Old baiters never die... Or do they?

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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:02 pm

On a slow afternoon in the office, I've been digging through the memberlist and some old posts from before my time, and I came up with an observation that made me quite worried....

It seems like on average, an active member tends to die off and give up baiting at around the 1 to 2 year point, or around 1500-2500 posts.
There is a veritable mountain of a scrapheap in the archives of once great baiters, mentors, and even Moderators who all seemed extremely popular, but drifted away like an abandoned pirate ship into the misty oceans, never to return..
The amount of people who get banned with 2000 and odd posts under their belts is quite scarey too, I mean how do you manage that?

It's just made me aware of my own eater mortality. Crying or Very sad

Some day, it seems, something happens that causes all this to end! Crying or Very sad

So what happens? Do you just get sick of discussing the same things over and over? The same bits of advice trotted out? Is there only so much you can say on one board?

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:15 pm

Life is a journey. Interests, priorities, friends, and values tend to change. That's a good thing, and a bad thing. Very Happy

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:21 pm

....I think Mugatu should be banned for bringing this up....

Wink

I started to write my hypothesis on this, but realized I don't really have a clue. I think sometimes people just get weighed down by the sheer immensity of pulling of a really impressive bait.

Tell you what, Mugatu. I pledge to NOT leave before YOU do. Twisted Evil

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:26 pm

There are probably as many reasons for moving on as there are people who do it. Often it's just related to loss of free time (having a child, for example, or a new job, or a new romantic partner who you'd rather spend time with over a cafe full of mugus). Other times it's related to personality conflict, whether real or just perceived, with others in the forum. Sometimes these personality conflicts escalate, leading to bans or resignations (very often these are high profile), other times people just quietly leave.

There's also a sizable burnout factor, after a while almost all the lads seem to sound the same & baiting them seems less and less appealing as it goes. Especially when you hear the countless stories of the horrendous experiences of victims -- sometimes this is useful for baiting motivation, but other times it's just disheartening.

Still other baiters are drawn into other anti-scam activities not related to baiting (some of the aa419 crew, as just one such example), or dealing with other types of scams, and as a result their activity here drops off.

Will it happen to you? or me? maybe. who knows what the future holds.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:36 pm

Typically, Mugatu, it takes about 2,500 posts on this board for the mugu hitmen to figure our where you live. Then, you stop posting on the board.

Bruin

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:32 pm

Yeah, that's why I'm trying to keep my post count as low as I can! Laughing

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Firehouse summed it up very well, I think.

If you choose to believe him.

Personally, I blame it on the UFO people.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:54 pm

@Tsnerd: postcount 15? So, you will never die?!

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:21 pm

I joined: Nov 09, 2006
I baited for six months or so, then faded away.

And now, ~1 year later, I am back, and I don't intend to leave in the forseeable future Rolling Eyes

All the fun things(and the members) just pulled me back Smile

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:35 pm

Then explain SP......

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

There's no explaining him.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:51 pm

SP is just a post bot. He randomly gathers and assembles words from previous posts and tries to make them into a sentence. That's why his posts never make sense. It's not really anything special.

Mugatu, the reason for the banning around post 2000 is because that's when the vote takes place. If they don't like you, they band you. They figure 2k posts are enough to help determine that.

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:06 am

I have moved away from scambaiting twice, and twice came back.

The first time I lost interest, was due to various reasons: novelty value wearing off, too many people on board (I suddenly saw people I've never noticed who had a post count almost as big as mine) and started to get more seriously involved with warning victims personally (this one might seem strange at first, but I was 16 at the time, so it was becoming a bit frightnening and too serious). And besides this, I was never a good baiter, so it saddened that I tried so hard but never achieved anything significant with my baits.

Obviously I missed this kind of fun after a year or so, and then came back. I was actually on one of my finest baits, when my father discovered the emails from that bait (I took care of safety from the scammers, but didn't do enough to shield my baiting from the ones inside the house). I was still a minor, and sharing the house with my parents, who are very wary of internet security. My father didn't really understand what was happening, nor if it had anything to do with me, so nothing serious happened, but that was my sign to stop baiting altogether until I had a bit more independence.

