Are you a better person because of forums?

[Cedric]

Do you believe that you are a better person because you have been on forums? Has it made you worse? (I hope not...) Taking things a step further, do you think having your own forum or being staff on another forum gives you relate-able work experience for the real world?

 

[Cory]

I’ve learned coding because of forums, so it’s given me a possible chance at being a web developer someday. I also think I’ve grown more civilized and respectful to strangers over time by being on forums.

 

[Shortie]

I feel like being on forums and also running my own forums in the past has helped me become more knowledgeable in the coding side of things to be honest. I remember when I first started creating websites and forums, I didn't have the first clue about coding or even HTML but through out my errors when building websites and forums, it helped me learn more and more.
In terms of the social aspect of forums, I would have to say being on forums has helped me with my communication towards people on the internet. I was always so anxious about talking to others online much as I am the same in person but the more I used forums the more my anxiety became less and less when socializing online using forums.

 

[Arantor]

Unquestionably. I've learned so much from other people over the last 20 years, as well as shared what I've learned so that I hope others have learned something too.

Plus it lets me be a little bit social - because while I'm far from the world's most sociable extrovert, I do need some amount of people in my life, and forums let me do that on my terms in a way that 'the socials' make harder.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I think I became a better person when I left forums some years back. I wasn't that good back then. Arantor even saw some of the old me. I was in a really dark place and didn't really help myself the way I should had. Lots of drunken moments online, alone, and in a lot of pain.

Taking a break, changing my life, it was for the better.

I say I wish I would had kept AAF and other sites I did but in reality, I needed to step back and tend to myself.

Life is better now than it ever has been.

I'm approaching my 40s and I'm totally fine with it. I feel better now at 38 than I did when I was 18!

 

[Arantor]

Lots of drunken moments online, alone, and in a lot of pain.

You and me both. The older us... weren't coping well with what was going on around us.

I needed to step back and tend to myself.

It continues to surprise me how little we view self-care as a society.

 

[Kale]

I feel like it has made me a better person. I have learned how to deal with trolls, troublesome users, staff who don't want to do their job, etc.

It continues to surprise me how little we view self-care as a society.

For real...

I think I became a better person when I left forums some years back. I wasn't that good back then. Arantor even saw some of the old me. I was in a really dark place and didn't really help myself the way I should had. Lots of drunken moments online, alone, and in a lot of pain.

Yeah, will admit I did used to fail troll on forums way back. I grew up and out of that and changed for the better. the moment I got an actual IRL job in high school is when I noticed myself changing.

 

[blackballoon]

Definitely! My time on forums (and running forums) taught me to handle conflicts a lot better. I learned how to delegate tasks and manage a large team. I also learned how to code (HTML/CSS), which lead to learning about PHP and mySQL.

 

[Heatman]

A shitty human being with a bad character will always be the same irrespective of owning a forum or not. If you're a better human being, you're who you are. At least, it's the way that I see it now. You just need to be good in management in order to hold your community together tight with how you run it.