Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

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Sicarius
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Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Sicarius » Sun Feb 14, 2021 3:44 am

Just type a response, numbering your answers. Feel free to be specific or write a lot, if you want, and thank you for your time. If you are busy, read this, ponder it for a day or two, then respond. 20 minutes to write a response, and that is a stretch. Even if it takes you a week, I urge you to do it, please.

1. What is your favorite aspect of this website? Ex, the social interactions, dares, resources, etc.

2. What is your least favorite aspect of this website?

3. What is your favorite stealth content(be specific), from this website or elsewhere?

4. What is your least favorite stealth content(Ex, library, Stealth Technique, etc), from this website or elsewhere?

5. What information or content do you think should be revised?

6. What information or content do you think should be produced?

7. What information or content is severely lacking?

8. If you are a long-time member, what do you miss the most from the forum's history?

I swear to God if Xanatos and new member of the month are the only people who respond to this, I am going to be pissed. Thank you for your time if you responded, and have a good day!
"If one cannot be both, it is much better to be feared than loved" - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

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Sicarius
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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Sicarius » Sun Feb 14, 2021 3:44 am

My answers

1. The shared ideas and community of others who have similar interests

2. Outdated information and lack of steady content

3. Library

4. Ninja BS, like the newer Stealth Technique videos

5. A very large portion

6. Steady, high-quality videos and articles

7. Researched backed information, Splinter Cell stuff(Espionage, combat, etc), and filmed operations.

8. N/A
"If one cannot be both, it is much better to be feared than loved" - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

Wind
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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Wind » Sun Feb 14, 2021 1:55 pm

1. It is hard to narrow down my favorite thing about this website. I think it is the combination of features it combines, including a relatively safe place to post information and mission details, the social aspect, the concept of a stealth library, and the opportunity to creatively problem solve specific stealth issues.

2. My biggest challenge with using this site is that I am not very techy, so I don't have a good sense of how safe it really is. There have been some discussions on this; however, all of them to date that I have read have been unsatisfying to me. My lack of understanding the cybersecurity aspects of this leads me to posting less and posting only mission reports about "positive/nice" ops.

3. My favorite three types of stealth content are mission reports, information on practical knowledge like gear and technique, and the homework course that Xanatos created.

4. My least favorite content is people simply complaining.

5. For content revision, the main challenge for me is sorting through the large volume of information on here. Maybe, I'm not sure how, the information could be organized in a way that is easier to sort through. This may involve a regular purging of old posts (except for mission reports or still pertinent information). For example, gear posts from 5+ years ago are not often helpful because new, better gear is probably available and it is often hard to find the gear mentioned from older posts should you want that gear anyway.

6. I really enjoy video, however, have had no luck playing any of the videos on this site. This is probably mostly because of me lacking tech skills. I would like to see more content similar to YouTube content only on a much more secure platform.

7. For me, again because of my personal deficiencies, I would like more content on how to keep myself safe while posting on a site like this and a clearer understanding of the safety limitations this site has. It might help others who want to share more if someone that is tech savvy and good at communicating that information to people that aren't to create an intro course on that for all newbies that is similar to the homework Xanatos created only on protecting your security while participating in online stealth communities.

8. N/A

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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Necrogue » Sun Feb 14, 2021 4:35 pm

1. The very fact that this is a think tank for persons who share my proclivity for studying, practicing, developing, and understanding all things stealth.

2. I can’t really fault the site for my own lack of tech savvy, but I do (at times) find it to be less user friendly technically speaking to other sites I’m more familiar with.

3. My proclivity for stealth is diverse and it’s hard to narrow my vision to something so limiting in scope as a single favorite element, but in an effort to try to seriously consider the question and to share, here are a few of the things I tend to focus on the most: Physical Skills Development (climbing, crawling, squatting/crouching, moving quietly, moving in shadows, etc.), Stealth History (reading, studying, and often recreating things learned in historical accounts such as extant ninja manuals, accounts of espionage operations, training, etc.), Understanding light and shadow (this is, in and of itself, a fascinating and near limitless area of exploration), Psychology (developing an understanding of what attracts us to the shadows, what intimidates most others about the shadows, what role does superstition play in shaping societal views about such topics, and how can this knowledge be used to advantage).

4. As a tactical consideration this answer has been Classified

5. I’ve not spent enough time here to feel I can justify any answer. It would feel like mere opinion instead of experientally developed ideas that I could support with examples.

6. Same answer as number 5 above.

7. Participation. The ratio of forum members to forum content is markedly unbalanced. This is, unfortunately, commonplace in any group. That said, the worthwhile discourse among, and contributions of, the handful of active participants here still make this forum well worth my time (in my personal opinion).

8. N/A

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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Xanatos » Mon Feb 15, 2021 5:12 am

1. I like the interactions & sharing of knowledge. It's what forums are all about. Not only can you post/ask whatever you want, but everyone can respond to it openly and no idea is above scrutiny.

