# I was so wrong about these forums



## moldavia

I thought it'd be funny and nice to have a space to learn and teach languages where everybody could participate, but instead this is just filled with patronising pedants who somehow "know" everything there is to know about language, and still be clueless about how languages actually work. There really should be some sort of academic, scientific moderation. This place could really use real linguistics.


----------



## Drake15

I've been in these forums for a while now, and never had any negative experiences. People always treated me respectfully and I learned a ton things, so reading this left me puzzled. What happened?

Have in mind that there are people here who have a degree in certain languages and have attended to college and really _know_ what they are talking about. Maybe someone came across as rude but it wasnt his/her intention?


----------



## Loob

Yes - what happened, moldavia?


----------



## Parla

I've just taken a look to see if I could discover what sort of nastiness Moldavia has encountered, Loob—but just about all Moldavia's postings have been in the Spanish-English forum, where I can't read the exchanges.

I'm familiar just with the invariably gracious and friendly English Only venue.


----------



## siares

Hi moldavia, I think sometimes it is hard to see/assume good old sporting fun in debate in real life, let alone over internet. (Maybe similarly, I once passed out in gym seeing a friendly boxing match.) There are some threads/comments in EO I feel too anxious to re-read. But many threads are thoroughly fun - perhaps ignore some and concentrate on the others?


----------



## DonnyB

I have mixed feelings about this.  I have noticed a tendency on the part of _a few_ members to come across as pedantic, nitpicking and querulous: whether that's their deliberate intention or not, only they know.  But one of the forum's great strengths (and I can only speak from experience here about the EO forum) is that many or most questions get answered by real live native speakers with years of experience of using the language in an ordinary everyday setting.

I can only really echo siares's advice: concentrate on the positive, the useful and the enjoyable and ignore as far as you can the occasional nastiness (which may actually not have been intentional).


----------



## roxcyn

Gracias por decirnos sus pensamientos y bienvenido(a) al foro.  A veces no tengo razón en un hilo--me pasaron mil veces esto--dije algo que no fue cien por ciento correcto, y me corrigieron.  Sí, me siento mal por un minuto más o menos, pero sigo aprendiendo.  Aquí no es un sitio para estudios lingüísticos si eso es lo que quiere usted.   Sí, puede hacer preguntas sobre los aspectos de la lingüística, la gramática, la ortografía, etc.  Soy miembro aquí desde el 2006.  Realmente me encanta y sí a veces no me gusta cuando la gente no es tan amable, pero soy fuerte y quiero saber más de las lenguas y así me quedo.

Espero que tenga un día excelente.


----------



## swift

Hi,

I think every Senior Member has an opinion about this but I believe that we should wait for Moldavia's answer to Drake and Loob's question.


----------



## Drake15

swift said:


> Hi,
> 
> I think every Senior Member has an opinion about this but I believe that we should wait for Moldavia's answer to Drake and Loob's question.



Honestly, I don't think Moldavia will return... 

A couple days ago I read a very impolite reply in the Spanish Only forum. It was the first time I read such an unnecesarily rude response.


----------



## Loob

If moldavia has left the forums because the tone of certain responses was unpleasant, then I think that's sad.  But there is a recourse available: if anyone feels that a response contravenes Guideline II, they can, and should, report it.


----------



## swift

Well... Drake didn't mention who had been rude--and we shouldn't discuss specific threads here--, but I can tell you that reading one of those Spanish-Only discussions could make you change your views on this particular issue.


----------



## merquiades

Moldavia, I hope you do come back.  There are rude foreros once in a while and they can certainly leave seething comments.  I have seen it at times, and have left a forum or two for that reason.  If someone is really targeting you, you should report it or you can also blacklist him.  That way you'll never have to read him again.  In the new forum it's actually better because comments from people on your blacklist disappear completely and you don't even know if they wrote something.  At any rate, I have learned a lot here and am sure you can too.  There are many fine, interesting people around.


----------



## irinet

Hi,

You are saying that if I choose "to ignore" someone, that will become invisible to me even s/he posted before?!


----------



## merquiades

irinet said:


> Hi,
> 
> You are saying that if I choose "to ignore" someone, that will become invisible to me even s/he posted before?!


From what I have seen,yes.  He completely disappears off your radar even if you comment in the same thread


----------



## irinet

Yes, that is true. Still, the  posts don't disappear from "Conversations".


----------



## merquiades

I've never ignored someone I had a conversation with. I think you will need to delete the conversation first but after that he will no longer be able to contact you


----------

