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| Posted By | Discussion Topic: My most recent rant about "Message Board" philosophy | ||||
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I have Cool-Mod-Powers and can read the Cool-Mod-Forum, then I drive home in my Cool-Mod-Car UFC | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 1:53 PM |    | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00  | Sorry, but every few months, I get fed up with people spouting the "It's just a message board" excuse, and more recently trying to seperate "real life" from "message board life" and need to vent a little Life is wherever you live it, not just where you walk it. People think a message board doesn't qualify as real life.. mainly I believe because they believe that since they haven't met somebody they don't "know" them. I disagree.. for decades and even centuries relationships (friendships, love, hatreds) have lived in the written word.. people have met, fallen in love, and gotten married because of their interaction with each other using their local Postal service.. countries have gone to WAR over what was written on a piece of parchment.. in this age of mass media how is it so hard for some people to recognize and accept the legitimacy of text on a computer screen?? We, I'm sure you will all agree.. live in Society.. and I'm sure we all consider "society" as "real life".. so take a moment to read this: so·ci·e·ty (s-s-t) n., pl. so·ci·e·ties. Abbr. soc., s., S. 1. a.The totality of social relationships among human beings. b.A group of human beings broadly distinguished from other groups by mutual interests, participation in characteristic relationships, shared institutions, and a common culture. c.The institutions and culture of a distinct self-perpetuating group. 2.An organization or association of persons engaged in a common profession, activity, or interest: a folkloresociety; a society of bird watchers. 3.a.The rich, privileged, and fashionable social class. b.The socially dominant members of a community. 4.Companionship; company: enjoys the society of friends and family members. 5.Biology. A colony or community of organisms, usually of the same species: an insect society. [French société, from Old French from Latin societs, fellowship, from socius, companion; see sekw-1 in Indo-European Roots.] AND om·mu·ni·ty (k-myn-t) n., pl. com·mu·ni·ties. Abbr. com. 1. a.A group of people living in the same locality and under the same government. b.The district or locality in which such a group lives. 2.A group of people having common interests: the scientific community; the international business community. 3.a.Similarity or identity: a community of interests. b.Sharing, participation, and fellowship. 4.Society as a whole; the public. 5.Ecology. a.A group of plants and animals living and interacting with one another in a specific region under relatively similar environmental conditions. b.The region occupied by a group of interacting organisms. n. attributive. Often used to modify another noun: community problems; community facilities. Now after reading those definitions can someone tell me how we are NOT a society, a community of people??? We talk to each other, we take an interest in similar things.. sometimes we hate other members.. but we also can show concern for each other as well... many of us meet semi-regularly to socialize in a differrent environment... but we allready "Know" each other to some extent. I remember when I first joined, my major concern was that people know I wasn't just somebody's internet persona, but myself.. I even had my full name in my profile.. which one of the mods suggested I remove because unfortunately there are such things as internet stalkers.. but the point is this.. I am myself.. the only differrence between me here on the board and me at a bar is the beer and the lack of a picture from Soul Reaver.. in either case it's still me.. and that is the case with most of the people who come out. I stress the term "most" In short... this isn't "Just a message board".. this is a part of my.. and many other people's.. lives.. and the people who say "it's just a message board" Just don't get it. -Adam  NO! I am NOT a Goth Dude!! "It's hard to garble nawdle zous, With all these marbles in my mouth" E-Mail Me | ||||
| spitfire421 | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 2:17 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | I get tooled on all the time by my friends when I talk about the message board...what do I know, I'm just a "geek" cuz I spend time "typing" to you guys rather than talking to you. And you know, if I wasn't here, I would've tooled on someone else for it. You really have to be on here to understand how this community works, for good or bad. Who cares if we mostly have a good time, though?  | ||||
I have Cool-Mod-Powers and can read the Cool-Mod-Forum, then I drive home in my Cool-Mod-Car UFC | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 2:23 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | Good angle Spit... wasn't so much concerned about the outside looking in, but the inside saying "it doesn't matter".. but to enforce your point... some of my roommates jokingly said they were going to stage an intervention because of how much time I spend here... but they know me... they know I'm generally an introvert who stays at home most of the time... and they've grown to appreciate that I've found someplace I can socialize and make new friends (actually I think they're just hoping I'll finally find a girlfriend lol) ok.. I'm starting to feel a litlle sappy here for some reason..... NO! I am NOT a Goth Dude!! "It's hard to garble nawdle zous, With all these marbles in my mouth" E-Mail Me | ||||
