Ponderings on the subject of eventuality for the CAA

[Scribs]

A recent thread just got me thinking of how short forum friendships can be. Just for the heck of it I went back to look at the intro thread of a recently departed member. I found it amazing that noone who posted in his opening thread has posted in his closing thread. In fact most of them have left for one reason or another, dissapeared, or have not posted much recently.

What has happened to them? Will we ever find out? Probably not. They will simply remain in our memories as a names that we mentally connected with the small square picture fixed next to their names. In some special cases they have distinguished themselves through their words to the extent that we know a little bit about their personalitys. But most were simpy good frienly people who we never really got to know, and who we will probably forget within a few years.

Thirty years from now, will the CAA still be running? I seriously doubt it. At some point it will most likely have to shut down. We do not know how comunities like this one last over time. The internet has only been arround for how long? I am not sure of the exact date, but the internet as we know it did not exist 15 years ago. No site has even had the chance to see if it will endure that long. In the case of CAA, will the majority of us be interested in anime in thirty years? Will Ashly at the age of 48 still have the time to be able to keep a site like this running? Will a middle aged Mister Smarty Pants still be a prominant member of the Goof off section? Will the title "master impact" still mean anything to us? Will Olorc be making coloring contest #367?

Common sense tells us that this is simply not something that is possible. We will all sooner or later go our seperate ways. We will, with some prominant exceptions, never comunicate with each other ever again. This thought saddens me. I just had these feelings while looking through the archives, and I wanted to share them, such as they are. Goodnight.

-Scribs

[bigsleepj]

Edit: Very existential, Scribs. I suppose we all do go our seperate ways eventually. I find it sad when friends, even on-line friends, fall away from a forum (as had happened recently in another forum). But quite frankly these things happen even outside of forums when your friends in real life move away or just drift apart as interests and world views change. These are facts of life and on some level common sense.

But if we all remain Christians (I hope to God we do) then quite frankly an otherwise unrelated Vera Lynn song would become incredibly relavant.

We'll meet again
don't know when,
don't know where
But I know we'll meet again
some sunny day.
Keep smilin' through
just like you always do
till the blue skies
drive the dark clouds
faraway...

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

We'll see each other in Heaven one day.

[Hephzibah]

We'll see each other in Heaven one day.

Amen to that! If I go first, I will be waiting for you guys at the gates
If not... I am expecting a very big welcome Party XD

As for the topic of this thread... I've been thinking about it lately as well. I am thinking that it will close down before 30 years is up; at the very least it will be completely changed within 3 or 4 years. New members, new personalities, etc.

Aaaah well... fun while it lasted everyone!!!! Might as well say goodbyes before everyone jsut drifts away XD

[CreatureArt]

I couldn't absolutely agree that the CAA wont be around in 30 years time, I must confess. Don't get me wrong: I understand that times, lives, people, technology... etc. changes, and I don't exclude the possibility of the CAA not being around in a few decades... but I don't discount the possibility that it might last far into the future, also.

I think I understand the point made, though, about how things change, friendships slowly fall apart as people go their separate ways and how people can leave forums leaving no more trace than their posts, signature and avatar. I share the view of Bigsleep, W4J and Talame: we'll see each other in heaven some day.

I've experienced the way friendships can grow less active and even come totally apart in real life, and I guess the way I try to deal with it is to thank God for the blessing that such people have been then pray that he will lead, protect, guide (and in the case of non-Christians) an save them. I think it is in Ecclessiastes (can anyone correct me on the spelling?) where the Bible mentions that all things are for a season. Everything that I can think right now apart from God constantly changes. In the end, though I am incredibly grateful for the people (especially my friends and family) that God has brought into my life, I have to come to the realisation that in the end he is the only one who will always be there no matter what. That his love and interest in me will never grow cold.

I guess my personal method in the face of the knowledge that all things eventually die away sooner or later is to enjoy it while its there as the blessing that it is. All things end, so I try to appreciate it while its here.

