The PI Forum, do u cringe?

Endurance Man

Ye so this has been gnawing away at my skull for ages, i pop into PI from time to time for an unknown reason i guess, perhaps is curiosity.
Anywho, when i do pop in and have a gander i cant believe some of the things i read. I wonder why these people are consulting strangers on the internet about such basic and logical things.
What i mean is the things they ask can either only be answered by them (ultimately), or the answer is just so simple u have to wonder what is going on in there head.
The way is see it personal issues are personal and a decision can only be made by you, basing your decisions on someone's opinion from an internet forums is madness.
I wonder whether these people are really taking these opinions to heart, or are they just looking some comfort from others?
What are your thoughts on the threads in PI? Are these people genuinely clueless or are they fooling themselves? I would agree that there are certain problems that may warrants a discussion, whether it be on the net or with friends, but not many of those pop up. The answer to the majority of threads goes "talk to them", "go see a doctor" or "only you can decide".
I tried to get what i was thinking across but not sure if i achieved it ><, hopefully u can pick up what im trying to put across.

PS: Perhaps this is offensive to the thread starters in PI, sorry but was just on my mind .

Karoma

Chips in early warning: Do not discuss or link to any particular threads in P.I.
I agree with the above sentiments (Although I tend to laugh, bang my head on the table, and so on - the odd time I see a title or read a thread), but fair is fair...
[So we're clear: Warning not aimed at you directly]

nesf

I can't remember who said it but...

PI: "The problems are real, the posters are real, the girlfriends are imaginary".

projectmayhem

i think some of the questions posed in PI are posted by people who know the answer deep down, but need random strangers who could be from all walks of life to affirm the answer for them.

senordingdong

Endurance Man wrote:

Ye so this has been gnawing away at my skull for ages, i pop into PI from time to time for an unknown reason i guess, perhaps is curiosity.
Anywho, when i do pop in and have a gander i cant believe some of the things i read. I wonder why these people are consulting strangers on the internet about such basic and logical things.
What i mean is the things they ask can either only be answered by them (ultimately), or the answer is just so simple u have to wonder what is going on in there head.
The way is see if personal issues are personal and a decision can only be made by you, basing your decisions on someone's opinion from an internet forums is madness.
I wonder whether these people are really taking these opinions to heart, or are they just looking some comfort from others?
What are your thoughts on the threads in PI? Are these people genuinely clueless or are they fooling themselves? I would agree that there are certain problems that may warrants a discussion, whether it be on the net or with friends, but not many of those pop up. The answer to the majority of threads goes "talk to them", "go see a doctor" or "only you can decide".
I tried to get what i was thinking across but not sure if i achieved it ><, hopefully u can pick up what im trying to put across.

PS: Perhaps this is offensive to the thread starters in PI, sorry but was just on my mind .

Sounds like you have P.I. on your hands. Perhaps you should take it to the Personal Issues forum.

Ickle Magoo

I think some of the issues are made up, some are exagerated & some genuine. I think you can be too close to an issue to see it for what it is & sometimes the best people to ask - those who will feed you no BS - are strangers who have nothing to gain from lying or shielding the poster from the truth...


Yes, some posts make me cringe but that is true of a lot of posts all over Boards - including my own!

feylya

I see it as being able to talk about a problem without being judged. Not that I post there of course...

Ruu_Old

A good deal of the problems could be normally sorted if the posters would just talk to each other or as you mentioned, the answer is sometimes really, really simple. That is when I bang my head off the wall*.



*then go and ask for medical advice unregged.

Talliesin

Ickle Magoo wrote:

I think some of the issues are made up, some are exagerated & some genuine.

The few times that someone has gone on to discuss something they'd posted about in the forum directly with me the post had actually been understated compared to the reality - when the details they'd left out to help maintain anonymity were put back the issue was even stronger than the post suggested (and sometimes quite different issues entirely).

Obviously I can't give examples, but no not exagerated, quite the opposite.

