posted
How do I communicate someone right if people thought I need to improve my English skills? If you think books solve a problem, guess again. I don't feel like reading them.
Maybe I tried to make Hatrack forum interesting again or more interesting than the way before, but I made you guys either confused, envied me, or ignored me.
If any of you mods want me out of this forum and be banned forever, go ahead. I don't care. But I swear to you, I'll sign up as another member.
posted
Hmmm? People want you banned? Sorry, but I only know of 2 people that could do that, and I have yet to see any real reason why. Unless of course this is just another one of those black list strikes!
Posts: 9754 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
want2write, I see that you haven't read any of OSC's books. I'm just curious, how did you find this forum?
Posts: 739 | Registered: Dec 2003
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Out to get you? Why ever would you say that, dear Nathan? Pat and I are your friends. We would never hurt you.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Coming to this forum often to see examples of good english will help. However, when one has a problem that needs to be solved, there is no magic solution. Studying what makes good english will help you faster than only reading good english, because it points out what they are doing right. Then you'll absorb it faster because your brain will be able to say "Ahh, I know why they write it that way."
It takes a certain amount of posts typically to become part of the community. Not because we put any kind of requirement, but because it is only after a few posts that people start to recognize you and your style. I've noticed that you do not post so frequently. So in this very fast moving forum, it will take you a little longer to get recognized, especially if people find you difficult to understand. But sometimes that very difficulty becomes beloved, as was the case with Thor (Silverblue Sun). Just stick it out.
A lack of response does not mean you'll be banned. It just means that, if you want to get noticed, you have to do a little more than you are currently doing. If you want to excel, you have to work whether you feel like it or not.
Posts: 3495 | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
Bah! People criticize my English skills all the time. At other places it might hurt, but not on Hatrack.
On Hatrack, when someone say you should improve your skills, they are saying they enjoy your ideas, or at least, would enjoy them better if you were more concise in your communication. They are reaching out to you, not trying to kick you off the forum.
Edited to add: The "Bah!" was not a response to Amka's post. I'm getting crusty in my old age, but not THAT crusty.
posted
st. Yogi: My brother went there. I checked most of his reviews; and either I support, oppose, or feel neutral about each. I read first few or several chapters of Ender's Game, and I didn't have time for it since it doesn't have to do with schoolwork. And I heard about an adapted movie.
Posts: 50 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Ignore people who complain about your "English skills" or anything like that. As long as you're trying and don't be a jerk, I see no reason to want you to leave.
Posts: 2432 | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
Want2write, where are you from? I know that many on this forum have had difficulty understanding some of your posts on the forum and have found that frustrating. Is English not your first language? If it isn't it would be good to let us know so we can understand where you are coming from.
Or perhaps you are young and haven't had much experience writing your thoughts out. Knowing where people are coming from, being open about it, is valued here. Unlike many online forums out there, this is a community of people who try to get to know each other and care about each other. Anonymity does not acheive the best results here.
The worst is when someone continually lies about themselves. OSC-fan and Verbatim come to mind. The people here are intelligent and can see through lies. I am not suggesting you divulge your most personal information to strangers on the internet, but I have found on Hatrack, honesty is the best policy.
I have also noticed that while you have started many threads in an effort to promote discussion, you have not often posted on other people's threads. This might make people feel that you only want to talk about subjects that you bring up. To better enter the community here, it is good to participate in things other people are interested in too. If people feel you are not interested in them, they are less likely to be interested in you. Just a thought.
Also, keep in mind, the topics you bring up *might* not be interesting to other people. Maybe sit back for awhile and try just sharing your thoughts on what others are talking about until you get the hang of things.
I sincerely hope this helps and that your experience on Hatrack can be better.
Edit: Sorry to all of you who have virtually said the same things on a thread I hadn't read yet.
posted
Realizing that your addition to this forum is not what makes or breaks it, that your opinion of the community as a whole doesn't make a damn bit of difference and that you - like everyone else - will have to earn your place on the 'rack through thoughtful, amusing, well-reasoned and charming posts will help you tremendously in your endeavors.
