Gosh.

Zoe, did you mean to be really rude to Holli there? I mean, it looks pretty damn rude, so if that was your intention - well, it worked.

If not, maybe you could clarify?

Just so that you’re clear, this is completely addressed to you, Zoe.

Everyone gets the benefit of my doubt once, but I honestly can't understand what you are hoping to achieve. A week or so ago, you were all over this board doing the numfar dance of the phoenix is risen, and now you seem to be risking your pass to the Buffistaville doorway. And along the way you appear to be doing everything in your power to make yourself unpopular and isolate yourself from the people of this board.

Posting in a community isn't about sharing a let's get David Boreanaz nekkid hivemind. And it's not about filling in time when you have nothing better to do. No one comes here to entertain you (or, for the record, to chastise you, or quite frankly, to hold your hand and walk you along the path to true Buffistaness)

It is about reading the thoughts and feelings and opinions of those posting around you and respecting them.

You make it impossible for me to believe that you respect this board when you ignore Holli and Fay’s courteous suggestions, when you reject the opportunity to clarify a post as requested by Jilli and amych, when you refuse to acknowledge your borderline comments when pointed out to you by nutty and Betsy, or when you disregard scrappy and Laura's politely worded posts of advise. And that’s just on this board.

I can understand that you might find it intimidating to be asked to go to the bureaucracy thread and defend yourself. But making snide and resentful references to the situation in other threads is not helping. You may be trying to post around the four hundred pound Buffista elephant, but believe me, everyone else can see it clearly. It’s big and it’s wearing pink gingham and it’s caring a PORN sign. And until you deal with it, it isn’t going to go away.

This isn't a chat room. It's not even a particularly fast moving posting board. Partly, that’s because I bet you dollars to doughnuts the vast majority of the people on this board spend a lot more of their time here reading, than writing. And partly that's because people here are aware that every bit of black text they put up on the screen, and every time they press post message, they are telling the community something about themselves. Most people want that to be a positive message.

If a thread isn't moving fast enough for you then you have two choices. You can leave it alone and not poke it. Or you can make a meaningful contribution that shows knowledge of your audience, is written in language and a style designed to elicit responses from your readers and that makes you, Zoe, accessible to the people with whom you seem to want to share your time.

There are no short cuts to fitting in, Zoe. And when you’re one of eight hundred registrations and a couple of hundred active posters? The onus is going to rest entirely in your lap.

Partly, that’s because I bet you dollars to doughnuts the vast majority of the people on this board spend a lot more of their time here reading, than writing. And partly that's because people here are aware that every bit of black text they put up on the screen, and every time they press post message, they are telling the community something about themselves.

I loved your explanation of this board, Julie. It makes me smile. The part quoted above is especially heart-warming to me.

You must have some experience in this sort of thang, Julie.

Nice post, Julie. Thanks.

Can we COMM that post, taking out proper names? Can we add it to the FAQ?

Love you, Julie.

And I'm terribly tempted to change my tag to an abbreviated bit:

The four hundred pound Buffista elephant: It’s big and it’s wearing pink gingham and it’s caring a PORN sign.

What time is it over there?

edit: cool, cos now I can mention that today is the 257th anniversary of the last battle fought in the UK: the Battle of Culloden Moor was fought on this day, in 1746.

I've been to Culloden. It's an eerie place. At least, it is when it's cold, foggy, and misty.

The bronze gloves are indeed all over Porter station. And they're partly there to discourage skateboarders from trying to go down the aisle between the escalators (it's steep and long, with no braking space after).

I never thought of doing that. I hope I get to do it in a videogame someday. Some Buffy fan should put a bronzed mummy hand in the station to spook people who take the same train every day.

I have had posters get angry with me and have had to apologize for thoughtless things but that just meant I needed to be more thoughtful of other people and what I was trying to communicate.

If this can happen to scrappy, whose online persona is to helpful and thoughtful what Trudy's is to porn, it can happen to anyone. (But there's really something wrong with the world, if this happens to scrappy.)

every time they press post message, they are telling the community something about themselves. Most people want that to be a positive message.

Except that I could swear Theodosia is trying to convey something on the lines of "Puny mortal! I will be the instrument of your doom." Maybe it's just me.