There was also at least one person who got banned for trolling that turned out not to be a troll.

the Shades

I just look and laugh because quite frankly I'm a bastard and other people's misery amuses me

Dave!

Not really, I don't see too many stupid threads there tbh...

But then I only enter threads that are titled well.

If you want me to respond to your PI thread, then title it well! You have been warned! My advice is limited!

Rb

Some of the threads have appeared OTT, or made up at times, but I believe most to be genuine.
Sure, some people come on asking for an answer that they already know deep down but can't admit it to themselves. Some issues are like that I suppose.

I'm sure at least some of the threads have been helpful to the readers too, not just the OPs, I know personally I've picked up the odd thing from reading them and probably will in the future.

Some are quite funny though...

Sparky

People will always have an issue that they know the answer to and like to hear other peoples opinion on.

Others just need advise and assistance from others who may have gone through the same situation.

The internet, or rather PI, is a good place for this because it's anonymous if you choose to be and is free.

Sad Professor

I think people probably feel alot better for being able to talk/write about a problem that is bothering them. PI is a good outlet for this, regardless of whether the replies can be of much use to them.

MAYPOP

the Shades wrote:

I just look and laugh because quite frankly I'm a bastard and other people's misery amuses me

ya me too

The_Minister

I don't post there much, and if memory serves I have never started a thread there, but those people laughing at these people, should stop and think. How many times have you had a problem with a good friend, who also knew all your other friends? How many friends are you able to tell every sordid detail to? Posting on PI lets those with no-one to turn to, vent and seek advice.
Thats nothing to laugh at. That is a wonderful thing.

jesus_thats_gre

feylya wrote:

I see it as being able to talk about a problem without being judged. Not that I post there of course...

Worried people might think you are some sorta fruit cake



To be honest, I agree with Endo.. Personal issues can ultimately only be truely solved by yourself and maybe by someone who truely knows/understands you. To be honest, half the problems that people post in there just need a solid kick in the hole and told to be cop the **** on and get some balls. Tis a crying shame that they are unable to deal with their issues themselves though.

Bert Fever

the Shades wrote:

I just look and laugh because quite frankly I'm a bastard and other people's misery amuses me

haha brilliant. But yes, me too...

DilbertPartII

Originally Posted by Endurance Man
I wonder whether these people are really taking these opinions to heart, or are they just looking some comfort from others?

BOTH. otherwise, they won't share what's supposed to be taken in personally.

wyndham

It's like an super "realtime" version of "Dear Sue" in The Sun or any of the similar problem pages in the papers/mags. It is kind of compulsive reading for the same reason as those columns and it also has a more Irish spin. I'd say 95%+ of the threads are genuine, whereas the vast majority of the stuff in the papers is made up. I mean, who writes to The Sun/Mirror/etc when they have had a 'drunken romp' with their sister-in-law and now wants a menage-a-trois with wifey and her sister?

Black Swan

Endurance Man wrote:

Ye so this has been gnawing away at my skull for ages,

Sounds like a PI issue?

Setun

I like the forum, it makes for interesting reading. I suppose it's a sort of online soap opera that appeals to our insatiable curiosity of other people's lives.

And sometimes the troll threads are hilarious.

me and the biz

I like reading PI, mostly they're boring threads but every now and then a gem turns up. Its interesting reading.

darkflower

I like PI. It makes me feel ...humane and a feeling being.;)

FlutterinBantam

I don't go near the PI thread much but I'm sure the OP would empathise with my feelings on the Travel and Holidays thread.

I think people post there to let others know of their travel experience rather than any particular problem,such as

"I am flying to Kuala Lumphur and Singapore next week and my passport has been chewed by the dog,anyone had this experience before and will there be problems?"

Ans.

Ring the relevant passport office you moohawn!!!!!!!!

PiE

Wait, PI isn't just an extension of the Humour forum?!

EKRIUQ

PiE wrote:

Wait, PI isn't just an extension of the Humour forum?!

