Newbie Matters

[LadyKitt]

One of the first things I discovered after my membership had wonderfully been approved <grateful wave to Bill Ryan for the invite>, was that there were close to a hundred other new members who had joined over the past several months.

The surprising thing for me was in not seeing most of them posting to any of the numerous timely topics, or updates to ongoing investigations, and so on. Of course the reasons are varied and fully understandable, like feeling overwhelmed by the incredible range of subjects which are not limited to but include UFO, paranormal, metaphysical, alternative science, government obfuscation, and oh so many other exciting matters needing serious research and addressing.

And as usually, being a new member in such a large community of like-minded people which also includes so many active illustrious researchers, can be intimidating, leading some to hesitate to post on the perhaps erroneous perception that they might not have anything to contribute to a thread.

At the same time, for those of us who have been online and periodic members of discussion forums for quite some number of years, we've regularly encountered posters who fall into a category aptly described by Whiskey_Mystic in araucaria's "Not so fast: a guide to better posting" thread:

"Or am I just trying to dazzle everyone with my (alleged) brilliance? Am I just writing this because I like the sound of my own voice?"

So how and when does a newbie here in the Avalon Forum know it's time to dive into a thread and start participating in the discussion and/or research?

Beats the heck out of me!

What I can do, however, is to create an environment where newbies can express their interests, and engage and participate in discussions relating to the topics and subjects and people and events that matter most to them, without worry of criticisms or the protocols governing appropriate posting to the thread.

As with all wonderful discussion threads, however, trolls are warned to get lost. And flames will result in immediate reporting to the Avalon Forum moderators. Those are the only crucial protocols to be applied in this thread. And I'm also donating the thread's ownership to all newbies here, past present and future.

Just as importantly, this Newbie Matters thread is open for participation by all members, in a casual and laid-back holiday outdoors barbeque family and friends gathering and meet'n'greet. The tone I personally would like to see applied to this thread was marvelously described by Mike in that same thread:

"I like that bit aracuria wrote about becoming a stranger to your work. Sometimes I'll get sort of drunk, write a bunch of sh!t at night, wake up, and be pleasantly surprised when the relaization hits that I wrote something I had forgotten about. I'll revisit it with excitement and maybe a little trepidation (if it's public writing)....and it just tickles me. It's like opening a gift. It's like reading someone else's work. And at the risk of sounding pretentious, I usually really enjoy it."

Who's got the hotdogs?

[LadyKitt]

The thing currently that matters most to me is something being intensely pushed for by millions of people in the USA, and even worldwide, and by their lobbyists such as Stephen Bassett: Disclosure.

What makes me most uncomfortable is the incredible reaction and resistance to this pressure by TPTB, whether the US government, the Illuminati, even bankers, or other major governments throughout the globe. But most especially by the Military Industrial Complex, a discussion worth addressing in its own separate post.

Although there are quite a number of countries resisting Disclosure, there are far greater numbers of countries whose leaders are absolutely convinced that the United States has recovered large numbers of crashed extraterrestrial vehicles and reverse engineered them. And it seems that some analysts are convinced that many other countries' leaders believe that the US is now hoarding such advanced technology, and that if shared it would result in the complete elimination of hunger and poverty worldwide. Not to mention the military technology their imaginations so deeply covet.

Kitt

[Orph]

Posted by LadyKitt (here)


What I can do, however, is to create an environment where newbies can express their interests, and engage and participate in discussions relating to the topics and subjects and people and events that matter most to them, without worry of criticisms or the protocols governing appropriate posting to the thread. YAAAAAY

As with all wonderful discussion threads, however, trolls are warned to get lost. And flames will result in immediate reporting to the Avalon Forum moderators. AWWW CRAP! Are you gonna get all araucaria on me and have me booted off your thread if I bust a joke?