| Corpsegrinderjunk | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 2:29 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Veteran Registered: Aug. 00 | You have made some very good points here man. I can say that I agree with you! I mean yes it is just a message board, but like you said, a lot of us meet on a regular basis and it is "real life." I for one consider many of you guys friends, and not just a sig pic and a name on a message board. We are a community. A community of O&A fans that have more in common with each other than we could have imagined. I think we have built something here that is very rare in this day and age. It's a place kinda like Cheers, where everybody knows your name, but not everyone is always glad you came. But hey, such is life. I for one love being on here and talking to you guys, so by just saying, this is only a message board is complete bullshit. We are all from the tri-state area and get together all the time. To have a community like we do is rare and we should be thankful it is here, because had it not been, none of us would know each other right now... Why fucking bother "Think before you write" - Froy E-Mail Me | ||||
| spitfire421 | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 2:40 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | Sorry to take your rant on a whole separate tangent Magus...it's just that I have a lot of friends outside this community who don't get it either. I could care less about the casual posters here who don't...they don't rooin anything for me. For me, our community is just a great place to let off some steam and get away from everyday life-- and to slack off from doing work at my boring job... I wish I lived closer to the city for all the get-to-gethers...The pool tourney was my first and everyone made me feel so welcome despite the awkwardness of it all. The term "message board" definitely doesn't do this place justice. This message was edited by spitfire421 on 5-16-01 @ 2:46 PM | ||||
| Doc Smith I Love Anthony Zinni | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 2:47 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Sep. 00 | One thing I realized a while back was this: Behind every whacky screen name, every silly or disgusting sig pic, is a real person. While the internet makes anonymity very easy, if you post here enough you start to show the fact that you are a real human being. After a while, you start to see that people can show their personalities on a message board...and some of them can be quite unique. OK, I'm starting to ramble now, so I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I agree with you. It is just a message board, and you can take it at face value (which many people do) or you can get to know the people behind the names. Shit, I guess goofing off at work has got me all preachy today  | ||||
| Raven | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 2:47 PM | | |||
| Hanger-On Registered: Jan. 70 | Well put All -- next beers are on me Flock Formed!!! | ||||
USA Autoban Head Slap... Swim Move... | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 2:58 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Veteran Registered: Oct. 00 | Good topic! I realize this is looking like a hard-core member thread, but we are the heart of the community Lord M speaks of, I guess. I remember going to my first un-official gathering in Hoboken. It was nice to meet the people behind the sig pics, and it made me appreciate what they had to say even more. Now, lol, I've met lots of people who are dear friends to me. People who I include in my daily life as much as possible. To a certain extent that's just me. But, as Lord Magus has said, there are others like me. For those people who choose to treat this as just a message board, that's cool too. Hey, you can't know 11,000+ people well, and if you just want to goof off or talk about something you are interested in, then this is the place for that as well. But, it is undeniable that once you get a sense of a person on the Board, you can't help but feel to be part of the community they are in, despite the fact that you may be in South Jersey and they are in upstate New York or Long Island. Hell, I've felt part of the same community with the Guv'nor and that limey's in England. lol OK, I'm going to stick a sock in it now.  Chef Corpse Boyardee brought the food! < | ||||
| CriticsLoveSnatch i know better than to ask for a status from you mean ol' mods I shall call him mini-FTL | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 3:01 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | Very well said magus - definately agree that this is not "just" a message board. i've been able to meet a lot of you and i consider many people here to be my friends. Despite the drama that occurs every once in a while (which is unavoidable, since this is just a community like any other), i have always said the good here by far outweighs the bad. I am here to have fun and hang out with you people, even if it is through the internet. I think anyone that has been to any of the parties knows that the group we have here really is special and i'm proud to be a part of it.  Props to PanterA for the sig "Never Underestimate the Power of Stupid People in Large Groups" My adopted mini-critics are xosexkittenxxx and BarbieDiesDos | ||||
| Cap'n Fudge | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 3:12 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | I actually have more interaction with people on the message board than I do with people I work with. I have more in common with the board members than with anyone at the pit of darkness I collect my tiny paycheck from. As far as how I act on the board, sadly, this is pretty much me. The board is a great community and with out it, I don't know how I'd get through my day. I hate this job! I hate this goddamn job and I don't need it!!!  [email protected] | ||||
I have Cool-Mod-Powers and can read the Cool-Mod-Forum, then I drive home in my Cool-Mod-Car UFC | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 3:29 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | OK, I wrote this funny little rant a few minutes ago that got lost because of high server traffic dammit!! Needless to say.. my point was this here, this post, this thread, this entire board, is as legitimate an aspect of life as sitting around a bar, hanging at someone's apartment, etc.. now to copy this in case I get that stupid error again.... NO! I am NOT a Goth Dude!! "It's hard to garble nawdle zous, With all these marbles in my mouth" E-Mail Me | ||||
