Why is there such disdain here for “newbies”, and the admonishment that they must wait a while before posting? Just because people have not been “FReepers” forever does not mean they are ignorant of politics or other topics.
They may be extremely more knowledgable than many of us, and may have posted on other sites for years! It’s just that they are new to THIS exact site.
Many existing FReepers (but not the site’s owners) are very snobbish in this respect, and I don’t know of another site that discourages short-term posters in this manner.
Every website gets “trolls”. People who feign interest in a website but have ulterior motives.
It’s not disdain on my part. I just think it’s prudent. No different that being the new guy at a job. I advocate staying mum for a while and getting the lay of the land before you start mixing it up.
Not too long ago we had regular trolls from DU hitting the site almost daily. There was a regular war going on.
It was so bad that every poster without a solid record was viewed with serious suspicion.
About six or seven years ago there was a SNAFU and a few of us old timers had our ‘since’ date reset. I didn’t realize it until I posted a perfectly reasonable and noncontroversial post and got slammed as a ‘troll’. I had JR fix it (I was still shorted by a few months), but those two days were hell. There were actually a few FReepers who had to come in a vouch for me.
It’s just bad experience that keeps FReepers defensive. now we only trust our own. Believe me, it used to be much worse.
The issue is not with the content of their prose but rather with understanding the rules of the site. You know, so they don't make rookie mistakes such as vanities or, God forbid ... double posting. ;-)