Are things seriously this horrible on Specktra?

[jbid]

i'm on specktra at least 6 hours a day, (yeah, i'm procrastinating!) even though i don't post a lot. so, i'm like a silent observer.
specktra is the first and only for me, so i can't really compare to other forums, but it always amazes me how some "rude" (not rude, but not polite as well) comments can be replied as "i think you misunderstand me" and the tension dissapears in a minute. i think ppl here are so kind that they wanna avoid argument, even when "attacked".
i don't find it cliquey, however there are "specktra celebrities" and they attract much more attention than anybody else. i think it's pretty natural, they make more efforts.
about the navigation: i find it easy to understand and it is well organized, with a good search engine and each subforum has a good description. and i adore "view first unread"!

you shouldn't care so much, you're doing a great job and you're appreciated!

ps: i think my english wasn't enough to express myself. in short, i love specktra!

 

[blindpassion]

Something else I want to add after thinking about this for a bit,
If people find Specktra an "offensive and rude" makeup community, then they are, in my honest opinion, VERY sensitive...

This is not an offensive or rude forum... I've never received such gracious replies to things I've posted as I have here on Specktra.

I also wanted to show everyone an example of what a crappy, catty forum is. I am part of a social networking site (not facebook), and we have a forums section. One of the threads is for people to post pictures of themselves (its called Picture Addicts Anonymous)

To give everyone an example of what a rude forum is, I opened any one of the threads with some ones posted picture in it and read the replies.
A girl posted three pictures of her and her friends, cute pics, just them having fun.

Here are the replies.
"YOU ARE SO DISGUSTING"
"so much ugly"
"i never want mo's. Or to look at your pictures. I seriously regret opening this."

Those were the only replies.
Except for one other reply commenting on something inside the photo, not the people themselves.

Thats what most of the replies in any of the threads are like. That is an offensive and rude community forum. This, Specktra, is not.


<3 love to all my wonderful specktrettes.

 

[macedout]

keep up the great work, and ignore the negative-its just jealousy. it is simply the very BEST forum, feels like a big family, and i too am on several times a day! so welcoming....anyone who says contrary obviously is speaking out of ignorance!

 

[MacPinkFlamingo]

In my humble opinion, I am just happy that those who don't like Specktra have another place to go to that they enjoy. I have loved this site from my first visit and I now happily spend 95% of my online browsing time right here! Have I visited other forums? Yep. Were some of them good? Yeah. However, for whatever reason(s) I did not (and still do not) frequent any of them very often. I can honestly say that once I found Specktra, I just stopped thinking about other places that did not work for me; consequently, the last thing I would be interested in doing is discussing forums I liked less, here on a forum I love. For me, that would tangle my Specktra experience with things that are: A) in the past; B) unpleasant; C) unimportant (given that I found somewhere I do enjoy being); and D) (most importantly to me) a distraction from MAC and makeup-related discourse (which is the entire reason I wished for an online community to belong to in the very first place!) So in that spirit I would like to focus on what I love about Specktra, rather than what I dislike anywhere else...

1. I love the care that the moderators take to ensure I (we) have a quality experience at each and every visit.
2. I find the thread topics engaging, informative, and carefully organized. The well-groomed site makes discussions livelier and (for a relative newbie like me) easier to search, follow, and join-in.
3. 4 words: Clearance bin! Loves it!
4. I like the posts counter and reputation point tally because I can see how active people are and I feel good when someone thanks me for a post. (Maybe that sounds silly but so what!
   
   )
5. I appreciate the wide variety of smiley faces I can choose from. Sometimes I need a smiley face that is making an obscene hand gesture
   
   
   or one that just looks obscene for no good reason
   
   ...
6. I love all the inside scoop I read about upcoming MAC collections, and don't even start me on the swatches! How awesome is buying online when you can view a product on someone's skin?!?!?!?!
7. I LOVE to talk about makeup and even more specifically MAC makeup! I always feel my time is well spent here and I ALWAYS learn something each visit.
8. Finally, this is just my favorite site that is devoted to my favorite (and only) hobby--MAC! I have listed some of my most favorite aspects of Specktra in this post. Overall my perference for Specktra is based on my personal likes and expectations which are a reflection of me and who I am, not this site or any other.

I guess what I am trying to convey is that even if I had strong feelings of dislike about other sites, my instinct is to appreciate the good about where I am instead of giving attention to the bad from where I was. I love Specktra and if I come across something that I would like to see changed/added/improved (because I think it would benefit everyone not just me) I'll make a post and find the perfect smiley face to acessorize it!

Now, without further ado can we get back to our regularly scheduled eye liner?!?!!??!

