How To 'Stir it Up' on the forum: A Guide

[*Bob*]

1. Choose a topic guaranteed to mobilise a sizable portion of forum-readers.

Houseprices, for example, is always a fave. Or incomers. Or children. Or, let's say, breastfeeding.

2. Retire to a safe distance and play no part in the ensuing debate, chuckling as a load of people who essentially agree become more and more polarised as the ante is upped with each posting.

3. Put the kettle on. Job done!

[mockney piers]

Not to mention posting as several opposing usernames in order to mix it up a bit, ho ho ho, so original and funny!

[SeanMacGabhann]

It is also imperative that you never ever bother to actually MEET any of the people trying to express a point lest you actually end up having a good time, thus removing the outlet of venting at stangers on an anonymous forum

[James]

Stop this now. You are threatening my fun!

[James]

Think I am regularly conned and taken in by this. Still, I can't stop myself when I see something prejudiced or misinformed.

That dog leads thing had to be a deliberately misleading one, didn't it? And some of the breast-feeding posts are a bit dubious. I would expect them in Bromley or Tunbridge Wells but not here... (oops, being prejudiced myself now)

[citizenED]

This is a good ploy: call yourself Domitianus and start typing...

[*Bob*]

Perhaps the Admin could fashion a new button (on the home page somewhere) to save 'stirrers' the tedium of having to register etc. If clicked, it would randomly generate some bit of inflammatory guff guaranteed to elicit a tonne of middle-class self-righteous indignation.

Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it all. Because I did.

[Fear 'n boozin]

ThE CapItAL IssATION THING gets me.

[Jonboy]

Top Fun and well done Domitianus. As a sport, stirring up the right-on and PC EDers is right up there with fox hunting. And you dont even have to leave your desk.

[Keef]

I think Domitianus' posts are hilarious. The funniest thing is that usually they are better thought out, well constructed, and argued than those who are appalled by them >:D

[*Bob*]

The honours should go to cowbearuk on this one.

Top stir.

[James]

Um, are we reading the same posts? They seem to be written in the style of a whining teenage boy. I don't think he is gonna win any prizes for debating. Sorry Domitanius.

[Jonboy]

James, I think he just kicked your arse.

[*Bob*]

Such is the efficiency of cowbearuk's STIR, the fallout has now found its way onto a thread... about stirring.

Hats off!

[James]

Yeah right Jonboy! The giveaway is surely the fact that his posts are about ten pages long, repetitive, inflammatory and virtually nonsensical in places. I think what happens on here is that we all decide the person we agree with "won."

[Keef]

Agree with *Bob* about cowbearuk.

As for Dom, admittedly his posts are a bit long, and sometimes I find myself skimming, but they usually make me laugh.

[James]

Yes, they are amusing. Definitely!

[jim_the_chin]

i did some stirring on another infrequently visited forum the other day.

i just took an extreme verson of my own views, added some derisory comments and let the insults pour in. i came back with a few posts after but my heart wasn't really in it. i'm not a natural troll i guess.

[clare]

Just got home and read all the stuff about breastfeeding.

A nice cup of tea and some toast and marmite has soothed any inclination to join in or start a new thread entitled "Ladies- where's the wierdest place you've ever breastfed?"

[Louisa]

People who deliberately go onto a forum to stir up trouble are usually control freaks who need to vent anger at a faceless enemy to feel better about themselves. People who come onto forums with genuine views and are ready to debate them are the butter of the bread to the forum.

[James]

Oh go on, you know you want to

[*Bob*]

Yes.. c'mon, Louisa. Let's have some more stuff about 'Yummies' or 'people with more money than sense'.. and then tell us honestly you don't enjoy popping your spoon in for just a leeetle bit of a stir from time to time?

[Louisa]

*Bob* you know full well i do not fit the above criteria stiring things up on here. Firstly, the majority of my threads which I personally start, are about trivial things. I never start a thread with inflammatory intent.

In response to others I do take pleasure in mocking posts about so called 'yummies' because they do genuinely annoy me! (generalisation before you kick me in the never regions), but I never sit back and let a debate get out of hand without me being involved. ;-)

[*Bob*]

Hee hee.. just having a bit of a stir.

That said, I don't think you're being entirely honest with us (or yourself) here. 'Yummies' (whatever they are) irritate you. They are your very own 'faceless enemy' and you 'vent your anger' (ie "take pleasure in mocking posts" as you say above) right here on this forum.

ie.. stirring.

[Louisa]

I know of a few so called 'yummies' who read and possibly even post on this forum, so it certainly isnt a faceless enemy ;-)