(Oh, and I in no way wish to imply that anyone isn't appreciating CAA or anything. This is just some thoughts, opinions and meanderings that were sparked by your post, PiloScribs, and aren't at all aimed at anyone. ).

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Will a middle aged Mister Smarty Pants still be a prominant member of the Goof off section? Will the title "master impact" still mean anything to us? Will Olorc be making coloring contest #367?

i shall try.... I shall try

but seriously, I always wondered this question...

What if ashley one day like... found someone else to pay for CAA monthly (and giving them supreme honcho rights) such a like.... scribs or something..

[cbwing0]

Will the CAA still be around in 30 years? I suppose that depends on whether or not anime contiunes to be popular during that time. If it becomes more popular, then there will probably always be more people to replace those that leave. If not, then all we'll be left with is another stagnant, pathetic nostalgia forum that shoud be put out of its misery.

Of course we have formed friendships that go beyond the common interests that initially drew us together, but how long would those sustain the CAA if everyone lost interest in anime? After all, the primary vehicles for connecting outside of the CAA (AIM, YIM, Skype, MSN, blogs, etc.) would still exist. Not only would they still exist, but they are also better vehicles for conversation and community.

Most people don't live in the the same house, work at the same job, or (unfortunately in our time) stay with the same spouse for their entire life, so why should we think that something as ethereal as an internet forum should endure?

Even so, most people have at least some affection for their home town. They might leave for years, then come back to see what has changed. They are different people, so their relationship to the community will not be the same, but still they return. That is one of the reasons that I dislike goodbye threads. I will never post one, because I could never say that after leaving for a time, I wouldn't come back. All the goodbye thread does is put one in a situation to break a foolish promise. I have been inactive for long periods in the past, but I always came back; and I didn't have to deal with the fact that I made a grand ego-trip exit.

I first joined the CAA only a few weeks after Volt. For the first year or so I was very active. If you can believe it I was beating his post count for a good while . Then, I changed. Now I do not post just for the sake of posting, but only if something really strikes me as an opportunity to contribute something meaningful. My Xanga is now the major vehicle for the personal things that I might have posted here in the past.

Who knows? Maybe at some point in the future I will be posting five times more frequently than I did in the beginning. The only thing that I will rule out is severing all ties to the CAA.

To summarize: I'll be around .

[starfire]

I like to think that in thirty years, we'll all be members of an underground rebel force led by holograms of Ashley and UC Pseudonym, wearing rubber suits and carrying lasers.

Not really, but it's a nice thought.

Seriously, though, wonder what will happen. Obviously the laws of probability are against us all being here in even ten years. That's kind of sad. But, if we all enjoy the time that CAA is still up and running, at least we'll have good memories when it isn't.

Very deep Scribs.

[Mithrandir]

Wow.

Less then 100 years ago (a teensy tiny spippit of history), it was not unusual for people to die in the same town they were born in. I can't remember the last time I *visited* the town I was born in (and raised to 18!) Things are changing very rapidly indeed.

I propose a new line of thinking: Without the internet, you never would have met these people at all. Relish the small ammount of time you've been give rather than focus on how sad it is now that they've gone.

Heck, I'd get pretty depressed if I started thinking about all the cool people I've met online that I don't really know anything about any more.

[Scribs]

It is of course a very good and valid point that we will all see eachother in heavan someday.

I think that what prompted me to post this thread was the thought that online friendships are something completely unique in history. Never before has there been a way to communicate with people on a daily basis without ever meeting them, seeing them, or even hearing their voice. It is something comletely new, and it makes me wonder what kind of psychological effect this new form of comunication will have on people emotionally over the long run.

The thread probably had a bit of a depressing tint to it. I suspect that this is because it was written at 1 in the morning, while I was listening to some rahter sad music. The thoughts just came into my head, and i wrote them as they occured to me.

