Check the Blank Manual, check the blank manual, check the blank manual....

[SkyyAngel]

What if someone actually wants to have you know, an ACTUAL conversation about their question? Instead of reading year+ old convos that they didn't even participate in....

Someone asks a well-meaning question and that seems to be just about the only response given... check the blank manual, check the blank manual, check the blank manual...

This board is ALWAYS changing... lurkers finally get the courage to post, people come and people go... does everyone have to be all rude and say shit like, "Check the blank manual... geez it's been gone over a MILLION times already!!" There might be someone around with a new take on the situation... or a new hint/tip that hasn't been gone over yet.

IMO it's rude, condescending, and tends to inhibit the flow of adult conversation.

 

[HollyHawkk]

I find the blank manual fascinating reading... but, I also enjoy the fresh conversation.

 

[SkyyAngel]

Oh, I have nothing against the blank manual... it IS full of some quite useful material.

It just seems like it's being used as a crutch of sorts to avoid any real conversation or something.

It's fine and dandy to recommend to someone to check out the Blank Manual but it would be nice if they tossed in a comment of their own on the question or at the very least recommending the Blank Manual without sounding so condescending or rude or pissed off that someone would actually have the gall to ask a question that's "already been answered a thousand times before".... it's not like we invented sex people... it's been around for centuries....

 

[Ezzy]

Communication, communication, communication!

 

[EJFan]

What if someone actually wants to have you know, an ACTUAL conversation about their question? Instead of reading year+ old convos that they didn't even participate in....

Someone asks a well-meaning question and that seems to be just about the only response given... check the blank manual, check the blank manual, check the blank manual...

i recently posted a "check the blank manual" response on a thread and i can tell you why it was done in THAT instance... a one-post member starting a thread about how the opposite sex masturbates should be directed to the blank manual because they may not know it's there. it's not an attack on their question, just a resource that's worth pointing out to people.

and it IS updated periodically so informative threads get added.

by the same token, there's nothing wrong with answering a question for someone... even if it's been asked time and time again... for the exact reason you mentioned... something new could come up and new people could participate. so it's never bad to ask a question nor is it bad to respond, with whatever information one can provide.

 

[pupper]

Well said E.J.

 

[Eilan]

I've been known to refer people to The Blank Manual in the past and I'm sure I'll do it again sometime.

I don't think there are too many topics that HAVEN'T been covered somewhere on Lit, so obviously some issues will come up more than once or twice. The Blank Manual wasn't created to eliminate conversation or to prevent people from bringing up certain topics. It was created to help steer people in the right direction, particularly on those dead horses (anal sex, penis size, etc.) that get kicked repeatedly.

The problem ISN'T the lurkers who finally work up the nerve to post, because if they've been around here for any length of time, they'll already know the answers to some of the more common questions. However, a lot of people (particularly around school break time) stumble across Lit's message boards and, instead of lurking for a while to get a sense of the board's dynamics, they jump right in and start asking inane, repetitive questions.

I think you'll notice that there's a difference in how people respond to the "repetitive" threads. If it's something like "How to do anal" or "Is my cock big enough?" then the thread starter will probably get directed to The Blank Manual. However, threads related to relationship issues, no matter how often the topic seems to come up, tend to get individualized responses.

 

[silverwhisper]

i think someone's a little cranky for being referred to the blank manual. :>

more seriously: people generally refer to the blank manual b/c a discussion has already taken place. this does not however necessarily mean that the previous discussion entirely mitigates further discussion. but a lot of the time, as eilan notes, the response is adequately addressed therein.

but what i personally tend to see is people being referred to it as a first step in addressing their question. maybe i just haven't seen the same responses: that's entirely possible. but there's nothing stopping a person from saying, "hey, i haven't seen what i wanna talk about addressed fully there."

ed

 

[pupper]

Call me a glutton for punisment but I get a chuckle out of the "penis size debates"Oh insecurities,it just seems (and I am male)to me you do the best with what you have.

 

[Eilan]

a one-post member starting a thread about how the opposite sex masturbates should be directed to the blank manual because they may not know it's there.

I saw that thread. In that case, I think the thread was intended to be masturbation fodder for the thread starter and not a genuine how-to question. That's mostly because he said, "Be descriptive too please. . ."