CuLT

Just made my annual once off visit to PI, it's as preachy as it ever was.

Sure, most things could be solved with a bit of self-confidence and objective assessment, but a lot of people aren't capable of that. I vote with my views and rarely ever enter PI. I probably have three posts in there over the last 6 years.

Donald-Duck

Daddio wrote:

I like the forum, it makes for interesting reading. I suppose it's a sort of online soap opera that appeals to our insatiable curiosity of other people's lives.

And sometimes the troll threads are hilarious.

I feel exactly the same as you about it,sometimes its hilarious to read though

summerwine

Well for those of you that are lucky enough not to have anything bad happen in your lives or you don't suffer from any sort of depression be very greatfull!

I agree that the questions they ask can only be answered by themselves but can be extremely useful to get a different spin on things that maybe you haven't thought of.
When I get down I get extremely confused and need advise from all different points of views so I can make an informed decision whatever that may be. It has been extremely helpfull for me! I kind of have an idea about the decision I need to make but will gobble up all information around me and spit out the options that are not answers to my problem.

Also you can go unregistered when you don't want to be known which allows you to be totally honest about you scenario and explain what exactly is upsetting you at that time.

I find that many people that are computer literate find it difficult to appreciate emotions. The computer industry is a very logical field and the emotional side can be difficult to grasp ( spock in star trek would be an expreme example). But if you are an emotional person, personal issues can be extremely upsetting for them. Being able to communicate to people is a very productive and healthy thing to do and problem solve. I found it hugely helpful when I was very down about a few issues that I could talk about on PI. I find it very similar to a very basic form of counseling and think its very usefull for people that are in trouble.

The people that respond in PI are usually very helpfull and obviously care about these people that have problems. Its the reason why I like Irish people so much. They are very sensitive and caring people.

I too think that 90% of the threads would be genuine problems or somewhat related to those peoples problems.


Hope that gives a different spin on things!

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

OliviaM

the Shades wrote:

I just look and laugh because quite frankly I'm a bastard and other people's misery amuses me

and so does other people with your misery.:rolleyes:

Gordon

projectmayhem wrote:

i think some of the questions posed in PI are posted by people who know the answer deep down, but need random strangers who could be from all walks of life to affirm the answer for them.

I think that covers a great deal of the OPs on PI. Also many people just feel the need to vent, as sometimes writing stuff down is good enough for one to introspect about a particular problem.

However, I do think there are some fantastic regular posters there that give out some rock solid advice and they genuinely care for peoples problems. This in itself is a reason for many people that come on, as they know there are some great advice givers out there.

Personally, I only cringe when we get the usual "Does she like me" thread as nobody can possibly give any advice to that bar the usual "TALK TO HER" response.

The best troll thread on PI wasn't a uniquely boards PI troll afair. It was a long thread about a guy that didn't trust his girlfriend/wife and he ended up following her, hiding behind lampposts or whatnot. And while he was hiding behind his car he saw his girlfriend meeting his best friend at his house, kissing him on his lips to say hello etc. The last line was something like:

"As I was hiding by the back of my car I noticed some rust on the bumper. So my urgent dilemma is - how the hell do I remove the rust from the back bumper of my car - do I take it to a mechanic or can I paint it over myself?"

Complete paraphrase, I'll need to find the original. I was in stitches though, it was a stonker of a troll!

Incidentally, to any PI users: come back to PI and let us know the outcome of your issue, whether good or bad. Most of the time people get advice and go off and do their thing and don't come back to let people know what happened, it's always nice to know how things worked out.

Steyr

projectmayhem wrote:

i think some of the questions posed in PI are posted by people who know the answer deep down, but need random strangers who could be from all walks of life to affirm the answer for them.

Am i hate to point this out but the majority of people here on Boards are TOTAL STRANGERS and OP is even funnier for posting this topic as the OP is asking people he may or may not ( majority=may not ) know what their thoughts are about a specific subject.................:D Well done OP.:D

celboy

whats PI Forum ??? A link please! LOL:D

Nevyn

PI is the personal issues forum, it is the most strictly modded forum out of the board.ie collective.