[uc pseudonym]

This is something I have also given thought. However, I am inclined to take a more questioning outlook: as you said, we truly do not know how long forums survive because they are simply too new to have any discernable trend. Roughly considering people themselves, however, it seems that most forums experience growth but eventually die away.

What concerns me for the moment is something closer at hand: what if CAA grows to the point where it is like the Gaia forums? I have no desire to participate in such a community, and the substantiality of relationships would decrease even further. Recent events indicate that this is not incredibly likely, but it is almost certain that the forum will continue to grow, and if it grows much more it will go beyond my desire to keep up with it.

At the same time, however, I think that if CAA continues it will go into another "generation" of members, so to speak. Already there are many threads that I do not participate in because they have already been made. Yet those posting in them were not around long enough to have seen those threads. I predict that as time goes on the number of threads that I find worthwhile will continue to decrease, though I do not believe this will continue to zero. This is probably good, because in 30 years the post counts of some members could become almost incredible.

But I have also considered far beyond the present time, and even your considerations. What if CAA does survive for decades to come? Retired members of CAA might be spamming the Goof Off forum all day long. And then we would eventually reach the point where many of the founding members of CAA are losing mental stability or dying.

[Scribs]

And then we would eventually reach the point where many of the founding members of CAA are losing mental stability

Oh the comments I could make on that one...

[uc pseudonym]

While I accept that as pretty funny, it is making light of something rather serious. That isn't a condemnation of your post, but I do think it is something that should be considered soberly. I would hope that we never reach a point where older members begin to fall into dementia; and I hope their loved ones would keep them from posting.

And now that I've said that I may as well post it before anyone else: some people might not be able to tell the difference.

[Wise Dragon]

Tell ya what when ever I get to heaven Im gonna stand at the gates holding a sign with my Avy and screen name on it so you guys can find me and we can all hang out together.

[Yumie]

Something curious I was thinking about along these lines: Say this site does go on a few more decades. And we have kids, and we get our kids into anime, and they all get on CAA. And they all become friends just like some of us have. It would be like, us- the sequel! That would be cool.

[Cap'n Nick]

Having thought about this before I think there's a possibility that internet organizations such as forums could evolve from simple diversions to important social networks. Just as college fraternities, distinctive neighborhoods and even single eating establishments have the potential to form communities and influence that permeate the entire society, the bonds formed in this community could prove to be of much more consequence once its members start growing up and moving up in the world. Given the informal nature of this board and the ease of joining and disjoining I doubt CAA will become the next Skull and Bones or even Bohemia, but I've already gotten more out of this socially than I ever thought possible. As I spend more time here, I can only see the influence these people have on my life increasing.

[TurkishMonky]

Wow... i just spent the last three hours going over posts from the dawn of CAA...there were a lot of cool people that don't come to CAA anymore...It's kind of sad that i missed them all (joining this year). I think it's somthing amazing just to see how CAA has evolved over the years, and changed so much, as well as see the excitement generated when that first group switched to their very own forums... It's intersting. I wonder if anyone will ever look back on these posts in ten years, assuming that CAA is stil kicking, and try to get to know us by our posts here...

(anyway, sorry i'm being so nogastalgic. i just recently signed my life away in college loans and friday am going to be older then dirt - 19 - so i'm kind of depressed and eating lots of chocolate ice cream ight now... this probably doesn't help)

Ahem (whacks side of head) Here's to the future! takes large bite of ice cream)

[Alice]

T_T

[Icarus]

In thrity years, I doubt that I'll be on here much, if at all. Some of the people I "grew up with" on the forums have left, and others have joined. This is not meant to disparage anyone, but you start to miss people after a while. It's only been two years, and I already feel nostalgia. What will it be like at 4? 15? The number of transients would be crippling after a while.

[meboeck]

What concerns me for the moment is something closer at hand: what if CAA grows to the point where it is like the Gaia forums? I have no desire to participate in such a community, and the substantiality of relationships would decrease even further. Recent events indicate that this is not incredibly likely, but it is almost certain that the forum will continue to grow, and if it grows much more it will go beyond my desire to keep up with it.

