Is it me ?

[PrinceCharming]

Or do you have to be really intelligent to understand, fit in with people in the internet?It truly seems like it.Wrestling Forums, IMDB, ToonZone, etc.I just can't understand, or get into any coversations.And theirs always the "are you retard" or sarcastic (that doesn't look right, oh well) remarks, that take you a while to get.It just seems like you have to use big words,or be some guinues to be in the in crowd of the net. I don't know what's worst the preteens, teens or adults who pretty much think their more superior.Anyone else see this or do i need a serious IQ test? (this is not a rant, i am neither emo or goth and yes i live in a basement) I really would appricate it if you guys took this thread seriouly.

[veemonjosh]

You don't need to be really intelligent to fit in with people on the internet. I mean, look at GameFAQs and TV.com. Rarely do I see anyone on either site that could be considered "intelligent".

As for people that call other members "retarded" or act extremely sarcastically at them, they're letting out their own stupidity by being jerks.

So no, you don't need an IQ test. It's the jerks that harass you that need one.

[Blackstar]

Well, I don't know what exactly it is that you're having difficulty understanding, but it certainly doesn't take superhuman intelligence to be member of an internet forum. Based on what I've read, you seem smart enough to me. I mean, anyone who would think to ask a question like that is far from being stupid in my books.

As for people who respond with statements such as "You're a retard", my advice is to simply ignore them. People who respond with one sentence rude remarks usually do so because they lack the brain power to come up with an intelligent response. Also, some people are petty and small minded and need to put down other people in order to feel better about themselves. So I wouldn't worry about it. If anyone is stupid, it's them, not you.

[tb4000]

These days, everyone and their grandma has access to the internet, thereby the ones that are jerks and a-holes can just as easily get on.

[J'onn J'onzz]

I've never thought of this as much of a problem. One of my main problems with the internet definitely wouldn't be that it's too smart... Like Josh said, there are a lot of sites, like TV.com and GameFAQs (and IMDB, IMO, though you don't seem to think so) where most of the posters aren't very informed or intelligent.

[Master Toon]

I don't want to sound like I'm super smart but it seems like I'm the only intelligent person online at times. People always spread lies about people/shows/movies they don't like and other forum members feed into it. Then you have people who don't just injure grammar but they kill it. Sometimes I don't even understand what they're saying and I'm afraid that (in some cases) if I correct them and tell them how bad they spell, I'll get in trouble for it and that can ruin a discussion. The only forums that I feel that people are on my level are here at Toon Zone and Computer Help forums. It feels like I'm rambling, so I'll get to the point, PrinceCharming, you probably have a bad way at wording things. I've got that problem and I hate when people ask me if I'm dumb or get sarcastic and ask me what I'm talking about. Most people don't even ask me to explain what I meant. To me, it's very clear but maybe to others it's not. I hope that helps a bit, if not, all I can say is ignore people like that and make sure to never lose your cool.

[Temple Fugate]

Sometimes I don't even understand what they're saying and I'm afraid that (in some cases) if I correct them and tell them how bad they spell, I'll get in trouble for it and that can ruin a discussion. The only forums that I feel that people are on my level are here at Toon Zone and Computer Help forums. It feels like I'm rambling, so I'll get to the point, PrinceCharming, you probably have a bad way at wording things. I've got that problem and I hate when people ask me if I'm dumb or get sarcastic and ask me what I'm talking about.I have to agree on these points. I think the superficial internet users will take a quick glance at what someone writes and, if they don't like it, they assume the person who said it is an idiot for not thinking the exact same way they do. "He doesn't like my favorite show? He must be retarded." More people need to realize that what they think is not the end-all be-all of everything. Tolerance of others' opinions is not just a good idea, it is a CRUCIAL element to socialization.

Now, if I may be one of those jerks who points out bad spelling and grammar... There are those on the net who will attack the wording of the message as a means of attacking the message itself, and that has absolutely no basis in rational discussion. It only serves to demean the original poster, and it paints the guy who picks on the poster's spelling as an ignorant jerk. If you wish to avoid these types of unfortunate confrontations, you should definitely concentrate on proofreading your own posts so that you can communicate to others as effectively as possible. I've gone ahead and highlighted the mistakes in your post:
Or do you have to be really intelligent to understand, fit in with people in the internet?It truly seems like it.Wrestling Forums, IMDB, ToonZone, etc.I just can't understand, or get into any coversations.And theirs always the "are you retard" or sarcastic (that doesn't look right, oh well) remarks, that take you a while to get.It just seems like you have to use big words,or be some guinues to be in the in crowd of the net. I don't know what's worst the preteens, teens or adults who pretty much think their more superior.Anyone else see this or do i need a serious IQ test? (this is not a rant, i am neither emo or goth and yes i live in a basement) I really would appricate it if you guys took this thread seriouly.
Adults are always going to think they're superior to younger types because, well, in most cases they are. The trick is that it is wrong for them to flaunt their superiority. Older, wiser, and/or smarter people should be helping the younger and/or less experienced people, not kicking them in the shins and then laughing at them. It sets a dangerous example that those youngsters will be more likely to follow for the next generation, and so on.

And yeah, I use big words. :) But I hope you can understand what I mean.

[Wanted]

Sometimes, you have to know what you're talking about to be able to make it in certain discussions... thus is the reason I never participate in talkbacks. People seem to scrutinize TV shows down to the frame, and I was never that type of person.

[PrinceCharming]

I just wanted to point out that i'm twenty years old.I don't mind been corrected and yes i'm bad at wording things and i do profread, but it sounds better in my mind then on paper.I really didn't want this thread to be or sound like it's about me.I really appricate you guys for taking this thread seriously and for responding.

