AN is the nice part of the internet

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.

Hi fellow nurses!

As some of you may know, I am getting married next year :) You know this because I talk about it all the time because I am annoying.

Anyway, having never been married before I am a little lost when it comes to wedding planning so I did something I often do when I am a little lost in my professional life: I turned to an online forum! I won't say the website forum but let's say it has a name derived from something sailors are good at. I figured "I always get such good insight from nurses on AN, I will ask some fellow brides and they will have helpful, wise and useful tips for me!"

WRONG!

Brides (current and former) are MEAN! I asked a question that was (in my opinion) valid and earnest, expecting a few responses to help guide me through this confusion and I was met with such animosity my jaw hit the floor. Me, 27 years old: cyber bullied for the first time! I know it's hard to determine tone over the internet but nearly all of the responses (there were MANY of them) had an unmistakable viciousness to them. It was nuts!!! I was in shock.

Lesson learned, kids. For every newbie on here who thinks they are being "attacked" simply because the responses to their posts don't agree with their personal views, I have one thing to say to you: you don't know how lucky you are here on AN! Avoid the bridezillas!

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I like this.

Yaaaay on your upcoming marriage. I think I blocked it out when my invite got lost in the mail.

Brides can be awful. I agree.

That being said, the MEANEST board I was ever part of was a certain Famous Weight Loss Forum that Watches their Weight. They may even be called Watchers. Even they weren't BAD MEANIES, though. Just snarky, and really hangry.

I've made some of my very best friends on this board. I'm grateful every day for the support and laughs I've had here.

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.
That being said, the MEANEST board I was ever part of was a certain Famous Weight Loss Forum that Watches their Weight. They may even be called Watchers. Even they weren't BAD MEANIES, though. Just snarky, and really hangry.

Calories deprived people can be MEAN. I hear that. I was on a less famous weight loss website a few years ago... they also have an app. I never wrote anything but I was a lurker in the comments and my GOD some of these responses were mean! Nothing "pal" like about it!

FEEEEED ME.

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The advice, insight, and support offered here is like nowhere else I've ever seen. I love this place and I have the best coworkers because of this site!

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I like this.

Yaaaay on your upcoming marriage. I think I blocked it out when my invite got lost in the mail.

Brides can be awful. I agree.

That being said, the MEANEST board I was ever part of was a certain Famous Weight Loss Forum that Watches their Weight. They may even be called Watchers. Even they weren't BAD MEANIES, though. Just snarky, and really hangry.

I've made some of my very best friends on this board. I'm grateful every day for the support and laughs I've had here.

I had the opposite experience with that weight watching board -- the posts were too sugary sweet and sappy. Someone gained two pounds and we all gave her virtual hugs because she only had ONE Krispy Kreme every morning instead of her usual three. Someone had a weight loss and there were virtual cheers everywhere. No one, it seemed, had an IQ above 80 or an education beyond high school and there was no intelligent conversation of anything beyond the ins and outs of the program. I tried talking to them in off topic forums, and it just wasn't happening.

The meanest board was a soap opera forum back in the days of the usenet. I foolishly started my posting career using my real name and my only (work) email address. Within days I had gathered some truly creative (and intelligent) insults and several death threats. When someone emailed me a google map with my house circled in red and threatened to "bring my two trained attack dogs over to rip you to shreds" I backed away from the internet completely for a good long while, and when I started posting again it was with a different user name and a free email address just for posting.

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I had the opposite experience with that weight watching board -- the posts were too sugary sweet and sappy. Someone gained two pounds and we all gave her virtual hugs because she only had ONE Krispy Kreme every morning instead of her usual three. Someone had a weight loss and there were virtual cheers everywhere. No one, it seemed, had an IQ above 80 or an education beyond high school and there was no intelligent conversation of anything beyond the ins and outs of the program. I tried talking to them in off topic forums, and it just wasn't happening.

The meanest board was a soap opera forum back in the days of the usenet. I foolishly started my posting career using my real name and my only (work) email address. Within days I had gathered some truly creative (and intelligent) insults and several death threats. When someone emailed me a google map with my house circled in red and threatened to "bring my two trained attack dogs over to rip you to shreds" I backed away from the internet completely for a good long while, and when I started posting again it was with a different user name and a free email address just for posting.

Soap Opera as in Days of Our Lives???

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Soap Opera as in Days of Our Lives???

"General Hospital." I made the rookie mistake of noting that Carly and Liz were both guilty of lying and cheating, not realizing that Liz was supposed to be a perfect little angel and Carly was supposed to be the devil in disguise. I had NO idea how seriously people took their Carly hatred!

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"General Hospital." I made the rookie mistake of noting that Carly and Liz were both guilty of lying and cheating, not realizing that Liz was supposed to be a perfect little angel and Carly was supposed to be the devil in disguise. I had NO idea how seriously people took their Carly hatred!

That would be akin to rooting for Roman over John Black on DOOL back in the day.

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"General Hospital." I made the rookie mistake of noting that Carly and Liz were both guilty of lying and cheating, not realizing that Liz was supposed to be a perfect little angel and Carly was supposed to be the devil in disguise. I had NO idea how seriously people took their Carly hatred!

Lol I'm one of those Carly haters. well i used to be, now I am a Sam hater lol that's crazy they were sending you death threats. that is why I stay away from Soap boards.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Lol I'm one of those Carly haters. well i used to be, now I am a Sam hater lol that's crazy they were sending you death threats. that is why I stay away from Soap boards.

Carly had mellowed out considerably by the time we threw our TV into the landfill. What has Sam done to bring your ire. (I can think of so many things.). I haven been out of the loop since January.

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Years ago I used to frequent a stop smoking forum. It was around 1999/2000 so back before anything was moderated much. People would cuss you out on that forum. Nicotine deprived people are crabby the first few weeks I suppose.

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Carly had mellowed out considerably by the time we threw our TV into the landfill. What has Sam done to bring your ire. (I can think of so many things.). I haven been out of the loop since January.

I don't know, maybe I'm petty but she just annoys the crap out of me. It might be because I'm a liason fan. lol

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