Forum Culture

[aimeeandbeatles]

I'm not sure if this is the right area, but oh well. This took me a while to write. I hope I dont get in trouble lol

I've noticed, for example, different forums have different 'cultures' -- in-jokes, subjects they post about, way they treat new members. And these 'cultures' also have 'laws' (forum rules).

Example One:
Posting much about the Traveling Wilburys, this forum has a few in-jokes (such as Jeff Lynne's 'everlasting beard'), as well as fairly lentient rules and friendly members from around the world (although mostly from the USA and Canada, there are 3 or 4 members from Poland, one from Vietnam, and one from Russia). Okay, okay, I admit this forum belongs to me.

Example Two:
This forum posts much about the Beatles. However, they have many in-jokes (such as the female members marrying each other), as well as strict rules. If you don't fit in, you may get banned. Most of the members come from the USA and Australia.


These forums are completely different, aren't they? They seem to have different 'cultures'

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Any comments? Sorry for bumping, but I can't stand to see this ignored.

 

[Catharsis]

There's not really much to discuss. Forums have different subcultures, yeah. It's one of the reasons I like CFC. It doesn't have an élite culture like that Beatles forum you describe.

What's interesting is that CFC is so big that even separate subforums have their own subcultures. NESing's the best example, but Off-Topic has its moments. Forum Games (my subforum-of-choice) is also building a pseudo-subculture. It's not so pronounced in the Civ IV forums as a lot of the posters there are just one-off posters looking for help, but I imagine that the Civ III forums, which have quietened down a bit, will have a strong subculture now.

 

[Kozmos]

What a keen observation Captain Obvious.

 

[Solver]

What sort of comments do you want?

It's obviously quite true. Not only in forums but in every, well, society, community or whatever you want to call it. And a bigger forum will tend to have several subareas with different cultures - on a big forum, you'll often have users in one section not even knowing users from other sections. I believe that around 500 has been identified as the largest size where a community may remain non-fractured like that.

 

[Love]

Well, in Forum games, all GMs have this culture to disappear all the time...

 

[Catharsis]

What sort of comments do you want?

It's obviously quite true. Not only in forums but in every, well, society, community or whatever you want to call it. And a bigger forum will tend to have several subareas with different cultures - on a big forum, you'll often have users in one section not even knowing users from other sections. I believe that around 500 has been identified as the largest size where a community may remain non-fractured like that.

That's interesting. How many regular posters do we have here in Off-Topic, d'ya think?

Well, in Forum games, all GMs have this culture to disappear all the time...

True dat. I have my own conspiracy theories. You notice how Grillick always complains about the betting system, and the GM has to cancel the game, or disappear, soon after? I bet he has pictures of our beloved GMs in dresses (well, apart from Brisingamen, obviously... probably held her French horn hostage, or something).

Chandrasekhar survived because he's got pictures of Grillick in a dress.

 

[Solver]

That's interesting. How many regular posters do we have here in Off-Topic, d'ya think?

That's one for the moderators, they can pull that sort of statistics I look in here periodically and there are at least 30 posters I remember as very active, as in they post a lot. The amount of OTF regulars is definitely higher, though. 200-300?

 

[Mise]

OT has already fractured by itself... But that's probably more the natural user churn than anything else.

 

[Catharsis]

OT has already fractured by itself... But that's probably more the natural user churn than anything else.

Depends if Solver means 'knowing' or 'knowing of'. I 'know of' all but two of the users on this list (the list of people in OT at the time of this post):

Catharsis, Adamb0mb, ansar, armathas, BaneBlade, bathsheba666, Che Guava, clintscar, crabapple, Ecofarm, Eran of Arcadia, Irish Caesar, j_eps, leonel, Lund, McManus, Miles Teg, Mise, Naval Power, Ofuh, PhotitheMalfeas, QuoVadisNation, Shadylookin, Solver, sourboy, Stevenpfo, The Yankee, TheDervish, Till, Wolfe Tone

(the two I don't know of are clintscar and Lund, who have no posts)

But I 'know' comparatively few of them.

Of course, if you're talking about ideological fractures, then yes, thank you Captain Obvious, and may I take this opportunity to disagree with you about everything? And use this smiley: ? Oh, maybe another one: .

 

[Mise]

Depends if Solver means 'knowing' or 'knowing of'. I 'know of' all but two of the users on this list (the list of people in OT at the time of this post):



(the two I don't know of are clintscar and Lund, who have no posts)

But I 'know' comparatively few of them.

Yeah, that's true. I think the lack of user specific threads/posts and the "value add" steer of OT moderation largely contributes to the marked lack of a strong community in OT.

Of course, if you're talking about ideological fractures, then yes, thank you Captain Obvious, and may I take this opportunity to disagree with you about everything? And use this smiley: ? Oh, maybe another one: .

It's weird, even though I know you said it in jest, it still felt cutting . They should get rid of rolleyes. And add the cheerleader.

 

[Catharsis]

It's weird, even though I know you said it in jest, it still felt cutting . They should get rid of rolleyes. And add the cheerleader.

If they added the cheerleader we'd need to see less of a forum culture, and more of a culture shock... and awe...

Spoiler :

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Yes, NESing is one of the more different cultures in the forum. We have our own little adventures that few outsiders know. And I don't think there are many people outside of NESing who know why I have used penguins as my avatars for over a year, or what the Great 1 or 2 Pixel debate is, or why you shouldn't say the 'd'-word.

No, the 'd' word is not an expletive.

*****

Anyway, yeah, it is interesting to see different subcultures on forums. I've been spending time in the unmoderated Starcraft II forums on Battle.net, and that place is downright scary. I figure that while Civfanatics is a fairly pleasant, comfortable city, the SC II is like a drugged, gang-ruled slum.

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

This forum needs cultural improvements, a.k.a, Tom Petty.