 

[burnitdown_x]

The LJ site is boring anyway. I love specktra, but I've gotta say... I do agree with some of those things. I feel that some of the posters have strong opinions and feel the need to prove others wrong. Other than that, specktra is a great site, and it's soooo helpful. Where would we be without the upcoming collection information?

 

[Janice]

Ok, so seriously to those who have alluded there is an issue with some posters could you please PM me or IM me to discuss the issues there are with those certain people? Like I said previously I *need* information to make any positive changes I can to the forum atmosphere.

Thanks to everyone for all your kind and loving words.

 

[Susanne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by coachkitten Well I am sad that people feel the need to post such nasty things about Specktra. I am a member of other boards but I have chosen to spend 99% of my time on Specktra because of the FRIENDLY and HELPFUL members and because the site is easy to navigate. Also the mods are a big part of why I stay here as well. You are all helpful and do a great job making this site such a fun place to be. I think it boils down to that you can't please everyone. That is why the internet is such a great thing because people can pick and choose which boards they want to spend time at. No one is forcing those people to be here. I have been a member of Specktra for over 2 1/2 years and I have never been made to feel like I didn't belong here or that people were rude to me. I enjoy that I can come here and not feel judged or afraid to voice my opinion. Janice I think that Specktra is the best beauty site around and I am proud to be a part of it. To each their own. Please don't take it personal.

As you all know English is not my first language, but I have never had any problems to find my way and my place here on Specktra!!

I am so proud of being an accepted member even if my English is not the best sometimes.
I love being here and meeting so many nice people all over the world who share my passion for MAC

Specktra is much more than just a beauty site (MAC is more than beauty, it is an attitude to life

), it is a place to make friends and everyone is welcomed here!

Thanks so much Janice and all you others from the staff for all your hard work here to make this site such a wonderful place. We love you for that!

 

[aziajs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blindpassion Something else I want to add after thinking about this for a bit, If people find Specktra an "offensive and rude" makeup community, then they are, in my honest opinion, VERY sensitive... This is not an offensive or rude forum... I've never received such gracious replies to things I've posted as I have here on Specktra. I also wanted to show everyone an example of what a crappy, catty forum is. I am part of a social networking site (not facebook), and we have a forums section. One of the threads is for people to post pictures of themselves (its called Picture Addicts Anonymous) To give everyone an example of what a rude forum is, I opened any one of the threads with some ones posted picture in it and read the replies. A girl posted three pictures of her and her friends, cute pics, just them having fun. Here are the replies. "YOU ARE SO DISGUSTING" "so much ugly" "i never want mo's. Or to look at your pictures. I seriously regret opening this." Those were the only replies. Except for one other reply commenting on something inside the photo, not the people themselves. Thats what most of the replies in any of the threads are like. That is an offensive and rude community forum. This, Specktra, is not. <3 love to all my wonderful specktrettes.

I'm glad that you posted that. That is an example of an "offensive and rude" makeup community where that type of behavior is allowed and reflective of the overall culture of the community. Specktra is nothing like that but that is not to say that there are not rude and offensive people within the community. That is extreme and completely unnecessary. I think the rude and offensive behavior I see here is a lot more subtle because what you explained would never be tolerated here.

 

[NtheSticks]

Janice;
your site isn't unfriendly; horrible; clique-ish; or any of a few other words I've read.
is it easy to navigate? about as easy as any other forum type website.
is it friendly, helpful, and full of good content? yes. Good tips for skin, techniques, and so forth.
Are many of the styles 'over the top' or overly dramatic? this site does seem to have a flair for the dramatic group. But so? I'm not and don't feel imposed upon. And as a previous image consultant for another company, I do know some things about the canvas that is our face.

I'm a member of LJ. I'm a member of some other sites for other discussions. I can only say those who 'this site sucks' or 'this site is FULL of rude people' need to get a thicker skin. Get over it.

Have a blast

 

[lizardprincesa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ♥MiCHiE♥ ...You can't have it all, IMO. Specktra is a great community, but not everyone will like it. Same with LJ.

I agree!

Specktra is a microcosm of the world;
any group of people, cyber or not, will be similar.
xxxxCherylFaithxxxx
​

 

[FiestyFemme]

I wouldn't post on LJ simply because people aren't nearly as friendly as they are here, and also because I can't stand LJ format. I love Specktra! I lurked forever before I finally got the courage to post. It wasn't because I thought anyone would be mean to me, but mostly because I was intimidated by the wealth of knowledge people have here. I'm glad I decided to start posting though, as I enjoy sharing what I know and learning more from others. I really can't find any fault with Specktra. It's a resource I'm very glad to have.

