You'll have to excuse me; I'm new to this posting stuff. A very special lady asked me to join. I can't go to battle school because I don't have enough time. (He says doubting his ability to be consistent) Although I would love to my postings would be sporadic at best. I feel weird posting because there are no faces to watch react. I don't know what topic to begin because I have too many in my head to pick just one and I get bored too quickly reading through the myriad of other topics. My attention span wavers and unless I find something really worthwhile I will fade away lurking once or twice feeling guilty because here is another thing I was not consistent with.
So I'll start with a question. Why post? Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
Tell me why you should not post and we'll start from there.
Posted by Goram Steelfist (Member # 10129) on :
Hmmm? It could be a waste of time. I'm not used to having someone to talk with so open ended so what would a person talk about?
Posted by Phanto (Member # 5897) on :
You don't have any reason to post. If that doesn't motivate you, then you don't have to post ^_^.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
The simplest answer to your question isn't an answer to your question at all, but rather a piece of advice: read the forum for awhile, read a variety of existing posts and discussions, and then you'll see for yourself if a) the kinds of things you're interested in are discussed here, and b) the tone of the discussions is one you feel you'd enjoy.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Why talk?
Posted by Goram Steelfist (Member # 10129) on :
Phanto - you may have not understood my question so I will reword it. Why do you all post? What do you get out of it?
Rakeesh - Thank you for the advice. I'll give it a shot over the next day or so.
Icarus - Exactly! Why talk? What's the point? Sure I like people but rarely do I find anyone with similar interests.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
Welcome Goram Steelfist!!! ; )
Posted by Goram Steelfist (Member # 10129) on :
Hi cmc! I wondered if you were awake.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
Yep... and now my secret's out... Can I tell them who you are?
Posted by Goram Steelfist (Member # 10129) on :
Only if you dare to be associated with the likes of me.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
Heh... Goram Steelfist's my Dad... I got tired of talking about Hatrack to him all the time and told him to join in on the fun - even if it's just to read.
; )
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Why post? Hmm... I don't know. People here are nice. There's a sense of community and friendship. People care about other people. It's quite odd, and I've found very few places like this one in my life, let alone on the Internet.
And people here tend to be very smart. I kind of like that.
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
Welcome Goram Steelfist!
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Welcome, Goram!
You might have gotten a less than extra-warm-n-fuzzy initial reception because you came in at the same time as, well, several new posters (or multiple nicknames of the same poster) who seem to be more interested in other things than actually communicating.
I assumed you were "trollish," as it were. Glad to know otherwise.
I post here because there is a rather large and fluid group of people with interesting and varied backgrounds who seem to nonetheless get along fairly well. Good grammar and punctuation -- as well as clarity of thought -- are valued, and that's important to me. And the folk are generally quite friendly.
I've made some of my closest friends here. I've been reading the site in its various incarnations since around 1995, and I've been posting since around [2000, apparently]. It's the best place I've found online to get current news, joke around with people who have a fairly sophisticated appreciation of puns, and get my most basic assumptions challenged on a regular basis.
Hope you enjoy it. Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Is it the same "very special lady" who's apparently asked, like, twenty gazillion OTHER people to join in the last two days? Posted by Goram Steelfist (Member # 10129) on :
Thank you for the welcomes.
Lisa that is good to know.
Imogen, thank you.
Claudia Therese, Trollish! I love it. When you wrote "... several new posters...' I thought you wrote posers. Anyways I'm pretty 'smaat' too. Sadly though and cmc can confirm this I also think I am funny.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
I'm innocent on that count, TomDavidson!! Only one invite was extended by me... ; )
And it's true, Goram does think he's funny. Sometimes he's right.
Posted by Goram Steelfist (Member # 10129) on :
TomDavidson, I can only assume so. She is a transplant from up north...
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
Wait!! It wasn't me!!
Posted by Goram Steelfist (Member # 10129) on :
Hey cmc! "And it's true, Goram does think he's funny. Sometimes he's right." Sometimes? Hey I resemble that remark. Nyuck nyuck nyuck.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
I've created a monster...