Pompous, Arrogant, Enigmatic, Bitter, Quirky, Misanthrope with a Weird Sense of Humor and an Iron Clad Memory while flooding the board with my Stream of Consciousness UFC STRIKE 3 (I'm a dick and I like to ruin people's plans) | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 4:46 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Aug. 00 | Lord Magus, I agree with what you say... ...and yes, there are those who think, treat, and behave in the manner that makes it just a message board to them. However, there is one more aspect to it... That would be the video game treatment of this Society / Community.  Funny how ev'rything was roses When we held on to the guns Write To Me Here Do I listen to pop music because I'm miserable? Or am I miserable because I listen to pop music? | ||||
| Opie696 G.O.O.F.B.A.H.G.S. Soldier of Fortune Spec Ops Division | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 4:59 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Feb. 01 | I have to agree with ya Magus. Ok yesterday i said not to mix board life with personal life, but i realize i was wrong and i do consider a few people on here to be friends of mine. And just like spit said, people tool on me cuz im always on this message board. Some even say to me, "arent u a getting a little obsessed with this little radio show?" And to tell ya the truth, i dont think so. I think sometimes the board and personal life get mixed and most of the time its ok. Cuz sometimes the board is a good place to talk and vent about problems u r having in ur own life away from the board. Basically what im sayin is ur right and i agree. ok im done now. just had to get that off my chest.  IF U WANNA DINE WITH THE DEVIL, UR GONNA NEED A LONG SPOON!! This message was edited by Opie696 on 5-16-01 @ 5:09 PM | ||||
| crx girl Newbie! vg Y's me ugo girl Limey Mothercocker | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 6:30 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | well, this is something i've been thinking about lately (probably too much actually) i've also talked about this with a couple of people. my theory: being on the board is like living in a college dorm. you have your different groups of people who hang out together, and then there's the people who are almost never there. every once in a while, some of us get together and go out. and very occasionally, there's an official dorm event, like say, having a section at the football game or something. we also have outside friends, let's say, people from class. and sometimes we go out with them instead, but as you get to know people in the dorm more, you see those class friends less and less. occasionally you bring a class friend out with your dorm friends, this is the last time you hang out with said class friend, soon they stop talking to you and just giving you funny looks when you come into class. ok, that's all i've got right now, if i think of more ways to expand on this, i'll be sure to let you know. now, where do i get something that will shut down part of my brain, i've been thinking waaaayy too much lately.  An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come. --Victor Hugo KnightRyder2k1 is now under my protection for the next 10 days, if he ever posts, hopefully it'll be good :)[email protected] | ||||
| Teen Tomato Boys | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 7:11 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Jan. 01 | :Tear: Ok we agree with all of you...and here's our 4 cents...we joined the board to talk about o&a and just goof off on the net...we still do...but it has become more than just that...it's become an internet site we go to 9/10's of the time we're online...in fact it's one of the only sites we go to...we've made friends and stuff and we've never been to a board function(official or not)...that said we think the board is a little like a club...an exclusive club to which we are proud to belong... :tear:  "WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION...NUMNUTZ!!!" "Are you not entertained!?!" "We don't like you...We're just using you for good posts..." Graduates from Totmacher's infamous school of maching tots... | ||||
| Sephiroth | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 7:20 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | Its about time somebody said it! Its cool to joke around and shit, just remember one thing. We are not just sig pics and names, we are actual people. When you realize that, you will understand everything these guys are talking about.  "It's no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest, It's no secret that ambition bites the nails of success, Every artist is a coward, Every poet is a thief They all kill their inspiration and sing about their grief." -U2 Have any anime questions? Send me a E-mail or IM me at AIM: Hitokiri182 I have room for 2 newbies. If you wish to be adopted, contact me. | ||||
Pompous, Arrogant, Enigmatic, Bitter, Quirky, Misanthrope with a Weird Sense of Humor and an Iron Clad Memory while flooding the board with my Stream of Consciousness UFC STRIKE 3 (I'm a dick and I like to ruin people's plans) | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 7:22 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Aug. 00 | CRX, what I gleen off your statement is either: A. We give up on our non-board friends, as a result of our involvement with the board... or B. Our non-board friends give up on us, as a result of our involvement with the board. Either way, it doesn't sound like a win-win situation, if that's true. Funny how ev'rything was roses When we held on to the guns Write To Me Here Do I listen to pop music because I'm miserable? Or am I miserable because I listen to pop music? This message was edited by SLASH on 5-16-01 @ 7:31 PM | ||||
| Sluggo667 SLASH's New Buddy, but shhh... I am not allowed to tell anyone. | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 7:45 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Apr. 01 | I used to be one of those people that tooled on someone for being on the board all of the time. FN Moron is one of my best friends, and, I've been having quite a bit of fun since he convinced me to sign up. People on the board go from spilling their guts, to busting some serious balls. If that's not real life I don't know what is...  Sluggo667...Neighbor of the beast... | ||||
