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Eight Months at Mac-Forums: A Member's Evolution

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A strange thing has happened to me of late, and I find myself wondering if it has happened to other members of Mac-Forums who have been around for a while. Let me explain:

I started out about eight months ago, "lurking" on these forums because I was thinking of getting a Mac. I tried out several forums, found this one to be the best, and became a regular reader.

A little while later, I had become really serious about getting a Mac and I signed up and became a member. I joined because I had questions and was seeking input and advise. The community here at Mac-Forums were very helpful, and I was impressed.

A very short while after that, I bought my Mac. Suddenly faced with this foreign new operating environment, I turned to Mac-Forums for help. I read just about every post of even marginal interest, and I posted lots of dumb "newbie" style questions. The community here responded with grace, insights and a general helping hand.

After a while, I became fairly proficient with my Mac, but I kept coming back to Mac-Forums, now motivated by a desire to "return the favor" - to help others who were perhaps thinking of getting a Mac or who had in fact just got their first Mac and were just going through what I had just gone through. I read the forums, and tried to respond to as many people as I thought I could help. I hope I did manage to help at least a few.

Now to the strange thing I mentioned in my opening paragraph. I have noticed a real change of late. I am no longer coming to Mac-Forums just to learn, or just to help others, but also to PARTICIPATE in the on line community here. Mac-Forums feels like a home on the web now. I feel like I almost know lots of you. Your personalities shine through in the things you post about and in the way you construct your posts.

I probably still learn at least five new things a week here on Mac-Forums (often more), and with any luck, perhaps I help at least five newer members a week. But it is more than that now. I am now a member of an on line community with a really interesting cast of characters. It is a real pleasure to come to these forums and interact with all of you these days.

OK, enough of the "touchy feely" stuff - not really my style! However, I wonder if other longer term members of Mac-Forums have gone through a similar evolution. What is your story? Cheers!
 
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I like the community feel of this forum to and I come daily to participate and help people just like you. I also feel I know alot of the people here and their personalities some more then others. I have been here a while, but i never as just a lurker, I bought the mac, then one day i was bored and seraching the internet found this place and started reading. It wasn't long before I signed up and started posing.

I hope alot of new members who are coming, come and stay like you have. Members who are here to participate in conversations and not just ask questions and only come to the forum when asking questions and never come just to answer questions or to participate in a conversation sometimes are not the most pleasant out there.
 
M

MacHeadCase

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Very cool post, mac57. You are one of the really cool guys here, ya know?

And I tend to agree with PBG4. In a forum there could be like 80 to 90% of the members that just post questions, once they have the replies and all is well, they never come back or only when there is again something wrong.

People like you make a forum like this one fun to be part of for those who are looking for more than a solution to a problem.
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i agree, i find this happenening to me, but i guess not on the same level as you according to our post counts
 
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Sometimes I wonder if I'm "addicted". I just like to read about what is going on in the Mac community and find cool new hardware and software that I didn't know about before. Reading in the forums has also gotten me into digital photography and digital music. These are things that never even interested me before.
 
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Rep for Mac57.

Yes your post pretty much sums up my situtation with this forum. Originally found it trying to solve a problem but the more I participate the more I bond with the members about things other than computers. It's an important part of the forum for me to visit every day instead of only when I have a problem.

So, no "negative rep" or "infarctions" for you.
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Mac-forums is great.. i started off asking questions, now i try and answer them...
 
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I totally agree with you it is a great community. I've only had my Mac just over one month and this forum helped me through the first couple weeks. I look back now and some of my questions were really dumb! But, no one told me that, they were very kind and answered all my questions without being rude. I'm sure I'll have many more questions to ask but I've even been able to answer a few (imagine that!). It feels good to be able to give some of it back into the community.
Addicting or not I find myself checking it several times a day and it's become part of my life. Life is good! Thanks to those who make this a very special place to hang out!
 
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Mac-Forums can not only teach you things about your Mac ... it may also teach you something about yourself if you're fortunate.

I find it never to be static here, it has moods and seasons too, but then that could just be me...
 
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I find myself hanging out here more, instead of myspace, which is quite the improvement- I have learned so much, i never thought i could love my mac any more, and boy do i ever! I am so thankful I came across this forum, it is well balanced and warm. Thank you all!
 
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Thanks for such an excellent post, it's really great to hear what our members think.. and wow.. too awesome :) Here's another little bit of info for you. When I first came here.. there was a decent sized community, lots of new posts a day, now, several years later.. this community has grown like crazy and there are massive amounts of posts. I used to be able to keep up with everything going on.. now I have to decide which threads Im going to read. We really do have a great community here and Im really happy to hear that Im not the only one that thinks so! So thank you so very much for making this a great place.. I know it's cliché, but hey it's true.. we couldn't do it without you! :)
 
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Yay for community. :)
 
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I love M-F ;) Everyone is so nice and helpful. I've asked silly newbie questions too and not once has anyone made me feel less :)

Awww....::::hugs::::
 

eric


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i wish i could give you rep for that post mac57 - but it said i had to spread some around first... ;)

i completely agree (although my timeline has been a bit accelerated).

i feel the community aspect is 90% of the experience. a lot of this info you could find by digging around the internet and picking up some info here and there. but as you, and most of us, keyed in on, this forum just felt right.

i know i've mentioned the community stuff before, sometimes railing a bit on those who just suggest using the search feature to the new users. that's not necessarily how to gain a new friend in our little corner of the internet. a welcoming attitude, willingness to just be a guide for a minute (or back off and let someone else do it), and maybe even a little follow up, and we've got a great chance of adding a new valuable, contributing member.
 
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Yeah MacForums really is one of the best Mac forums out there I really like it alot. All the users over here are cool in my opinion.
 
OP
mac57
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Wow! What a response! I am humbled. Thank you ALL for making Mac-Forums such a GREAT place!
 
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I havent been a member for very long, signed up originally to talk about the reasonings behind buying a mac and then the purchase of my macbook :D

Since then ive enjoyed just spending time reading around the forums and learning lots of new info!

I now find myself wanting to reply to other peoples threads more and more as i feel more confident with OSX :D

The community here is amazing, really friendly and the mods are really efficient with keeping the forum clean and tidy!

~~ TS ~~
 

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