The 2 sides to MFP

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  • IronmanPanda
    IronmanPanda Posts: 2,083 Member
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    I've long wished the chit chat section was a group that one had to opt into....sigh.

    If you don't like it, don't use it. Simple.
    PS btw its your EYEBALLS that filter out the chit chat threads on the recent posts. Thank goodness for learning and reading comprehension that comes with being an adult. If you dont want to play a game, you dont have to ban it from school grounds- just ignore the kids currently at recess.

    For some reason I don't understand these simple and effective guidelines aren't enough for some people.

    "If I don't like it it should be BANNED!!"

    Lighten up. Let go of your insane control issues. Stop reading things you don't like and complaining they exist. The gun is in your hand.

    Shush with you and your logic Mr. Muscles!
  • Ghkffb56
    Ghkffb56 Posts: 263 Member
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    ROLF! its only funny cause is true i just came back after being gone 6 months and is pretty much the first thing i saw rate person above you sexy blah blah.. and idc tbh cause a little fun here and there is fine with me... but not when its all i see -.-.. not just that the first post i open up.. well lets just say WOW.. a lot of females (1 or 2 males too)picking on one lady.. .. it was pretty sad.. sad trolls gunna fail troll... it was bad... .. >.>
  • fatboypup
    fatboypup Posts: 1,873 Member
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    lol-why-you-mad-tho.jpg
  • cubizzle
    cubizzle Posts: 900 Member
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    I simply say...thank goodness there are so many sides to MFP. It's big enough for us to all have our own little playground.

    but.....I don't like "their" playground so we must destroy it!
  • GurleyGirl524
    GurleyGirl524 Posts: 578 Member
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    I typically stay away from those threads. That's not why I am on MFP. I get out of it what I put into it. Continue to encourage your friend and for him to find supportive friends. I have a great network of friends that are supportive of everyone and I've never seen any of them bash someone in the forums. I would be glad to friend him and give him support.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I say this sincerely and without judgment for your friend--honestly. If he is offended by the posts he saw in the recent topics, this really may not be the site for him. People do have fun throughout the board. But likely the only sites he would be happy with then are very conservative or 100% focused sites with no chit chat section.

    I don't think MFP is "associated" with the chit chat section to the majority of people. People who are turned off by the content and get offended by it may associate it that way, but then it isn't the site for them, and that's ok. But MFP was rated one of the top 10 fitness apps last year, and I found the site myself through countless references to it and its awesomeness on another fitness site. I haven't been back to the other site, and I liked that one. MFP hooked me immediately, and like I said, I didn't even really notice the silliness. When I go to my homepage, what stands out to me the most are how many calories I have left and all my "diet tools" and friends.

    In short, I don't think MFP needs to change. If you try to please all the people all the time, you're doomed to fail.
  • DoomCakes
    DoomCakes Posts: 806 Member
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    I agree. Honestly, I think it should be a bit monitored. I understand people want to chit chat, but when you have posts like "how sexy" etc. on a site where a lot of people who are over weight, and don't FEEL sexy are... that's kinda discouraging. Who would want to join something when they already feel down, where it appears people are STILL judging your looks. Chit chat and word games and stuff like that is fine, but I think no one should be all about who's cute, who's sexy, and my biggest pet peeve is trying to hook up with people on the forums... it's not a dating site.
  • Chapter3point6
    Chapter3point6 Posts: 1,233
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    In short, I don't think MFP needs to change. If you try to please all the people all the time, you're doomed to fail.

    Sometimes changes can be made that improve a site without upsetting the apple cart.
  • Shannon2714
    Shannon2714 Posts: 843 Member
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    The chit-chat sections is a place for people to have fun, blow off steam, joke around. So a lot of those thread titles, are just being being funny, and trying to lighten to mood up.

    This.

