I have LOTS of friends. On-line...

Probably because you rarely have anything funny or relevant to say. Just a guess.

 

I agree. There's less bandwagon-jumping amongst the mods and more tolerance for the opinions of others. You knew on the old board you'd get a week off for disagreeing with slf of dch, as would any of the lesser mods. Pathetic e-posturing, really, which, luckily, this place doesn't suffer from. I, for one, missed the entire last week's posting from the RMMB, and I'd been there for a while at that point - since September 2005. That might have actually been pretty funny to read but I missed that opportunity entirely.

FOCUS: I'm just here for the boobie thread and the occasional pearls of wisdom dropped by some of the users. I'm not sure if I'd meet up with anyone from the TiB though - I'd probably end up getting shanked or roofied.

Just kidding, folks. I'd have a beer with some selected few - you know who you are.

 

I agree with Frebis. The old Tucker board was structured around stories and personal experiences. If you didn't write something funny or at least insightful, you would rightfully be mocked and ridiculed. Thus, every time I clicked on a topic, there was an expectation of quality.

I'm not a funny motherfucker by any means, but I have some decent stories, and could occasionally write interesting thoughts. I probably posted once a day on average between 2004-2008 outside the MMA board, but read a fair amount of what other, much funnier people wrote.

By contrast, I read very little of this place outside of a few topics in "Pop Culture", and even there, I'm often shaking my head at either how painfully stupid or completely devoid of any relevance/quality the posts are. I'm always looking for a good place to discuss things like movies and books, since it's something I lack in real life, but it's not readily available here. (There are a few posters who are an exception, but they don't post as much)

Eventually, the signal to noise ratio becomes too high on a forum, and the intelligent, founding members are drowned out/replaced by dumber, louder ones. That's probably the realization that led to the males in that survey becoming less interested in forums, and something I realized myself a couple of years ago.

 

To be fair, I disagreed with (at least) slf, Bunny, Ryan, Tucker, DCH, and suapyg at various points, all without being banned. It wasn't nearly as difficult to disagree without getting banned as you people make it out to be. Largely a matter of arguing without being a dick/e-yelling.

 

My group of close high school buddies and I have had our own forum running for about a year now since some of us quit that joke of a site called facebook. It allows us to keep in touch but at the same time break balls/share interesting stuff without having to worry about everyone else in the world seeing what you're doing.

I've had numerous girls ask me why I don't have a facebook: "I went to go look you up and you weren't there -- what's up with that?" When I tell them I never really used it I usually get some varying response of "I can't live without it - HA HA" Right hunny, I'll see you later.

Social networking is (was?) great for its intended purpse; I just hate what is has evolved into.

 

TiB has fed my ADD for approaching multiple topics, without having to wait for "normal" people to change topics gradually in real life.

As many have mentioned, Rudius had the fanboy mentality which I think lead to IHTSBIH's demise. If you're not acknowledging your critics and appreciative of all your fans, you're certain to fail.

 

This is literally the only community I frequent on the net. I only check Facebook once a week and some select humour and music sites here and there, but this is the only regular site for me. I like it better than the old message board as well. For those new on here, just read the monstrous past Christmas/New Years Drunk Thread clusterfuck to see why. Get high first if you do that sort of thing.

What we have here is fine with me. And BlueDog, the real me isn't typing this. Two midgets that operate an android that looks just like me are. I'm on the couch right now watching Spartacus and scratching my ass with a melon baller.

 

Focus: I was a member of another forum sort of like this for a very long time. It actually had a similar history in that it was focused on one forum, that forum closed, so someone opened up a new one, most members went there, etc. The thing is that board was significantly smaller than this one. I mean, only about 40, at maximum, regular members. It was pretty close knit, people chatted on AIM and other such things, and I know of a few people that got together. One guy flew from Australia to meet up with a bunch of people he'd met on that message board. I was very into it. Eventually, the whole thing closed down, and to my knowledge, there is another forum where a few of the members still go and chat, but I left all that behind.

Then I found RMMB, and I kinda liked it. I only posted when I had something to contribute (same as here), rather than just posting out of boredom (like my old forum). I hated RMMB's mods, but only because it seemed like the second you said/did anything remotely minor that upset them, they'd jump down your ass, delete your posts, and throw a ban at you. I remember getting a post deleted because I posted that I hated it when people tailgate me. This was right after a mod's post where he said he'd tailgate someone who was going 'too slow for me.' Apparently, this was grounds for my post to be deleted, and me to get a 3 day ban. Basically, from the time I joined, it seemed like RMMB was an excuse for the mods to jerk each other off over how awesome they were, and that sorta bugged me and kept me from posting more than I did.