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
You're brave, cmc. My dad has posted just the one time, in a thread I linked him to directly. I'm not sure I want my parents around seeing exactly what I'm up to . . .
Welcome, Goram! Posted by Goram Steelfist (Member # 10129) on :
Its getting late so goodnight Blayne Bradley Phanto Rakeesh Icarus Lisa imogen Claudia Therese TomDavidson and especially cmc.
Pleasant dreams and I hope you have insightful ones too. Goram Steelfist
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
'Cause it's fun. As I suspect you're finding out.
Welcome to Hatrack, Goram. My parents are both members, too, although they don't post much, as well as my siblings, who do. Having family here is neat.
Posted by Goram Steelfist (Member # 10129) on :
Thanks Rivka and ELJay. Goodnight.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
I thought of that AFTER, rivka... ; )
Posted by Euripides (Member # 9315) on :
Welcome Goram.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
It's not so bad, cmc. My parents, my siblings, my husband, my son, and my dog are all members.
Of course the hubby posts on behalf of the son and the dog, since one of them doesn't have separable fingers and the other so far only knows how to whack the spacebar.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by cmc: I thought of that AFTER, rivka... ; )
Clearly, you are insufficiently paranoid. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Okay, I'll give a more thoughtful answer. I don't think there is a single answer for me, because for me, that is not a single question. So let me tell you about my Hatrack experience.
I first looked into Hatrack because I was (am) a huge fan of Orson Scott Card. I regularly came to his website to read his reviews and his online writing lessons. Then I saw in one of his Alvin Maker books that he had incorporated elements of the Hatrack River 1830s story/rpg/forum here into the book, and I was intrigued. I decided to get into that, both because of the chance to interact with OSC and the chance to contribute in some way to a future book. That resolution lasted about an hour and a half. As I read through the archives, I could see it wasn't for me. I was not enthusiastic about it; I had no interest in it. I didn't realize there was more than that; I didn't see that there were also general discussion forums. So I went back to reading the front page and the calendar and the writing lessons.
Then in 2001 or 2002 I saw on the calendar that Card was going to be having a signing in my town, so I left work early to go. While there, I met Bob_Scopatz and Chris Bridges, and as I stood next to them in line, they both talked up the forum to me, and OSC seemed to value the forum and the community when it was mentioned to him, so I decided to give it another look. I started reading the forum, but I didn't post. Then one day I saw a thread on something I did know about: teaching. An exchange between Baldar and Belle made me angry enough to sign up and write a long reply--which promptly got eaten when I attempted to hit Submit. I couldn't bring myself to retype it, but now I had an account. I started occasionally posting in threads. I made one of the classic newbie blunders: starting a thread demanding to know why I was still classified as a new member despite being a member for nearly a month. The response was gentle and friendly, actually. Sometimes people found my opinion worthwhile, and that was flattering.
One boring evening, I clicked on the Parachat room we used to have here, and was welcomed by Ralphie and aretee. They both vaguely recognized my screen-name, but said I was a lurker and asked why I didn't post more. I said I only posted when I had something to say. They told me not to let a silly thing like having nothing to say stop me.
Why did I post? Because the site was welcoming, different from anything else I had encountered, and because it was flattering on those rare occasions when someone said I had perfectly expressed their thoughts.
Eventually, I noticed Bob_Scopatz again, and pointed out to him that we lived within about five miles of each other, and that we should get together. We did, and we did again, and we did again, etc etc etc. I think of Bob as one of my best friends now, and I met him through Hatrack. Being friends with the person who was, at the time, arguably the most prolific poster sure drew me into the community. I started to post all the time, not just when I felt I possessed particular knowledge. I posted to ask questions. I posted to complain. I posted to brag. I posted to express sympathy. I posted to play games. I posted to pun. I posted to be funny. And while I was doing this, I came to genuinely like an awful lot of the regulars. Hatrackers were (are) an incredibly diverse bunch: from all over the political spectrum, of every religious persuasion, of all ages from much younger than I to slightly older, of all income levels, etc. And yet, Hatrackers have some common features: they tend to be intelligent, value education, value reading, value science fiction, and (try to) value polite discourse. So as I became more prolific I found I could learn so much here, and I could be so accepted here. Hatrackers were like me in all the ways I was different, and different in all the ways that the people around me were all the same. (Does that make sense?) I started to value the fact that I could gain perspectives here that I was less likely to encounter, let alone explore, elsewhere.