I totally agree with that. There are some pretty new members who are already becoming prominent in various areas, and while Mr. SmartyPants may not be filling up the goof-off forum, other members will make themselves known there, and there might even be another battle for king of the goof-off session! People keep coming and going here, and it's just like that anywhere (school, workplaces, church, communities). Instead of going away, CAA might end up just morphing into something new.

[Scribs]

I would hope that we never reach a point where older members begin to fall into dementia; and I hope their loved ones would keep them from posting.

All joking aside this time, I think that this is a very ineresting point. We have not had to deal with any large ammount of internet senility because very few old people spend much time on the internet. What will happen to internet communitys as senility starts to eat away at their members? In 50 years todays young adults will be in their seventies, and will presumably still have acess to the internet. That is a heck of alot of older people and it would logically folow that at least a decent number of them would become senile. This could become a troubling problem for internet communitys. It is an interesting thought.

[Mave]

Considering that nothing on earth lasts forever, it is most likely that everyone's encounter with CAA may only be temporary (myself included). I don't know how long I'll be around but as long as I make good use of the opportunity given to us, memories are what I will cherish and take to my grave. This applies to any friendships I've made throughout my life including high school, college, workplace etc. Same goes for CAA. So don't take your current friends/acquaintances for granted...you'll never know when your gifts/opportunities will disappear.

[Alice]

All joking aside this time, I think that this is a very ineresting point. We have not had to deal with any large ammount of internet senility because very few old people spend much time on the internet. What will happen to internet communitys as senility starts to eat away at their members? In 50 years todays young adults will be in their seventies, and will presumably still have acess to the internet. That is a heck of alot of older people and it would logically folow that at least a decent number of them would become senile. This could become a troubling problem for internet communitys. It is an interesting thought.

One wonders if they could be any worse than the illiterate/rude posting from youngsters which many forums experience. (Ours seems to be rather immune, though, thankfully.)

[Scribs]

One wonders if they could be any worse than the illiterate/rude posting from youngsters which many forums experience. (Ours seems to be rather immune, though, thankfully.)

Ah but those rude posters would be ammong the old generation as well, assuming they do not overcome thier rudeness.

[Ashley]

Wow, I feel slightly depressed now. =(

But let's be honest here...in 10, 15 years...most of us will be in our early thirties or 40s, trying to take care of our children and fulfilling the greater calls God has for us. So yeah, I may not be running CAA when I'm 40 or 50, but I wouldn't just let you guys die. Like Elijah to Elisha, torches are being passed and a new generation will rise up, and hopefully we will let what we have been blessed to learn and experience here, in this completely unique environment never experienced before in history, be passed on to our children's children, so that they too will fearlessly approach the dark realms of the world with the light and love of Jesus Christ.

Yes, we will change in the next 50 years, the next 20 years, the next 10 years, the next 5 years. But the God we serve is timeless, and is the author of history. Rest assured, He will not be done with CAA until we have fulfilled our purpose. And THAT is reason to hope.

[Scribs]

Yes, we will change in the next 50 years, the next 20 years, the next 10 years, the next 5 years. But the God we serve is timeless, and is the author of history. Rest assured, He will not be done with CAA until we have fulfilled our purpose. And THAT is reason to hope.

amen to that. God has a purpose for the CAA and he will not let it die till it is time.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

He will not be done with CAA until we have fulfilled our purpose. And THAT is reason to hope.

OOOOooo, wise words from ashley! *applauds*

[Mithrandir]

I might have to avoid commenting about our "elderly members" who may someday suffer from demensia. There's a history of that in my family, actually... >.<

[SP1]

But let's be honest here...in 10, 15 years...most of us will be in our early thirties or 40s, trying to take care of our children and fulfilling the greater calls God has for us.

44, Done that (married), Got 'em (children). My current calling for God still allows for CAA membership. ]CAA in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex[/color]

[Mithrandir]

I'll write it, too. Just you wait.