    We all get frustrated and stressed and sometimes things like this help take our minds off the seriousness....like I've always said: If you don't like it, don't read it.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
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    When I tell people to check out MFP I make sure to add: Don't waste your time with the Chit Chat section of the forums. And then I very candidly tell them why.

    MFP itself is a great tool. The forums are a mixture of very good and very bad, depending on the day.

    I do wish they had slightly stricter rules about what one can post, just to keep things slightly less immature but I can't see that happening.

    Years and years ago the forums weren't like this. (I joined around 2009 originally. Lost that profile though. :\)
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
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    You cant get mad at an entire website because at that very moment most of the people logged on were responding to chit chat threads. If you want to hear the symphony of the fit happy people posting in all the info forums without a sad panda face or rage muffin in their hand- you got find us in those threads early in the morning before all the complainers spend hours trying to break our spirit and everyone gets all troll-y.

    As is usual on here, things have escalated into an Internet brawl

    I didn't get 'mad at an Internet website', I just said "It's a shame that he was put off by his first impression"

    I still think it's a shame - not advocating change, not saying anybody is wrong or right, not getting mad, just think it's a shame

    escalated into a brawl?

    how did I make this a fight? what did I do?? Im not even mad. Why are you upset at me???

    I was telling you the best time to see all the posters here at their very best!!!!!! i didnt even say YOU were mad at a whole website- i just said you cant -

    nevermind

    I didnt do anything wrong - Im just gonna leave. Im not sure how I hurt you but I apologize for trying to give some perspective.

    I didn't say you were involved in the brawn, nor did you upset me. You said 'you can't get mad at an Internet site' so I just said that I wasn't mad at it - the comment about the Internet brawn was based on the friction this thread has created - wasnt supposed to
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    I think my favorite argument on MFP is "If you don't like it, leave" because it's generally by the same people who the mods are constantly having troubles with and have to delete their pics/posts etc and then complain about the mods not being "fun". Essentially THEY'RE the ones who're using the site for something that isn't allowed (overly showoff with profile pics, overly sexual forums posts etc).

    I did however made a suggestion in the suggestion sub-forum about allowing MFP'ers to block the chit-chat section (or any other sub-forum they wish) posts to appear in their "Recently Forum Topics". I hope this might fix some fued between people who just don't want those topics to pop up at work etc
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
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    I agree. Honestly, I think it should be a bit monitored. I understand people want to chit chat, but when you have posts like "how sexy" etc. on a site where a lot of people who are over weight, and don't FEEL sexy are... that's kinda discouraging. Who would want to join something when they already feel down, where it appears people are STILL judging your looks. Chit chat and word games and stuff like that is fine, but I think no one should be all about who's cute, who's sexy, and my biggest pet peeve is trying to hook up with people on the forums... it's not a dating site.

    Honestly I think the 'rate me' threads should all be redirected here: http://hotornot.com/

    They're the same thing, after all.

    To me it's just a lot of desperate attention seeking. Doesn't seem all that fun but whatever. To each his/her own.
  • gr8pillock
    gr8pillock Posts: 374 Member
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    I was praising MFP to a friend the other day, explaining how good it was and how useful I had found it (He had noticed that I had lost weight and asked me about it), especially the support from everyone on these forums. He is very overweight and so self concious that he is reluctant to go to the gym, or even to weight watchers etc.

    I explained that the ethic on MFP was that nobody judges and that everyone is equal including the very overweight - motivating stuff!

    So he takes the mouse and clicks around the site. This is where it gets awkward. Clicks on 'Recent Posts' then on Chit Chat where most of the recent posts seemed to be from. here's what he saw:

    Rate the person above you

    What's sexy about the person above you?

    The person above - part 4

    Dear attractive men over 30

    Who is your celebrity crush

    Cutest thing about the person above you - part 7

    Ladies, who would you rather have a one night stand with?

    Hotest guy on MFP

    etc etc

    It was a little embarrassing to be honest. Seemed all that anyone was interested in on that side of MFP was how men look. I'm not overweight but I get an inferiority complex on there! - I can only imagine how someone with self-worth issues must feel! My friend went from excited and motivated, to crest-fallen and resigned in just a few clicks!