Does it make make me cringe ? it can and at times roll my eyes.
But the worse offending stuff doesn't get seen by most as it never gets approved by the mods so never makes it out of the unregistered que.

But out of all the makes me crings and squirm it would be sex and sexualtiy rather then PI.

Endurance Man

Ello folks, sorry about the mistake ridden first post, just re-read it and i blame the bud .
So a couple of different views, i guess the one that makes sense is these people just want to talk about there problems without being judged. Perhaps they cant see the answer as they're to close to the situation.
I'm one of those people that just deal with everything on there own, don't enjoy talking about feelings etc...but then my life hasn't had any major up's and downs that i couldn't handle on my own, perhaps one day i will have to figure out how to go anonymous in PI :].

TerrorFirmer

Sometimes it is helpful to know that there are plenty others who have experienced what it is that ails you, and their comments can prove helpful, reassuring or whatever it is that applicable in your case - it's not always about the obvious answer nor is it looking for the 'right' answer from strangers.

Ruu_Old

Endurance Man wrote:

Ello folks, sorry about the mistake ridden first post, just re-read it and i blame the bud .
So a couple of different views, i guess the one that makes sense is these people just want to talk about there problems without being judged. Perhaps they cant see the answer as they're to close to the situation.
I'm one of those people that just deal with everything on there own, don't enjoy talking about feelings etc...but then my life hasn't had any major up's and downs that i couldn't handle on my own, perhaps one day i will have to figure out how to go anonymous in PI :].

Thats not hard, you just log out and go and post under a crafty unregged nickname like "IamNotEnduranceMan" or something to hide your ID.

Nevyn

log out and then go and post in PI

Faith

Gordon wrote:

I think that covers a great deal of the OPs on PI. Also many people just feel the need to vent, as sometimes writing stuff down is good enough for one to introspect about a particular problem.

However, I do think there are some fantastic regular posters there that give out some rock solid advice and they genuinely care for peoples problems. This in itself is a reason for many people that come on, as they know there are some great advice givers out there.

Personally, I only cringe when we get the usual "Does she like me" thread as nobody can possibly give any advice to that bar the usual "TALK TO HER" response.

The best troll thread on PI wasn't a uniquely boards PI troll afair. It was a long thread about a guy that didn't trust his girlfriend/wife and he ended up following her, hiding behind lampposts or whatnot. And while he was hiding behind his car he saw his girlfriend meeting his best friend at his house, kissing him on his lips to say hello etc. The last line was something like:

"As I was hiding by the back of my car I noticed some rust on the bumper. So my urgent dilemma is - how the hell do I remove the rust from the back bumper of my car - do I take it to a mechanic or can I paint it over myself?"

Complete paraphrase, I'll need to find the original. I was in stitches though, it was a stonker of a troll!

Incidentally, to any PI users: come back to PI and let us know the outcome of your issue, whether good or bad. Most of the time people get advice and go off and do their thing and don't come back to let people know what happened, it's always nice to know how things worked out.

Agreed, especially with the part about posters coming back. I like to know how things went.

Sometimes it's great to get advice from random people who don't know you or any of your friends. Particularly when you have a problem that concerns all of the people you'd usually go to for advice!

I do skip most threads though, I only read ones that sound interesting or that might have some relation to a problem of my own. It's also nice to know that other peoples lives suck.

I do hate the "does he/she like me" threads. WE DON'T KNOW!

Paddy_Irishman

Faith wrote:

I do skip most threads though, I only read ones that sound interesting or that might have some relation to a problem of my own. It's also nice to know that other peoples lives suck.

I do hate the "does he/she like me" threads. WE DON'T KNOW!

That's a pretty selfish reason to use the PI. Misery loves company and How can I use somebody else's problem to fix my own?

