Does this online community make you feel very happy and fulfilled?

[JK-Trilly]

Does this online community make you feel very happy and fulfilled, or are you here mainly out of boredom, loneliness, anger, frustration, depression, or something else?

 

My post here is meant to be a bit of a confession and, for me, I can honestly say it doesn’t give me much fulfillment, yet I still keep coming back to read things daily. I’m not even sure why. I likely fall into one of the categories I just mentioned above. Honestly, it feels like a bad habit I wish I could break, but so far, I haven’t been able to, although some days I am able to really pull away from it all. So it's still a work in progress.

 

That’s not to say I’m here to bash the forum or blame anyone. It’s certainly not anyone’s fault. In fact, it’s probably my own fault for looking for fulfillment within something that likely isn’t capable of providing it. There are a few posters here who seem quite obsessed and very toxic, and I really don’t like reading what they have to say, so I just look past their posts and don’t fall victim to their negativity. So that isn’t really the big problem. Also, it is what it is, so everyone has the right to express their thoughts.

 

I think the main issue for me is that most of what I see and read on the site just doesn’t really resonate with me. There are very few people whose opinions I feel I can relate to. That said, I do enjoy reading posts from a handful of members, particularly those who take a more thoughtful, intellectual, and philosophical approach rather than filling their posts with repetitive bias and anger.

 

Unfortunately, the loudest voices on the forum are often the ones who post incessantly without adding much and often seem to be the most aggressive and condescending. Some discussions are dominated by people who don’t appear interested in real conversation but rather just want to be heard or to criticize others. That makes a lot of topics feel repetitive and unproductive. Maybe that’s a big part of the problem for me and that they create an atmosphere that I often don’t want to be a part of.

 

I tend to browse The Pub and The Political Soapbox the most, and sometimes I check out the (mostly shocking and disturbing) news section. However, I often find that discussions quickly stray so far from the original topic, often turning into bickering matches, that I simply lose interest. I wish I had ideas to offer on how to improve the discourse here, but honestly, I’m not sure if there’s a real solution. Maybe it’s just the nature of online communities. There are only so many topics to discuss, and eventually, things start to feel stale.

 

If I had one suggestion to make, it would be to limit people to a maximum number of posts per 24-hour period. Say, no more than 35-40. I still think that’s a generous number, but it would certainly help reduce the level of toxicity from those who seem to go to great lengths to regularly sour the mood with their daily post counts, often up in the hundreds.

 

That said, I’m curious if there are other areas of the forum that people find more engaging or rewarding, perhaps sections I’ve totally overlooked? I know there are plenty of areas where people ask and share information on topics related to life in Thailand, visas, and similar topics, and those can be really helpful for those in need of specific details. But for me, I rarely need that kind of information, so those sections don’t hold much interest. I do like the section about banking and the economy, but again, there isn’t much new and interesting content being discussed there. It’s often just people having difficulty transferring funds, tax questions, how to open financial accounts, and similar issues.

 

Anyway, I’m just throwing this out there to see what others think. Maybe some of you feel the same way, or maybe you see things totally differently. Any feedback, either positive, constructive or negative about what I said is more than welcome. 

[KannikaP]

14 minutes ago, JK-Trilly said:

Unfortunately, the loudest voices on the forum are often the ones who post incessantly without adding much and often seem to be the most aggressive and condescending.

Is one of them called Orville?  555

[jerrymahoney]

Anyway, I’m just throwing this out there --

And I'm throwing it back.

[black tabby12345]

Just up to Who replies, and what is posted.

Some are polite, humorous(entertaining), or informative(willing to share useful/insightful experience/knowledge).

Some are rude and nasty(senselessly swears/insults others from the beginning of conversation).

 

When I meet someone who makes any forms of positive input, I feel the whole chat very fruitful and enjoyable.

 

[Patong2021]

19 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

Anyway, I’m just throwing this out there --

And I'm throwing it back.

 

Sometimes that is the polite thing to do. I'm thinking of when they used to throw a baseball back to the field after a player reached a milestone, so the player had the keepsake. It isn't done now, which speaks to the loss of decency in people.