Which happens now, two years later, as I'm in university and have my own computer.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 70

I changed my name. I did stop baiting but I never stop reading posts. I have been on various anti scamming websites for about 4years now. I havent baited for about a year... not that i dont want to I'm procastinating Embarassed

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 2:41 am

In my case I stopped baiting for a while. This was due to a surgery I had.
I stopped for about 4 months + . The medicine which kept me feeling good and work kept me from baiting.
Not being able to bait with a clear head. Was a deterrent.

I came to the conclusion that I really enjoy baiting. I will bait as long as possible. I had to read before I started baiting again.

True Mugatu a lot of good baiters have left the forum. I guess sometimes you do have to take a break. After I came back, the same scams were still circulating. I hope that some of the seasoned baiters will come back to their playground.

edit

We are not old baiters, were are wise and experienced baiters Cool

Forever n00b Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 432

After you get to the ultimate baiting level and start burying lads you get to the top secret basement level and are prohibited from surfacing to post here. Except for me of course. Since I was the first to push a lad off a mountain I am permitted certain indulgences from time to time. Wink

By the way, nobody saw me do it, the body is long gone, you can't prove anything, so don't even bother to try. It'll only piss me off. Razz

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:15 am

Like I always say: there is a life outside and after Eater. (best example is Shiver)

Some members tend to forget it whilst they are hooked Wink

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:20 am

Uh.. Bustyn? You left some evidence behind, want me to mail it to you? Wink

Forever n00b Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 432

sheboppe wrote:

Uh.. Bustyn? You left some evidence behind, want me to mail it to you? Wink

. . . I left some evidence behind? I thought you were taking care of clean up on that last one! Shocked

Don't bother sending it to me. Bury it in your annoying neighbor's backyard. Wink

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:35 am

I did clean up the last one, but when you came by to make sure that EVERYTHING was gone, you dropped some evidence out of your bag.

I'll bury it over there, maybe it will make them decide to move out. That is some pretty spooky stuff you left. Shocked

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:04 am

Firehouse pretty much nailed it, AFAIC. Lives change and priorities change, and spare time becomes no time on occasion. I've been absent the last few months due to a new job where surfing the net is verboten... but managed to turn up again recently, as bad pennies always do Wink

Quote:

The amount of people who get banned with 2000 and odd posts under their belts is quite scarey too, I mean how do you manage that?

It takes some doing. Rolling Eyes

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:36 am

We like our bad pennies. It's nice to see you back, SF. Very Happy

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:11 am

Is that nice as in , "I'm glad you're back", or nice as in "Oh yippee, another member to restock the Mod Lounge Pimms bar"? Laughing

Kidding, it's good to be back in the asylum. People out in the real world scare me! Shocked

BTW, the green looks good on ya, Sheboppe! Very Happy

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:18 am

That is in "I'm glad that you are back." I got used to stocking the Pimms bar in the Mod Lounge while you were gone. It's true that it is a little safer in here than out there on the streets of the city. Thanks SF - I'll wear my green on St. Paddy's Day! Very Happy

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:00 am

This is a dang good topic, Mugatu. And there are some dang good responses and insights posted here. My 2 cents worth? Glad you asked!

"Baiter burnout" is a very real thing. I experienced it in the late summer, where one more request for an MTCN or contact-my-lawyer was going to send me right over the falls. I thought that made me a failure or a freak, and was too chicken to post anything aboot it in here. I confided in a few people (names changed to protect the innocent) who advised that such things are to be expected and that maybe I should step back for a while. Actually most of them just said "get the hell out", but Attol*, Nstay Nurse*, Bertsay*, and the then-new OldGabYdal* asked me to stick around. I was assured that the door would always be open here, and that many "fallen" baiters have taken time off and returned. Crazily enough, all I needed was 2 weeks off and I was back again in full force.

So who knows... maybe those "missing" members you speak of will return some day, re-charged and ready to take on old Charlie and Maryam once again. A month, a year, a decade, no matter. Corrupt military dictators die - baiters live forever!

* See? Toldya the names were changed! Very Happy

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