woah... {cycling through members}

[Kawaiikneko]

Haha this is really weird... I've been on this site for a few years, but recently I've been mostly hanging out on the RP boards. I used to be on the goof off forums alot, and sometimes the general board, but now that I'm paging through those forums after not looking at them for awhile I'm noticing that I don't really know any of the "new" people (who may or may not be new to the rest of the site's population! XD)

So anyway... hi!

Also, so this thread has a point, what do you think of the "cycle" of members here at CAA? People come and go because of life changes or whatever, but it's kinda weird that we get to know people and lose them so easily in online situations. Alot different than in offline life.

[ChristianKitsune]

the answer is simple.

Offline life you can see people face to face
online life you can't.

I have lost contact with a few people too, and yeah I miss talking to them, but it's life.

I think it's almost a good thing. Forums are awesome but everyone needs to make time for real life and their walk with God.

Good question though! : D

[Kawaiikneko]

haha, it wasn't really a question... obviously our face-to-face contacts will be more permanent. I was really just commenting on the fact that I looked through the general forum and didn't know the majority of the people who were posting.

[ChristianKitsune]

wrong wording on my part..sorry!!

interesting idea!!!

[Kawaiikneko]

whoo! yay for misinterpretation~ (on my part XD)

[Myoti]

haha, it wasn't really a question... obviously our face-to-face contacts will be more permanent.

Unless you stalk them.

Er... I mean... heh, yeah, there's so many new members here lately, aren't there. ^_^;


But yeah, I know what you mean. I've personally gotten to the point of checking this out now and then now, but I don't quite post as frequently (more like I'm just lurking and looking for good stuff =p ).

[Kawaiikneko]

I'm always more of a lurker on any forum than an active member... I'm just as shy/untalkative online as I am offline XD

[HisaishiFan]

Hey, Neko! Remember the Beth Moore study? Hey, !

[That Dude]

I think that in offline relationships it's nearly as easy to lose communication with people as in online relationships. It's just that people are constantly changing...And many time's they change drastically.

[Wind]

I try to make a point oF PMing a few of the New members or at least posting in their intro threads and welcoming them to CAA I have made alot of wonderful friends that way

[boerseun]

Shortly after I joined (way back in the day ) I lost my connection (long story ). Now that I'm finally back, everything feels new again. Lots of new faces and I miss some of the old ones. But that's the way life goes. I'm just glad I had the chance to meet some of the great people here, even if some of them are no longer here.

[Kawaiikneko]

The irony of this thread is that the majority of the people who have replied are among the people I know! Except you boerseun... nice to meet you. =]

[Radical Dreamer]

I can totally see how it would be easy to miss all of the new members by staying in one forum. XD And there's lots of them, too. o_o It seems like a huge wave came over the summer, but there're still a few trickling in throughout the beginning of this fall, too.

Anyways, the cycle of members that you mentioned is disappointing, but true. Then again, though, it's always fun to see members that haven't been on in years coming back (there's been at least 3 that I can recall reading about).

[Animus Seed]

I try to make a point oF PMing a few of the New members or at least posting in their intro threads and welcoming them to CAA I have made alot of wonderful friends that way

Like me, right?

Anyways, Kawaiineko, I don't think we've "met," but I do recognize your avatar from my lurking.

I, for one, am pretty much here to stay, it seems.

[boerseun]

The irony of this thread is that the majority of the people who have replied are among the people I know! Except you boerseun... nice to meet you. =]

pleasure to meet you too.

[uc pseudonym]

I haven't given this subject heavy consideration, actually. To be honest, it doesn't strike me in the same way. This is partially because as a moderator I have to look at a wide variety of threads.

However, I think that a big part of it is how I view forums in the first place. To be honest, the vast majority of members, even those I might have exchanged words with, do not have a "relationship" with me in my mind. Our involvement is coincidental and very minor. As such, if they leave the forum, it is simply like any other encounter and there is no further expectation. Those members that I do feel as though I know somewhat... they're still here.

[Kawaiikneko]

The only people I feel I know really well are the ones I know offline, though there's a group I know through the RP board that I think I know better since we talk on aim outside of CAA. Other than that, I see the board the same way...