    Polar opposites:
    The support, advice, motivation of most of the MFP groups. Everyone is equal
    The lustful, frenzied, man-crazy posts on Chit chat, where how someone looks is the only thing that seems to matter. You're rated on how sexy you look

    I subscribe to the POV that if you don't like something, don't look, so I'm not suggesting that people shouldnt write what they want; just seems a pity to me that this part of MFP is inextricably linked to everything else.


    Tell him to sign up and friend me IMMEDIATELY!!! :)
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    I agree. Honestly, I think it should be a bit monitored. I understand people want to chit chat, but when you have posts like "how sexy" etc. on a site where a lot of people who are over weight, and don't FEEL sexy are... that's kinda discouraging. Who would want to join something when they already feel down, where it appears people are STILL judging your looks. Chit chat and word games and stuff like that is fine, but I think no one should be all about who's cute, who's sexy, and my biggest pet peeve is trying to hook up with people on the forums... it's not a dating site.

    no one is allowed to feel sexy in public until all the people feel sexy in public.

    Yall hear that?

    Wait - also - dont forget that being judged for your looks can be a positive OR a negative judgment.

    Some of us had a negative judgment because of our looks and worked hard until we got a positive judgment because of our looks- but now we must continually apologize for being excited about this in public, in front of people that waited longer to start, because its not fair to the people that waited or had more to change.

    Oh AND while you are apologizing for losing weight, being proud of your new body and making friends, if you happen to come across an amazing person, who has been through alot of the struggles that you have had while getting fit, and your personalities click and you are attracted to each other and have lots of fun together and you bring out the best in each other and are all around amazing together... dont you dare meet, or hook up, or fall in love or have amazing adventures together in celebration of your new lives- dont you dare do it- this is not a dating site and that behavior is simply inappropriate.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    If only MFP would let us filter out certain forum groups from the "recent forum posts" section of the main page.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    If only MFP would let us filter out certain forum groups from the "recent forum posts" section of the main page.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/714005-ability-to-select-which-forums-show-in-recent-forum-topics
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
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    I was praising MFP to a friend the other day, explaining how good it was and how useful I had found it (He had noticed that I had lost weight and asked me about it), especially the support from everyone on these forums. He is very overweight and so self concious that he is reluctant to go to the gym, or even to weight watchers etc.

    I explained that the ethic on MFP was that nobody judges and that everyone is equal including the very overweight - motivating stuff!

    So he takes the mouse and clicks around the site. This is where it gets awkward. Clicks on 'Recent Posts' then on Chit Chat where most of the recent posts seemed to be from. here's what he saw:

    ...
    I think it's really cool that you are helping your friend with MFP.

    Are you really posting about concerns for your friend, or is this a convenient context in which to place your soapbox?

    Oh blimey I hope I'm not seen as trying to promote myself as some kind of helpful saint.

    Basically I was asked what I did that helped me to lose weight, so my answer would probably be the same as most people on here - "I found this website called MFP that was really useful"

    I have got concerns, but I've done nothing to help him thus far. Not sure what I can do to be honest other than tell him what has helped me
  • schaapj2
    schaapj2 Posts: 320 Member
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    When I first joined MFP in 2010, the forums were never like this. As more people joined, the forums have gotten less useful and more petty. I stay off them for the most part now. :(
  • tnjackso1
    tnjackso1 Posts: 312 Member
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    Encourage him to come back and give it a shot. When I first began I saw those forums and was a little discouraged, but I then met people on her who were the total opposite of those groups and it MFP has been a hit with me every since.

    I love the support out here and the encouragement is off the chain.. I'm thankful for the people I've had the pleasure of meeting and those that have become my friends. I would have never dreamed all of this would have come about because I decided to change my lifestyle.

    So to your friend.............Come on back!

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