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.
Sad but true.
I like reading stuff and it does require more thought than watching a 2 minute video or just catching a headline.
But the people I’ve tried to “recruit” also love reading and deciding things for themselves.
X-Ray loves FR.
Believe me, if I start talking politics to my wife like I write here on FR, she would have left a long time ago. (I wouldn’t have blamed her)
This is where I can get the “snark” out and ‘vent my spleen’, it’s therapeutic.
I would disagree somewhat.
There are lots of conservative-minded people who are not great readers. But their conservative concern causes them to look around for some reflection of their values and beliefs.
That’s how I first found FR, during the Lewinsky scandal; and I imagine most of us found it in a similar way - not necessarily by personal ‘word of mouth’.
-JT
Now there are racist posts when in the 90s and early 200s there never were.
FR is too wild west for most I guess.
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I am used to it but the nasty is very high here.
I don’t know what you mean by “racist”, but I would look at it more as ridiculing certain subcultures which richly deserve to be ridiculed.
I dont think anyone is afraid of FreeRepublic. But, this is not a discussion forum any more. It certainly was once, in fact the premise of FR was a posting of an article of interest followed by an often lively discussion with a number of different of points of view, all in the conservative realm. Many of these discussions involved people who were clearly the definitive expert on the planet on a particular subject. Spending an evening of FR was an education.
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that was so true. I remember when a jet crashed and there were at least a half dozen jet pilots discussing and posting pics and scenerios.
That’s so me.
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It is and we love you for it.
I think you hit the nail on the head. I run into people all the time who won't even bother reading a paragraph of anything. Just a photo and caption for them weather it be on the net or in a printed publication.
I think when we were forced to excerpt articles instead of posting entire articles it changed the dynamic, because before we didn’t have to click and go elsewhere to read the material.
Now people see the headline and go straight to commenting (I confess my guilt on that one).
oh
I wonder if I duck tape gloves on grandmas hands if it would get her to stop the compulsive scratching
“Hey! There goes Elvis!”
With me, I’m sure it’s me ... Maybe my conservative friends think FR is what makes me this way, and they fear that they’ll get it too. Truthfully, if they don’t want to participate, that’s okay too.
Yes. You've nailed it! At least partially.
But it is not uncommon to see a post on a thread asking, "Did you read the article"?
However, I believe we did lose some very good FReepers over the excerpting.
Most of my friends are Walker supporters and see how he is treated and is like What the heck??????? Do they hate this guy for real? I calm them down and say no they just don’t think he did anything in Wisconsin worthy of being President. They say, “What?” I say I know.......lol.
Better than clicking into the sewers of Mainstream American culture, the Drive By Media, the corruption and criminality of government employees, and malware clickbait.
Besides, FReepers have become genius at deciphering the IslamoFascist, Progressive propaganda strategy and tactics, so we pretty much know what meme is spread, the real purpose and the degeneracy of the party spreading it.
It's a waste of time to coddle nearly all of the Jouronalistas spewing these days.
FR is a drop in the conservative bucket. I know hard core conservatives who have never heard of FR. I tell them to check it out.
Many of my clients are Cochran and Haley Barbour supporters. Some are even partners with Barbour. We don’t talk politics and they consider me fringe. They won’t talk politics in private either as they are monetarily intertwined with the system.
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