[Stocky]

39 minutes ago, JK-Trilly said:

community

Community?

I thought it was just a mish-mash of odds and sods, most of whom I would never wish to encounter in real life.

[bkk6060]

Over the years I have gotten some good information from the site.  I think it is best for that, and some fun also.

All the bickering blah blah why care really, but some take it personally.

[Don Giovanni]

29 minutes ago, black tabby12345 said:

Just up to Who replies, and what is posted.

Some are polite, humorous(entertaining), or informative(willing to share useful/insightful experience/knowledge).

Some are rude and nasty(senselessly swears/insults others from the beginning of conversation).

 

When I meet someone who makes any forms of positive input, I feel the whole chat very fruitful and enjoyable.

 

Am I on your ignore list yet?

 

The Don.

[jas007]

Online communities?  it's more or less just something to do.  I feel like I'm talking to myself, mostly but I post anyway.  But if it all disappeared tomorrow, I'd surely find something else to do. There was a time when the Internet didn't exist, and everyone survived. 

 

I read a lot.  On X, I never post anything because my account is private or whatever, so anything I post would be read by about no one.  

[Gecko123]

The suggestion about having a daily cap on posts is excellent. Not only does the posting of dozens and dozens - if not hundreds - of posts by a single poster in a single day degrade the reading experience, but you will never convince me that that level of posting activity is healthy for the individual doing the posting either.

 

ASEANNOW would also be well-advised to immediately discontinue the "popular contributors" sidebar. At least some of the posters who regularly appear in this sidebar appear to be in an inane competition with one another over who will top the leaderboard, resulting in a major degradation of content quality. Far from being among the most "popular" contributors, they are actually among the least popular posters on the forum, and only appear in this sidebar because of the sheer volume of posts they are making.

[JK-Trilly]

By definition, an online messaging platform is an online community. An online community is simply a group of people interacting through digital platforms, typically on the internet. But to save us from another 12 posts debating use of the term “online community,” here are some alternative phrases you can use if it makes you feel better:

 

Forum

Message Board

Comment Section

Chat Room

[MalcolmB]

I enjoy it because I like helping people with my vast knowledge about Thai stuff. 

[JK-Trilly]

32 minutes ago, Stocky said:

I thought it was just a mish-mash of odds and sods, most of whom I would never wish to encounter in real life.

Maybe so, but interacting with them in an online discussion is still Ok with you?

[GammaGlobulin]

Happiness comes from within.

 

Also, happiness is never achieved through the pursuit of happiness.

 

These are my best words of wisdom on this Topic.

 

 

[rumak]

1 hour ago, JK-Trilly said:

That said, I do enjoy reading posts from a handful of members, particularly those who take a more thoughtful, intellectual, and philosophical approach rather than filling their posts with repetitive bias and anger.

 

Unfortunately, the loudest voices on the forum are often the ones who post incessantly without adding much and often seem to be the most aggressive and condescending.

 

So, obviously you like my posts..haha.. ( past tense,  as i do not bother anymore because of the reasons you have voiced ) 

 

I even used to engage in humorous musings..... but , as in real life..... there is little to no audience for such endeavors.

 

most older and interesting members hardly appear here nowadays.   why bother ?

[KhunLA]

... "Does this online community make you feel very happy and fulfilled, or are you here mainly out of boredom, loneliness, anger, frustration, depression, or something else?" ...

 

Originally for some input about solar & EV, now boredom  

[rumak]

15 minutes ago, JK-Trilly said:

Maybe so, but interacting with them in an online discussion is still Ok with you?

 

like you wrote in your op ... sometimes we are just bored  ( a good excuse for those much older than the years when I never bothered with this activity )

 

 

[rumak]

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

... "Does this online community make you feel very happy and fulfilled, or are you here mainly out of boredom, loneliness, anger, frustration, depression, or something else?" ...

 

Originally for some input about solar & EV, now boredom  

 

2 honest answers given almost simultaneously

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, JK-Trilly said:

Does this online community make you feel very happy and fulfilled?

Yes.

 

The Ralf.

