Just an observation....almost scared to post!

LOL I am waiting for the wolf pack to jump in...

\m/

I love moon moon. I want to adopt him.

OP1: I'm not losing weight, what's wrong?
Veteran Member: You're probably eating more than you realize.
New-ish Member: You're putting on muscle!
OP1: I'm putting on muscle!
Veteran Member: No, and you're an idiot for not listening to me!

OP2: I'm not losing weight, what's wrong?
Veteran Member: You're eating more than you think, idiot!

Every. Single. Time.

Examples? I can't remember an OP just being blatantly called an idiot without dishing out some pretty hefty insults first

I'll wait.

Here's one:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1176283-raspberry-ketones?hl=raspberry+ketones#posts-18375397

Here's the thing: people say they're not making fun of the person, but the product. But the way they make fun of the product they're also saying the person is an idiot for not knowing it's not going to help. It's January, there are a ton of new people here who have no reason to believe they're being lied to.

ETA:

Don't post stupid things and people won't treat you like a stupid person.

Here's one now!

Read through, no one called the OP an idiot.
They said there is no magic pill for weightloss, which is true

Still waiting.

You lost points for being too literal. "Here we go again" and "This is going to be good" are insulting the poster. You know this. You're not stupid.

It's 2014. This is the internet. There's no excuse for asking about a product without doing a single Google or Wikipedia search on it first.

The majority of these searches bring back results saying these are good ideas. That's why we have this problem in the first place!

The first Google result is Wikipedia, which says:

"Although products containing this compound are marketed for weight loss, there is no clinical evidence for this effect in humans."

The second result is a link to buy them on Amazon.

The third result is a link to WebMD that says:

"However, it is important to keep in mind that there is no reliable scientific evidence that it improves weight loss when taken by people."

The fourth result is a HuffPost article titled "What They Don't Want You to Know About Raspberry Ketones" that leads with this sentence:

"Before you jump on the raspberry ketone bandwagon, there are a few things you should know about this over-priced, proclaimed weight-loss miracle in a bottle."

And that's part of the issue, that Google tailors searches based on your history unless you choose to turn that feature off. When I search "raspberry ketones" without having searched for it before, the first several entries (excluding Wikipedia, which has a bad rep among some people for some reason) are positive endorsements including Dr. Oz, who for some reason still has credibility with millions of Americans.

I'm not saying we shouldn't correct people. I'm saying we should understand that they don't know better and not take our frustration out on them.

If you think this place is mean, I recommend that you never post anything on the internet. Ever.

Because this place is rainbows and sunshine compared to most.

If you want to brave the waters, pay attention to what you write, and be careful not to come across as snippy - it's easy to do. We rely on tone of voice and facial expression to communicate more than you'd think, and when we can't use either one, well, mistakes get made by reader and writer alike. If you ask for advice, don't turn around and make excuses for why no one's advice will work for you. If you make a mistake, own up to it. Don't keep insisting you're right. And don't post the same thing as another post on the main page. That's just annoying.

Mainly, relax. Don't take things personally. We don't know you, and you don't know us. Don't make our comments any more important than they should be.

OP1: I'm not losing weight, what's wrong?
Veteran Member: You're probably eating more than you realize.
New-ish Member: You're putting on muscle!
OP1: I'm putting on muscle!
Veteran Member: No, and you're an idiot for not listening to me!

OP2: I'm not losing weight, what's wrong?
Veteran Member: You're eating more than you think, idiot!

Every. Single. Time.

Examples? I can't remember an OP just being blatantly called an idiot without dishing out some pretty hefty insults first

I'll wait.

Here's one:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1176283-raspberry-ketones?hl=raspberry+ketones#posts-18375397

Here's the thing: people say they're not making fun of the person, but the product. But the way they make fun of the product they're also saying the person is an idiot for not knowing it's not going to help. It's January, there are a ton of new people here who have no reason to believe they're being lied to.