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[LadyKitt]

Posted by Orph (here)

Posted by LadyKitt (here)


What I can do, however, is to create an environment where newbies can express their interests, and engage and participate in discussions relating to the topics and subjects and people and events that matter most to them, without worry of criticisms or the protocols governing appropriate posting to the thread. YAAAAAY

As with all wonderful discussion threads, however, trolls are warned to get lost. And flames will result in immediate reporting to the Avalon Forum moderators. AWWW CRAP! Are you gonna get all araucaria on me and have me booted off your thread if I bust a joke?

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

ROTFL!!! Ooohhh, thank you ever so kindly for brightening up my day! I truly appreciate a good laugh.

[Orph]

Posted by LadyKitt (here)
The thing currently that matters most to me is something being intensely pushed for by millions of people in the USA, and even worldwide, and by their lobbyists such as Stephen Bassett: Disclosure.

What makes me most uncomfortable is the incredible reaction and resistance to this pressure by TPTB, whether the US government, the Illuminati, even bankers, or other major governments throughout the globe. But most especially by the Military Industrial Complex,

This world has become too overwhelming for me to fight anymore. So I'm concentrating as much of my energy as I can on generating my own personal inner energy. For instance, a person might say that if you don't like something, get involved and change it. But it never changes. For thousands of years we've had rich vs. the poor. Powerful vs. the weak. So I no longer try to go "out there" to try and change things.

Instead, I now go "inside" and generate power (love) within me. The outside world will be whatever it will be. I will be me.

[Foxie Loxie]

There is such a wealth of information available here on Avalon, any way you turn! I know my own progress is documented in the posts I made beginning in Sept. of 2015! That was the neat thing about it all....the more mature members kind of help one along in their journey without making one feel "dumb"!

Hooray for the Newbies!! May we all continue to learn & grow!!

[Jay Freeman]

Posted by Orph (here)
This world has become too overwhelming for me to fight anymore. So I'm concentrating as much of my energy as I can on generating my own personal inner energy. For instance, a person might say that if you don't like something, get involved and change it. But it never changes. For thousands of years we've had rich vs. the poor. Powerful vs. the weak. So I no longer try to go "out there" to try and change things.

Instead, I now go "inside" and generate power (love) within me. The outside world will be whatever it will be. I will be me.

I share your sentiments. Even after decades of "research," I still consider myself a novice and my contributions would be negligible at best. The more I discover, the more I realize how little I know. So my thought is that if I can't add something of particular value, then it's better to save the space for those who can and learn from them.

[RunningDeer]

Project Avalon was my first experience on a forum. That was over five years ago and many days I still feel like a newbie. I’ve mostly shared my experiences and those I’ve repeated too many times.

In the beginning, I was overwhelmed and forced myself to go beyond the fears of vulnerability, perfection and the harsh tones and judgements from some. Truth be told, I still experience those in varying degrees depending on my state of mind.

I often feel like I don’t fit in because not many words find the way to paper. That and by comparison, I’m a generalist and as time goes on, it’s more so. My journey is less is more. It's about cleaning out the false.

I love the people on Avalon not for what they know, but how they care and how they share.

*****

Welcome newbies and future newbies. These are some tools that have helped me:

• How to Tips such as how to to get around, post, reply to a post, etc.
  
• To practice those skills go to the Sandbox thread. If you need help there, someone comes along soon enough.

♡

[Mike]

Great thread LadyKitt.

I've said numerous times here that I wish all 10,000 or so members would actively post. Sure, we'd need a few more mods maybe, but could you imagine the electricity? And yes, the chaos...but I sort of have that Joker in me (the Heath Ledger one) that would enjoy that in a kind of mad way I think there is a way of appreciating chaos without succumbing to it.

I was very trepidatious when I started here I seem to recall...way back in early 2011.. I didn't want to step on toes initially. But very quickly I realized I was walking on egg shells, I wasn't enjoying myself like I should be, and no meaningful contributions were going to come from me that way. My way of learning forum etiquette wasn't going to be dipping my toes in...it would be jumping in fully cannonball style and learning from my mistakes as I did so. I knew I would likely step on some toes here n there, but I also knew it would be a much faster process to learning who was who and what was what here. Everyone has their own style of course, but that worked well for me..for what it's worth.

