Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Bad day on the forums...

A little while ago I had posted about the Brain Keychains on a couple horror/zombie movie forums. Maybe 5 or so I think. And while I didn't scour them to see what the fine details of what their posting policies were, I did post in what I felt, given the board descriptions, what I thought would be the best place to hopefully get the word out. Some where about plugging your own projects, independent movies and stuff like that - so I thought I thought I was pretty safe. Some didn't really feel appropriate so I moved on.

Now, I don't know if this was part of the problem, but at the time the best shipping rate on average to the US was $25 - since than CanadaPost has come out with a new method that is on average $10, much better. In any case, there was one incident on another forum that someone was rather shocked about that price - and rightly so, that is insane.

Today I was looking through some zombie/horror related blogs and stumbled across one of my previous posts and saw it had a couple replies, so I check it out and wow...I was not expecting the hostility my post had created. I don't know if it was the insane shipping rate - which as I said is understandable, but anyone who does a lot of buy and shipping internationally should be well aware of those costs. Or if it was because someone had seen another post of mine and felt I was spamming - I didn't realize 5 posts on 5 forums (assuming he/she saw them all) constituted spamming, but I guess I know now that some feel it does. Lesson learned there.

I rechecked what the this particular board was about and it said Indie movies and stuff like that, I thought saw other folks promoting their Indiegogo/Kickstarter projects at the time I posted mine - but for some reason these folks took an instant dislike to my particular post. I closed the window before seeing what site it was and quite honestly don't feel like finding it again just to read some hate posts directed at me for doing something I'm not really sure why was so wrong to cause such a backlash. That was certainly not my intention and if it was against their policy I don't know why they didn't just delete and be done with it, instead it was left so people could be annoyed by it. I don't see the logic there, unless an admin thought it was fine and this was just coming from other posters.

In any case, it left me feeling a bit gutted, I didn't intend to annoy people and certainly don't feel like I was "begging for money" as one person said - it's closer to a retail transaction, if you don't want it, don't buy it. I guess I'm wrong about that or maybe it just came off wrong or this person just took it wrong or, even, for some reason he/she took particular offense my wording or their interpretation of it. I don't want anyone reading this to come off with the opinion that I'm making myself seem totally innocent here either. I posted the same post on a couple forums, I didn't realize that was wrong, apparently it is - supposing that's what the issue was, I'm not really sure to be perfectly honest.

I do feel bad about annoying these people, even though anyone with that quick of a hostile reaction might not be someone I'd ever be able to appeal to anyway no matter how delicately I worded something. Maybe they felt their reaction was legitimate or maybe it was just bad timing because they had one too many incidents like that similar to my post - who knows. They certainly were angry and seemed very adamant I had violated their forum, if I did and I'm totally in the wrong (and it's entirely possible) I'm really sorry for having caused a problem for them. I don't mean to make that sound fake or patronizing, I just don't see what was so horrifically wrong to be insulted for having posted about a fund raiser.

I guess that's the internet for you. I don't know these people and for all I know they're pretty decent folks, but with forums you can never really tell. I've seen my fair share of knee jerk reaction assholes who overreact or misinterpret a situation with a sense of superiority that disallows any opportunity to defend against. My first feeling was that I intruded on their personal secret club without knowing the right handshake, maybe I did. I really don't know what was the case here or if I was the one totally in the wrong, either way it has left me hesitant to try posting to forums anymore regardless of how well within their guidelines I might be, just doesn't seem worth it and justifies my distaste for internet forums- won't be doing this again any time soon.

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