That's so me.
Posted on 08/11/2015 6:16:36 PM PDT by Zeneta
I've been hanging around FreeRepublic in since 1999 in one capacity or another and I wouldn't change a single thing. I love this place.
Recently, however, it has struck me that my attempts over the years to recruit others to join have been complete failures and I honestly don't know why.
I am curious to know the experiences of my fellow Freepers regarding this in order to learn what I can do differently.
I understand the issue of "trying too hard" and the natural push back that people have. I tried the "soft", "check it out" to the hard push for certain people but it seems that my efforts are in vain.
These are not the casual conservatives you may meet. These people, IMHO, have a ton of knowledge and experience that can contribute to FR. Extraordinary knowledge and resources that would embrace our forum but for something that seems to keep them away.
Some have expressed a concern that their comments are being "monitored", others, well I'm not really sure.
I guess, I'd like to know if any other people here have had the same experience and what if anything they were able to do or say to get your like minded friends to participate.
I don’t think anyone is afraid of FreeRepublic. But, this is not a discussion forum any more. It certainly was once, in fact the premise of FR was a posting of an article of interest followed by an often lively discussion with a number of different of points of view, all in the conservative realm. Many of these discussions involved people who were clearly the definitive expert on the planet on a particular subject. Spending an evening of FR was an education.
Nothing of that sort of thing exists these days, except by very rate occasions. Those people who lead or join in those discussions have either left or been chased off. What is left limit their comments to the Twitter 140 character limit, or less. Complete sentences are rare, and forget the hope of seeing a real paragraph.
FR is just another blog or news web site without Ads.
The same MEDIA that sold them the PET ROCK or the Rubik’s Cube and now in HD the kardasians
I let people do their own thing. If they happen here, fine, if not, fine. I don’t mind sharing and defending my own point of view, and I acknowledge that everybody else has the power to do the same.
My pop did too read it.... never posted he was here since the beginning
Very true. It was quite different in the Clinton and Bush eras. The country changed and FR did as well when obama came on the scene. Much more cynicism now.
Honestly, it was the same trouble I had getting people into BBSs before TradeWars - too much reading. Same problem that the drive by media has in selling newspapers, people just won’t sit down and read anything other than a paragraph or two.
Then again, I probably do the same on here, skipping over long articles after reading just a paragraph or two. I try to catch myself doing it.
FR is where I get my news.
I suspect some people I know understand what Free Republic is and aren’t really into the concept of a website like this one, but I do have real friends who are on FR, but none as long or consistently as me. They all like Facebook, which I dislike and won’t use.
I very much appreciate the environment. I live in Massachusetts, and it is good to login here and see there is sanity somewhere else. (There is some here too, but...well, you all know what I mean.)
I have to go to Madison, WI soon, and had to explain to someone why I would rather go somewhere else: “You see, there are four specific places in this country that are far and away very different from some others; Cambridge, MA, Ithaca, NY, Madison, WI, and Berkeley, CA.” He didn’t really understand why, but all my FRiends at FR know exactly what I mean...:)
Sorry clicked the wrong reply link, intended for O,P.
Many who do read FR are ignorant too. That's not a knock on the website, just a recognition that human nature inclines all of us to form uninformed opinions.
Im afraid not yo beon FR!
It’s like religion.
At my age you don’t try to get others interested in religion. If you are interested, I’d love to talk about. If not, I won’t try.
I think there are a lot of people turned off by conservatives.
I find the variety of articles interesting. I came for Monica coverage, and stayed for the rest of the articles and interesting people.
Well now...who DOESN'T do that on occasion and get bit by it? It is an FR tradition! I used to twist my ankle in the holes in my emotional ground that are called John Semmens threads...but now I am wise...:)
LOL, I would rather be ignorant THIS way than THAT!
But I know what you mean.
Like you, I attempted to turn some of my friends and family members on to Free Republic. But many of them quickly got bored as a lot of our discussion was well over their heads. The only ones that "got it" right away were those who were talk radio listeners. If you know somebody who listens to talk radio on a regular basis, they might be ready to make it on Free Republic.
My friends don’t even know of the existence of FR.
Zaneta, I’ve read all the posts on here and nobody’s hit the bullseye yet. Free Republic requires reading. It’s reading-intensive. That’s the way most of us like it and want it to remain forever. Most people out there in the 21st century don’t want to read, except maybe a headline or a Facebook post accompanied by a picture. Smart people who like to read and think will love Free Republic. The headline-with-photo people just never will. I’m sorry for them, but that’s the pure truth of our era.
LOL! Jonathan Goldsmith, The Most Sexy Man In The World ;-)
I’ve never mentioned FR to anyone but my closest family. I’m surrounded socially and at work by people who wouldn’t even know what it was, much less bother to read it. Most don’t bother to vote at all; the others are knee-jerk Liberals.
I appreciate them as persons; and many of them I sincerely love for their human qualities.
But we wouldn’t agree on politics at all.
(I had a conversation with someone at work the other day; she was talking about an acquaintance whom she believed was a Mormon, and said that this acquaintance was sending her kids to a Friends school. I asked, “If she’s a Mormon, why is she sending her kids to a Friends school?” and the response was, “Well, they’re the same thing!” I told her that the Mormons and Quakers are completely different; and she just walked away. That’s how lots of people are about politics - don’t want to know, don’t care; and will just knee-jerk vote according to programmed ignorance.)
It’s best to appreciate others for the good that we find in them, instead of expecting them to agree with us. If you don’t find like minds in your world-life, you can still find them on the Internet.
-JT
I used to get accused of being a Freeper by some leftist activist type acquaintances back in my more libertarian days. I had no idea what it meant at the time. Finally figured it out, lurked for several years and signed up in early 2005.
I don’t pitch the website. I don’t discuss it. Sorta like fight club.
That's so me.
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