Chacham's Journal: Slashdot Habits / Journal-Related Musings

Well, I'm getting used to my new habit. That is checking my messages a few times a day, but only reading the front-page once. I actually load the front page more than that when I get bored, but that is happening less and less. The front-page just isn't that interesting. And I like comments. So what's the point of reading it early on? I may just switch getting the daily digest via email. Then I can put slashdot out of my mind. I used to feel "out of it" when not reading slashdot daily. Now I feel like a loser if I read it more than once a day. I think it's partially due to me getting older, and slashdot not being what it used to be.

I still appreciate slashdot. Just not as much as I used to. And whether that's because I changed, slashdot changed, or both, is a matter that each person will answer in their own way. It really doesn't matter though.

As for journal entries, I sometimes write them to write. I many times write them for replies. I guess most people don't enjoy replying to my writings. I'm not going to change the way I write, since that would take the pleasure out of it. But, it makes me realize (even more) that if I'm writing its because I want to write, and not for people to read. Replying to people is nice, but in most cases, it ends there. So, I am also learning, not to reply as much. The amount of time I put into a reply is far outweighed by my not getting a reply to mine. So, I am trying to put up a threshold to which I'll reply. What it may come to be is, I write the journal entry because I want to espouse, so its for me. I write the reply because I want another, which means its for the other person. Though I many times reply to express appreciation or exchange views. I'll have to pay more attention to *why* I reply.

I just checked my friend/fan/foe/freak lists. If I counted them correctly, its at 102/79/88/10. So, I have friended slightly more people than I have foed. But with how quickly I foe people, my foes may overtake my friends. I am thinking of making myself freind one person for each new foe.

The amount of profanity used amazes me. And then again it doesn't. The socialistic teenage outlook I find on slashdot, is the same as the depraved rebelous teenager.

Amazingly, I only have ten freaks. When I foe people I generally don't get a response. But when I foe a friend, I think there is a high percentage that unfriend me back. It makes sense, I guess. But it is also telling. Friend/foe on slashdot seems much more emotional than logical. The ones with immature emotions, have to get the other one back. Or so it seems. And I bet it has to do with the choice of words "friend/foe". I bet it would be much different had the words been "patron/protester" or the like. How silly.

For some reason, I think FortKnox is my longest standing foe that is a fan. Well, until recently, I just unfriended him. Then I saw some language I didn't care for so I foed him. Which makes me wonder how popular FortKnox is. Not in freinds, but in Journal Entry mentions. Checking the search function I found these numbers (about) (These may include self-references):

002 The Matriculator
015 Chacham
020 Trollback
030 ekrout
040 CleverNickName
060 GMHowell
090 Hemos
150 FortKnox
300 CmdrTaco

FK is way up there. Well, congrats. But, as it turns out, I won't be reading his reply since he'll show up as -1. :)

Hmm....

Tit for tat

[salimma]

But it is also telling. Friend/foe on slashdot seems much more emotional than logical.

Tit-for-tat, really; after all it is the most successful strategy on the Game of Life compared to other basic strategies.

I tend to do it the other way though; if I have a new fan and (s)he posts interesting comments/JEs - i.e. well written, whether I agree with the politics or not - I reciprocate. My fear of losing fans, perhaps. Are we not all a bit vain inside.

Have not had a freak yet, so I could not say how I would

link?

[FortKnox]

Can you link to my 'profanity'? I rarely use it, and mostly star it out (like a movie quote I recently posted).

And I'm also seeing myself writing and replying less and less as time goes by...

Re:link?

[Some Woman]

Remember, your comment will appear at -1 because you're a foe of his. I don't see the utility of ignoring people you foe simply because they occasionally use profanity, but that's just me.

(FYI, Chacham foed me after my none-too-subtle use of the word "fuck" in a journal title.)

Re:link?

[Chacham]

I don't know why. But the system many times shows me comments from foes in the message list. Even though they should be -1. Oh well, so I saw this comment. :)

I don't see the utility of ignoring people you foe simply because they occasionally use profanity, but that's just me.

The utility is that I don't like it. The person is welcome to do whatever they'd like. Just, personally, I want to keep away from it. I don't use "foe" in a bad sense. It is just a way of filtering posts from people who use language

Re:link?

[Mr.Intel]

I don't see the utility of ignoring people you foe simply because they occasionally use profanity, but that's just me.

Like Chacham, I see the utility as well. I have foed only one person for profanity and he ironically friended me back. But I foe many more for vain uses of the name of God. Like Chacham, I don't usually use the friend/foe system with the usual definitions of those titles. Instead, I try to filter trolls and others who don't have a desire to use civility in conversations (profanity or no

Re:link?

[Some Woman]

, I try to filter trolls and others who don't have a desire to use civility in conversations (profanity or not).

I can't actually remember the last time that I used profanity in conversation with another person (I don't count the journal entry in which I used "#%$&" because JEs are conversations with myself.), but surely that alone is not a sign of lost civility. There is the cursing at somebody, which is uncivil, and there is cursing about things with somebody. But I suppose that all depends on wha

Re:link?

[Mr.Intel]

I can't actually remember the last time that I used profanity in conversation with another person (I don't count the journal entry in which I used "#%$&" because JEs are conversations with myself.), but surely that alone is not a sign of lost civility.

You are correct, which is why I don't automatically foe profaners. In the case of this person [slashdot.org], his proliferous profanity made it clear to me that I never want to see any of his posts.

But I suppose that all depends on what you consider to be the definiti

Re:link?

[Some Woman]

I can't say that certain words have never crossed my mind in these circumstances, but only perhaps once or twice have they crossed my lips. There are better ways, but it is not about better, it is about control. It is about making a decision to control your actions. The use of profanity communicates a lack of control, that to me is uncivilized.

The words actually never passed through my lips. I merely wrote about the individual rather scathingly in my journal. To me, that is what my journal is for. To s

Re:link?

[Mr.Intel]

I merely wrote about the individual rather scathingly in my journal. To me, that is what my journal is for. To say whatever thoughts are on my mind, many of which wouldn't otherwise pass through the brain->mouth filter.

Journals and conversations can be different things. Sometimes journals are made for conversation. So I guess if you were to disable comments, then I would buy that argument since it could not be a conversation...

I don't have a beef with profanity per se because I realize it is a part o

Re:link?

[Chacham]

Here [slashdot.org]

I was perusing the comments when I saw that.

You know...

[Liora]

FK is a lot more popular than that. Most people don't bother writing out the whole FortKnox. That's just my experience...

Now... why do you have foes again? I'm not sure I follow... I had a freak once, and I friended him, and then we were best buds, and he became a fan. Admittedly, that means you have to put up with trolls sometimes, but that doesn't bug me too much... although perhaps it is different because I'm a girl...

Re:You know...

[Chacham]

Language filter. I foe people whose comments I'd rather not read, since they might contain what I would consider offensive.