Why did I post? Because I learned so much here.
As time passed, I started to meet other Hatrackers in person. [EDIT: This next paragraph reads like a roll call of people you don't know. If you get bored, feel free to skip it.] zgator also lives near me, and we got together to watch jai-alai. Then Ela, JaneX, Narrativium, and Shlomo traveled by, and we spent an afternoon together. Then Rakeesh came up to join Bob, Zan, and me for a game of arena football. Then jeniwren came down on vacation. Then Tom Davidson and Christy came down. Eventually Kwea and JenniK moved to the area, and I consider them extremely close friends as well. I also traveled and met Hatrackers on the road. I met Leto II, Strider, Frisco, and Leonide on one trip. On another, I met saxon75, Juliet, Papa Moose, and Lady Dove. Then I traveled to Bob's wedding and met about three dozen more. And there were others I never met that I felt just as close to, through our interactions online, on AIM, playing Scrabble, etc.
And,time after time, what I discovered was that I liked my Hatrack friends more than my local friends. I missed them desperately as soon as they left or as soon as I left. I missed the things we understood about each other, and the ways in which we differed. I can't begin to tell you how desperately I wish that some of them lived here.
As I continued to post, I started to feel comfortable sharing anything here. I shared my insecurities as the parent of a special needs child. My insecurities as an educator. I told Hatrackers things I'd told almost nobody else, and they listened and understood.
Why did I post? Because Hatrackers were my friends, and posting was how I talked to them. So my original answer was fairly straightforward.
Eventually I found myself feeling an odd sense of ownership over Hatrack. I found myself moved to defend it, when I felt someone threatened the chemistry I loved so much. I was not always the nicest person. I contributed much less, and I got a free pass on less than stellar behavior simply on the basis of my history of posting here. And I couldn't win. Many of the people I was closest to here were moving on, and posting in other forums. We found places where the group was smaller, and mostly all already friends. It's easy and comfortable. There aren't trolls over there, and having that haven makes it easier for me to ignore the trolls over here. I no longer feel any kind of ownership here, nor do I feel it's my place to defend Hatrack or smack anybody back into line. Most of the people posting these days are unfamiliar to me. I'm not any kind of pillar of the community--I'm just some guy who happens to have 12,000 or so posts, but most of them quite some time ago. Nobody thinks of me first when they have a question about adoption, math, Disney, teaching, education, Catholicism, latino culture, Spanish, grammar, abuse recovery, . . . anything.
But this is still a pretty friendly place to post. I have a lot of friends who no longer post in or read Hatrack. You get to feeling, after 10,000 posts or so, that you've earned something, some sort of respect or consideration. But to a new poster who's been around for a thousand posts or so and made friends of their own and found their own community, and to them people with a lot of posts who aren't around every day aren't really part of the community, and they certainly aren't special. And that's okay. All the things that attracted me to Hatrack are still there; it's just a different bunch of people having the bulk of the conversations. I follow along when I feel like it, and contribute when I have something to say. I guess I've come full circle. I won't be one of the ones who leaves, because Hatrack has meant so much to me, and, who knows, someday it might again.
Why do I post? Gratitude. Over the last five years, I have met the finest people I know here. I have made my best friends here. I have cried when people I knew died. I have shared my tears when things didn't work out like I planned. I have shared my adventures, as I explored new parts of myself. I have hugged people and been hugged. I have celebrated others' success and had people celebrate my own. And I have laughed a hell of a lot. I'm more peripheral now, but not that much has changed: I like it here.
