"Clickey Suspicions-"

reckon as one of the female posters I will chime in!!

I will first comment on the female issue.

I love coming to this site, because few people in my real encounters are into these topics. I am a big UFO buff (having seen one, of COURSE I am!) and there are hundreds of topics on this site I enjoy reading and posting about. Some times I go for days or weeks I guess without contributing much (work schedule is rough right now, and I am thankful for this), but sometimes things happen in my real life (like the McDonald's bag!!) that make me go HMMM, (like my meat coming from three different countries!) so I post.

NEVER have I (until this thread) thought just because I am female(I am proud of that fact, I am quite femicentric) and use my own pic as my avvie would other members "flock" or come to my threads because of that reason! How sexist and weird is that! I have always assumed people just thought the topic was interesting.

It is sad if people only post in female threads because they think they are attractive. I want people to think my threads themselves, and the ideas, or my posts, are what attracts them to thread.

So that was eye opening. I wonder what other females are thinking of this thread, lol?

On to the other issue, clicks.

I notice clicks, and certain authors attract big followings. I tend to click on threads written by members that I like, there are popular members for a reason! They contribute good solid material to the site.

I dont think clicks are a bad thing.

And avatars are useful because they identify you.

I am a visual learner, thus when I post or read and see the same avvie popping up, I know me and them have similar interests. I think avatars are good to have.

Nice topic! Star and flag, of course.

Originally posted by Stillalive
i completly agree,ive see a lot of very interesting threads,like groundbreaking,even i make great threads now and then,but those threads get so little attencion,like 2 replies and..thats it.

Not to be rude, but if they only get 2-3 replies, are they really great threads?? I've created a bunch that in my mind seemed awesome, but got little or no attention, I just chalked it up to it being not as cool as i thought lol

Star, and flag for a relative topic.

I personally think many of the great avatar, high flag contribution level, and others don't always put out the best articles; just my opinion.

Sometimes they do, and I'll read them, many times they don't, and I won't read them.

You can look at my posting record, and I continually pick out many threads; which people don't read..........because of the fact you mentioned above. I almost always star, and flag; because they're free, I took the time to read the thread, and because I can.

The avatar, and flag contribution level is like a magnet to weak minded individuals many times.................. *****acceptence through association****

I guess that's fine for them to fit in, but I like looking at the merit of the thread. Also, the threads I comment in, and really like I'll give every "pro thread" post a star........

reply to post by sanchoearlyjones


Oh to add to that I just gave everybody in this thread a star; because I can; simple as that.

What I absolutely won't do too much of if I can, is comment in threads I think are absolute crap; so as not to give them a bump. In those threads I will read, and if I like what an individual said, then I'll star their post

Mod Edit: Please do not abuse the flag or star features.

[edit on 7-8-2009 by Gemwolf]

Originally posted by sanchoearlyjones
Star, and flag for a relative topic.


You can look at my posting record, and I continually pick out many threads; which people don't read..........because of the fact you mentioned above. I almost always star, and flag; because they're free, I took the time to read the thread, and because I can.


I guess that's fine for them to fit in, but I like looking at the merit of the thread. Also, the threads I comment in, and really like I'll give every "pro thread" post a star........

I agree with both these statements. I love giving stars to well written posts, and threads! It is the system in place and that is what we are supposed to do. It also gives visible feedback for your ideas, which is nice.

Wherever people flock, cliques are sure to be.

Proof? Observation my dear Watson...

My life has been more like a tumble weed than a tree. Living in so many places as the "new" person provides many lessons to be learned. A perspective from the outside looking in will cast entirely new shadows on society and culture. More people should try it.

I have noticed a trend for cliques on ATS as well. But really, what is wrong with a clique? Someone posts a thread that a few people like, those people get along. If someone hasn't noticed already, usually each member posts threads on similar topics throughout the whole of their stay on ATS, therefore the same repeat readers give them attention. I will agree that avatars play a big role as well. I have gotten lots of questions and U2U's regarding mine.

sadly i am far to dizzy and lazy to learn which people do the greatest threads,i just browse the latest topics and whenever i see something that is interesting i just post,sometimes i dont even have anything valuable to say):
the flags are cool tho,now whenever i see a nice thread i flag it
and i dont find the big threads with lots of info and design to be the cooolest or most deserving,sometimes theyr just boring and lack anything interesting,what am i supposed to rate,that the person can design and write well..?

[edit on 6-8-2009 by Stillalive]

oh man, you're so not going to get invited into the cliques if you post threads like this.

if you want to make a popular thread, come up with a conspiracy that offends people, leave a big flaw in the theory and demand that anyone who disagrees with you is either a dis info agent or a complete idiot, seems to be the standard approach.

Originally posted by sanchoearlyjones
Star, and flag for a relative topic.

I personally think many of the great avatar, high flag contribution level, and others don't always put out the best articles; just my opinion.

Sometimes they do, and I'll read them, many times they don't, and I won't read them.

You can look at my posting record, and I continually pick out many threads; which people don't read..........because of the fact you mentioned above. I almost always star, and flag; because they're free, I took the time to read the thread, and because I can.

The avatar, and flag contribution level is like a magnet to weak minded individuals many times.................. *****acceptence through association****

I guess that's fine for them to fit in, but I like looking at the merit of the thread. Also, the threads I comment in, and really like I'll give every "pro thread" post a star........

