What do I do next?

[Clockwork Ghost]

Now you've introduced yourself, go take part in the discussions. We're not the sort of people who put others down, or belittle other people for their beliefs - we believe that everyone has something interesting to say, and therefore we as a group try to remain open minded about anything posted on the main boards.

That said, we as moderators and benefactors delete posts that attack the person, not the post, and we don't suffer people who aren't prepared to listen to others, or people who spam or just post insults, however deeply they're veiled.

So yeah - go have fun on the forums now you have an account with us - we would really love to hear your take on magic(k) and the occult in general.

[Etar]

Yeah. It's sad how many users come one time and we never see them again.

[Nahemah]

Some folk sign up for a single issue and once it's resolved don't post anymore.

While that's not ideal for us,it's part of what we are.

Others sign up and then lurk for ages before posting.I recognise that and understand it,as it's what I do when I 'm not certain of a new site.

I do also wish that more new members would post more often,though.

I have banned only one member other than spammers,in the whole of my time as staff.I 've issued a few warnings,granted,but mostly informally and not on record.
Surprised anyone?

We don't like to censor and we prefer not to have to apply sanctions,but we will should it become necessary for the protection of members and the forum as a whole.Most adjudications are made after team discussion and it's very rare for unilateral decisions to be taken,without consultation.

Overall this is an open and friendly environment and we encourage members rather than confine them.We don't discriminate but we will come down heavily on hate speech and other such related Terms Of Service breaches.

We often get folk come by and promote their own agendas/sites/commercial enterprises too and while this is fine by us,I 'd like to state that we do notice the cheeky stuff and we confine commercialism to one folder,as it gets too spammy and irritating elsewhere.And we don't negiotiate on that one.

The upshot is that anyone who feels they've been treated badly either by staff or other members should contact one of us: Vashta or me [admins] or another moderator and we will get things sorted for you.We take issues seriously,but we also know the difference,as Case pointed out,between attacking ideas and attacking people behind them.
Ideas can and will be challenged,it's how we grow as individuals,but learning how to argue objectively is something that can take time and sometimes offence can be taken where none is intended.

Mediation usually fixes this problem,But we need to know there is a problem for that to happen.

New members who are shy or worried about possible bad treatment can always pm one of the staff for a chat.We don't bite and we will try and be as helpful as we can with any woes or worries you might have.especially about posting.

We are not other sites and despite what folk may have experienced elsewhere,staff do not arbitrarily react to personal slights or perceived insults,so there will be no throwing of the banhammer based on personal butthurt.

New members:If there's anything I 've not covered here or that Case didn't mention above,please ask about your concern,whatever it may be.And remember you can Pm one of us if you don't want to post here about it.

[Nahemah]

TL;DR:

So yeah - go have fun on the forums now you have an account with us - we would really love to hear your take on magic(k) and the occult in general.

...And if you're shy or unsure of anything,drop one of the staff a pm,we are here to help. [thumbup]

[entropic]

As one of those that lurk and some times use pm's but rarely say something..of course, I cant speak for others than myself but everything I want to ask seems stupid and/or insane and I usually never feel I know enough to answer anything...or well, since I tend to just do things without thinking about why or how, I dont know

But I'll give you a chance, I'll post some craziness here

[LandOfShadows]

Hi All,

I like the vibe here, and felt at ease to share what I have here.

Just like to say thanks for to those who placed up the forum.

LoS
Steve

[talus]

It's nice to join a forum that is allowed to do naughty things like post youtube videos and post links (like rick rolls). As silly as that sounds there are quite a few idiot forums out there.

GEEZ! I just sneezed 5 or 6 times in a row. 7? no ... 5 or 6. [mad]

Anyway I would buy you peeps a drink if I could. [happyface]

[Nahemah]

Cheers guys. [thumbup]

I'd love to have a drink with all of you...mine's an Absinthe with Dandelion and Burdock. [crazy] [greensmile]

Slainte Mhath!...

[ResearchyMcCuriouspants]

Some folk sign up for a single issue and once it's resolved don't post anymore.

While that's not ideal for us,it's part of what we are.

Others sign up and then lurk for ages before posting.I recognise that and understand it,as it's what I do when I 'm not certain of a new site.

Might I suggest something? As a new member who started off by lurking before trying to post on the site, I have noticed a tendency for more veteran members to post in topics that do not relate to the original post. I've seen several threads get quite off topic or do not address the creator of the thread at all. As a new member, it's rather discouraging. I've seen it happen on other forums too, so it's not as though this is a strange occurrence, but I wanted to suggest it nonetheless.

[Nahemah]

Well,sometimes it is the case that conversation digresses somewhat.People do that,it happens,lol.

At other times,however,what may seem diversionary is a logical progression on the subject,extrapolation for the purposes of explanation and so on, because it's not always possible to give a simple or direct answer.

If you think a discussion has deviated too far,then you can always reiterate the original point/s or otherwise indicate that you feel the topic has drifted too far.Communication,lol,it's harder than it looks sometimes. [thumbup]

[shazwie]

well...i think communication is easy....but socializing...that is the hard part.....just wanted to say that...haha

[Nahemah]

Yes,I sometimes find that difficult too,shazwie.

It gets easier after a while,but some of us are more conversationally inclined than others and that's ok too. [thumbup]

If you think a discussion has deviated too far,then you can always reiterate the original point/s or otherwise indicate that you feel the topic has drifted too far.Communication,lol,it's harder than it looks sometimes. [thumbup]

I'm repeating this and adding that it's perfectly fine to ask posters to get back to the original point,drift does happen and sometimes things can get a little confusing. [grin]

Staff can both split and merge threads,so let us know if a side conversation comes up that's interesting in it's own right,or if there are separate threads that are converging together.We can do some cool things with the forum tool kit. [thumbup]

[shazwie]

thats a little awesome ain't it...hahaha [grin]

[420]

I'm new to the site, but I've found the admins here to be friendly, non-judgemental and helpful, unlike some "similar" sites.

[Kushiel]

Some folk sign up for a single issue and once it's resolved don't post anymore.

I know I am new, and I did come here seeking help, but I am hoping that this won't apply to me. While I tend to be a loner and the traditional "coven" type atmosphere isn't for me, I do have a lot of experience that I can share. Yes, I do look at this as a form of a "coven," as we are a group of like minded individuals with common interests and goals. While we may not practice together we do still in a way contribute to each other. Lol, enough ranting from me, I just wanted to say that I don't plan on disappearing once my issue is resolved.

[Asurendra]

There is nothing wrong with seeking help with an issue and advice. Even the most experienced are sometimes stumped or need to bounce ideas and experiences off others to gain perspective.

[strixtian]

I spent a half hour typing up a detailed response to once of the posts on here only to submit and not find it.

this - is - a - test - *beeeeeep*

[Asurendra]

I'm sorry to hear that. If I wrote a longer post I usually type it all out on Word and then copy-n-paste it onto 'post a reply.' That way if i have a problem I can try again. It did happen to me once.

[Clockwork Ghost]

I spent a half hour typing up a detailed response to once of the posts on here only to submit and not find it.

this - is - a - test - *beeeeeep*

For some reason, this does happen from time to time. Often its a comms issue - the comment disappears en route to the forum due to a connection error. If you write up something big please at least copy it into Word or onto a Note before you hit send. Too much incredibly informative and well thought out material gets eaten by internet gremlins.