How should learning Sigil be structured?

[yekim54]

Originally Posted by theducks

Hitch can have her Biz, she gets to deal with the customers

Holy moly...I've been reading Hitch's words of wisdom and occasional rants for the past 3 years and never realized he was a she! Based on the "tone" of her posts, this is who I envisioned as Hitch:

http://www.barrycorbin.com/

[ecbritz]

I really enjoy Mr. (Mrs.? Ms.?) Hitch's passionate ranting and raving. Please don't stop. But I need to point out three things. Firstly, a forum for a software product can forget about being a private club for the experts, where they indulge in sophisticated shoptalk after hours. The fools who don't know the product will unfortunately come begging for advice, that's part of software forum life. Secondly, nobody asks Mr(s). Hitch to participate in teaching the clueless. He/She him(her)self volunteers to do that, time and again, on a dramatic scale. Thirdly, we should all realize that we function as drawing cards for a website displaying advertisements. We parasitize on the website, and the website parasitizes on us. Nothing wrong with that, such is life. Everybody in life is a parasite, and everybody feeds parasites. This is true from the most rudimentary biological life forms up to something like a doctor needing a patient to survive, and vice versa. So when we go into rages, and look at the rising viewer count, let us think for a moment about the parasitic system we are feeding into. Just to regain our mental balance.

[DaleDe]

Actually if you just login the advertizing will go away completely. You needn't be a parasite.

Dale

[ecbritz]

If you log in just to avoid the advertisements, then you are a bad parasite. A good parasite gives and takes. "I read your advertisements, you tolerate my speech" is the deal at this site. In every relationship, there are bad parasites. "Doctor, while we are having cocktails at this social function, may I ask you about my arthritis..." Be a good parasite, pay your dues. Read your advertisements before you post your question or your wisdom.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by yekim54

Holy moly...I've been reading Hitch's words of wisdom and occasional rants for the past 3 years and never realized he was a she! Based on the "tone" of her posts, this is who I envisioned as Hitch:

http://www.barrycorbin.com/

OH, MOTHER OF GOD!

Considering I call Wolfie "sweetie," "honey," and "sugarpuss" and I've used terms of endearment with almost every other person on this forum, did you think I was Tootsie? Or just, like, A Ticked-Off Trannie With a Knife?

See, this is why I try to stay gender-neutral, but since I don't use a faux-name, and my biz is advertised, from which anyone alive could find my Facebook page, etc., I didn't see much point in trying to be "shim."

Hitch
Facebook

[DiapDealer]

Clearly it's time for a drastic, but tried and true measure for dealing with silly people and even sillier threads.

[Toxaris]

I too stumbled on Mobileread while searching for more information with regards to ePUB and how to create them. However, I never considered this forum (or any other) as my personal teacher and question box. I read and learned. Sometimes ask a small question, but mostly reading and learning.
If I did respond, always with respect. After all, the ones that were answering me or conversing with me did this out of free will in their free time. They deserve my respect. After a while I felt more confident to even answer a question or two. Again with respect.

What some people don't realize, that we have seen quite some newbies don't ask questions. No, they demand answers and want them right now. It is even worse, they also expect us to use our crystal balls to identify their problems. Their time is valuable and they cannot be bothered with learning something. We have also seen our share of people that don't know anything have clients and want us to solve their client wishes...

I come here to learn and converse with my peers, just like Hitch. I don't mind helping others, newbie or professional, as long as they are respectful and willing to listen. Everyone can have (and will) a different opinion and that is fine. Just treat each other with respect.

Also, this is not an official Sigil forum. It is a place on Mobileread where Sigil users come together and converse. We are lucky the creators/maintainers of Sigil also come here.

[exaltedwombat]

Originally Posted by ecbritz

I really enjoy Mr. (Mrs.? Ms.?) Hitch's passionate ranting and raving. Please don't stop. But I need to point out three things. Firstly, a forum for a software product can forget about being a private club for the experts, where they indulge in sophisticated shoptalk after hours. The fools who don't know the product will unfortunately come begging for advice, that's part of software forum life. Secondly, nobody asks Mr(s). Hitch to participate in teaching the clueless. He/She him(her)self volunteers to do that, time and again, on a dramatic scale. Thirdly, we should all realize that we function as drawing cards for a website displaying advertisements. We parasitize on the website, and the website parasitizes on us. Nothing wrong with that, such is life. Everybody in life is a parasite, and everybody feeds parasites. This is true from the most rudimentary biological life forms up to something like a doctor needing a patient to survive, and vice versa. So when we go into rages, and look at the rising viewer count, let us think for a moment about the parasitic system we are feeding into. Just to regain our mental balance.

One man sees a parasite, another sees a symbiotic relationship.

I've never found any point in refusing the "tricks of the trade" (such as I possess) to anyone - even to an upstart who is charging for the job while learning it! If he makes a go of it, let's try to welcome him as a collegue as much as a competitor.

A study of online personae compared with real personalities would be most interesting. I'm sure Hitch, in real life, is a pussycat and generous to a fault.

