Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Stratis
Is anyone concerned that rude, sarcastic, or otherwise off-putting responses may drive students away from CD? I know I've had students tell me they avoid CD because "everyone is mean" after they've lurked for a bit...
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I'm a student, and I've found CD to be pretty okay. But I think any comments you'll get from students on here are going to be pretty biased... My general opinion is that I know I'm not perfect, and I'd rather people tell me to my face when I've messed up than try to pretend I didn't.
For me, the intimidating thing about CD is not the tone of posters, but the fact that there are literally people here who've done FRC longer than I've been alive. For me, and I think for most of my friends, the main reason we don't post or only semi-actively post is because we just don't feel like we have that much to contribute.
I'd argue it's not the pure language of "attackers"--there are many, many places on the internet where people have no qualms about blatantly insulting you, but CD isn't once of them--but rather how personal attacks can seem. Here, members respond to
you, not to some anonymous account. This can be great or terrible depending on your experience.
I try to post the same way I'd talk in person. It's not that I don't say how I feel; I just consider how I'm phrasing it. If I wouldn't say it to your face, I'm not going to post it online. There are people who are way more direct than me, and their posts reflect that. That's fine with me. Everyone is different.
I think it's just important to remember that behind the text are people.
All that said, CD can still be a scary place to start posting in. While they might be "just dots," your and your team's reputation is affected by what you say on here. When I encourage rookies (and veterans) to read/post on CD, I accompany it with a list of things to watch out for. Then I tell them to learn as they go...as I've been doing.