I think I'm falling in love

I go around giving away stars and flags too. My criteria for doing so is private and personal. No authority can change me or my benevolent ways!

Originally posted by hotbakedtater

NEVER have I (until this thread) thought just because I am female(I am proud of that fact, I am quite femicentric) and use my own pic as my avvie would other members "flock" or come to my threads because of that reason! How sexist and weird is that! I have always assumed people just thought the topic was interesting.

It is sad if people only post in female threads because they think they are attractive. I want people to think my threads themselves, and the ideas, or my posts, are what attracts them to thread.

So that was eye opening. I wonder what other females are thinking of this thread, lol?

Hopefully the other females, and yourself included won't take too much offence to the comments about good looks and what draws people to the threads.

Theres nothing wrong at all with posting your own picture here as an avatar, i think it's a nice way to get to know a member better. As far as thier looks are concerned, if they are stunning, thats not their fault. If they gain popularity largely on thier looks, again thats not their fault.

It's just sad that it can be a deal breaker as to whether someone pays interest in a thread or video or not.

So again, i hope no offence is taken by my comments, as none is intended.

It makes no difference whether the rest of the females here agree or do not agree, it will always be the case that some guys let thier nether regions lead their journey.

I'm glad to see women here who can out-think and out-write other members, it makes for a more balanced place to frequent.

CX.

reply to post by Hazelnut


Hey darlin' I gave you a star for that!!!!

Here this could be the new ATS slogan, Just say no to clicks...............value the content for it's own value, and merit.

reply to post by sanchoearlyjones


Why thank you handsome! How's my lighting striking you?

Truly, I'm an observer at heart. I only post when my impulses force me to. More often than not, that thread dies. How harsh is that?

reply to post by Hazelnut


I too only post on impulse, the ones that "make me" post, like this one for instance.

I absolutely do I started this thread the other day: www.abovetopsecret.com...

which I thought has a crucial point in the dangers in the inner cities of america and the radioactive chemicals that could possibly be in your backyard. Sadly since I'm not an "in" member the thread has gotten 2 replies. Thansk ATS for populating this site with a bunch of nimrods that wanna talk about crop circles and obama's birth certificate and totally disregard crucial news. Thanks ATS!

reply to post by catalyst2466


Yep, it's quite obvious to me. it doesn't bother me, though. It's all a matter of human nature. I gave up many years ago trying to be part of a whole. It just isn't worth it. Just be yourself and if others decide to befriend you, then cool. If people ignore you, then cool. If people dislike you and speak out about it and get support from others, then, okay. No problem. What me worry?

i know what you mean.
i suppose you often do see various gangs disagreeing with each other like:
global warmists vs global coolists
ufo believers vs ufo skeptics
crop circle believers vs crop circle skeptics
of course theirs always the seperate gang of
reptilians/chemtrails/nibiru believers but they tend to be ganged up on by every body who hasnt quite lost all their marbles
then theirs the loners, the silent watchers, the misinformationalists,
but one things for sure, what ever you say, your gonna find ya self in one gang or another, so you may as well speak ya mind
overall in my opinion their seem to be quite a few very resourceful people on ats with links/vids/pictures & im sure if an asteroid comes our way nasa will probably find out from ats
your in the right place for a good argument: yes i am, no your not, yes i am, no your not

Dammit!!!

Just when I thought we'd had all the conspiracy theories we could handle someone comes up with the ATS "clique" conspiracy theory!!

I'm beginning to think that this whole conspiracy theory malarkey, is nothing more than a huge conspiracy theory

Good thread. This is a part of all sub-cultures, however. No matter where you go there's going to be an "in" crowd. It's very prevalent amongst public message boards, forums, etc. I see it all the time.

I've been warned, or deducted "points" (or whatever they're called now) so many times for sarcastic posts, or what have you. I'm sure this doesn't happen to some of the tenured posters here. Don't get me wrong, that means very little to me - especially over the internets.

Also, don't misinterpret this post, I love coming to ATS and reading the latest theories. Hell, I get most of my "mainstream" news from this website as opposed to Yahoo or CNN. In conjunction with the "cliqueyness" you describe, I find that ATS has almost more of a cult-like atmosphere, and even sub-cults within the main conspiracy cult. It's a very interesting social study. This site attracts all different kinds of people from war veterans, to the tin-foil wearing David Icke's, to those who actually use rational thought and compile research that makes sense. S & F

[edit on 6-8-2009 by DocEmrick]

[edit on 6-8-2009 by DocEmrick]

I wonder how much people are perceived here as they are perceived in real life? Are the more popular members popular in their daily lives too?

And do people behave on here as they do in real life? Some people will always be attracted to the more popular, outgoing type and try to get close to them hoping that the popularity will rub off.

And others will take a quieter route and just do their own little thing and be grateful to make a few friends along the way.

I always used to go into a thread because I was attracted by the title or the subject, I still do BUT there a few members whose threads I steer clear of because I know from experience that I won't enjoy them.

I often go for the odd, quirky threads and am disappointed when more people don't contribute. Those are the threads I try to remember to flag.

Kandinsky made a very good point about getting an avatar. I've made a couple of friends because people wanted to know about my dog - now that really is a reflection of my real life