No Man (or Woman) is an Island

I've been doing alotta travelling lately and saw the threads about where people were and it got me to thinking and even a question. If you dont find it worthy of comment then that's ok with me and just let this slowly follow the line down to page 2 But ...

The forum has gone through many changes since I started in sl. Many people have left (as I am sure I will one day) and others take their place. There are forum "types" who form a clique or a friendship with others who are similar in their needs or there are loners who have nothing to do of an evening and come on to teh forum rather than sl which can be really "hard work" (liek driving a car on a busy street). I see becoming evident the "where is so-and-so?" comment. They are prolly gone for good from sl, lost their real job so they cant use the company's time on computer, family circumstances have interfered, or in extreme cases are dead. Occasionally a person is really NEVER out of character in sl or rl. They just wanna jump you. Or they have picked up a "vibe" and they really, really dont like you. There's even that long thread that is kinda a coffee-morning-moan like my aunt would get into.

But I wonder WHY people use teh forum? Sure, we can answer but 9 out of 10 questions are often more in line of "Yeah we commiserate" or "Go back to the sl world and find out for yourself". But what drives YOU to this place? Are people liek me - travelling or waiting for "my turn" at what I do and then using teh computer for emails and stuff and checking in as a means of entertainment? Or when I get time and taking a break just playing around with all teh buzzy questions I get in my head? Or is it something else for you? Do forums offer a companionship? A chance to vent at a frustrating job? Is it possible to actually care for a person and their well-being even if we will (hopefully in most cases) never meet or communcate with in any way? So why are you here? Why arent you in sl world itself which is what we talk about? What brings you from the real world to the forum?

I'm here because ham radio is sooooo last century.

Purely avoidance of doing real life stuff in my case and yes it does build up a greater sense of guilt that i do this and yes it makes me want to avoid RL even more and yes I hate these bloody forums and yes did I mention I'm here to avoid RL?

When doing things like feeding a baby, forums are easy to navigate and read.

I think I'm drawn to drama like a fat kid to cake, even though I consistently extol my disgust for drama and desire to ignore it. It's like reading a good book. Humans love stimulus. Put a human in a deprivation chamber and they'll go nuts. We like new experiences, view points, emotions, etc.

I think also sometimes the in-world SL can feel a bit lonely for some, especially the loner types. The forums are a chance to connect with the rest of the SL "world", a place where we all converge. You get a "sense" of the current "state" of our world. It's almost like a living being taking shape around us.

I just love seeing how everything evolves based on the everyone's experience. We go through highs and lows. Some days we're bitching about LL. Other days we're praising them. There are complaints of griefers, exclamations of love, quirky inside jokes. I guess it's the same reason many of us are addicted to personal blogs. This forum is sort of like a massive blog in some ways.

Plus, I'm bored and on my break at work. I need something to do when I can't go in-world.

I'm a Loner and I'm Proud.

Why do I spend time in forums instead of in world? Why should the two be mutually exclusive? They serve different purposes.

I don't access SL from work but forums are a pleasant distraction when I want a few minutes' break.

And, most of what I know about SL, and most of what I do in SL, I learned on a forum. Forums are how I met most of my in-world friends, either directly or indirectly. Forums are how I learn of places to explore and shops to browse. It's very difficult for me to imagine what my SL would be like without forums. I probably would have gotten bored and left ages ago.

Which wouldn't necessarily have been a bad thing, mind you ...

can't log in to sl at work...

and dual monitors at home

Cuz I'm at work and can't be inworld. When I AM inworld, I'm very rarely in the forums.

It's just more fuel for my continuing addiction.

I use the forum here as my personal grid status page. By looking at New Posts it is very easy to assess the state of the grid.

For example, if there are more than 2 "I CANT LOG IN" posts on the first page....its gunna be a rough day.

At the very least it's far more "real time" than the actual grid status page.


Other than that, some of you are extremely funny and entertaining!! =)

Ditto ....

