Is this forum becoming a chat room?

[songbird36]

This seems rather topical to me.

There are some people here who feel this forum is rapidly turning into a chat room dominated by certain strong and "online extraverted" personalities. Often threads become a two or three way conversation between individuals, and others feel excluded or annoyed.

When I joined some 5 months ago it was a much more "serious" place with people making one or two posts at most on a topic and then waiting for others to post.

I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. I feel that maybe this forum is becoming what people want it to be (as people get to know each other better), that is, more like the conversation would be at a party or other social gathering.

I personally don't have a huge issue with this trend. There are still plenty of serious and interesting philosophical and scientific threads to occupy people's minds, but there is also fun and frivolity to be had depending on one's mood.

What do others think? What are we aiming for with this site, and do we know each other well enough to call ourselves a "community"?

Would we want to meet IRL?

[garak]

I personally don't have a huge issue with this trend. There are still plenty of serious and interesting philosophical and scientific threads to occupy people's minds, but there is also fun and frivolity to be had depending on one's mood.

I agree. I think it would be dumb to expect an online forum to be like penpals or something. There are the more back and forth chatty type threads, and there are the more long, thought-out threads. I don't see any problem whatsoever.


What do others think? What are we aiming for with this site, and do we know each other well enough to call ourselves a "community"?
Definitely.


Would we want to meet IRL?
I'd do it (although it is not all that important to me -- if it required a long trip I wouldn't go)

[Shai Gar]

i'd do it too, an australian trip anyway.

perhaps even an international get together in amsterdam

[songbird36]

perhaps even an international get together in amsterdam

So we could all shoot up together? :lol:

Seriously, something I want to add to my initial post.

I think this forum is like real life to the extent that we will feel more comfortable with some people and personalities than with others.

Short of the obvious trolls I think there ought to be room here for people to express themselves in a way which is *them* (and not to have to conform to a "one size fits all" approach).

[DevNull]

I own a board and for 12 bucks a month I can add a 20 person chat feature.

Perhaps Vbulletin can offer the same deal.

[songbird36]

Oh we have a chat room here.

I've never used it though. I'm not sure who does.

[MasterMerk]

This is slowly becoming one of the larger type-based communities on the intarweb. I think that's pretty good.

I meet would work better with little groups since a lot of us are so spread about the globe.

[songbird36]

Yeah there are vastly more Amercians than anyone else though.

I think a meet up would have to be based in the US to be any good.

[MasterMerk]

Better start swimming... :)

[songbird36]

I'm actually contemplating a trip to the US to visit my brother later this year. Could possibly tie it in with a meet up.

But I'm not sure how many people would actually want to, or whether it would be worthwhile. I know there are some forum members I definitely *do* want to meet IRL. They know who they are..

:lol:

[garak]

BTW quite a few people use the chat. I'm always on. At any time there are usually 20 people around (though most are idling and not talking). At this moment there are 23 and the people talking lately have been ShaiGar, me, xmoogle, sir isaac lime, flan(2dave), and heero(yuy).

[Architectonic]

The problem with online meeting communities, is everyone says they are going to meet up and then only one or two people actually show up.

[Crazy]

I don't think the forum is hurt at all by persons who post many times in one thread, as long as the posts are on topic.

I would like to meet some of the members, but due to financial limitations, I wouldn't be able to go very far. 3 or 4 hours drive away is about the best I could do right now. Due to where I live, that would be limited to LA, San Diego, Pheonix, or Las Vegas as far as the bigger cities go.

[DevNull]

I have a board meet in Cape Cod on April 23rd FWIW. I predict 9 out of 1100 members showing. If any of you all want to tag then:

http://www.capecodonline.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001986

My last really cool board meet was in 1991. Telegard BBS nerds. I had the only girlfriend except for the host who's wife scrammed out to Bingo night. We all got drunk and sang a Nelson song towards the end.

[songbird36]

Ah yes a Karaoke night could work well..

hehe I do great Dolly Parton impersonations (without the big boobies though)..

[Warrior413]

BTW quite a few people use the chat. I'm always on. At any time there are usually 20 people around (though most are idling and not talking). At this moment there are 23 and the people talking lately have been ShaiGar, me, xmoogle, sir isaac lime, flan(2dave), and heero(yuy).
I'd be on a lot more except I always forget and end up doing other stuff.

[garak]

I'd be on a lot more except I always forget and end up doing other stuff.
Probably better for you. :)

[Geoff]

I have a board meet in Cape Cod on April 23rd FWIW. I predict 9 out of 1100 members showing. If any of you all want to tag then:

http://www.capecodonline.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001986

My last really cool board meet was in 1991. Telegard BBS nerds. I had the only girlfriend except for the host who's wife scrammed out to Bingo night. We all got drunk and sang a Nelson song towards the end.

Ahh yes, exactly. 9 out of 1100. And not necessarily the 9 you hope for. And the 9 you get turns out to be not quite the 9 you thought they were anyway!

Count me out! I've done the whole meets thing, my last cool one was probably 1991 too.

Just too many nerds for my tastes!

-Geoff

[waxwing]

If meeting requires planning, I highly doubt I'd be into it. It would remain tentative until the very last second. At that time, I'd probably forget the date and blame my absence on my inability to keep track of time.

[PonderBee]

It would be interesting to observe the interplay - or lack thereof - at an "in-person" gathering of people on this board.

[Geoff]

It would be interesting to observe the interplay - or lack thereof - at an "in-person" gathering of people on this board.

Yes, with the emphasis on 'lack'.

-Geoff

[PonderBee]

I attended a 30 day course this past summer. There was a total of 20 students and every participant (including the instructors) was an introvert. It was torture!

[Geoff]

I attended a 30 day course this past summer. There was a total of 20 students and every participant (including the instructors) was an introvert. It was torture!

Working, as I do, with an introvert dominated profession (accountants), I suffer this a lot on courses. I think I have developed a fairly balanced 'E' (or maybe lost some shyness?) mainly because I can no longer stand the quiet torture that is the pregnant pause in conversation. I'd rather be encouraging people to prattle on about the weather etc than I would be standing wondering if the ground is going to swallow me up!

-Geoff