Will you have the same experience I have had? I can't say. I don't know to what extent you're looking for what I found. I also don't know to what extent Hatrack is still offering it. I wouldn't try to force it. Specifically, I wouldn't stress about being consistent or feeling guilty or anything like that. It's not an obligation, man. It's something to do if you find it rewarding. My experience was that it grew more rewarding the more I participated, but that might not be your experience, and that's okay.
While you decide, though, Welcome!
That answer your question?
[ January 24, 2007, 12:11 AM: Message edited by: Icarus ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Icarus, except for some of the specific details that sums up my Hatrack experience almost perfectly. I was planning to post something very much like this, but there really isn't much need, now--you said it better than I would have, I think.
For the record, you're the first person I think of when someone asks a Disney related question, or mentions Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, or raising special needs kids, or a good dozen other things. Don't know if newer members would or not, since a lot of that comes from your earlier history here or our shared participation at other fora, but still.
And by the way, it's at least faintly criminal that we haven't met yet.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noemon: And by the way, it's at least faintly criminal that we haven't met yet.
Without a doubt. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
quote:Nobody thinks of me first when they have a question about adoption, math, Disney, teaching, education, Catholicism, latino culture, Spanish, grammar, abuse recovery, . . . anything.
Nope, you're wrong. You are exactly the first person I think of for many of those things.
And other than specific details, what Icky described is pretty much why I'm here as well, except that I've met no one in person. From Hatrack. Except for my husband, who also occasionally posts here, but he's here because of me...
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Okay, but you're an oldbie like me! Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
<Also thinks of Icarus first on many of those things.>
<Does consider Icarus to be a pillar of the community, but may define it differently than he.>
<Really appreciates Icarus listing "to pun" and "to be funny" separately.>
<Echoes many of the sentiments of Icarus's post. The long post, not that quid's an oldbie. Though she is.>
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Icky, you're like an entire year and then some older than me. Then take a look at the post count. I'm a veritable newbie and lurker in comparison!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Well, you've got one thing right, quid. You ARE a lurker compared to some.
Why post? Because it's a wonderful way to waste time when you want to, a wonderful place to discuss things you really care about when you want to, a wonderful community of people who love you when you need it (as long as you don't display trollish attributes), a wonderful place to find people with common interests and obsess over your many obsessions together, a great place to find new obsessions (don't get me started on how many things someone on Hatrack has started at our house) and a wonderful place to "hang out" with people you might one day have the privilege of meeting in real life, or might just form a closer online relationship with, or might just think of when you do certain things or go certain places.
In short, the reason normal people go to bars, clubs, community centers, concerts, conventions, or church socials is the reason I come to Hatrack. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Yeah, I'm definitely a lurker compared to you, kq. Wheesh!
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Maybe I should say that again if only to up my post count. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Awww, we love you just the way you are. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Even if I decided to... I dunno... Kill all the ketchup? Posted by Eduardo St. Elmo (Member # 9566) on :
Yeah... but only the ketchup that's made from killer tomatoes... Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Attack! ♪ of the ♫ Killer Tomatoes! ♩ ♪ Attack! ♪ of the ♫ Killer ♪ Tomatoes! ♩
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by quidscribis: Even if I decided to... I dunno... Kill all the ketchup?
That should have been John Kerry's campaign threat. He could have strongarmed the nation's ketchup lovers into voting for him.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I thought he already had a pretty good in with the ketchup lovers. I heard they even considered him a part of the family.
----------
Icarus's post should be recorded for posterity -- it was muy awesome.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah, I agree--it was practically landmarkish.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
"Practically"?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah, okay, scratch the "practically".
Posted by David Bowles (Member # 1021) on :
It's easy... post to get one step closer to your landmark thread!
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
Welcome!
I came here after reading about it in an OSC book introduction. I had just moved to a new city with my family. I had also just left my job to stay home with our very young children (a newborn and a toddler). I didn't know anybody close by and I was desperate to talk to people.
I lurked first, and slowly started posting. I was very cautious, because of all the stories about "internet people".