I don’t do Forums …. oh wait

Actually though not as much as I used to. I still read them on and off through the day when I can but rarely post anymore. Seems that by the time I get to a topic I like its already on page 3 and so far off topic I figure why bother.

i am most times in SL and in here..now days i really don't communicate in sl like i used to..i just build and do the short and sweet get through the IM's thing..
it gets old getting IM's with things like..so what'cha up to and other no reason IM's..
there are a lot of people in here that are fun..i mean forum humor is some of the best there is..lol
that and there are a lot of good answers to questions i may have..plus if i can help then thats always good too..i do hate when i find myself getting into a debate and am trying to curb that because they really can eat up the day and really never end..most times it's agree to disagree and then another shows up..
i'd just rather drop a little humor in here and there and meet and get to know people.

i guess it's like a good hangout with good people..sometimes you get some trolls but really this forum is pretty clean of them compared to a lot i have been in..
we all have something in common which is sl ..
if i am on a big project though i usually am not in here..
so i guess it depends on my SL as to when..

RL stuff like my companies i can run from my home and cell phone and internet so not much really changes there..
it's probably more social for me than anything i guess even though i'm not really in a clique or anything like that..but i like to think i get along with most cliques i am around..
i like getting along with everyone i can..
it's a good forum..mods show up once in a great moon to close some thread that seems like a random choice then it's all ours again lol
i mean how many forums has anyone seen where the people in it keep it so clean and moderated so fairly?
there is a lot of good social team work here and i think people like to be a part of it..i like to think i am in a way ..so i keep coming back for more

ditto, times 2

I just like to read forums. I am a message board junkie.

I also can't get inworld from work... at least not usually.

So the forums is as close as I can come.

I'm not part of a clique. When I throw my two cents in I'm ready for them to get thrown back. For me, an Irish welcome is enough: that no one tells me to go away.

So NOW you're into the Irish! Honest, Key, I thought I was bad but you're insatiable.

First and foremost I'm here to participate in discussion about SL, to gain information and hopefully to help people as well sometimes.

It also might help me on my journey to SLebrity status - like being famous for being famous

I post here to be with my friends.

And to help people.

And because I can't get in world to do either of those things.

I like helping people. I also like being an active member of a community and giving back something of value to that community. So the majority of my posts in the Forums are aimed at offering straight, helpful advice to others, were I can. I spend most of my time in RA and in the Building and Texturing forums, and reply to posts where I think I have something constructive to add.

The forums are also a place for me to learn more. A lot of what I know and now pass on to others came from earlier helpful people in these forums, like Chip Midnight and Robin Sojourner. No one "knows it all", and we can all learn from others. Just yesterday I lertned a wonderful building trick, that will help me to save prims when building roofs. I am always looking for threads on buildig or texturing or sometimes on scripting topics, to see both if I can help the OP, and if I can learn something useful from other replies.

And frankly, part of why I am here so much is to relieve boredom. I have a RL job that has me on-line almost all day. But though some days are quite busy, others I am essentially just "standing by", sitting in front of a computer with a really fast Internet connection, and waiting for a colleague to request my assistance. I can scan the forums and reply while I am at work, and if something crops up can easily drop what I was fooling around with here, deal with the work issue, and then resume my forum scanning.

Well, first off it's delightfully entertaining and interesting threads like these that cause me to keep coming back!

And I have real world 'distractions' - for me I get a lot of IM's and work in SL and it's simply not possible to mix RL/SL there - but forums are a bit asynchronous and I can

Like the majority of the posters, I spend time on the forums because I can't (erm, well I shouldn't ) get inworld whilst at work.

As of yet, i have not made too big of a splash in the forums, but if something piques my interest, I will post.

Why do I come back? I'm a forum addict....I learn a lot about the things I'm interested in, and get a good laugh in the process.

I like to read the forums because it is a good way to see what is going on throughout SL

I also like to assist with questions, and helping people figure things out, and I like to learn, so when things come up I do not know the answer to, I learn something new


As of late I am not reading the forums as much as I used to, and I am finding I am posting less

same with SL, not in world as much as I used to be, not creating like I used to

who knows, maybe it is time to leave...

*shrug*

I come because I learn something every day, plus I always get a few really good laughs.

"No Man (or Woman) is an Island"

Correct. Successful men and women, however, are peninsulas.