2. The obscurity, which is necessary I suppose but old style forums like this just don't have the reach or appeal of more modern online platforms.

3. Discussions on practical techniques or gear. Shit the individual user can try for themselves. And the stories where such techniques or gear is applied.

4. The hypothetical high-tech or unreal gear & situations that sometimes get discussed. They rarely have any substance to them and never go anywhere. Unless someone builds a functioning prototype of an invisibility cloak, save that shit for Kipkay or something.

5. See above.

6. See above.

7. Hmmm... discussions beyond the superficial (gear, how to use it, stealth concepts/techniques, etc). I've written about Night Ops from a martial arts/esoteric perspective before because I see opping as something more than just another hobby, but I don't know how popular that sort of content is.

8. I miss a lot of the old guard who are sadly no longer with us and how lively the Chat Lounge used to be. Many great discussions were had and many fun memories.
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What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Psychlonic » Tue Feb 16, 2021 6:17 am

As probably the most guilty of many of these high-tech concepts, I do apologize. It should be understood my posts on such come from a background of science and biotech that I play from other motivation and think "This could cross over into night ops". I certainly concur though that it should not be the direction the forum heads nor looked at by the average operative as standard learning.

1. Even after all these years, there's nowhere else like this. The kind of people this place draws is unique, full of free-thinkers, dreamers, full of ambition.

2. The relative inactivity.

3. Stories. I rarely reply to them since I feel like I'd just be writing the same general things over and over but I find them interesting all the same. Success, failure, it's all the same. You still went out and did it. It's different from hearing, say, an addict's break in story. There's an air of romance about most of the stories here.

4. Shit like smoke bombs, throwing stars, etc. Those are fine on their own, fun even, but don't belong on the mission. Also people who emphasize lethal techniques as their default go-to if something goes wrong.

5. Keep it as is, we just need more/updated info. Someone really needs to replace my obsolete ass guide as the supposed go-to and I can't be bothered to write one out.

6. ^^^

7. I think the basics are covered, it's just a matter of expanding on them. I don't think there's any real dire obstacles that are insurmountable unless you start going into aforementioned high-tech items and for your average operative why not just pick a less secure target?

8. Agreed with Xanatos, although I understand why most drop out. In fact, I'm impressed with the few who remain for simply remaining. Actually, to think about it, in the really old days there was an amazing sense of comradery and ambition, here. There was a drive to be better, smarter, and bolder. It felt like a fantasy pirate ship around here, it was really something - we all grasped for something more.
Knowledge alone is not power, it is the potential for power. That potential can only be unlocked through applying that knowledge and realizing the skill.

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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Xanatos » Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:47 am

Psychlonic wrote:
Tue Feb 16, 2021 6:17 am
As probably the most guilty of many of these high-tech concepts, I do apologize. It should be understood my posts on such come from a background of science and biotech that I play from other motivation and think "This could cross over into night ops". I certainly concur though that it should not be the direction the forum heads nor looked at by the average operative as standard learning.
You at least test your concepts & create working prototypes, providing adequate instructions should someone wish to try for themselves. But there've been too many threads that kept getting necro'd for no real reason (like the 'Breaking into K-Mart' thread or 'Axe Bawmbz') that just went nowhere.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Sicarius » Thu Feb 18, 2021 5:23 pm

5 people including myself, out of 1793 members. Fuck you guys, in the nicest of ways :D
"If one cannot be both, it is much better to be feared than loved" - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by spartan_ninja45 » Sun Feb 21, 2021 11:22 am

Gonna keep this brief because I'm tired as fuck.

1. All of it. The resources, the people, all of it. I've learned so much information on this site that I've never seen elsewhere. This forum is basically my holy book.

2. Lack of activity in the live chat room.

3. The NO library, Stealth Technique's YT channel, Shadow Work's YT channel.

4. Fake ninjutsu dojos with YouTube channels. Example: Ninja Training TV and Soke Anshu Christa Jacobson.

5. I don't know shit, so I can't answer this question. It all sounds good to me.

6. More videos added to the library. Maybe an updated night ops guide for newcomers.

7. Opping in a densely populated urban area. Like NYC for instance. More info on social stealth would be great, disguises, grey man type shit.

8. N/A

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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Sicarius » Thu Mar 18, 2021 1:49 am

Somebody fill this out please, unless you already have
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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Sleven » Thu Mar 18, 2021 4:23 am

1) I have lurked for some time but only have had a forum account as of recent. The resources (Library), Philosophies and freedom of discussion amongst all things 'Stealth' are big pull factors. Diving into some of the old threads, researching the archives from the past, one can find some quality chat and content. Nothing is "cringe" here, compared to other websites I'm sure exist - it's all very real - the community is real. It's a good comradery.