[rumak]

31 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

The suggestion about having a daily cap on posts is excellent. Not only does the posting of dozens and dozens - if not hundreds - of posts by a single poster in a single day degrade the reading experience, but you will never convince me that that level of posting activity is healthy for the individual doing the posting either.

 

ASEANNOW would also be well-advised to immediately discontinue the "popular contributors" sidebar. At least some of the posters who regularly appear in this sidebar appear to be in an inane competition with one another over who will top the leaderboard, resulting in a major degradation of content quality. Far from being among the most "popular" contributors, they are actually among the least popular posters on the forum, and only appear in this sidebar because of the sheer volume of posts they are making.

 

i miss the good ole days when we could name names !

[rumak]

50 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Over the years I have gotten some good information from the site.  I think it is best for that, and some fun also.

All the bickering blah blah why care really, but some take it personally.

 

plus one

[dinsdale]

Depends. The toxic puerile constant negative emoji posters put a bit of a dampener on things. 

[JK-Trilly]

3 minutes ago, rumak said:

 

like you wrote in your op ... sometimes we are just bored  ( a good excuse for those much older than the years when I never bothered with this activity )

 

 

 

I completely agree. For nearly 30 years in Thailand, I never really looked at this site. Though to be fair, I don’t think it was even around for the first 15 years that I was here. Over time, I would occasionally glance at it for bits of information, but I never visited regularly. It’s really only in the last year or two that I started reading more, and mainly for the reasons you just mentioned: boredom and age.

 

When I was younger, I wouldn’t have had any interest in something like this. So I guess I have two choices: either somehow become younger again or find better ways to spend my time. I also used to work a lot more, especially on personal projects, and that’s something I plan to start doing more of again. Hopefully, that will help fill my time in a more rewarding way.

 

As I said before, stepping back from spending too much time reading here is a work in progress, but I’m actively working on it.

[KireB]

4 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Depends. The toxic puerile constant negative emoji posters put a bit of a dampener on things. 

I agree. Some of us are more toxic than others.

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, JK-Trilly said:

Does this online community make you feel very happy and fulfilled, or are you here mainly out of boredom, loneliness, anger, frustration, depression, or something else?

 

My post here is meant to be a bit of a confession and, for me, I can honestly say it doesn’t give me much fulfillment, yet I still keep coming back to read things daily. I’m not even sure why. I likely fall into one of the categories I just mentioned above. Honestly, it feels like a bad habit I wish I could break, but so far, I haven’t been able to, although some days I am able to really pull away from it all. So it's still a work in progress.

 

That’s not to say I’m here to bash the forum or blame anyone. It’s certainly not anyone’s fault. In fact, it’s probably my own fault for looking for fulfillment within something that likely isn’t capable of providing it. There are a few posters here who seem quite obsessed and very toxic, and I really don’t like reading what they have to say, so I just look past their posts and don’t fall victim to their negativity. So that isn’t really the big problem. Also, it is what it is, so everyone has the right to express their thoughts.

 

I think the main issue for me is that most of what I see and read on the site just doesn’t really resonate with me. There are very few people whose opinions I feel I can relate to. That said, I do enjoy reading posts from a handful of members, particularly those who take a more thoughtful, intellectual, and philosophical approach rather than filling their posts with repetitive bias and anger.

 

Unfortunately, the loudest voices on the forum are often the ones who post incessantly without adding much and often seem to be the most aggressive and condescending. Some discussions are dominated by people who don’t appear interested in real conversation but rather just want to be heard or to criticize others. That makes a lot of topics feel repetitive and unproductive. Maybe that’s a big part of the problem for me and that they create an atmosphere that I often don’t want to be a part of.

 

I tend to browse The Pub and The Political Soapbox the most, and sometimes I check out the (mostly shocking and disturbing) news section. However, I often find that discussions quickly stray so far from the original topic, often turning into bickering matches, that I simply lose interest. I wish I had ideas to offer on how to improve the discourse here, but honestly, I’m not sure if there’s a real solution. Maybe it’s just the nature of online communities. There are only so many topics to discuss, and eventually, things start to feel stale.