Turns out there were a lot of women my age, other young mothers or not, who came here to talk about thiings other than just the basic mommy stuff. It proved just what I needed at the time. I made real friends here, and met them in RL. I even hosted a few get-togethers.
I go through long periods of not posting at all, but the friendships I've made here are important to me. I come here mostly to play, these days.
You'll fit right in.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
If quid is an oldbie, what am I?
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
A machine?
-Bok
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
dkw wrote:
quote: It's not so bad, cmc. My parents, my siblings, my husband, my son, and my dog are all members.
..you left off your desk Lavalamp, your posable people..... Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Icarus, you are so cool. I haven't been around that long and I still know you're the go-to guy on a lot of the topics you mentioned, so there.
Welcome, Goram, and the nice thing about this is that you don't have to be consistent! You can show up when you like, post when you feel like it and lurk when you don't, and that's just fine.
As for me, I came here because, like Icarus, I had been a reader of OSC's essays on Hatrack for some time. I was sort of vaguely aware that there were some forums on the site, but I'd never bothered to check into them enough to realize what was here. However, one day I saw that there was going to be a National Geographic (I think) special on Guns, Germs, and Steel, a book Mr. Card had recommended in his column a couple of times. I wondered if there was a place that I could say, "Hey, everybody watch this," and I found the Books, Films, Food and Culture forum. I read a thread here and there just to get the feel for the place before I posted my comment, ended up not watching the show after all that, and then just got caught up in the place--and here I still am! Actually, I'd been a member of another forum years ago that went under, and although this was a very different kind of a place, I found the same type of online community here that I'd been missing.
I've never met another Hatracker, which means I'm not "real" yet. But I expect I will before too long.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
Geez, you live close to me. I should email you and we could do lunch, Uprooted.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
Welcome, Goram!
Sometimes I am here to debate politics, theology, art, philosophy, morals, law...
There are people here who have very different views from the people with whom I generally interact. It is good to be exposed to that.
I have also been blessed to "meet" people here who have become dear friends.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bokonon: A machine?
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Hah! You're not upset! It's a compliment, Teh Rivka!
quote:I lurked first, and slowly started posting. I was very cautious, because of all the stories about "internet people".
Yeah, those "internet people". Whaddya gonna do with them? Can't trust any of 'em! Nope, not a single one!
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by quidscribis: Hah! You're not upset! It's a compliment, Teh Rivka!
It is?
If you cut me, do I not bleed?
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I thought it was a compliment. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*curious* What does "machine" mean to you? Clearly it's different than what it implies to me.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I thought it was referring to the way you post a million posts in a day. Is it supposed to have some connotation with it that I'm not aware of?
Posted by Euripides (Member # 9315) on :
When my classmates tell me I'm a machine, they mean I'm churning out good essays really fast/working like a mule.
Posted by David Bowles (Member # 1021) on :
She's a love machine... :intones disco melody:
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Rivka probably thought that Bok meant that she was a MacHine, of the much reviled clan MacHine.
Oh, sure, they're good in a caber toss, but everyone knows they're horrible, horrible human beings.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Noemon
To me, calling someone a machine implies that they are uncaring and emotionless. Neither of which I aspire to. It also implies that I don't put thought into my posts, which is only true some of the time. Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
It turns out that not only do Olivet and I live in the same general area near Atlanta, but we are totally neighbors! Life is funny sometimes.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
rivka, I don't get that meaning from the word, but I can (sort of remotely) understand why someone would. I also don't think that's a descriptive of you in any form, and I don't think that's a normal assumption one would make on reading your posts here. If this comment helps at all. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Posted by Goram Steelfist (Member # 10129) on :
Hi everyone, Wow have you been busy! I have three questions. What is all this talk about Trolls?
When Icarus posted "Nobody thinks of me first when they have a question about adoption, math, Disney, teaching, education, Catholicism, latino culture, Spanish, grammar, abuse recovery, . . . anything." I thought wouldn't it be cool if there was a list here that you could look over to see who could be recommended about topics? Hey wait a minute...Is there?