2) Not a lot, I originally commentated in my introduction that I like the old school forum aesthetic. However, it may sound selfish, I know I've only been here a short while, but it's me wanting to share knowledge and interact with the community frequently that the "general lack of activity" is becoming a negative. - I'm sure it's going to all change, every few days a new member bleeds through YouTube via StealthTechnique & ShadowWork.

3) The Library - just the the concept that it's collected resources over time, digitally archived for this community makes it feel larger than life - I like that feeling. And of course visual uploads from Stealth Technique.

4) Nothing at this stage besides what spartan_ninja45 pointed out - the fake YouTube Ninjutsu Dojo's + channels. They are annoying and cringe. However - I fear for the future, as more become inspired and discover this world of "Stealth Discipline" - perhaps the new branch-offs and content to be created by randoms will be the issue. I just don't want the wrong person to be influenced and take it too far, or post something cringe worthy to give our world a bad reputation. - Stealth has nothing to do with Fedora's, I repeat!

5) We can create some codes or laws specifically for Stealth being a Discipline. A template we can all acknowledge to bring us closer. (Perhaps they already exist somewhere in the Forum?) - A list of commandments or something. Even though we are a decentralized group of Operators all over the globe, I'm sure if the majority of us met, we would all get along pretty well and naturally have each others back.

6) More visual content - doesn't have to be a full scale Op. Even starting with consistent simple training montages would be great. If we can all play our part, and produce some content each, it'll be a good motivator to get the ball rolling. Start small. We all have special skills I'm sure... someone here may be exceptionally well at Photoshop or Illustrator. Create a random banner or custom motivational image - Post it up! Share it! - we can all do something! || Secondly, if anyone knows of any real life stories of stealth operations from a book they've read, please also share - more historic stealth content.

7) This may be left of field, but I've seen a lot of training content - not really anything on diet. Of course everyone has a different body / genetics, not all diets will work for each individual. Though would be interesting to know what other Operators eat, what their favorite body fuel is. Learn other easy, economical recipes other than the standard chicken and rice :) - And more philosophical / spiritual / lifestyle things, for example, every now and then I sleep on the floor rather than my bed as a forced discomfort, hardening, and I believe sleeping on the floor does have benefits for your back. - this is a run off from Stoicism, though I'm sure aspects of Stoicism and Stealth cross over.

8. One day this will be applicable.
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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Shadow Scout » Thu Mar 18, 2021 5:20 am

.
Last edited by Shadow Scout on Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Sleven » Thu Mar 18, 2021 9:46 am

You have some excellent suggestions here. I've blogged about a few of them and will be posting more, both on my site and here. For example:

Commandments for stealth operators: The Nine Maxims of the Ninja are pretty good. I am working on a new code for the Shadow Opper.

Books about stealth operators: Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief. I have The 9 Lives of Ray "The Cat" Jones on the way and will be reviewing it after it arrives.

Philosophical and spiritual content: I've posted a few things here that may be of interest.

More video content: don't have this yet, but agree that it is needed and will probably start uploading in the spring. I'm torn between a desire to stay in the shadows and a desire to show off. ;)
The dedication to your blog is inspiring. Just read your "The Shadows: Introduction". Great stuff.

Probably best to post somewhere else, but I some time ago I started to conjure up a concept of "The Backrooms". Pretty much a personal domicile for development - and scribbled some stuff down in a journal. - "The Backrooms is where one works and trains in silence, hidden from society. The Backrooms is not spoken about - only within the Backrooms you are granted permission to speak about the Backrooms..."

Your 9 Maxims are nice. They naturally fit well. I hope we as a community can create the 7 Laws of the Shadow. (or, 8, 9 or 10, how many ever codes it has to be!)
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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Sicarius » Thu Mar 18, 2021 12:24 pm

Thank you Sleven, that was great

I want to focus on creating stealth into a "discipline" with techniques, and a better YouTube channel for the community. Fuck katanas
"If one cannot be both, it is much better to be feared than loved" - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

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Re: Improvement Opinion Survey Thing

Post by Descreet » Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:19 am

Sorry for being late

1. Ambience. From the nv green in darkness aesthetics to the way people use their words on this forum.

2. Not sure about this. I wanted to say lack of content, but I understand why it's the way it is.

3. I really enjoyed the pov night op videos in the library and on youtube, Stealth Technique.

4. I don't have a least favourite but i can say that i'm not interested in combat related stuff.

5. Starter guides about the actual thing with videos(actual op footage or instructional) because I was literally stuck in the foliage thinking what my neighbours would think about me if they saw me the last time i went training in the dark. I didn't know if I should move fast or slow, if the light behind the trees illuminated me or not, it was a bit cringe.
Edit: Saw your later posts now and those are helpful for beginners too. This sort of content also works.

6 and 7. Previous answer.

8. N/A

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