[Kokhiri Sojourn]

I've been a member of CAA, obviously, for a long time now, but since I am only sporadic in my commenting, I don't really feel that I know many here. I recognize names everywhere, but much of the originals I remember are either admins or moved on. But I'm getting reacquainted, and I guess in an online community of sorts, the revolving door is a little faster.

[Ingemar]

I used to post a lot--

Then life happened.

I've been living ever since.

[Doubleshadow]

I think of the "cycle" as natural. I read an interesting article on the nature of on-line social interactions and one of the main points is that they are without commitment, largely without responsibility, and transient. One can absolutely come and go as they please without seeming impolite, callous, rude, or insensitive, and simply stop speaking to someone with no explanation and no one finds that inappropriate. Unless someone makes a concentrated effort to cultivate and maintain a genuine friendship, the interactions of people on-line who do not have an off-line relationship probably cannot be considered more than good-natured aquaintances. I don't feel I can say I know anyone on this forum because I am only familiar with an on-line persona, which could be miles different from who the person presents themselves as off-line, intentionally or not. As for friends, I don't think I can say that either, not because I am indifferent to those I communicate with through posting, but because I can't function as friend when the only means of communciating I have is text on a forum. I take my friendships very seriously, and most of the ways I try to be there for my friends when they need me, I simply can't do via a computer screen.

[SnoringFrog]

I know what you mean, I think. On one forum I'm a member at, I only go to one section, and I know most of the people in that section well enoguh to recognize their screenames, but if I go anywhere else, I don't recognize any usernames.

[Bobtheduck]

People come and go... They may just get bored of the discussions. They may get tired of troll attacks. They may not be able to access the internet, or they may just be too busy.

What I wonder about is if there are ever members that die and we don't find out because they didn't have real life friends who were on here to tell everyone... That's a weird thought... If I were to die, probably no one here would ever find out.

[Tenshi no Ai]

I personally really like it when there's a board with tons of members who post stuff like everyday^^ Dunno but I've always thought of boards that hardly gets posts on them rather... boring. I think it's great when new people come and STAY. Kind of a shame when a bunch of new people sign up and only a couple continue to come... and always nice when older members come back again^^ Been alot of both of those in the last few months. Guess even me had my slipping away for almost a year and then returning. Now it'sl ike, so many peopel look familiar and stuff on here, even though I don't overly interact with everyone and it's like ALWAYS them that add me and so on and I don't go on the chat anymore really (sort of preoccupied^^) But I DO have tons of time to post in between my text readings and whatnot for breaks and stuff which is why my post count's like shot up in the past little bit :/

*cough* Ok I'll stop my rambling there^^

[uc pseudonym]

What I wonder about is if there are ever members that die and we don't find out because they didn't have real life friends who were on here to tell everyone... That's a weird thought... If I were to die, probably no one here would ever find out.

People might call me morbid for thinking this way, but I've prepared for this. If I die, I have acquaintances who know where to find information about my online obligations and I've asked that they pass along my death.

But yes, I wonder about that too. I can think of two people I have "known" online who have suddenly vanished, never to return another message, without any indication of any reason.

[HisaishiFan]

I personally really like it when there's a board with tons of members who post stuff like everyday^^ Dunno but I've always thought of boards that hardly gets posts on them rather... boring.

Agreed. I like it when folk post on different threads. I joined a thread or two at HPANA and the same people post all the time, but it is kind of boring because they never talk about Harry Potter. It is more like chat, really. Which is okay, but I just don't read it enough to keep up.

[Doubleshadow]

People might call me morbid for thinking this way, but I've prepared for this. If I die, I have acquaintances who know where to find information about my online obligations and I've asked that they pass along my death.

I find that very considerate of you, and applaud your foresight. I found out an on-line author I was a fan of had passed away very suddenly from cancer, within a month of her initial diagnosis. People were still leaving her messages demanding updates. I found it heartbreaking.

[Kaligraphic]

Unless you stalk them.

Hey, Myoti, that pen you're looking for is on the table. Yeah.

For the rest of you, move along, there's no stalking going on here.


On a more serious note, A guy on another forum I'm on died a couple of years ago. Last I checked, there was one person who still had a memorial to the guy in his sig. (We made a r.i.p. thread and one of the members who knew the guy in person printed out the thread and gave it to the family.)

[Kokhiri Sojourn]

Crazy that we've ended up talking about death...