And I'm sort of backwards-y proud to say (and slightly embarrassed) that I *still * don't know how to isiolate quotes and respond to them........so, for all the newbies out there, maybe I'll see ya in the sandbox one of these days if I can muster the courage...

Also, over time, members will sort of organically find their role. The forum is like an amoeba, a little contentious at times but generally moving in the same direction......one giant organism that moves in harmony (or some version of it haha) with each indivudual doing hers or his part to push it along.

I say to all members, new and old, post fearlessly and honestly, have fun, apologize when you know you've been a d!ck, and just keep it movin

[RunningDeer]

Posted by Mike (here)
And I'm sort of backwards-y proud to say (and slightly embarrassed) that I *still * don't know how to isiolate quotes and respond to them........so, for all the newbies out there, maybe I'll see ya in the sandbox one of these days if I can muster the courage...

Here's one simple way to quote passages. Add a beginning and end tag to close off the sentences. The two tags are similar with the exception of one key stroke, i.e., /

Note, there are no spaces in the tags.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

After you press ‘Save Changes’ or ‘Preview Change’, your quoted lines look like this:

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Then add your response below the quoted material.

[3(C)+me]

I don't think it would actually be a good thing if all 10,000 members posted and here is why, over the years threads were started with questionable videos or posts that in the end were disinformation. So the noise would be high and their would be a lot of trash posted. So if you want to post a video make sure it is solid, grounded and can benefit others in practical ways. If you are going to post some fantasy alien come to save us from the planet Heroron, well, probably not going to have a good reception.

We are all human here (well most of us) we make mistakes, we get a little to stuck in our point of view, our bottons get pushed and I have seen some really big blow ups but I really don't think that can be avoided. Post when you really have something to say and don't be afraid because most of us are basically nice people.

You may get slimed but you will survive. I don't have a problem with lurking, I do it all the time. I sometimes just want to read up and see what the general impressions are and usually someone will post what I was thinking anyway.
Enjoy the forum, in anyway that is for you.

[pabranno]

Lady Kitt,
Thank you so much for this thread and the thought behind it.
I have been a member for many, many years.
To be honest, I don't post because I don't feel I can contribute: the attitudes, application to research and general brilliance on this forum are way beyond me.
However, let it be known that I read this forum very often.
My awakening process is largely due to the people on this forum, who I don't even know and don't know me.
I thank you all, and applaud your dedication in seeking truth.
Really, I thank you.

Pamela

[vemaria]

Posted by pabranno (here)
Lady Kitt,
Thank you so much for this thread and the thought behind it.
I have been a member for many, many years.
To be honest, I don't post because I don't feel I can contribute: the attitudes, application to research and general brilliance on this forum are way beyond me.
However, let it be known that I read this forum very often.
My awakening process is largely due to the people on this forum, who I don't even know and don't know me.
I thank you all, and applaud your dedication in seeking truth.
Really, I thank you.

Pamela

Newbie here too.
And I completely agree with you Pabranno.
Any subject I'm interested in shows up so many threads of info and opinions through the search. I also don't feel that i can contribute while I'm continuously learning.
I'm only getting started on my bookmarked threads.

[GForce]

I'm new here but I'm a member on several forums all of which deal with the paranormal. I've never been abducted or seen an alien but have had experiences with ghosts, ESP and a little with remove viewing. I also had a NDE! I grew up in a haunted house probably due to my mother being psychic. I'm interested in most paranormal things however I stay away from the occult. My family had a horrible time while using an OUIJA board. Thanks LadyKitt for the thread!

[9ideon]

Nice initiative LadyK.

Personally not to worried by the whole Noob status it's more of a participating member status thing anyway, you contribute, you'll get there, so there is no need to be all nervous about something you eventually will need to do by default, especially if you want to gain certain knowledge.

