I'm pretty much a WYSIWYG myself. I've never believed in "faking it" on the internet. What the hell is the point? And I knew I was a fetus of a babybat when I came here (hence the intimidation).

Far from it <3 <3

I remember being nervous about first posting, finally sitting myself down and writing my introduction (with plenty of edits and on a separate document so I wouldn't leave something out). Based on what I'd seen on another board, my big worry was that people would consider me an ignoramus if I didn't go reading philosophy just for fun (I saw newbies there getting ripped apart if they liked the wrong band/book/movie/ice cream flavor, or someone would drop by and simply post "I don't like you"). It didn't appear that way here, but I was still nervous (would people be able to detect my relative non-Gothiness and reject me?) Plus I was afraid that a moderator would consider my posts stupid and rip me apart.

(I had also joined a different board - Rain knows me from it - where I called myself Odyssey, after the newsletter I create. I didn't take that name here because I feared someone would rip me apart for not knowing the Odyssey backwards and forwards in Greek. The other board is very nice but has very little activity.)

After finally starting to post, I didn't get a lot of responses (heck, people know each other and don't always respond to someone they don't know). That improved with time and I got to know more people who were joining later...
...as well as a special someone who, little did I know, had joined the week before I did... although he didn't post a lot at first.
Plus I could see that Gnet people knew what they were talking about in many different topics, so I grew to respect them. Plus I found that people laughed at my jokes (not many others do).
Now I am glad I am here.
yes, you all know why

Harpy, I can't stand philosophy.

Like her username....

Yes, Harpy is a nice name!

LOL...I meant on your username...

You two both have great usernames!

Thanx..

Oh! Thank you, hun! I like yours, too. It makes me think of a dark cave.

Nice...

I don't even know if I posted in the introduction thread, and if I did I've completely forgotten what I wrote.

Anyway, my first impression of goth.net was that it would be different from other forums where it is nothing but flame war after flame war. In other words, it was obvious when I was reading the rules and guidelines that this board doesn't accept that sort of thing at all, which is great. Goth.net is the first goth forum I've joined, because "vampirefreaks" sounded like it would be full of angsty preteens.

Another part of my very first impression was that there were definately some elitists, and for a while I let them get to me. They were the classic "if you don't have a whole shelf of Bauhaus then you're a poser" type. I don't think they are still active. In a way, though, they helped me overcome some insecurities and become more sure of who I am. They helped me learn that you should never let anyone mold you into what they deem acceptable.

When I first joined, everyone seemed so well-spoken that I was worried that I wouldn't be able to stand up to their level. I've become a lot more confident since then, although I haven't forgotten what I consider to be my embarassing moments (even though no one else probably notices them ).

Overall, spanning from my first impression to this post, goth.net has always represented the Goth subculture in a positive light to me. Most people seem intelligent, thoughtful, and interesting here, which reflects those same characteristics of the subculture.

I dunno. I've only been here a month, but I like the vibe thus far.

Oh, my first impressions: like others have said i thought you were all amazing and awesome and the first time Wolfmammy replied to one of my posts i nearly died of shock/fright, not to mention thinking the PM from Nephele about anagramming was me getting in trouble for saying 'attention whores' (i was too scared to open it for a good few days!)

I hope you don't mind my saying, but coming on here after a hard day is like visiting a house where all my favorite aunties and uncles are perpetually hanging out and talking about interesting topics that i wouldn't even touch on in a month of lunchtimes at school.
I'm still horribly shy *checks over post for the trillionth time for spelling errors or stupid things* but i think i am slowly warming up to the idea of not JUST lurking.

Much like DarklyInclined I had just gotten off from an awful experience on VampireFreaks.com. After that, I started lurking on other goth forums before I considered joining. Goth.net was the only one that befitted me. I think the only members that possibly intimidated me were the mods and admins but I learned that most of their actions were called for (because trolls were most likely present) and that they were cool people nonetheless kiss-ass!

Overall, it was a subtle - but pleasant - first impression. At the time, I was going through my "I love gothic symphonic metal so much" phase, but I was happy that people here didn't bust a fuse over that, as a lot of other people on other goth forums have done. Goth.net really allows one to be themselves, goth or not.

(Sometimes I wish that I had picked a better username, though.)

My Impressions.

I had always been rather shy, so joining this forum was a huge leap for me- posting even bigger of a leap. I had posted once before on an open forum somewhere (medical forum) only to be mocked for asking about Cyst problems.

Anyway, I came here, and started posting. I was a bit unsure of myself and how well I'd be accepted. I also had a bit of a rocky start if I remember correctly, poor Spidey, since I was posting in the wrong threads, etc...And Note, I harbor no ill will to Spidey, if anything it made me really respect this place more than ever when I seen how well kept it was.

Because I had such a hard beginning, I thought that the mods would hate me and the members be annoyed with me so I tried not to start many threads for a while, only a couple here and there and I still have a bit of trepidation when starting a thread at times.

I cannot recall ever feeling anything bad for members most of the time. I do remember that I was in GREAT AWE of both Wolfmammy and Nephele and was deeply honored that they talked to me often when I first joined. I was also in amazement at LS and his posts which always made me laugh or caused me to look something up to see what he meant. I was always smiling at the posts made between him and Harpy- long before they ever came out of the batcave and posted that picture of the two of them. Arquinsiel also enthralled me for his ability at debate and discussion in the Politics section.

In reality, I was just shocked at everything. Here was a group of people who accepted me when no one else did, who thought like me, dressed like me, listened to good music like me...I was just amazed by it all and it took me a while to realize that I was not just dreaming it.

Now, I have had my bad instances. I do not think I am the greatest judge of character over the internet and it can be hard for me to tell intent and personality by reading a few short posts. Sometimes I like people instantly (Like Agent Black) Other times, It can take me a while (Such as Glenn. Yes, I know, hard to believe isn't it?)

I have also had my share of petty fights here, which I wish I had never taken place in. One of those, though I'd never regret.

You see, my first impression of Minnie was that she was hateful and all around just a mean person. It was because we had had a disagreement. I had not even really noticed her too much on the threads until she posted a comment I had made. This caused me to take an instant dislike to her because I felt she distorted my comment- which caused us to take the disagreement to PM.

Taking it to PM was the BEST thing to happen to me. After talking through our issues I rethought my opinion of her, as she did of me I imagine, and since then I have considered her one of my dearest friends. Sometimes I feel I could not be more close to Minnie even if she lived next door to me.

*I Edited. A Lot.*