ETA:

Don't post stupid things and people won't treat you like a stupid person.

Here's one now!

Read through, no one called the OP an idiot.
They said there is no magic pill for weightloss, which is true

Still waiting.

You lost points for being too literal. "Here we go again" and "This is going to be good" are insulting the poster. You know this. You're not stupid.

It's 2014. This is the internet. There's no excuse for asking about a product without doing a single Google or Wikipedia search on it first.

The majority of these searches bring back results saying these are good ideas. That's why we have this problem in the first place!

The first Google result is Wikipedia, which says:

"Although products containing this compound are marketed for weight loss, there is no clinical evidence for this effect in humans."

The second result is a link to buy them on Amazon.

The third result is a link to WebMD that says:

"However, it is important to keep in mind that there is no reliable scientific evidence that it improves weight loss when taken by people."

The fourth result is a HuffPost article titled "What They Don't Want You to Know About Raspberry Ketones" that leads with this sentence:

"Before you jump on the raspberry ketone bandwagon, there are a few things you should know about this over-priced, proclaimed weight-loss miracle in a bottle."

And that's part of the issue, that Google tailors searches based on your history unless you choose to turn that feature off. When I search "raspberry ketones" without having searched for it before, the first several entries (excluding Wikipedia, which has a bad rep among some people for some reason) are positive endorsements including Dr. Oz, who for some reason still has credibility with millions of Americans.

I'm not saying we shouldn't correct people. I'm saying we should understand that they don't know better and not take our frustration out on them.

Interesting. Regardless, I have no sympathy for someone asking about something for which they have clearly spent ZERO time learning about.

WOW...I am so sorry to hear that adults are acting like schoolyard bullies. Don't let them rent space in your head. If they are mean, it speaks more to the type of person they are then who you are. There is no such thing as a stupid question. Not asking a question would be denying yourself knowledge. Just because they know the answer (or so they think), doesn't mean everyone does. Knowledge, just like getting in shape & losing weight, starts with taking a step forward & the only way to become more knowledgeable is to ask questions. If others fault you for not knowing something, then they need to check themselves. Ignore the bullies & read only the positive things that people write. If you start reading & it is derogatory, stop reading & move to the next comment. GOOD LUCK TO YOU, STAY STRONG & STAY THE COURSE.

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I didn't read all of the responses, but for the most part I don't see many mean comments. I have a pretty thick skin though, and sometimes I come off as an a-hole....sooooooo, long story short, it helps to have a thick skin if you are going to put anything on the internet. It also helps to pose questions correctly...if you sound "whiny" (no offense), people might screw with you.

Snip because holy cow this is getting long.

And that's part of the issue, that Google tailors searches based on your history unless you choose to turn that feature off. When I search "raspberry ketones" without having searched for it before, the first several entries (excluding Wikipedia, which has a bad rep among some people for some reason) are positive endorsements including Dr. Oz, who for some reason still has credibility with millions of Americans.

I'm not saying we shouldn't correct people. I'm saying we should understand that they don't know better and not take our frustration out on them.

Interesting. Regardless, I have no sympathy for someone asking about something for which they have clearly spent ZERO time learning about.

Isn't asking on these forums an attempt to learn about things?

Publicly posing the question to thousands of strangers on the internet should never be someone's first step to learning about a supplement.

the difficulty is, when someone posts something that's just plain stupid, dangerous and/or a total con, you have to tell them the truth, because that's the good, honest, decent thing to do.

but there really isn't a way to say "seriously, that's a total con and a waste of money, it's not healthy at all and it doesn't work, please don't do that to yourself" that isn't going to upset someone who's got their heart set on the idea that this con is going to magically melt away the fat. Not even if you insert words like please and put it in a few extra modal verbs and an unreal conditional to make it less direct. Not even if you replace the word "you...." with "If it was me I'd...." And if you include nice pretty smileys like :flowerforyou: they just think you're being sarcastic....

Snip because holy cow this is getting long.