I'm gonna look over the other Topics as was recommended to me. Is there one about doing charity work? In the meantime some of the things I like to talk about are non-mainstream movies (not Adult film either), working with your dreams, exploring creativity, learning how to overcome what you learned as a child, recovery, great places to tour on my Nighthawk 750 to name a few.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
They guard bridges.
Yes, 't would be coo.
Stickied (you have that definition from a previous message), on the first page.
Posted by Epictetus (Member # 6235) on :
I still lurk most of the time, but I like posting because there's a wide range of topics being discussed. If I want to read about or discuss politics and current events, there's usually a thread for that. If I want to complain about my day or ask for advice, everyone here is very understanding and always have some excellent advice. The list goes on and on.
My only recommendation about posting is: never be afraid to post, even if it's in a heated debate and you get completely shot down...the humiliation fades and you'll be a little wiser for it.
Posted by adfectio (Member # 11070) on :
This is really my second name on here. The old one kinda died out for a while after I hadn't used it (not that anyone would remember it anyway).
But Hatrack is a great place to get to know who people are instead of what they look like or what they act like. This place allows them to be who they truly are. From Icarus's and TomDavidson's well thought out, fair posts; to Ketchupqueen's love for just about anybody here, to KingofMen's intentionally inflammatory remarks; everybody has a place. Even the lurkers who don't post much have a place and are welcomed in. That's what I've realized in about the 5 years I've been watching and reading and watching.
People are valued here. No matter who they might be, they are counted as real and important. College students are given a voice and listened to by people two and three times their age. They feel important, because they are.
No Matter is really that trivial, and if your thread dies away to the second or third or fourth page, don't feel bad. Very few threads keep coming back to the top.
Whether this is just a rambling, or whether it made sense, I'm not sure. But either way, welcome. Glad to have you at Hatrack.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I've thought about becoming a lurker...but I've yet to develop the skill of keeping my big mouth shut. It's either a curse or a blessing, but I've always got something to say, even when I don't know what I'm talking about .
Maybe I'll make it a New Year's Resolution.
Besides, I wouldn't want to lose touch with some of the people here. It really is a community. This place is something special. We argue passionately without hatred on one thread, share our life's stories on another, and then trade recipes at the end of the day, it's beyond compare.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:to Ketchupqueen's love for just about anybody here
It's funny 'cause people always say this and I feel like I am far, far, far from a loving person.
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
I think that most of what I would say about why I post here has been said. In a lot of ways, the people I've met here are like my extended family. When I go to get-togethers, I get the feeling that these people understand me deep down, because they're like me in ways most of my other friends aren't. Also, it's great knowing people all over the place. My brother went to college near Rivka, and because of the friendship we've developed, he has someone to turn to in an emergency.
We used to make friendships based on physical proximity. With the internet, we can make them based on the nearness of minds, not bodies.
Posted by adfectio (Member # 11070) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen:
quote:to Ketchupqueen's love for just about anybody here
It's funny 'cause people always say this and I feel like I am far, far, far from a loving person.
If you're far from a loving person then most of us probably qualify somewhere around the level of Satan . Just so you know, you're an inspiration, at least to me.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I honestly don't know what to say to that.
Except I think I need to be nicer.
Posted by sylvrdragon (Member # 3332) on :
All this talk about Ketchup reminded me of a question: Who the heck says tomato? (lower 'a' sound; can't find the System map on Vista to make the symbol)
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Icarus- you have just about the coolest Hatrack-joining story ever.
I don't remember what spurred me to join, other than the lure of Hatrack as an intelligent community full of funny, interesting and cool people.
quote:Who the heck says tomato?
Tomaaahto? Sometimes I do, depending on my company at the time.
EDIT: It's amazing. Rivka and I joined about the same time, but her post count is more than triple of mine, heh.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
If quid is an oldbie then I must be one of the ancient ones. My first post was in 1996, I think. I guess I got captured because people with whom to discuss interesting topics are scarce on the ground. I think what Shig said sums it up nicely. "We used to make friendships based on physical proximity. With the internet, we can make them based on the nearness of minds, not bodies." And I would add nearness of hearts and spirits as well.