 

If I had one suggestion to make, it would be to limit people to a maximum number of posts per 24-hour period. Say, no more than 35-40. I still think that’s a generous number, but it would certainly help reduce the level of toxicity from those who seem to go to great lengths to regularly sour the mood with their daily post counts, often up in the hundreds.

 

That said, I’m curious if there are other areas of the forum that people find more engaging or rewarding, perhaps sections I’ve totally overlooked? I know there are plenty of areas where people ask and share information on topics related to life in Thailand, visas, and similar topics, and those can be really helpful for those in need of specific details. But for me, I rarely need that kind of information, so those sections don’t hold much interest. I do like the section about banking and the economy, but again, there isn’t much new and interesting content being discussed there. It’s often just people having difficulty transferring funds, tax questions, how to open financial accounts, and similar issues.

 

Anyway, I’m just throwing this out there to see what others think. Maybe some of you feel the same way, or maybe you see things totally differently. Any feedback, either positive, constructive or negative about what I said is more than welcome. 

I'm not looking for 'happiness and fulfillment' from using this forum. But there is some element of these items.

 

It is what it is: some good information and sharing and lots of total crap.

 

A good point is the ability to easily ignore members who submit crap and even insults. Just put them on ignore. 

[rumak]

3 minutes ago, JK-Trilly said:

 

I completely agree. For nearly 30 years in Thailand, I never really looked at this site. Though to be fair, I don’t think it was even around for the first 15 years that I was here. Over time, I would occasionally glance at it for bits of information, but I never visited regularly. It’s really only in the last year or two that I started reading more, and mainly for the reasons you just mentioned: boredom and age.

 

When I was younger, I wouldn’t have had any interest in something like this. So I guess I have two choices: either somehow become younger again or find better ways to spend my time. I also used to work a lot more, especially on personal projects, and that’s something I plan to start doing more of again. Hopefully, that will help fill my time in a more rewarding way.

 

As I said before, stepping back from spending too much time reading here is a work in progress, but I’m actively working on it.

 

you might consider joining AN anonymous to help break you of your habit .  It involves actually meeting some of these forum stars in person.    That will break you REAL fast 😆

[JK-Trilly]

7 minutes ago, scorecard said:

I'm not looking for 'happiness and fulfillment' from using this forum. But there is some element of these items.

 

It is what it is: some good information and sharing and lots of total crap.

 

A good point is the ability to easily ignore members who submit crap and even insults. Just put them on ignore. 

 

Ignore is a very useful tool, but if you rely on it too much, you might end up only seeing posts from a small handful of members. To some extent, I think you have to take the bad with the good, otherwise, you’re not really getting the full experience, and it can start to feel a bit limiting. On the other hand, you could also say that choosing who you engage with carefully is just a smart way to navigate any situation.

[JK-Trilly]

2 minutes ago, rumak said:

 

you might consider joining AN anonymous to help break you of your habit .  It involves actually meeting some of these forum stars in person.    That will break you REAL fast 😆

+1 😂

[JK-Trilly]

4 minutes ago, rumak said:

 

you might consider joining AN anonymous to help break you of your habit .  It involves actually meeting some of these forum stars in person.    That will break you REAL fast 😆

In fact, just the thought of that might be enough to break the habit. 👍🏼

[scorecard]

5 minutes ago, JK-Trilly said:

 

Ignore is a very useful tool, but if you rely on it too much, you might end up only seeing posts from a small handful of members. To some extent, I think you have to take the bad with the good, otherwise, you’re not really getting the full experience, and it can start to feel a bit limiting. On the other hand, you could also say that choosing who you engage with carefully is just a smart way to navigate any situation.

 

5 minutes ago, JK-Trilly said:

 

Ignore is a very useful tool, but if you rely on it too much, you might end up only seeing posts from a small handful of members. To some extent, I think you have to take the bad with the good, otherwise, you’re not really getting the full experience, and it can start to feel a bit limiting. On the other hand, you could also say that choosing who you engage with carefully is just a smart way to navigate any situation.

 

Each to his own.