Anyone else get anxious posting on the forums?

[XanderYoung]

Whenever I make a reply to anything on the internet, I get crazy nervous about what people will think about it. I start obsessing over whether people will reply and sometimes just straight up delete the post. My hands shake and my heart races. That (1) on the speech bubble fills me with dread. It's especially bad here, when my username is tied to my work. Does this happen to anyone else/have any advice?

[Alexandritea]

I get like this often when i type about a sensitive topic, and also when i feel like my text MIGHT offend someone in some way, but i don't know how to put my texts in other words. but what i have started to try and tell myself is that i must try stop caring so much... that sounds harsh, but for me it was for my own good. as of right now, i'm not as anxious to post comments, otherwise i wouldn't be able to post anything here right now xD

(saying "stop caring" i don't mean not caring about others in that way... it's hard to explain, it's a personal thing i tell myself, i'm a very soft hearted person and always sees something lovely in everyone. but i try to not care what others think about my posts.)

i wish you luck in the future, take care <3

[XanderYoung]

Thanks for the reply. I've done my best to distance myself mentally but it's harder since on this site my name is tied to my comic, so i'm not really anonymous.

[infectedbloodcomics]

I'm not anxious, but I do stop and ponder quite a bit, at times, ebcause I want to make sure I'm conveying my thoughts correctly and wording them clearly. Other than that, nope You shouldn't worry too much, people here seem quite relaxed and making mistakes is inevitable, it's part of life. Give it your best shot and don't be hard on yourself!

[SpavVy]

I don't get nervous at all, I do however stop and think for a while and I try to stay friendly but by nature I am a vary blunt person and I tell it the way it is, I don't sugar coat it. If I know I said something wrong and if someone calls me out on it then I'll apologize but other than that nope.

[zelkats]

You're not the only one. My social anxiety gets so bad that I rarely reply or post around in the forums these days. You don't know the number of times I've written long essays in drafts and discarded them without posting XD

I guess I'm replying here right now because this topic is something I can relate to better. Not caring about how others think is definitely easier said than done. I definitely need some reassurance sometimes that the things I say make sense, are inoffensive and relevant, so I have consulted close friends before posting a few times. Definitely not the best way to fight my anxiety but hey, at least it's a way to get me to say something. I do regret some posts I've made but I try to suck it up and not delete them.

I do know that hiding and keeping quiet doesn't make us less anxious in the long run. So we gotta find ways to feel okay about talking to people in public forums (I deal better in chatrooms and real life environments strangely lol).

[nobody]

Tapastic is actually the only online forum I've ever participated in. I think the community here is very friendly, and you can usually disagree with people without it getting nasty or disrespectful.

There are only a few instances where I've thought that some people have been unreasonable in the way they've addressed others (and the few times I've seen it, it's been on topics that aren't actually "loaded" or political or anything, it's usually on rather neutral topics, if that makes sense). But no one has ever been unreasonable or harsh with me here, I've only talked to nice people I guess

And that's probably got to do with the fact that our usernames are tied to our work. You don't want to come off as an unpleasant person when you're here in professional business. And for me personally, this forum is a great way to connect with others like myself - I don't have much of a comic creator network around me, tapastic is pretty much the only place where I can talk to other comic creators and share ideas and hear what they have to say on things. Now I've been on summer vacation for a while, so I've had extra time to be active here, will probably be a lot less active once I start working again...

But yeah, I can get nervous about commenting sometimes too. I've always been self-conscious about how I express myself, and especially because English isn't my native language.

[Vikiro_Hop]

First of all, I think all who have posted so far have been wonderfully articulate!

Social anxiety can be tricky especially if you want to make a good impression. I think everyone here really puts in the effort to be nice (networking doesn't work if your an asshole) and in the long run having fun and making some good friends. Like what @ingunn said we are tethered to our work so it helps make everything copacetic.

Even then I definitely get nervous from time to time, mostly because I can go on and on about anything. Despite my best efforts I can definitely get self conscious about how I portray myself and how people perceive me, but in the end I think it all works out.

[joannekwan]

Yeah, sometimes I second guess what I post, but usually I try to sound as helpful and non-intimidating as possible. You know, to let others know there's an actual person behind the keyboard. And I think that's what every one should keep in mind in any forum. Being respectful and courteous always helps and never forget to say "please", "thank you", and "sorry" when appropriate.