[Patchwork]

Sometimes, you have to know what you're talking about to be able to make it in certain discussions... thus is the reason I never participate in talkbacks.

It's the same for me. I do jump into talkbacks, but not very often unless I'm very familiar with the source material, or if I've got something to say that hasn't been said yet (and it usually has).
The thing is, it's not just knowing what you're talking about, it's also being able to explain it, and give a rounded and understandable post so WE know you know what you're talking about. (That's probabaly where all the smarty-pantsness comes from.)
Still, it's not necessary to write a full three page essay to explain yourself; an intelligent sentence or paragraph will do just fine.

I think maybe Prince's observation also comes from the fact that many folks on ToonZone and on imdb are also nerds and/or geeks, and being one myself, I know we really love to overanylize and overexplain stuff a lot. (Shoot, right now, I'm working on an essay pondering the metaphorical aspects of God in The Brave Little Toaster because my wacked out noggin considers that fun)

And smarty-pants folks also have tendencies be really sarcastic and/or snotty and/or smug.
That part, though, really just kinda goes with the Internet territory, which is really just filled with jerks. You just gotta roll with the punches.

I've found it really depends on the forum. You can either end up with rediculous in-depth overanylitical intellectuals, or bunch of guys talking in quasi-733t and chuckling like Bevis and Butthead with mispelling abound.
ToonZone, I think more leans to the latter, but we're really in the middle.

Edit: Also, this is a really interesting topic. Usually it's the old there's-too-many-morons-online subjects, and it's cool to see the other side of the spectrum being explored for once.

[AlgeaX]

I hardly think calling someone a retard is a feat of intellectual prowess. The last criticism I'd levy at the Internet is that there are to many smart people. The day when that is the worst thing you can say about the net is the day we achieve Utopia.

[SirLemming]

Intelligence and knowledge are not the same thing. People may know more about a subject than you do, but that may just mean they spend more of their time collecting useless information. Or, more innocently, it may simply mean they've been around these communities for longer and have picked up on various inside jokes and discussions that have come to characterize the community. In either case, it doesn't mean they're smarter than you.

[Antiyonder]

Thing is, that those who make a critical comment like you suck, you're retarded and/or you're dumb, without any reason for their comment are just saying it because they can. The only critical comments worth listening to are those that are civil and have a reason for the remark.

[Shawn Hopkins]

Honestly, if you really want to fit in with the vast majority of people on the Internet, it actually helps to be a special kind of stupid. For most people Internet debates aren't about logic or rational discussion or even socializing, they're about picking a position and defending it regardless of reality. Admitting that the other person might have a point is a sign of weakness and the person who gets the last word wins. If people point out things that are legitimately wrong with what you posted, there are several techniques to use including narrowing the discussion to where it only focuses on one point where you are right, coming up with convoluted highly personal definitions of things that make you right, nitpicking every line of the person's post for grammatical and other mistakes to discredit them, pretending the thing you stated as fact was an opinion and erroneously claiming opinions can't be wrong and calling the other person liberal, Bushie, retarded or homosexual.

One thing that can help you fit in on a forum is to lurk for a little while. Honestly, if you read it you can see if people are generally nice or sarcastic attack bots and adjust your posting style accordingly. Also, take as much care as possible with your posts, look over them and make sure they read okay, make sense and everything is spelled and punctuated right. There's no reason to give people any more ammunition than necessary.

Also, read this. It's a satirical comedy piece, but that doesn't mean it doesn't actually happen all over America every day:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/84023

[SSJPabs]

It's the internet, never expect to make any kind of strong social relationships. It can happen but it can take as much effort as it would in the real world. That said, I'd say do you own thing, I think it's usually a waste of time to try and "fit in" on any part of the internet. If a post interests you comment on it and don't take it personally if no one replies or if people reply negatively. A lot of times someone will reply to something I wrote with a lot of heat and about half the time it's because they didn't get what I wrote. That may be because they read it wrong, or because I wasn't clear so engage them again while staying calm and they often stay calm too.

That said you really do need to work on good spelling. Some forums are more forgiving than others, but if you're 20 years old a basic effort probably should be made. But in my case, that's what the edit button is for!

Oh, and no matter how often you do your own thing, be polite.

[Harvey Two Face]

So much communication is lost through the internet due being unable to represent effective sarcasm or other social gestures. Overall it leads to miscommunication and possible arguments between people, for example, unable to effectively use sarcasm.

[Rook]

Or do you have to be really intelligent to understand, fit in with people in the internet?It truly seems like it.Wrestling Forums, IMDB, ToonZone, etc.I just can't understand, or get into any coversations.And theirs always the "are you retard" or sarcastic (that doesn't look right, oh well) remarks, that take you a while to get.It just seems like you have to use big words,or be some guinues to be in the in crowd of the net. I don't know what's worst the preteens, teens or adults who pretty much think their more superior.Anyone else see this or do i need a serious IQ test? (this is not a rant, i am neither emo or goth and yes i live in a basement) I really would appricate it if you guys took this thread seriouly.
International Internet Procedure [Observation by lurking.]

Inquiry [What forums are you going to?
What section in those forums are you talking in?
What kind of place is the forum to begin with?
What are you saying in those forums?
What are you saying in response to what you or someone else is saying?]

Information [Knowing the difference between stupidity, sarcasm, and a retard becomes intuitive once you've acquired experience.]

Information [Ultimately, the internet has no set rules. Just sectors governed by whomever is in control. Even if that controller is a ignorant 13 yr old know it all that uses all caps.]

Informational Tip [Try to ignore grammar police. This tends to lead and/or prolong a flame war.]

Humor? [Just make sure the day when one can stick their arm through the monitor you are ready to smash it with a hammer.]