And that's part of the issue, that Google tailors searches based on your history unless you choose to turn that feature off. When I search "raspberry ketones" without having searched for it before, the first several entries (excluding Wikipedia, which has a bad rep among some people for some reason) are positive endorsements including Dr. Oz, who for some reason still has credibility with millions of Americans.

I'm not saying we shouldn't correct people. I'm saying we should understand that they don't know better and not take our frustration out on them.

Interesting. Regardless, I have no sympathy for someone asking about something for which they have clearly spent ZERO time learning about.

Isn't asking on these forums an attempt to learn about things?

Publicly posing the question to thousands of strangers on the internet should never be someone's first step to learning about a supplement.

But to the demographic that uses the internet almost exclusively for Facebook and reading blogs, which is a large portion of this site because they tend to be middle aged overweight housewives, that's exactly what they think it should be. The best course of action is to gently correct them.

Snip because holy cow this is getting long.

And that's part of the issue, that Google tailors searches based on your history unless you choose to turn that feature off. When I search "raspberry ketones" without having searched for it before, the first several entries (excluding Wikipedia, which has a bad rep among some people for some reason) are positive endorsements including Dr. Oz, who for some reason still has credibility with millions of Americans.

I'm not saying we shouldn't correct people. I'm saying we should understand that they don't know better and not take our frustration out on them.

Interesting. Regardless, I have no sympathy for someone asking about something for which they have clearly spent ZERO time learning about.

Isn't asking on these forums an attempt to learn about things?

the forums are a great place to discuss what you have learned from your research and possibly gain a greater understanding through the discussion. They should not be the place you look to first for information.

Snip because holy cow this is getting long.

And that's part of the issue, that Google tailors searches based on your history unless you choose to turn that feature off. When I search "raspberry ketones" without having searched for it before, the first several entries (excluding Wikipedia, which has a bad rep among some people for some reason) are positive endorsements including Dr. Oz, who for some reason still has credibility with millions of Americans.

I'm not saying we shouldn't correct people. I'm saying we should understand that they don't know better and not take our frustration out on them.

Interesting. Regardless, I have no sympathy for someone asking about something for which they have clearly spent ZERO time learning about.

Isn't asking on these forums an attempt to learn about things?

the forums are a great place to discuss what you have learned from your research and possibly gain a greater understanding through the discussion. They should not be the place you look to first for information.

And if forums are the first place you go, the first act should be a search of that forum.

It seems reasonable to expect that a fitness forum that has thousands of users has had discussions about raspberry ketones once or twice.

I would rather just post and read the helpful messages back and ignore the negative ones. *shrugs*

LOL I am waiting for the wolf pack to jump in...

\m/

I love moon moon. I want to adopt him.

Moon Moon looks like my dog LOL

I want to meet your dog. When I adopt moon moon they can play together.

Snip because holy cow this is getting long.

And that's part of the issue, that Google tailors searches based on your history unless you choose to turn that feature off. When I search "raspberry ketones" without having searched for it before, the first several entries (excluding Wikipedia, which has a bad rep among some people for some reason) are positive endorsements including Dr. Oz, who for some reason still has credibility with millions of Americans.

I'm not saying we shouldn't correct people. I'm saying we should understand that they don't know better and not take our frustration out on them.

Interesting. Regardless, I have no sympathy for someone asking about something for which they have clearly spent ZERO time learning about.

Isn't asking on these forums an attempt to learn about things?

the forums are a great place to discuss what you have learned from your research and possibly gain a greater understanding through the discussion. They should not be the place you look to first for information.

And if forums are the first place you go, the first act should be a search of that forum.

It seems reasonable to expect that a fitness forum that has thousands of users has had discussions about raspberry ketones once or twice.

I don't have that much of an issue about supplements minus those that don't seem to want any negative feedback even if it could mean saving them money or keeping them from setting themselves up for a rage quit.

The ones I don't understand are posting asking how many ounces are in a cup of water or if ice counts as water.