I do hope you dont give advice to often .

It's just like the Sun/Mirror. You flick over to the funnys when your finished browsing the rest of the papper and think, whoever rights these has a good imagination anyway. I'd be shocked if half of the problems were actually real, some of them must be 'fears' people have that might come true and they are just asking What ifs?

If they are true. Then the OP's in PI are not onlying keeping the condom industry alive by 'practicing' posh **** but they are also probably responsible for 90% of sexual assaults in the country .

Explanation. PI:"I like this girl I saw working in a shop 3 years ago, does she like me and should I tell her how I feel?" Genuine PI'er:" Grow a pair and go talk to her or else you'll never know as Shakespeare said, Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have blah blah blah"

Marksie

I post in PI a lot.

One of the things i always consider is that, yes while you may be more worldly wise and experienced, the person with the issue may not be. At times you dont really know the age of the person initially and therefore what may be blazingly obvious to you through experience may be something they have not encountered before.
Yes some of them are therefore trivial but it is no need to dismiss them.

However, there are ones who are asking for help not for themselves, but for family members or friends who they are genuinely worried about. In taht case, some of the advice is spot on, and the links and resources very useful. Not only for the OP but for anyone else reading. A phone number, suggestion or address can be very useful if, outside of an internet setting someone has an issue.
I think similarly with trolling..if the troll is not outrageous, it may be useful for someone reading it.
Lets not forget, there are thousands of users but few posters.. If someone sees an issue and then can use the advice well and good.

I dont cringe at all, but sometimes get frustrated and this is partoicularly obvious when someone is posting not to have an issue resolved. But to find like minded individuals who will reinforce the behaviour pattern (i.e. they ignore the advice of 100 posters and take the advice of 1 poster which reinfo9rces the negative attitude they exhibit).

Yes it is very easy to say, for example. Stop texting with your mobile and talk... but if a generation uses nothing but texting..they wouldnt experience any other form of communication. Similarly, the off button on the phone and be with the person you are dating is always useful.. but how many could not imagine that turning off a phone and talking to people on on one would solve so many issues!

JustCoz

I think sometimes it's easier to tell a problem to a total stranger than tell it to someone you know. a) because it's annonymous and b) alot of the time, friends just tell you what you want to hear and can be biased, wheras you'll probably get the truth from someone you don't even know!

I think alot of the time, the solution to the problems presented are pretty obvious, but sometimes the poster just needs someone to bring it home for them.

Victor

Faith wrote:

Agreed, especially with the part about posters coming back. I like to know how things went.

Marla, you tourist.

Tar.Aldarion

/Starts a thread in PI calling myself 'Iamnotenduranceman'.

Faith

If you spend enough time in there, you start to notice that the same people post their problems repeatedly. It's like they become reliant on it or something, and can't make a decision without others opinions. That's slightly worrying!

Victor

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

/Starts a thread in PI calling myself 'Iamnotenduranceman'.

Such threads will be locked and people will be banned.

Slutmonkey57b

Booooooooooooooooooooooooo.

You PI mods have no sense of humour.

Actually that's not true the Parenting mods are worse. I think I'm still banned for suggesting that people who drink while pregnant are stupid. *gasp*

Nevyn

Oh we do have a sense of humour and it is dark and twisted, needs to be when dealing with with certain people.

Slutmonkey57b if you wanted your parenting ban lifted all you have to do is pm me and promise to abide while the rules while posting.
Calling people names is not nice and if you can't play properly with the other posters then you won't be allowed back inthe play room.

Red Alert

I find the forum quite helpful. I've posted a few threads there up and down, and have got some great advice. Like what Faith said I usually read/reply to threads that i've had experience of in my own life. I would prefer if people come back, although i've to put my hand up here - some issues i posted just went away rather than getting resolved so i'd nothing to report.

The mods on PI really do a great job (i'm thinking unreged posting and some slightly risky posts) and i'm sure it's not easy, and that needs to be appreciated