[pekingduck]

I am with @infectedbloodcomics on the point about clarity and wording.

However, I do feel some anxiety and nervousness sometimes when posting. When I first posted a new topic on these forums (which also happened to be the very first post I ever made here), I had the Tapastic Forum rules open in a separate and would switch to read it as I wrote out my post because I was worried I might break the rules somehow.

After posting the topic (and after making posts in general), I also

...start obsessing over whether people will reply...

and worry if I did anything wrong, if I rambled or reiterated someone's idea or opinion without adding to the discussion.
In short, I guess it could be said that I am nervous about post quality and whether or not my post(s) meet the standards of others.

Even though I do not have any works on Tapastic like some other forum users and thus do not really have anything connected with my username as @ingunn said, I still wish to retain an amiable persona and do not want to add on to the hostility that the Internet is already full of.

[abbastudios]

As long as I'm writing the truth, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks.

When I give an opinion, I'm entitled to mine just like anyone else.

This is the same way I operate when I'm speaking to someone in the natural world.

My friends have called me "brutally honest" Those that can't handle it, aren't my friends and avoid getting themselves in that situation.

[eagle1]

I seriously don't worry about it. If I realise that people are taking something I said out of context, I do my best to correct that, same as when people start twisting my words, but for the most part, I am not a reactionary. My opinions are carefully thought out, sometimes years in advance, and correspond to my other positions, so I am unlikely to get caught defending or supporting something that I don't feel strongly about, and have logical reasons (rather than thinly rationlised emotional reasons) for.

In the end, all people have to judge you on in the forums is your posts, so just be sure that you are speaking your mind, the truth, and not harming anyone, and you will be fine.

Eagle
(And being blunt has gotten me in some flame wars)

[DynamoToon]

It's understandable. I mean, with so many differing opinions (ESPECIALLY online) you're bound to meet SOMEONE who will take it offensively. The best thing you can do is to not worry about it, and if you encounter any hostility answer it calmly and concisely. Besides, you're talking to other people, not some alien race who will disintegrate the Earth with one wrong word. Although some people act that way.

[getsuart]

Friendly community helps a lot. Otherwise I am sometimes a bit anxious.
AND also I get extremelly nervous when I can't fully explain myself on some questions, mostly because of a lack of language/bad use of a language. Or my words makes people confused and I'm like "woah no that's not what I mean wait I don't know how to say it argh nooo".

[serenitysquirrel]

Nope. They're all people I'll probably never see, or friends I might make. My social anxiety issues are oddly pretty much for just in-person when I can read their body language and see their eyes. Forums and places I can type out my thoughts at my own pace aren't an issue.

[TAMAnnoying]

It depends on how comfortable I am with the community. But i will say I often forget that this is a written language and people PROB wouldn't understand some of the things im saying when i type them out cause in my mind im using a sarcastic tone or a goofy accent :v I try to show my sillyness with emots but they can only be so useful. Its good to just be yourself but its also good to remember that people don't always understand your tone of voice in a simple text.

[AnnaLandin]

I do a LOT of typing out a long, detailed answer to something, and then deleting it without posting. Granted, this is mostly in threads that where something serious and controversial is being discussed, but it remains true most of the time.

I think it helps to take your time writing a post, and seriously thinking about what you write.

Something else that might help is to start by posting in "safe" threads - not that the rest of Tapastic isn't safe! - like the threads welcoming new authors, or the How Did You Find A Title For Your Comic-thread, or similar discussions. Those threads are low-risk places to post, because they're pretty much guarranteed to not derail into arguments, and are fun ways to get to know people without really risking anything. That way, you can get used to the habit of posting, and establish yourself on the forums, in a context that is safe and without risk.

[ArtistHan]

I used to be quite anxious! But I kept posting regardless and most importantly, found a few people who are consistently nice/fair and they balanced out my dread of mean people haha Good job for making this thread even though you're anxious! One step at a time.

[ashriott]

Eeek all the time really, especially when I first started posting on the forums... But after doing it for a while, it's not so bad >< Even so I'm still too anxious when it comes to posting strong opinions or "debating" against a topic etc... I'm too afraid to offend anyone, and then I'll be judged. Don't judge me, I never meant to hurt anyone!!! D:

From the way I see it, the Tapastic community is awesome and the people are genuinely fair and open minded. So I don't really know what's there to worry about. I think I'm just overly self-conscious @_@