The art of reading between the lines

[Sunset]

My friend is so attractive that women keep throwing themselves at him. He asked me if I could tell him how to handle this. I told him that I have no experience of this sort (pity!) but my wise friends on a message board have experience with everything and always know how to handle tricky situations.
Suggestions for him?
Ha

Generally I read between the lines for the root cause.
Here we can see your friend should talk to a doctor about his narcissist delusional fantasy world. Or you could tag along with him to pick up pointers

 

[Letj]

Haha you never fail to crack me up. Please advise your friend that he has what it takes to RE and become a kept man.

 

[CaliforniaMan]

In a forum as in real life I have always believed that it is more important to try to understand the "why" of a question, rather than the "what." But my response is always to always try to take the question at face value, because my "why" analysis might be wrong, and there is noting lost in answering the stated question, whatever my belief about its motivation. On the other hand, before taking any action on a statement, my judgement of the "why" is what I rely on mostly.

 

[Lucantes]

I don't really care if people here are telling the truth or not. Even if we sometimes end up responding to an entirely fictitious scenario, we can still learn from each other's responses. I also have observed people who ask a question but already know the answer they want and seem merely to be seeking validation. I don't view it as a waste of time to answer, for even if the OP doesn't want to hear it, others might legitimately have that same question but have not yet gotten to the point of asking.

I like this!

 

[Nemo2]

I think you summed it up pretty well. For me the part of your response that I have highlighted and underlined really hits the spot.

Or "BS detector" as Hemingway put it.

 

[sengsational]

Most of the time I ignore the question and join-in to the tangent conversations that usually develop

But seriously, I voted 'it depends'. I'm highly skeptical of people with just a few posts here. If they have less than 30 posts and my BS meter is activated, I might click on 'show all posts' and see if there's a trend or consistency.

But I certainly agree that even if it's a BS question, the discussion that ensues is often interesting, mostly because it brings out more detail about how the regulars here think about various subjects.

 

[pb4uski]

To me it is a bit situational, but my BS meter is pretty good at picking up on odd inconsistencies but on the other hand, I can be a bit naive and too trusting at times. I'm not sure it matters though since there can be good ideas in responses to BS posts.

 

[Lsbcal]

Even some of the regulars are pretty suspect IMHO.

For example, I am a completely fictitious persona that was created as a project in social engineering by a group of college students at an undisclosed location.

Year after year, each new class has taken "me" on as their project (the handoff from the previous class happens just after graduation each summer), and one of the objects is to see how well the fiction can be maintained without the rest of the forum catching on that they are actually dealing with a committee.

"I" am a regular member of a great many online forums, under various usernames, and so far we have managed fairly well. Oh, there is the occasional slip-up, but in general you folks have been gracious enough to pretend not to notice.

Just thought you should know.

I've done a careful analytical study and determined that over 85% of the posters here are machine generated.

But I'm the real thing. Haha is clearly not. W2R is suspect.

 

[W2R]

I've done a careful analytical study and determined that over 85% of the posters here are machine generated.

But I'm the real thing. Haha is clearly not. W2R is suspect.

You nailed me! All this time, people on the forum have assumed I was a flesh and blood human being. Oh well, now that I have been "outed", I might as well post a recent photo of the real W2R, dancing:

 

[redduck]

My friend is so attractive that women keep throwing themselves at him. He asked me if I could tell him how to handle this. I told him that I have no experience of this sort (pity!) but my wise friends on a message board have experience with everything and always know how to handle tricky situations.

Suggestions for him?

Ha

Ha, I appreciate your trying to help me re: my rather unique situation. Please let me know what you've learned as soon as possible as I am not looking forward to another year of this living nightmare that I find myself in (through no fault of my own).

 

[Meadbh]

You nailed me! All this time, people on the forum have assumed I was a flesh and blood human being. Oh well, now that I have been "outed", I might as well post a recent photo of the real W2R, dancing:

But W2R, I thought you were a Toyota!

