Who's be upsetting Nick
From What Really Makes Money Enail
"Do you use forums? If you do, then I apologise in advance for what I'm about to say
Hi Mark
The vast majority of people who use forums regularly are IDIOTS!!
Of course, I don't mean you, dear reader. But I'm sure that some of forum Nazis will be reading this email right now . . . and they'll be ready to shoot me down.
It's strange. I'm sure most of them are quite normal in day-to-day life - caring, generous, good-natured, kind to small animals and all round nice folk.
But get them in front of a PC and behind the anonymity of their forum user names and they become vicious attack dogs . . . hell bent of spitting negative comments about people, products and even their fellow forum members.
I should point out that I am not saying any of this because of negative posts about me or anything I do. I've decided to say all this because of something I saw on a forum recently about someone I have never met and a product I have never reviewed or even heard of before was causing a right royal fuss.
Yes, I know a lot of passions are stirred up, especially on forums that look at business opportunities. And yes, people have a right to be angry if they are genuinely ripped off. And yes, they should let others know if they feel.
This particular forum thread was focused on a trading related opportunity. For one reason or another the big promises made by the author had failed to materialise. The result was a lot of people who bought into the service were left out of pocket and felt let down.
I did a bit of digging with my contacts and eventually got hold of the subject of these attacks. He told me - and I have no reason to disbelieve him - that he had to move house because of the threats made to him and his family!
I'm not defending the guy, but I suspect he was just trying to be entrepreneurial and start his own service . . . but in a rather naïve and amateurish way was unable to fulfil what he promised.
But the forum managed to whip up such a storm of outrage that some felt they had to turn it into something altogether more sinister.
Ok, this might be an extreme case, but there's a point where frustration becomes counter productive:
- It ruins the forum for others - like anywhere, you'll find the more dominant users will lead the threads. But just because they are the most vocal doesn't mean that their opinions of representative of all people or indeed grounded in fact.
- They encourage a crowd mentality that is based more on emotion than reason. Of course when someone feels they have lost money because of a particular purchase they are going to feel angry and frustrated.
- They only provide a biased view: it's very rare that you'll find many positive posts on these kinds of forums. Often, if it is related to a betting or financial trading service, you may be seeing comments that are based on personal experience at a particular time. The reality of many of even the best services is that there are winning and losing runs. Alas, the nature of forums means you can't always get the full long-term picture.
- In some cases it can lead to unjustified witch-hunts that cause innocent people to flee their homes in fear of physical attacks.
Ok, if a business opportunity fails to live up to its promises ask for a refund or a chargeback. But hunting a man and his family down as if he was a paedophile is just plain wrong.
I have to admit I was a bit cheeky and I joined this forum under a pseudonym myself to find out more. I entered the forum and asked quite innocently why people were getting so angry . . .
Bad move.
Within minutes, the members of the forum turned on me, shouting me down with the kind of insults that I thought I'd left behind in the playground. In fact they said I shouldn't stick my nose in where it isn't wanted and should go away. They all congratulated each other on their attack . . .
Not the warmest welcome to a new member! I tried to counter their posts by saying I just wanted some help from them . . . but this only stirred them up further with one of them suggesting that I wasn't fit to vote or be a useful member of society.
Hmmmm, didn't something similar happen in 1930s Germany?
Is there anything to learn from this? Well yes. Although forums can give you a feel for a particular subject, make sure that you don't get dragged in. Make sure you seek out other sources of opinion. And of course, feel free to come to me. I promise I won't bite!
Right, I've got that off my chest. Now let's move on to more uplifting stuff. "