Researching Someone's Old Posts

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I am in a good mood. Just finished reading in my favorite book. Got my coffee. Going through the "Recent Topics" in my normal morning ritual. I saw a post that got me to thinking, so I am posing the question.

Sometimes people post here and every blue moon or so, one of us goes back and search that posters old posts. Sort of like doing a background check, I guess. Then they post the OP's old posts as a reply to the
their new post. Sorta like a finger wag in the face move?????

My question is this. What possesses a person to do this? What is going through their mind when they go look up all those old posts? Would a friend do that? What kind of person does that? What are they trying to prove?

I fully expect someone to go through my old posts and add some of them as responses to this OP. Please don't let me down.
thumbsup2.gif
 
I wouldn't spend that much time unless someone was really out of place. There are other forums I frequent and have no reason to research what other posters have to say.
 
Lots of other forums Im on, I often see users tell people to "use the search" so that the same things arent asked and replied to again and again.

Vehicles and oils are always changing, so that doesnt always work so well on here. But if someone has asked the same sort of things, and someone perhaps spent the time to answer the question before, they might try to find it and post it again. Doing the same thing over and over is insanity...
 
Sometimes I search for what someone has posted before because I can't tell from the current post whether they are joking, sarcastic, or they actually believe the moronic comments that they posted.
I recall one poster(now banned) was bragging about how honest he was; I found one of his prior posts where he stated that if someone has to tell you how honest they are it means that they aren't even a bit honest. I linked to that post and it shut him down.
For a while, anyway.
 
Originally Posted by Gebo
Sometimes people post here and every blue moon or so, one of us goes back and search that posters old posts. Sort of like doing a background check, I guess. Then they post the OP's old posts as a reply to the
their new post. Sorta like a finger wag in the face move?????

My question is this. What possesses a person to do this? What is going through their mind when they go look up all those old posts? Would a friend do that? What kind of person does that? What are they trying to prove?

Are you talking about cases where a person says "I always do this..." and then someone digs into their posts and finds something from 12 years ago where the person contradicts themselves ? I've seen that plenty of times here.... It's childish and I presume gives the private investigator some sort of superiority complex.
 
Yeah...

A fine line between:

a) researching to trying to get a sense of a person's position, and

b) stalking

So, be circumspect and thoughtful in your "research"...
 
I think part of it is due to the anonymity of these forums and people can spout anything they want without much consequence. Some people are big phonies. I'm not accusing anyone on here but on other sites I've been active in, you see some lying and stuff. Some people need to be right or try to prove they're right even among anonymous strangers. And some people are argumentative and find rivals online and enjoy the argument. Especially with politics. That's why it's forbidden topic on BITOG.
 
I don't think I've researched someone's old posts... only thing I've done is look to see when they've stopped posting. A few members here seem to have disappeared--not sure if they got tired of the place, just don't have time, or perhaps worse, passed on. Don't know, but occasionally I'll get curious and click to see when they "quit".

I do try to finish out my threads though, if I post a question I try to complete it. In particular here on BITOG. There's been several times where I get a question, I do a search--and find my own question about it from several years ago! Nothing like using BITOG as a personal diary I guess.
 
Originally Posted by Miller88
I might occasionally go and check on our favorite troll just to see the old chronicles of destroyed vehicles.

GHT? I miss him, his Volvo adventures were better than Comedy Central!
 
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by Gebo
Sometimes people post here and every blue moon or so, one of us goes back and search that posters old posts. Sort of like doing a background check, I guess. Then they post the OP's old posts as a reply to the
their new post. Sorta like a finger wag in the face move?????

My question is this. What possesses a person to do this? What is going through their mind when they go look up all those old posts? Would a friend do that? What kind of person does that? What are they trying to prove?

Are you talking about cases where a person says "I always do this..." and then someone digs into their posts and finds something from 12 years ago where the person contradicts themselves ? I've seen that plenty of times here.... It's childish and I presume gives the private investigator some sort of superiority complex.



Yep, that's a great example. I'd like to spend about 3 minutes in their mind as they do it. LOL

I do plenty of stupid stuff. Heck, I can't remember what I posted 6 months ago. A couple of times I'll tell a story here and then want to retell it (old Pastor syndrome) a year or so later. I'm so afraid here of snipers here that I'll go back and look up my original story to make absolutely sure I tell it the exact same way.

I have looked at old posts but only to help me or someone else. Never to belittle or attempt to embarrass someone.
 
Originally Posted by JHZR2
Lots of other forums Im on, I often see users tell people to "use the search" so that the same things arent asked and replied to again and again.

Vehicles and oils are always changing, so that doesnt always work so well on here. But if someone has asked the same sort of things, and someone perhaps spent the time to answer the question before, they might try to find it and post it again. Doing the same thing over and over is insanity...


^This. There are a lot of knowledgeable people that have posted things over the years that relate to current questions. I've gone back and re-read things I had forgotten from some of these members. For example I was recently going back and reading what Tom NJ thought of GTL. I was always under the impression it is better to search then start another post that has already been created in the past. Perfectly normal and acceptable. Lot of good information buried in this forum.
 
Originally Posted by MCompact
Sometimes I search for what someone has posted before because I can't tell from the current post whether they are joking, sarcastic, or they actually believe the moronic comments that they posted.
I recall one poster(now banned) was bragging about how honest he was; I found one of his prior posts where he stated that if someone has to tell you how honest they are it means that they aren't even a bit honest. I linked to that post and it shut him down.
For a while, anyway.


lol.gif
 
Originally Posted by Gebo
Sometimes people post here and every blue moon or so, one of us goes back and search that posters old posts. Sort of like doing a background check, I guess. Then they post the OP's old posts as a reply to the their new post. Sorta like a finger wag in the face move?????

My question is this. What possesses a person to do this? What is going through their mind when they go look up all those old posts? Would a friend do that? What kind of person does that? What are they trying to prove?
thumbsup2.gif




I'm amazed at those who get upset because someone asks a question that has been asked before, even if it's been asked many times. And looking up old posts as you mentioned in order to berate or call out the OP because they disapprove of something is just silly.

Let a mod know about your concerns. If the mod chooses not to take any action, let it go.
 
Originally Posted by levi
I'm amazed at those who get upset because someone asks a question that has been asked before, even if it's been asked many times.

Well, the search tool here is severely lacking. It's even got a hard limit of a few years so posts older than that would require using Google to search the site. In many cases, probably most cases, info that's 3+ years old is still relevant and accurate.
 
Originally Posted by bullwinkle
Originally Posted by Miller88
I might occasionally go and check on our favorite troll just to see the old chronicles of destroyed vehicles.

GHT? I miss him, his Volvo adventures were better than Comedy Central!

With the lack of quality of some stuff on TV nowadays. I bet they could have run a series for at least 1 season. Plus he was a 1 man show.
 
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