Here's a bit of fun:
http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/artic...nternet-trolls

It's so easy to come across as #13. I have a horrible feeling I may be turning into #17 :-(

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by exaltedwombat

One man sees a parasite, another sees a symbiotic relationship.

<snip>

A study of online personae compared with real personalities would be most interesting. I'm sure Hitch, in real life, is a pussycat and generous to a fault.

Well, good luck in finding anyone who thinks so. I'm generous to charities and no-kill shelters, but I don't suffer fools gladly. Being a successful project manager and developer in the RE Development world means you don't make many friends if you want to deliver your hotels and other commercial buildings on-time and on-budget. I don't think you'd be able to locate anyone who would concur with your "pussycat" description, but you are most welcome to try. Mostly because I would actually really love to meet someone who thought so highly of me.

Nor do I indulge in "internet personas." As everyone can see, I don't post pseudonymously, here or anywhere else. I post as "myself." I wear everything I post. Unlike most of the folks here, and at the KDP, I don't have the "luxury" a a faux-persona. I'm not some Gamer, pretending to be something I'm not. I'm not one of the 299-out-of-every-300 men who claim to be Army Rangers or Seals who are claiming so falsely. I'm not one of the thousands of women claiming to be "forensic anthropologists" (of which ONE has been licensed in the last decade). And the personality you "see" here is exactly the same person that my staff sees every day. Unlike 90+% of you people, I can't just abandon some now-inconvenient persona and reinvent a new one the next day. My usernames, my profiles: they are all me and my business. Not imaginary constructs. So before you decide that I have some "type" of internet personality, keep that in mind.

In fact: I am more polite, more restrained and far less scathing on Internet forums and chatrooms and Groups than I am in person, on the phone, or in private email. Because I'm running a very real business, and Internet postings live forever. I'm not some bloviating 14-year-old pretending to be somebody else. I'm nicer, by far, on the forums, than I am "in real life," because to me, the entire "internet persona" pseudonymous posting mode is a puerile excuse for bad behavior. You can pretty much bank on the idea that if I've said something here that someone interprets as a "rant," it's nothing compared to what I've said face-to-face in a real conversation with real people. And that's all I'm going to say on this increasingly silly and time-wasting thread, in which suddenly, I've gone from some dude with "anger management issues" to a woman who's a "pussycat in real life." Just freaking perfect.

So, unless you folks all want to come 100% clean about who YOU are, and what YOU are, and what your businesses ARE, their size, their number of converted books, their authors, your annual workload, and be as transparent as I have to be: We're done here. At least, we certainly are about me and my business. You are all welcome to talk about yourselves until you're hoarse.

Hitch

[exaltedwombat]

Ah! You're "Mad Cat Lady". It all falls into place now! :-)
I once had three. Big mistake. One is good.

What's "RE Development"?

It's within your power to turn this topic in a pleasant direction.

XX purr

[Toxaris]

Originally Posted by Hitch

In fact: I am more polite, more restrained and far less scathing on Internet forums and chatrooms and Groups than I am in person, on the phone, or in private email.

Then I must have been on you good side! I have not found any difference, you were also a pleasure to talk with outside the forum.

[mrmikel]

I would assume RE Development is Real Estate Development. Not a field for the faint of heart or easily bruised.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by mrmikel

I would assume RE Development is Real Estate Development. Not a field for the faint of heart or easily bruised.

Hi, mrmikel:

Yes. Before the crash, I built 5-star hotels for 20+ years. From packaging the deals to closing the loans to Entitlements to Zoning Hearings to kicking the crap out of construction crews. I once put together, rode herd on and closed what was then the largest-ever real estate construction loan in the history of my state, then built the hotel and resort that the loan for which the loan was taken. RE Development is a blood sport. I was the VP of a major RE Development firm since '84, having run Strategic Planning (for the same company) for the prior 5 years. Obviously, I'm not doing that now, and had to find a different way to earn my keep.

I would regale this gang with some of the more colorful tales of those days, but this silliness has already driven to the vulgarity of braggadocio. However, anyone who wants to tell themselves that I'm the "crazy cat lady" is welcome to ask around in my former field of endeavor. Personally, I think as it's all history now, it's pretty boring. My point is simple: This is a Popeye thing; I am what I am. I'm not some tween posting as an Army Ranger on the Net, and any intimation by some that I am something other than what you see doesn't sit well with me. I have, however, pretty much decided to ignore anything further, as it's just...twaddle.

So: mrmikel, as you were kind enough to post, I wanted to reply. Thanks. ;-)

ETA: Oh, I forgot: I also served in the Army. Went through NCO Academy, top of my class. Yup, I'm a snowflake crazy cat lady, that's me.

Hitch

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

Then I must have been on you good side! I have not found any difference, you were also a pleasure to talk with outside the forum.

Toxie:

Because YOU are not a fool! But thanks, I rather like you, too. ;-)

Hitch

[exaltedwombat]

Originally Posted by Hitch

ETA: Oh, I forgot: I also served in the Army. Went through NCO Academy, top of my class. Yup, I'm a snowflake crazy cat lady, that's me.

Add a sense of humour, you'd be perfect! :-)