I think this place tends to attract people who're a bit like Ender (a character from the OSC book Ender's Game, which you are now required to read ). Ender is very young (in the first book) but he's thoughtful, sensitive, and he cares. He's willing to sacrifice of himself for things that matter. He goes through a lot of difficult and even terrible experiences. You'll see when you read the book. I think a lot of the people who came here in the early days were people who felt a kinship to Ender, who identified with him. They tended to be really amazing, awesome people.
I've made the closest and best friends of my life through here, over the years. They're more than friends now, they're my family. My life has been profoundly enriched by knowing them and being connected to them.
So I guess that's why I keep coming back.
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: I honestly don't know what to say to that.
Except I think I need to be nicer.
Ah, only loving and kind people think they need to be nicer. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shigosei: We used to make friendships based on physical proximity. With the internet, we can make them based on the nearness of minds, not bodies.
Well said. Posted by scholar (Member # 9232) on :
I joined while high on vicodin. Most internet forums are scary places and while this place didn't seem scary, maybe it was just in a nice mood. After spending several days lying around, either in too much pain to go to work or too drugged to drive, I was getting bored. Since I was pretty drugged, posting wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. And then whne I was feeling better and less drugged, my memories were positive so no biggie to continue posting.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I joined because of the same reason Icky did...I read about it in one of the Alvin Maker books and thought it seemed cool. I liked ...the idea of that forum seemed cool, but I didn't have the time for it. I did find the other forums right away, although I lurked for a wile.
I read really fast. Over 100 pages an hour most of the time. So I read a TON of threads in 2-3 days, and I really liked how this place operated. It seemed more of a community than most places on the web, and was filled with a lot of really cool people.
I didn't have a computer, but my parents did, so whenever I was at their house....for holidays, for the weekend (they lives 2 hours from me), I would post all night. I am a night owl, and their town was pretty dead, so it gave me something to do.
Ironically, the first day I signed up and posted I created a bit of a problem. Turns out a guy who was a borderline troll had been creating alts, and a large number of people thought I was just one of his alts. I had people insulting me, calling me names in chat, and even a few nasty emails.
I left, and almost didn't return.
But a couple of people were really cool, and after talking to me in a chat room once or twice really went to bat for me. Ela and Jenny Gardner in particular, although they weren't the only ones.
I found that Hatrack was worth the effort, and I kept posting, just ignoring the ignorant people who were so rude to me., and I found that Hatrack and I were a really good fit.
I have have real life Hatrack picnics where people from this site could meet in person, I have gone to a convention and met OSC and Christine in person....two things I would have never done without Hatrack.
When I moved to FL two years ago, I got to meet Icky and Cor, two of the coolest people I have ever met, and we became really good friends. I met jenniwren and her wonderful family on vacation, and zgator was really cool as well.
My wife registered here, and posts occasionally, but IRL Hatrack comes up almost every single day in conversation. We even posted wedding pic on our honeymoon!
So welcome to Hatrack! I hope you get the same enjoyment from this place that I did, and that I still do most of the time. Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
You should post because you want to talk to a large number of exceptionally intelligent people, even though most of them are wrong most of the time.
Pix
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Except when they agree with you? Posted by adfectio (Member # 11070) on :
Especially when they agree with you. Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
A nice thread, I missed it in it's first iteration.
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I couldn't bring myself to retype it, but now I had an account. I started occasionally posting in threads. I made one of the classic newbie blunders: starting a thread demanding to know why I was still classified as a new member despite being a member for nearly a month. ![[Embarrassed]](redface.gif)
The response was gentle and friendly, actually. Sometimes people found my opinion worthwhile, and that was flattering.![[Wave]](graemlins/wave.gif)
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Actually, I'd been a member of another forum years ago that went under, and although this was a very different kind of a place, I found the same type of online community here that I'd been missing.![[Cry]](graemlins/cry.gif)
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Noemon![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
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. Just so you know, you're an inspiration, at least to me.
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