| hornygoatweed23 I've Got A Vagina With Teeth. G.O.O.F.B.A.H.G.S. Dragoon Battalion My friends call me Weed | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 7:45 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Jan. 01 | From the moment I registered here and after several weeks of lurking and reading posts, i got the feel that this was more than just a "message board". I saw members who were here every day, and members who posted once in a while, and aside from the occassional rabble-rouser or all around board-tool, the posts were much more than general "I'm bored, so what's up?". It was obvious that most people knew each other, whether it was just from the board, or also outside of it (official or unofficial party), and what made me realize the "community" aspect was the way in which everyone interacted with each other. As much as the board restricts our activities to typing words, its the actual words and whats behind them that make the board a community. The point is, its not a question of not letting the board life and real life cross paths - I feel its about the way in which the two cross paths. I just feel that if you act the same way in your day-to-day life as you do here, you'll be looked at in more or less the same light in both areas. I know I don't know a whole lot of the people here, and haven't mangaed to actually get out and meet anyone at a function, but I do know that I act the same way on here as I do at my job, as I do at home, etc. And as far as I know, I haven't pissed anyone off - The board isn't my life, its a part of it, large or small depending on the day, and thats the perspective I keep it in. If this were some generic board, it wouldn't matter because on there, a thread like this would not have even been started.  | ||||
| crx girl Newbie! vg Y's me ugo girl Limey Mothercocker | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 8:33 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | actually slash, that part referred to people who've brought non board friends out to the gatherings. said friends tend to sit in a corner wondering what the hell they've gotten themselves into. and i'm not saying that all board members lose their outside friends. personally i didn't have any friends before i got on the board, so it's all just speculation really ;) An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come. --Victor Hugo KnightRyder2k1 is now under my protection for the next 10 days, if he ever posts, hopefully it'll be good :)[email protected] | ||||
| Skeet Slambone | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 8:36 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | Magus great post dude, I know where your comin from with a lot of that. An example from myself if I may digress. I used to post on the wrestling messageboard at markmadden.com before it closed. I still miss it, but whatever. There was only a couple of sections, no off-topic section. So when we wanted to talk about the news, politics, cartoons or whatever we just did it in the general wrestling area. The board mod would get pissed and warn us about it. What he failed to realize is that over time we all became part of that message board community and after time you start to care what their views are on things other then wrestling. It sounds sappy as fuck but that was my arguement, afterwards he eased up on the restrictions which was cool.
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| onehung lo434 | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 8:50 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | Ok,Lemme see if I,ve got this right.All of these posts on this board aren't from just 10 people with different names?There are actually more of you?? Ruined my theory. Great thread once again Magus :)  | ||||
| FukMeBoobs | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 10:02 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Feb. 01 | quote: I too am also experiencing this situation as we speak. My non-board friends always tool on me for getting so involved with the message board. I've tried to tell them that it's not a bad place and I've met some wonderful people here that are now part of my daily life. Just last night I brought out my best friend to Bar 9 so she could see what I keep talking about. Granted, some would say this wasn't a smart thing to do, but I'm glad I did because this way she can never say I don't try to include her in the part of my life she has no clue about. Lately I've found it so difficult to share my time equally among ALL my friends, it's so hard to please everybody. Hopefully in the long run it will all even out.  Thanks to NJPANTHER for the sig pic! Smack dat ass, pull dat hair! | ||||
| Skeet Slambone | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 10:19 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | Well I haven't really gotten together and hung out with anyone on the messageboard, due mostly to lack of time. That and not having someone that would want to make the trip to wherever with me. Hopefully soon.
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| jewdown | posted on 05-16-2001 @ 10:27 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Jan. 01 | Wow! There are some excellent points made here. When I joined on as a "Hanger On" I had the "it's only a message board" mentality. I have yet to hang with other members or attend any functions. But because this board is like crack (but without some of the side effects) I can't give it up and have grown to depend on it. Even though I don't know any of you personally, for some reason I feel closer to you than some people I once considered friends. I think that this post should be mandatory reading for all "newbies" Most who don't understand what we are all saying eventually will. But for those who never will understand will be weeded out eventually. | ||||
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Displaying 1-25 of 47 messages in this thread. |