Finally understand that you're starting at the bottom of the totem pole like everyone else has to and can't demand status through insults or e-temper tantrums?
Good. Welcome to Hatrack.
Posts: 7600 | Registered: Jan 2001
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want2write, could be worse. You could be a thread killer. I enjoy your posts most of the time. I don't have the greatest english skills myself, but then, I really don't care. It is not my goal to become an english teacher or anything like. Take a breather to sort yourself out and give it another shot.
posted
A nickname is like clothes, it's your identity and how people will ultimately end up percieving you at first glance. A name like "want2write" or "12345" is very impersonal and less intimate. While a name like that can work well on other message boards, on an intimate forum such as Hatrack, it seems a bit out of place. I suggest you adopt another less ambiguous name. Not only would it serve to make your n00bishness less overt, but yes, people will begin to take you more seriously.
Another suggestion is to avoid over using smilies. Some people can pull this off rather nicely*1 but others only come off looking like they lack the ability to properly articulate themselves through words and thereby resort to communicating via emoticon*2.
Would you mind w2w, me asking you how old you are exactly? Your writing will eventually improve but only through practice and patience. I originally began posting here at thirteen. Believe me, my writing then left much to be desired. Even now, I have a tendency to avoid posting in debate threads because of my lack of writing prowess. Simply put, I am just not up to the level of many of the posters here. It does not mean that my ideas are any less important, nor anymore stupid, but only that I have difficulty expressing them.
You shouldn’t expect to be recognized or respected immediately. One rarely becomes part of a community by the addition of one or two posts. Like Ralphie said, everyone starts at the bottom of the totem pole. Some people, like me *grin*, are perpetually cemented to the base. Heh. It could be because of my lack of Ralphie-isk charms but shh! I like to tell myself that it is due to my lack of effort.
___ Footnotes because they are fun: *1 Hobbes *2 Chizpurfle
Posts: 35 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
w2w Beverly said most of what I would like to say eloquently. If you are young, or english is your second language, don't be quite so hard on yourself.
Writing is a skill. There is a difference between wanting to "write" as a career and "writing" as communication. This is why they make you practice it in school. I think I'm respectable at the latter. I would never dream of trying the former. For some people it is very easy for others it is extremely difficult.
The best way to learn is to read. Read as much as you can get your hands on. And compare. Not all writing is equal as I've already said. Decide what you think is "good" and you think is "Bad". Develop a personal taste. Then try to mimic it in your own writing. Learn the traditional "rules" before you try to break them.*
For communicating on Hatrack I would suggest reading news articles in newspapers and CNN. They are not generally artistic heights of literature. But, even if we make fun of them sometimes, they generally get their points across clearly and distinctly. You need to be able to write clearly and distinctly before you try to scale lofty literary peaks of greatness.
--- *In the above paragraphs, I know "And compare." is a sentence fragment. I did it deliberately for emphasis, even if it might have Jon Boy fuming. I also started a sentence with a conjunction later on. It is a bad habit to do all the time but it can add emphasis if you only do it occasionally. It is also done far more frequently in speech than in formal writing.
A good movie to watch if you need inspiration is "Finding Forrester"
quote: Realizing that your addition to this forum is not what makes or breaks it, that your opinion of the community as a whole doesn't make a damn bit of difference and that you - like everyone else - will have to earn your place on the 'rack through thoughtful, amusing, well-reasoned and charming posts will help you tremendously in your endeavors
T_Smith the thoughtful? T_Smith the amusing? T_Smith the well-reasoned? T_Smith the charming?
So... how again did I earn my place?
T_Smith the... dude.
There you go. T_Smith the dude. Thats how I got my place, I'm a flat out dude.
Posts: 9754 | Registered: Jul 2002
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