Posted on 08/11/2015 6:16:36 PM PDT by Zeneta
I've been hanging around FreeRepublic in since 1999 in one capacity or another and I wouldn't change a single thing. I love this place.
Recently, however, it has struck me that my attempts over the years to recruit others to join have been complete failures and I honestly don't know why.
I am curious to know the experiences of my fellow Freepers regarding this in order to learn what I can do differently.
I understand the issue of "trying too hard" and the natural push back that people have. I tried the "soft", "check it out" to the hard push for certain people but it seems that my efforts are in vain.
These are not the casual conservatives you may meet. These people, IMHO, have a ton of knowledge and experience that can contribute to FR. Extraordinary knowledge and resources that would embrace our forum but for something that seems to keep them away.
Some have expressed a concern that their comments are being "monitored", others, well I'm not really sure.
I guess, I'd like to know if any other people here have had the same experience and what if anything they were able to do or say to get your like minded friends to participate.
Maybe too snarky. Not everyone likes snarkiness.
My close friends are conservatives. They do not fear FR.
Some people used to give me a hard time about Drudge too. The same people who are disappointed by Obama. I, like you probably, wasn’t disappointed. I knew exactly what he was.
I understand, but that’s not me.
Because most people are unprincipled sheep that are scared by anyone who believes in something and stands behind it. FR has a few people that won’t compromise and that is interpreted by the sheep as ‘bad’.
Thus they avoid having to think for themselves.
It’s very different than it was in 1998.
One consistency is there have been unpleasant element that glom on as parasites and unpleasant posts and posters.
In other words, fringe elements, that I can not be bothered by.
Now there are racist posts when in the 90’s and early 200’s there never were.
FR is too wild west for most I guess.
MY 80+yo Mother asked me today if it was safe to use her CC to Donate on/to Free Republic, of course I told her no, (JK).
Trumps Dust-Up with Kelly turned HER off to fox.
My Older (younger) Sister Trolls here and Donates, I’m sure.
Bless you Jim. I hold you directly responsible for keeping my Family talking to me!
My dad reads it, but doesn’t post.
I go door to door.
Hello friend, have you heard the good word of Free Republic?
So many of the ones that don’t read FR are ignorant. That’s exactly what they are. They don’t know what’s going on. They just believe what the mainstream media tells them.
I too have experienced the same thing. I’m not sure if they just don’t give a rip or have no time.
I’ll walk a mile for a post on FR?
You know I have recommend this place to a lot of conservative folks and its funny only one person i know joined up and she is left leaning on some stuff
Maybe they are afraid that potential or actual employers will see, and for their livelihoods, they need to be politically below the radar?
I don’t know if that is true, but I definitely hold my tongue (fingers) back on places like Facebook. In here I can be me, out of the closet, unabashedly conservative. I’d like to think that without ID that I am anonymous enoug here for cursory perusal of me, online inc.
I have friends who like and read FR every day..... but they don’t post. I also have friends who will not read Free Republic. Some of them are afraid the government will track them and they just don’t want to deal with issues....
A conservative friend pointed this site out to me many years ago (he is still an active member). I have since repaid the favor by bringing several of my conservative friends aboard.
FR is pretty old-school as far as commenting / replies, etc. The search feature is not great, subscribe doesn’t work like people have been led to expect. We’re used to how FR does business, but for those that are used to modern commenting forums, it seems pretty Mickey Mouse. The content and opinions are great, but it may be hard to get people past the superficial stuff.
The irony is that since it’s very bare bones it renders GREAT on my phone! :-D Mobile first FTW!
The site also seems to be sustaining an invasion of mobys, trolls, and disinfo agents for some reason.
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