I have to admit I read through the rules briefly when I first joined but more as a courtesy and the occasional "rule following" part of me pops out. That part of rule following meant reading the rules but it wasn't for the full purpose of understanding how this forum works. Mostly to see if cussing was not permissible cause that meant it was not the place for me and my crude creativity.
How the forum works and the rules was discovered in other threads and a private warning from an administrator when I didn't follow a rule. This pretty much echoes what Anthony already said.
The truth of the matter is none of us would be here if we didn't have some f*cked up issues to work through.
Sometimes people seek drama constantly and they are stuck in that cycle of self abuse. No amount of support can help them while they are stuck there. They will manipulate compassionate people and take and take and take and create more drama. No amount of giving will help them because they are actually comfortable where they are and feel entitled to act the way they do. I will avoid these people at all costs not because I will give and give but because I have a low tolerance for them once recognized, I do not display my nicer side in responding, especially if in a live chat. On a thread I have time to write, read it and then delete before posting (hopefully) then no longer visit that thread.
Then there are those who momentarily get stuck and might say and do things that .... I won't say at the time make sense but they are in that moment on auto pilot and lashing out, not thinking how they might be affecting others but releasing built up inner negativity. They will feel overwhelming regret and shame later that is very hard to shake. I am one of those people.
There are many people on this forum I would like to get to know better in the way the chat room provides. That instantaneous banter, support provided and fun quirky parts that are revealed in live chat that the threads don't fulfill. I will get there eventually.
What this forum also provides besides live chat is thread topics, diaries and articles. If I want to go into my diary and senselessly say f*ck and repeat it over and over for hours if need be and say nothing else, I can do it there. If I want to sit on the pity pot and boo hoo without any constructive purpose than to boo hoo, I can do it there. I wouldn't write a suicide note there but if I was having some thoughts and in the ideation part of Wonderland or if I wanted to relive step by step and graphically work out some abusive event, this forum provides me the freedom to do it there. If I want to try and connect the dots and make sense of things just because sometimes that's what I need to do, I have my diary.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but that's how I understand it.
The threads which I use the most are for posting issues for support, giving support or simply saying or realizing "me too"
They can be replied to years or seconds later. They can be epiphany inspiring and thought provoking. If someone has something to add they can but if it triggers or makes them want to vent in an way that is not constructive, take it and quote it on your diary and vent to your hearts content without turning the thread itself into an attack.
This forum allows that freedom.
There are excellent articles that can be agreed or disagreed with and we are free to do that.
This is a PTSD forum. That encompasses a wide range of "symptoms" that are also considered disorders of their own. At the end of the day the labels don't mean shit. What matters is if you are moving forward, learning, changing and giving back be it in chat, threads, articles or your diary.
That's what gives this forum purpose and I for one appreciate it.