 

[HFWR]

But W2R, I thought you were a Toyota!

Random WHEEEE! generator...


Sent from my iCouch using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Bestwifeever]

Random WHEEEE! generator...


Sent from my iCouch using Early Retirement Forum

She's a wheebot.

 

[imoldernu]

Since I'm not smart enough to keep all my lies straight it all eventually falls apart so I don't try anymore.

+1

Not all writings are meant to educate, obfuscate, enervate, derogate, denigrate or deprecate. Some are meant only to "stir the pot".

 

[W2R]

But W2R, I thought you were a Toyota!

Random WHEEEE! generator...

She's a wheebot.

Look out, everyone! I finished my rebalancing yesterday and as soon as Vanguard sells and buys what I told them to sell and buy, I might start thinking about Wh... Wh.... oh, you know.

 

[robnplunder]

+1

Not all writings are meant to educate, obfuscate, enervate, derogate, denigrate or deprecate. Some are meant only to "stir the pot".

I wish I knew before getting too emotionally involved, spending hours in formulating & reviewing my response before posting, getting upset by responses, reporting to mods on improper posts, ..... I am so naive!

 

[CaliforniaMan]

I wish I knew before getting too emotionally involved, spending hours in formulating & reviewing my response before posting, getting upset by responses, reporting to mods on improper posts, ..... I am so naive!

I recently learned that such posts are called "Dragon Bait." The posters just want to watch what happens and see who bites.

 

[NW-Bound]

Random WHEEEE! generator...

Random? I thought we have reached a consensus that it is a clairvoyant ringing of the bell at the tops of market, and it has been demonstrated with some measured accuracies.

What I might have missed was the opposite "Buy, buy, buy" emissions at the market bottoms, but it could be just me with bleary eyes after the market had lost 50%.

 

[M Paquette]

I recently learned that such posts are called "Dragon Bait." The posters just want to watch what happens and see who bites.

Correct. In general, people that repeatedly make such 'bait' posts will find that responses from other forum members will taper off over time, as the posts are ignored by others who have noticed this behavior.

The posts wind up primarily as bait for persons new to a forum, generally with only modest experience with online fora.

 

[REWahoo]

Correct. In general, people that repeatedly make such 'bait' posts will find that...

...they provide incentive for members to learn how to add someone to their ignore list.

 

[robnplunder]

Correct. In general, people that repeatedly make such 'bait' posts will find that responses from other forum members will taper off over time, as the posts are ignored by others who have noticed this behavior.

The posts wind up primarily as bait for persons new to a forum, generally with only modest experience with online fora.

I can sense narcissistic posts (pay attention to what I did, what I am, ..) and we all make them time to time. Bait post? Not so much.

 

[LitGal]

It's way too much work first, to misrepresent yourself and then, to remember the misrepresentation.

+1 Not sure why anyone would be interested in making up a forum post. Maybe if they're bored in ER or with life in general?

I skim many posts, so just tend to take them at face value.

 

[Tadpole]

Early on I used several handles at different websites/forums. Then I would use these over and over in similar circumstances. For example, I first used "Tadpole" here. Then I used it on other forums I heard about here (e.g. Bogleheads). At some point I realized that each different handle had developed a different personality probably due to the crowd in the various website collections. I am never myself now and I find my handles have developed egos as well as personalities even though Tadpole and the ego of the other handles do not really exist except as a character in my weblife. I assume that, even if you are not really who you represent yourself as being, your handle is precisely your representation and cannot tell a lie or misrepresent his/herself. So in a sense, I never see a handle as other than the self it is in webland.

 

[Lsbcal]

Tadpole, I'm a little worried about you. Perhaps you are developing multiple personalities? Reminds me of all those little pre-froglets in a pond on a warm spring day. What will become of them when they start getting up on the land? Scary thought.

 

[REWahoo]

. For example, I first used "Tadpole" here.

Let me guess...it was froggy the day you registered.