Lurking only raises more questions after time, even if you'd agree with others statements, forming your own thoughts and sharing them is the only way to truly learn about a subject imo.

I see it like there are many ways to observe how someone drinks their water, eventually everybody needs to drink, including you.

When I applied/replied (invited by a friend) here I had no clue what the heck this all was. It felt like being blindly thrown into the dark center of the Klingon High Council, you can hear the growling coming from the dark and as soon as they turn the lights on you're like, well... that's interesting... This forum is quite massive. Software alone is amazing, seen similar fora with this setup, but never this extended, well done btw.

I haven't really decided yet what direction I am going myself yet though.

[Spiral]

A message to those tentative to post, you don't have to be an expurt in anything, nor be guru, or font of wisdom to have a point to say or a question to make.....whilst this clearly isn't facebook, it's still a community so be part of it !

Let's face it if you are interested in the types of topics covered here you aren't likely to find too many people to talk about them with in real life !

People really connect through what really matters to them, and that can be awkward if what matters to you seems crazy to most folks, so make use of this resource, we are lucky to have it !

[Michi]

For me I started initiating new threads by talking and asking about things that I was seeking answers to and where I haven't found much about it while researching.
This is a good way to get some other viewpoints to one of your burning questions and often get some references for further study.

On the other hand one can offer new insights for others too by questioning posters claims and go to the truth of things - and this is what projectavalon is all about.

[pabranno]

Thank you all for the encouragement.
Three quick things:
1. I will be brutally honest. I don't do my homework. I am lazy, and rely on the hard earned wisdom so many members here take the time and effort and will to do. I am ashamed, so I do not post.
2. I don't even know how to use the Thanks button appropriately. Sometimes I feel like I'm just pushing thanks to be politically correct, blindly. But some posts really resonate with me. BUT, I know I am very grateful and encouraged for someone to thank my paltry posts. So I need to thank more. I truly mean to.
3. I just made a very rare post for me! Smiley face here, literally!

Pamela

[pabranno]

OK. Last post. But best post.
I just committed to regular financial support of this incredible consortium of seekers.
After all these years of receiving incomparable gifts from this forum, I shamefully admit I have only financially contributed ONCE. In years, only ONCE.
I am ashamed I took and received so much and was so cavalier.
So again, I felt no right to contribute. But I darn sure took, A lot.
So I was too ashamed to post.
My conscience feels clear now.
Clear to be a fully engaged member.
It really makes a difference.

Lady Kitt et al, THANK you for this thread.
It kicked me in the butt, and got me engaged.

You never know what post you contribute that will make a real difference to someone.

Signed,
Grateful fulfilled engaged Avalon member,

Pamela Brannon

[Spiral]

Posted by pabranno (here)
Thank you all for the encouragement.
Three quick things:
1. I will be brutally honest. I don't do my homework. I am lazy, and rely on the hard earned wisdom so many members here take the time and effort and will to do. I am ashamed, so I do not post.

You don't need to do homework, you can watch a vid, or read an article someone has posted & just post your opinion, you seem level headed, that counts, in fact on certain forums that would make you a genius. (don't ask lol)

Posted by pabranno (here)
2. I don't even know how to use the Thanks button appropriately. Sometimes I feel like I'm just pushing thanks to be politically correct, blindly. But some posts really resonate with me. BUT, I know I am very grateful and encouraged for someone to thank my paltry posts. So I need to thank more. I truly mean to.

There are no hard rules for the thanks button, it depends on your nature, if you feel that what you read should have a token of appreciation then do so, if you think only the really good posts deserve it then fine, most people will thank anyone who posts on a thread they started.

Some people use the thanks button just to mark what they have read, so they know where they left of on a thread !

Posted by pabranno (here)
3. I just made a very rare post for me! Smiley face here, literally!

Pamela

Oh no, now you've ruined it, you've used your real name....as highly paranoid conspiracy theorists this is the one thing you should never do !