I’m a relatively new member, but I’ve lurked this site for a while. I feel intimidated by the quality of E4 posts. Most responses on this forum are articulated in a well-thought out manner. I feel like my thoughts come out inarticulate, and I cringe rereading my posts. I have some questions for the more experienced posters.
Do you draft responses and edit them extensively before posting?
Have you consciously worked on the quality of your responses, or do you just type your thoughts and submit without much thought?
Do you have any tips for contributing relevant, cogent thoughts in discussions?
I’ve reread the submission of this topic at least 10 times while typing it out and I still don’t feel like I’m making as much sense as I would like to.
Sometimes I take a while rereading and trying to correct my bad grammar but since the result is always awful the only advice I can give you is to do as you feel more comfortable with.
It shouldn’t be a pain or a matter of worring to post here
I mean probably half my comments aren’t serious at all. Just throw out what’s on your mind and as long as the words form a sentence no one will complain. Depending on the thread, you might even get away with random words in a sentence.
I strongly encourage you to do your best on reframing your thinking when it comes to E4 and the knowledge base here. I have been here a long time now, so I am not 100% sure what the perspective of a newcomer is but I assure you there is little to be intimidated by here.
Most folk here are just regular nerds who at one point or another decided that Pokemon cards were something they wanted to put too much time into. Nobody here is omiscient or gospel in what they say, and anything can be reasonably challenged or discussed as long as there is good intentions behind it(this will be clear by the way you post, and how you present yourself).
Try your best not to see E4 as a singular entity where you are before a council to be judged on what you say. Just see the folk you interact with as individuals who just happen to like Pokemon cards as well. Because that’s what everyone here is.
Contribute to discussions/topics you want to contribute to, and ignore/lurk the ones you feel like you can’t.
From my experience, people value passion, humor, and effort. So long as you’re not attacking someone else maliciously, anything goes. That should give you the bandwidth to post a joke or a well thought out response, depending on the thread. The unpopular opinions thread is a great example of the tolerance and acceptance that E4 is capable of.
I can relate and also empathize because I was like this on the older forum. I felt like I had a lot to share but it always felt like either a) what I wanted to say was already said by someone else, or b) what I wanted to say was irrelevant to the discussion and would make me look like a fool. I personally also felt the irrational fear of being called out in-case I was wrong so I would spend a lot of time trying to get everything correct and in the end not put forth my point at all.
If you also look at my post history, it only picks up after the transition to this new platform. I don’t know why, but somehow, posting on this new forum just felt right to me. It was easier to share and talk and be open about things in the hobby I was passionate about. I have also undergone a lot of personal growth in my world-view and perspectives during Covid. People here were also and still are very accepting and encouraging.
The only thing I can say is, just share and post. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and always be open to learn. There are always aspects in this hobby that you will be super interested in and would be super happy to contribute about. Don’t let these small worries detract you from these experiences. Also, being somewhat active on this forum, it feels like I know a lot of these people and thier personalities just by their posts and shares. It has also given me the privilege to personally chat with a few members and it feels like we are all the same when it comes to the hobby. We have the same fears, same enthusiasm and excitement and are always willing to help fellow collectors to reach their goals. Some are longer in the hobby that you are, some are new than you.
Looking forward to seeing more of you
Cheers!
“He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary. ― Seneca”
It sounds cheesy, but my advice is to be yourself. It doesn’t matter if you post one-word replies, memes, or well-reasoned paragraphs. All thoughts are welcome on e4 as long as they come from a good place.
I don’t edit extensively but it’s nice to put a little bit of time and thought into the bits we’ll leave on the internet forever. It’s also fine to just throw anything out there (within reason) because YOLO it’s just the internet. The more you do it the easier/faster it’ll get either way imo.
One bit of advice I have held onto for times where I dwell on embarrassing moments from the past is that most people are thinking about themselves, they aren’t likely to focus on things you did/said.
also: Are there a lot of Dragonite profile pic users on this forum or did 3 of them just randomly show up here?
The people here are incredibly friendly and are very welcoming to newcomers.
I would also say that this forum is significantly more cordial than the old forum. Anyone who may have been a little rough around the edges pretty much got left behind when things moved over to this new forum (which you may not even be aware of). I’m not sure what it is, but the new E4 is considerably “chiller” than the old E4 (and it’s not like the old E4 wasn’t chill).
The vast majority of people here just joke around half the time. Case in point: @stagecoach is one of the best posters here and they just told the world that their favorite time to peruse the forum is when they are loofah-ing up in the shower.
Keep this in mind: the admins and mods who run this place are unbelievably friendly and go above and beyond to make sure everyone feels comfortable. That rubs off on everyone on E4 and it makes this a very welcoming space.
I get the sentiment of this thread, some things can be intimidating to try and throw your voice into the mix about. Especially in areas of this hobby you might not have much knowledge or experience in. It took me a long time of lurking before I felt like I had anything valuable to add to any discussion There is a ton of knowledge here, and it is super helpful if you are interested in learning as much as you can about our specific topic. Everyone here is super helpful and friendly, I think I can count on one hand when I have thought someone has gotten out of line.
As for forum use, I really only edit to go back in when I see a typo. So don’t worry about structuring replies or worrying about stuff unless you are trying to complete with the top dogs and write some interesting and in-depth articles.
Another positive about E4 is even if a discussion gets heated, members are tactful enough to debate ideas rather than attack other users. Even if someone disagrees with you, it’s almost never personal and nobody holds grudges against one another.
@stagecoach, now confirmed as a psychic and thats why they are likely in FBI custody.
It really depends on the thread, since most are light hearted then I stay light hearted. If its an informational post then my comments are either for clarifying or in addition.
On this train of thought, we are often the harshest critics of our own work and overestimate the criticism that others may have. As the saying goes, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” If you put too much effort into analyzing your posts, you’ll waste a lot of energy and time for something that reads marginally better.
