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Angela · 08-30-2008, 08:21 PM

Stephen, this forum is a place where personal experiential experiments are encouraged and supported. Steve Pavlina has done all kinds of 30-day trials and other write-ups of his forays into personal development testing. Many of the people who participate here are interested in the same sort of experience -- that is, personal, anecdotal, experiential results, rather than the necessarily buying into and relying on the "science" of any particular tool -- or the experiences of others.

In that regard, many threads are started in which a member is trying on something challenging, like giving up meat or taking on an exercise program. They often ask for support and encouragement, like "Wish me luck!" and another member piping up with "You should do other than what you're doing" does not fall into the category of support or encouragement. There are plenty of other threads where the relative merits of an approach are discussed, and it would be completely appropriate for you to contribute your contrary thoughts in those threads -- they would be most welcome. But in a trial thread, which the OP declares as a space of support and encouragement, a discouraging or nonsupportive post -- where someone is telling the OP they *should* be or do other than what they're being or doing -- is considered off-topic. It's one thing to talk about your own experiences and what has worked for you, and quite another to tell another member what she should do (in other words, that you're right and she's wrong.)

The members you are concerned about were simply protecting that space of supportive, encouraging experimentation for the OP, so that (s)he can find out what works for herm -- just as you have experimented, apparently quite successfully, by the looks of you! Your input and example are certainly welcome and helpful, as the members you mentioned would be among the first to agree -- as long as you respect the topic declared by the thread's OP. There are more ways than just yours to skin a cat! (sorry, animal lovers

)

And if you ever feel like a member is breaking a forum rule and inhibiting free expression, please report that post -- the moderators will pay serious attention to your concerns.

Thanks, and I look forward to reading your posts on fitness.

08-30-2008, 08:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
Angela Banned Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 22,520	Stephen, this forum is a place where personal experiential experiments are encouraged and supported. Steve Pavlina has done all kinds of 30-day trials and other write-ups of his forays into personal development testing. Many of the people who participate here are interested in the same sort of experience -- that is, personal, anecdotal, experiential results, rather than the necessarily buying into and relying on the "science" of any particular tool -- or the experiences of others. In that regard, many threads are started in which a member is trying on something challenging, like giving up meat or taking on an exercise program. They often ask for support and encouragement, like "Wish me luck!" and another member piping up with "You should do other than what you're doing" does not fall into the category of support or encouragement. There are plenty of other threads where the relative merits of an approach are discussed, and it would be completely appropriate for you to contribute your contrary thoughts in those threads -- they would be most welcome. But in a trial thread, which the OP declares as a space of support and encouragement, a discouraging or nonsupportive post -- where someone is telling the OP they should be or do other than what they're being or doing -- is considered off-topic. It's one thing to talk about your own experiences and what has worked for you, and quite another to tell another member what she should do (in other words, that you're right and she's wrong.) The members you are concerned about were simply protecting that space of supportive, encouraging experimentation for the OP, so that (s)he can find out what works for herm -- just as you have experimented, apparently quite successfully, by the looks of you! Your input and example are certainly welcome and helpful, as the members you mentioned would be among the first to agree -- as long as you respect the topic declared by the thread's OP. There are more ways than just yours to skin a cat! (sorry, animal lovers ) And if you ever feel like a member is breaking a forum rule and inhibiting free expression, please report that post -- the moderators will pay serious attention to your concerns. Thanks, and I look forward to reading your posts on fitness.