I, personally, wasn't upset that RMMB closed, for just that reason. I saw the same message, and saw a link to TiB, and came over here. I read for a while before posting anything, but I was pleased that it seemed like a lot of that silly pissing-contest mods-ass-kissing didn't carry over. Personally, I dig the hell out of this place, if only because it is an excellent time waster, there is good conversation, and people do seem to know and respect each other. There are still blowhards that love to brag about the size of their e-cock and how much smarter they are than everyone else, but that comes with any forum. However, I have to say that the mods and admins here are fucking fantastic compared to every other message board I've visited, and the quality of people who post here is pretty top notch.

All that being said, I never met anyone off of the old message board I visited, and I was WAY more involved there then I ever plan to be here. It always just struck me as weird, plus the truth is that I'm fairly extroverted, and don't feel like I necessarily have a lot in common with a lot of other members here. I'm not that much of a drinker, I don't go to the bars, I married a girl that I've been with since high school, and I am (in person) a pretty introverted guy until you really get to know me. I just feel like if I met anyone from a message board, they'd think I'm weird because I wouldn't be that comfortable and wouldn't be able to open up for a while, and I really don't feel like being 'that weird dude.'

 

I hate this place because I'm smarter and cooler than everyone here. The only reason I post here is to maybe enlighten a few of you ignorant retards and let you all bask in the awesome rays of my awesomeness. Just know that logging onto this site is like pulling teeth for me. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go read Critique of Pure Reason and sit ponderously with my chin resting on my fist.

Suck my dick.



Seriously though, it's not a time waster or anything trivial like that for me. I love this place and surf this shit frequently when I should be doing other things. I've been on these boards (RMMB/TiB) for years now, starting back when I lived in Cleveland. I've since moved many times, to many new places, where I didn't know a single person. It's not pathetic to say that this place has been a much more concrete community to me than a single one I've been involved in in my real life. No matter where I moved and how lonely I may have been, I still had the Idiot Board.

I remember when I first moved to Hawaii, I posted some rant about sitting at home alone on Friday night drinking, and I got a bunch of reassuring messages. Fuck, I'm not ashamed to admit it, that stuff is comforting.

Gah that sounds gay.


Edit: And I wouldn't hesitate to go have a beer with any of you if you're in my neck of the woods. I'm a guy so I wouldn't expect any of you to roofie/rape me (though I'll admit, it still could happen), and if you turn out weird...well... I meet weird people everyday. Oh well.

 

This is the only message board I'm on, and probably only really joined as it was a carry over from the RMMB. This board is different, but it still has a lot of people I liked to read stuff from. The content is different, as KIMaster pointed out, but the focus is also different. It's not as heavily (or is it overtly?) moderated as the RMMB, which does lead to different directions. I still enjoy coming here most days and reading through whatever catches my interest, but I tend to pick through less.

I'm also on Facebook, but mainly as a way of keeping in touch with people I know in real life that I don't see any more. I have precisely two people in my friends list that I haven't met in real life; one is a friend of many of my friends who added me, and one is a poster here who I email back and forth.

I find online communication is an adjunct to real life for me, mostly. When it's not, it has a surreal quality to it in that you can learn some of the deepest things about a person, who more than likely would hide them from you if you met face to face.

 

To say that message boards changed my life would be an understatement.

I have always been shy and awkward and moved around a lot. Other than the one or two friends at a time I had, my only exposure to the way people think is television. Obviously not a good barometer. I became a Christian as a teenager, which suited my sense of self well at the time, then spent the next couple of decades in inner conflict.

My first exposure to message boards was through soaps, which was something I kept a secret because soaps aren't "edifying." I bounced around various boards for a few years before finding a board where I spent enough time with these ladies on chat that I actually wanted to meet them at fan events.

Also at this point I'd been spending time on a comedy-based message board that had a variety of folks and I was feeling like I related a lot more to them than the people in my church. For the first time I was taking a really hard look at how I really felt about God and the Christian community and who I really was. Struggles I'd had for years started to make sense and I eventually separated from my husband and we divorced (he is very devout, so there was no reconciling our newfound religious differences). My ex believed it was the soaps that destroyed my relationship with God, but that was just a catalyst. I don't even watch soaps anymore and only marginally keep in touch with the friends from that period (though they'll always have a special place in my heart).

Shortly after my separation I found Tucker Max and RMMB through a link from the aforementioned comedy site. It was at RMMB that I got a concentrated education in The Way Young Guys Think. It really helped me a lot when I started becoming interested in dating again - which is saying a lot considering that I had never dated, had sex or even kissed anyone other than my former husband. Guys were a cross-section of the population that has mystified me for years, and now I no longer feel intimidated by them. Not that I think I'm gonna walk up to a group of y'all in a bar and be buds or anything, but I certainly "get" you more. Especially now that I am way more comfortable in my own skin than I ever was. I know it is strange to think that immersing myself in online communities actually brought me out of my shell, but that is exactly what happened. I'm still pretty quiet and shy in person, but when I do get around to speaking up or whatever - it is me being myself and not worrying as much if I am liked.

