and I'm one of those unfortunates who doesn't feel right skipping the majority of back posts and then submitting my own. If that disqualifies me from ever being a 'real' Buffista, then so be it.

I absolutely didn't mean to say that, & apologise if I sounded that way to you. I was referencing an older discussion about new-ish people feeling they weren't "real" Buffistas yet.

I really want to thank everyone for their thoughtful and thought-provoking responses to my admittedly knee-jerk Firefly thread post. The initial gut-wrenching feeling I had is slowly fading, and it is extremely refreshing to find a community of people who can agree or disagree in such a civil fashion. The demands of my daily life prevent me from participating to the extent of ever being one of the 'real' Buffistas, but it is quite pleasant to be able to spend what little time I do have available with such generally nifty people.

X-ish post with RL: Alrighty. Do I deserve a wrist-slap for my tone? :)

Mike, a 'real Buffista' is someone who contributes to the community where and how they can, and abides by the community standards we've developed. I'd say, according to that definition, you're certainly a Buffista, if you want to be.

I hate people to think that there's some sort of probationary period before you get to be a Buffista.

Mike, please don't think that you have to post a lot to be a "real" Buffista.

Personally I'm getting frustrated that the whole old school/new school "real" buffista thing is getting thrown around. I will say that back on Worldcrossing when Allyson (I believe it was Allyson) said she didn't feel like a Buffista I was shocked. I consider her to be a Buffista.

We don't have tests here, there's nothing beside your name that says after X number of posts you are Novice or Intermediate or however other boards rate it.

You obviously like the community and you want to stay and be apart of it as much as your time will allow, and that in my mind makes you a Buffista.

Well, that's crossposty.

I think if I were considered Old School in some sort of privileged way, I'd drop out in fit of strange, Dadaist protest. It's not in my brain wiring to be considered "in". Some sort of class betrayal. From youthful traumas do mighty neuroses grow.

My neurosis is bigger than your neurosis. Nyaaah.

Nah, I think I'll skip the Duelling Neuroses thing. I can hear the banjos already.

Just thought I'd pipe in, as I seem to have missed the Firefly thread situation coming to a head in the wee hours last night. Going back through the posts both in that thread and here, I think the response of the stompy feet and the community at large was admirably conducted. It's unfortunate when action of this sort has to be taken, but I think a good balance was struck between giving the benefit of the doubt and not allowing an unpleasant situation to escalate.

There is, of course, a certain discomfort involved in banning a poster. But for my part the discomfort is over the situation making it necessary rather than a disagreement with the folks implementing the ban. And I think from a community standpoint, it is better to exclude one person who seems to be willfully seeking discord and confrontation than to allow such a person to take over a thread and drive out the reasonable, polite discourse that these forums were created to encourage.

In short, I look forward to reading the Firefly thread and reading a variety of opinions about the show, its cast and crew, and efforts on its behalf, rather than about one of the thread's posters and people's reactions to him.

Damn you for that earworm, Connie!

it's a small world after all...

Mike, a 'real Buffista' is someone who contributes to the community where and how they can, and abides by the community standards we've developed. I'd say, according to that definition, you're certainly a Buffista, if you want to be.

I just came to say what Suela (and askye) already said better.

I can understand where the feeling of 'not yet a real Buffista' comes from, at least for the time that I've felt it as a relatively newbie - it takes time to feel a part of a group that's already closely knit together, with a 'history' and events they remember together and sometimes are vague about it (remember the Willow and Xander scene in, I think, "Invisible Girl", laughing at some memory, and Buffy, knowing that they're her bestest friends, still felt pretty much not one of the group - that's the kind of feeling I'm thinking about), it takes time to be comfortable to use the slang, to call people by their nicknames and be familiar with the (OK, I practically typed a Hebrew expression here and deleted it) people that are already at the party. But being new doesn't mean the presence is less, just shorter, if I'm making any sense.