indeed a poser when he stated that, as an expert outdoorsman, it was perfectly safe to drink urine direct from one's bladder & Bear Grylls was "the man". After that, no one took him seriously, so invent at your own expense. Arsey, your info was great, BTW! You sound like you've got some experience in the outdoors, & that is much needed here.

[crashdive123]

When a discussion, or back and forth banter denigrates into name calling it is probably time to end the discussion as it appears there is no longer any discussion relevant to the topic at hand.

[Sarge47]

When a discussion, or back and forth banter denigrates into name calling it is probably time to end the discussion as it appears there is no longer any discussion relevant to the topic at hand.

I agree, Crash! Remy, you've made your point. My post was to the Newbies, & quite frankly, I don't give a Rat's Azz who dislikes that term; that's MY term of choice. I don't care if you question motives, you're not the "motive police". I don't care what you know about me or anyone else. What does all that avail on this forum? Nada! Perhaps it makes you feel important to go off on these little rants as you oft-times do, I don't know, but it doesn't matter to me what you know or think you know; what matters to me is getting all this organized; so please try to be part of the solution & not the problem.

[klkak]

From now on I will regard remy as nothing more then a "drive by poster". In fact I'm sure there is a button on here somewhere that will allow me to "Ignore and hide" all his post.

Say goodbye remy!