MisterSparks

Hi Guys,

Well, well well, I've made one post in the spirit of sharing my experience, and encountered trolls. Emigrating to a new country is a huge undertaking, and is full of pitfalls - anyone would think that any positive input would be welcomed.

Safe to say that I won't be coming back here again.

Jerseygirl

Hi MisterSparks...I hope I'm not too late to welcome you to BE.

I'm sorry you got off to a bad start with the members in the Canada forum. Do stick around...I always think it's a good idea to read through the old threads and get to know the personalities of some of the regular members before posting.

Sue

Sorry to read you've gotten off to a bumpy start. Did you mean this thread? Because I took a quick gander and honestly I can't see any trolls posting in that thread. Maybe if you could highlight the posts you feel are inappropriate we could take a look and take any applicable action against the offenders. You can either post a link to the posts in this thread or better still you could "report" the posts in question.

To report a post just click on the exclamation mark on the left hand side of the post.

MisterSparks

Sue, putting aside the semantics of trolling for a moment, I really don't expect to feel like I have to defend my self after my first relatively innocuous post. You don't have to resort to outright dismissal or snarkiness to question what someone is saying.

Maybe I don't have a thick skin. Maybe I'm being naive in thinking that any contribution I make may have some worth, no matter how miniscule. Maybe I'm simple minded in thinking that everyone on the Internet is nice. Either way, I only came on here with the intention of helping others, and if that's how it is on this forum, I'm having no part of it.

christmasoompa

I also don't see where anybody was nasty to you, they simply asked you a question. British banter/sarcasm is to be expected on a site aimed at Brit expats, but I honestly can't see where there was any aimed at you on the thread?

Stick around, and as JG said, you'll soon figure out the personalities of the regular posters and hopefully become a regular contributor to the forum.

Christian

MisterSparks,

I respect the way you feel, though I should like to encourage you to reconsider. The first post I made in the Canada Forum was met with ineffable —and unwarranted— rudeness by a young ex-soldier, when I'm ex-Army myself and was airborne to boot ... and I wasn't Other Ranks. (One simply ignores).

Input regarding such a huge undertaking as emigration is both a welcome and positive contribution ... for there's certainly no substitute for experience. Yes, one does need rather a bit of a thick skin at times, but there are some wonderful people, both generous with their knowledge —just as you— and who know what it is to be a part of the British Diaspora and how it can have its unique challenges ... challenges to which non-immigrants in our adopted lands cannot relate.

Please 'DLTBGYD' to quote Churchill ... I was lambasted only last week for wishing someone well, when not one of my critics knew that, long ago, I grew up playing for the other team. (It is to laugh ... and not with them, bl**dy well at them).

At the end of the day, I'm still standing ... for as long as they'll have me. And as yet, I've had no reason to believe that anyone who mattered has raised any objection.

Again, I both respect your decision and know where you're coming from —and by that I don't mean somewhere on GMT— but I should like to invite you to stay and to continue to make such contributions ... and come to enjoy yourself as well.

Kind regards,
Christian ... (I even took a direct hit from someone who accused me of being racialist because of the very name my late mother gave me ... ... « Honi soit qui mal y pense » eh ).

Jerseygirl

In many ways the forums are like real life...there are many nice guys and from time to time some not so nice. Some days you can say something and it's accepted...other days you're jumped on for saying it. Sometimes you do have to have a thick skin...but so what...you do from time to time in real life too. Most of us have been in the same position as you at one time or another. I know I have...I'd only been a member for a few months and thought I'd made a perfectly innocent comment and was jumped on by two moderators. The argument lasted all day...yes it did upset me...but did I throw in the towel...hell no.

As Christian said similar happened to him last week but a few supportive comments from others get you through it. It's worth sticking around...the forums are a wealth of information for both new and old expats. Believe it or not we also have a lot of fun along the way. What quite often looks like a nasty argument is often friendly banter amongst old colleagues. Like I said before...you need to get to know the personalities of the players. Don't stick your neck out too much at first...let people get to know you. I'm sure that given time...you'll become like the rest of us...addicted to BE.