*shrugs*

 

[dollface007]

I love it when you gripe about other people on this board being rude, SkyyAngel because you're probably the biggest hypocrite around here when it comes to rudeness. Maybe people are directing you to the Blank Manual because whenever they get into a dialogue with you and tell you something you don't want to hear, you throw a hissy fit.


edited for poor spelling

 

[SweetErika]

I refer a lot of (especially newer) posters to both the Read Before Posting FAQ sticky and The Blank Manual. Why? Because there's a wealth of helpful information in both...not only will they likely get all of the information they're looking for, but they might also simply enjoy reading it and learning more in general. Plus, it's often quicker to search or look in stickies than wait for a bunch of replies to a thread...that seems helpful to me. Ultimately, what good are resources like these if people don't know they exist?

Hell, I check out The Blank Manual on a regular basis because I love to explore and learn! If someone has seen the answers to my questions somewhere, I think it's polite and helpful to tell me where I can find that information.

If you find the answers the people here spend time giving so offensive, Skyy, feel free to respond differently, quit asking questions that might not get your ideal response (which could conceivably be EVERY question), or find another forum that better suits your personality.

 

[Ricwilly]

Thars a manual? Well poop! I asked a question earlier and got a answer swifty from some helpfu souls. Don't know nothin bout no manual.

 

[Ricwilly]

Crap! Forgot the l.

 

[Eilan]

So directing people to The Blank Manual is rude and condescending and THIS little gem of "adult conversation" isn't?

 

[Ricwilly]

So directing people to The Blank Manual is rude and condescending and THIS little gem of "adult conversation" isn't?

No never would I say rude. I been to the GB, I know rude.

 

[Ricwilly]

No never would I say rude. I been to the GB, I know rude.

Ooops, didn't click the link, hehehe........ Naw still not rude tho, kinda amusing acctually.

 

[dollface007]

Ricwilly, let's just say that those of us who have been around a while have witnessed more than one SkyyAngel thread gone awry. Oh, the humanity!! Believe me, I only pick on people who deserve it

 

[SkyyAngel]

Lol.. you think you're picking on me? LMFAO!! To be "picked on" I'd have to feel some form of emotional distress and believe me, I don't.

And no.. I've only been referred to the Blank Manual once and it was just after it had been assembled so I hadn't known it existed at that point.

Throw a hissy fit? I haven't thrown a hissy fit since I was like 4 and my little sister stole my My Little Ponys

And you constantly like referring back to that one post son't you dollface? LOL... so... let me get this straight. It's perfectly okay for some people here to be a smartass when a first time poster asks the dumbest question EVER but not okay for me to do it? Yeah... and *I'm* the only hypocrit here.... suuuure.

My only intent with this thread was to point out that the Blank Manual is not the end-all be-all of sexual discussion. Sure... someone asks about their computer, or about avatars, or whatever that's not covered in the Blank Manual and it gets a discussion. But not a lot of other things.

I personally feel that since the Blank Manual has been put up, the quality of discussion here has gone down. Not that y'all had a real high standard to begin with...

 

[silverwhisper]

skyyangel: if you feel the quality is lacking, you're just as capable of posting as anybody else. :>

ed

 

[SkyyAngel]

No shit?

 

[silverwhisper]

no, really!

[pokes skyyangel in the tummy to see if she makes any funny noises]

ed

 

[SkyyAngel]

Lol.... no I just giggle cause I'm really ticklish.

 

[silverwhisper]

[files that information away for future reference]



ed

 

[Lynxie]

I haven't seen one instance in which someone was referred to the Blank Manual that could be considered rude or conversation-killing. Most of the posters that get referred could benefit just as much, if not moreso, from reading existing threads about their topic of choice than by starting up new threads of their own. I've been referred in the past, and found it helpful to read old posts. You can also bump old threads to continue conversations, and it's rather nice to have one big long thread instead of a myriad of little thread-fragments.

For example, let's say that I wanted to find out more about rimming and posted about it. Wouldn't it be just as useful for me to be reffered to the Blank Manual? There are a number of fabulous threads there, like this one, that would provide me with the information I was seeking. As a poster, I learned the information I wanted to learn (or found enough fascinating material to masturbate to) without people needing to repeat what's already been said dozens of times before. It's a win-win situation.

If someone's question wasn't answered, they can just say as much and bump their previously-referred thread back to the top to encourage more discussion. It's easy as pie.