 

[devin]

I absolutely love this site and think that you all do a wonderful job of maintaining it. This is one of the few forums I still visit. I appreciate your hard work and dedication. Like someone said earlier, you can't please everyone, there will always be exceptions to the rule.

 

[Patricia]

i forgot to add, i've been on that LJ community for YEARS (i'm talking about 2003, even before i had bought my first MAC product) and in the beginning it wasn't that bad, there were a few regulars posting fotds, really good ones, and lots of info

BUT NOW it's just basically sales sales sales and a bunch of stupid girls thinking the own the place... i don't like it anymore

 

[glam8babe]

i posted on that LJ specktra thing the other day saying how i love specktra more.. and now its deleted.

They must be deleting all the nice comments, sad!

 

[melliquor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glam8babe i posted on that LJ specktra thing the other day saying how i love specktra more.. and now its deleted. They must be deleting all the nice comments, sad!

omg... that is just wrong. Another reason to dislike LJ.

 

[Briar]

I really love the Specktra site. I'm not a terribly active member, I mostly post FOTDs and occasionally in some of the other topics so I may not have a representative experience but overall I've been thrilled. The few times my posts have been "ignored" were in the recomendations thread, I just figured people didn't have answers to my questions. I certainly didn't take it personally. I love the diversity here, and that's what keeps me coming back. I will say that I've been saddened to see people who've had a more "punky" look with facial piercings and whatnot disappear. They'll post FOTDs for a month or two and get little to no comments from others on their looks. I'm sure that's discouraging and it does appear as if people who prefer an alternative look aren't appreciated. That being said, overall I love this community and find it friendly and easy to use. I've learned so much about makeup application, and makeup in general here.

Thanks Janice and the Mods for all the hard work you do!

 

[revinn]

I literally come on this site as soon as I get home. It's my home page!! I love Specktra, everything about it. I find it easy to navigate, and there's no feeling like the feeling I get from seeing info about a new collection, or seeing a new post in the swatches thread. GAWD, I sound like the biggest dork..haha, but I don't care. I like that you have choices on this site, you can discuss ANY of your passions here. Do I think it can get cliquey here? Occasionally. Do I think that sometimes people COME OFF as rude? Occasionally. I don't always feel comfortable posting, but I know that no one would ever cross a line on this site, which is why I keep coming back. Anytime you have communication over the Internet, people will sometimes take things the wrong way. You can't hear each others tones or anything like that; miscommunication is to be expected. That's why I don't consider those little things a problem, nor would I ever stop coming here just for that. I love Specktra, keep up the good work!!

 

[Shadowy Lady]

Hi Janice,

I read some of the comments and thought I post my take on this too. I've been a member for around 6 months now. Specktra is definietly one of the best online communities I've ever been a member of. That, plus you are the only admin that is so caring that comes and asks ppl if they think they're mistreated and such. I think that is rare and makes me like this website and you so much more

Like some other ppl, I've tried LJ too but it's too difficult to navigate and I don't have the patience to spend time in there. My lunch hour is supposed to be fun and relaxing, so I choose Specktra

Keep up the good work Janice. We love you, ignore all the haters

 

[Nadeshda]

Seriously, I never understood the people who go "ZOMG, it's a clique!! EVIL!!"... this is a forum, members are people, people interact and you feel empathy and you are more drawned to certain people and friendships start to form. What's so unsual and bad about that? Isn't it what we do everyday, and in all sorts of situations? I would be surprised if there *weren't* any cliques on a forum.

Personally, I really like it here. Althought I'm not friends with anyone here, and it's obvious that some people are friends with eachother, I never felt unwelcomed. What I particularly like about this is that I've barely seen any drama. Generally mods close threads or warn people as soon as they see something can create problems, they act really fast and before things can get heated. I also really like to see the admins hanging around and posting... on most forums I go to, they just stand "in the shadows" and only post where there's a database crash, if that! lol

I've been to LJ a couple of times, but I don't have an account or anything, and personally, I just find it confusing. I'm used to vBulletin/phpbb forums with formats similar to Specktra, and it obviously takes a while to figure out where certain threads are, which subforums you like best, but it's not like it's a hard feat, it just takes a couple of days, specially when you become addicted to Specktra and come here like 5 times a day.

 

[miss_supra]

Absolutely not! With any forum you will come across people with strong opinions. Internet can be one of the worst forms of communication because you cannot really tell the intent of what a person is saying. It may seem rude online, but if spoken to in a certain manner in person it can be taken as real undertanding and sincerity. The "talking down" from what I have seen are girls trying to explain things as simple as possible so other can understand. It helped me understand a lot of things.

This place is really tame, and most the people here are super helpful. I wouldn't have been able to complete my dream without the information from this site.

But you always can't please everyone.