I Just Did Something I Don't Like to Do...

There are many new members joining this forum every day. It's hard to keep up with welcoming all of them. And it's difficult to report those who are blatantly breaking the rules when you know in your heart they probably don't know that's exactly what they are doing; it's easy to report those who do because you know they are doing so deliberately.

But when newcomer comes in with a first post that is 'presumptuous' I really see red.

So what I did was, I posted a snarky reply to a new poster's first message here in the OT Forum today. And I left it there. Sometimes I do post snarky replies in a fit of passion, then delete the post later. I certainly don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, especially not newcomers. But sometimes...

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

When I first came here years ago, one of my very first posts contained a link to Ken (you know who) Site BI site. With an affiliate link.

I was both shocked and dismayed to find that other members of the forum blasted me for posting this information and for having an affiliate link in my signature.

I was devastated. I thought I had posted something of value. I had spent a lot of time looking for relevant info about this topic, and when nothing showed up, I thought I was really posting something new and exciting.

I also didn't know what an affiliate link was.

I certainly found out fast enough.

I think I was even banned for a while.

Sitting in my wee house way back in the boonies, I licked my wounds and felt very hurt, humiliated and insulted. Not nice feelings.

But once I understood what I had done wrong, I 'fessed up' and started over. I started over because I knew that I was on to a good thing here at the WF, and I wanted to be part of it.

That's not to say that I still don't post things that get instantly deleted or jumped upon by fellow members. I'm a slow learner at times. However, I've come to see that getting 'jumped on' (or deleted) in this forum can be a good thing.

So that's why I left my post intact.

If new members come here, learn from and move on from these types of responses to their posts—then that is a good thing. If not, they are the losers after all is said and done.