Meeting in person: I hung out with my soap gals at a number of fan events during a couple year period before I started to feel broke from all the trips. Some of the best times I've ever had. I've met people from the comedy board several times - including just a couple weeks ago when I was in San Diego. I've only met one RMMB person - a very nice girl that was in line in front of me at the Bethesda premiere. At this point I don't think it is any big deal. They're just people, and the only barrier to hanging out is miles and the money to cross them.

ETA: I am now married to a guy I met through Hotornot.com. Yeah. Times...and I...have definitely changed.

 

I'd say message boards have made a huge impact on my life. Both good and horrendously awful impacts, but impact nevertheless.

In high school I had a core group of friends that I got along well with, but to most people I was considered a pretty big asshole. I had little or no self awareness and was just coasting through life. I always wondered why nothing ever worked out with women. I had had only one girlfriend in my life at that point and she was a very broken person herself. I graduated high school a virgin. That was when I found the RMMB.

None of the idiot board threads really appealed to me. I only cared about the advice board because I wanted to improve my life. Looking back now I understand those threads that Tucker posted about "Beginner Game", but at the time I didn't understand shit. Yea they make sense in hindsight, but to someone who is utterly lost, "be confident" doesn't do shit. That was when I found that thread about "The Game" by Neil Strauss.

Now, that book is excellent, I'm not doubting that. But giving it to some lost kid starting university is going to fuck him up big time. I did not get the theme of the book, all I got was "Do all this shit and you will get laid". I tried so hard with it and the only result I got was failure. Not only that but I started visiting the "ASF" message board that was referenced in the book. Let me tell you, you will not meet a group of more fucked up individuals than those on that site.

Now the end of this story is off topic, so I'll just say I stopped visiting ASF and continued with the RMMB, and I'm glad I have. There was some great advice on the forum, but it just needed to be evaluated critically and not accepted blindly. The truth is nobody on the forum really knew me, and while the "your problem is not unique" mantra is true, it doesn't mean one single piece of advice applies to everyone with a particular problem (and that seems so bloody obvious to me at this point; boy was I retarded).

 

The board is a great place to blow off some steam and get away from the real world. But that's it, to get away from the real world for a short time.

I did the whole WoW thing for too long, while I did meet some cool people, and since then have visited them and will continue to visit them, they are not (except in 1 case) friends I talk to often because I am not in that circle anymore. When we did finally meet them, everyone is pretty much what I expected, because, when you spend 20 hours a week with them on voice comms, you learn a lot about each other.

I could never get in on that again, while I have tried other MMO games, and other communities, it cannot replace the real people in my life.

 

Wow. From that brief description another board member also remembered her and linked me to her blog. The girl doesn't know me from Adam, but I wrote her an e-mail advising her of this place and asking her to start posting here. If she does, y'all are in for a treat.

I don't remember many people's writings 6 years later, but her musing always stuck in my mind and I've been tempted more then once to steal some of her lines. Obviously, they struck a chord with someone else too.

 

I've been hanging around the various iterations of this board since I was in high school. The reason was simple; my school was pretty shitty and I was the smartest person in my grade. I had friends but didn't think there was anyone that was like me. When I found this place it was a huge eye opener. I was a cocky little twit who thought he knew it all. I very quickly learned that I was a pretty mediocre intelligence and I would have to work my ass off to get to the intelligence level of some of the other board members. When I got to college I found a lot more people like me and didn't find the boards to be quite as special but it always stayed a constant source of entertainment and the older members have especially helped me where my real life friends aren't able to.

I like this place more the than RMMB for reasons already mentioned. I like that its a bit more personal. Some of the best funny comes from people being able to talk in a more typical conversational manner rather than strict regimented stories.

I visit one other message boards which has like 10 active members who are all old friends just as a way to keep in touch. Nothing like this place.

 

I can't let you do that Stan. I'll be honest, I used to check the RMMB all the time because of the stories. I'd occasionally share mine and it felt cool when you got rep and shit for just talking about something you did. I came here a lot initially after Tucker closed his board down but now I pretty much only hang around the pop culture section and see if anyone's talked about my favorite TV shows or posted a recent movie review. It probably has something to do with me getting more involved in the MMA board as well since I don't like being a part of too many online communities at once.

 

Focus-

On the subject of online communities in general, I really loved this site;

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.shirky.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.shirky.com/</a>

Essentially, it's a professor talking about various aspects of online social culture and similar phenomena in a scholarly, entertaining manner. It hasn't been updated in a long while, but most of the things he writes about are still relevant and/or interesting. It's worth checking out for anyone interested in such topics.

 

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