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Insight into the phases of the Internet forum life cycle: a perspective
I haven't been here in quite a while. With advanced (end state,
metastatic), clinical stage 4 prostate cancer, I've had to reassess my priorities, put hings in perspective and frankly ARBR was not at the top of the list. I have bigger fish to fry, so to speak. Regardless, I see that little has changed here. The forum has lost many of it members and is no longer about recumbent bicycles. ARBR has become the sounding board and soap box of the Tibetan Monkey who arguably has has far too much time on his hands. Even the crotchety Ed Dolan appears to have had enough and departed for other forums. I've seen this once useful forum hit the skids, degenerate and eventually rock bottom. It has gone through a regressive evolution that is unfortunate. Here are my thoughts in general regarding the Internet forum life cycle of which ARBR is a prime example... Like it or not, Internet forums commonly undergo an evolutionary process regardless of whether they are moderated or unmoderated. The natural life cycle of an Internet forum, with its various phases, might be best summed up as follows: 1. Declaration of Enthusiasm - Subscribers introduce themselves and gush over how wonderful it is to have encountered kindred spirits. 2. Origin of Evangelism - Participants moan about how the forum consists of far too few members and brainstorming ensues to initiate recruitment strategies. 3. Expansion of Community - An ever increasing number of interested parties subscribe and contribute to the forum. Lengthy threads develop (some more relevant than others). 4. Emergence of Camaraderie - Information and advice is exchanged (some empirically founded ... some just anecdotal nonsense). Friendships are forged. Members rib one another, but all in good fun. New subscribers are welcomed and newbies. Both newcomers and veterans alike are receptive to asking questions, providing answers, and sharing experiences. 5. Genesis of Disenchantment - The volume of postings increases dramatically. Not all threads are of interest to all participants. Members pitch a bitch about signal-to-noise ratio, off-topic threads, me too posts, forged and spoofed identities, forwarding of private emails, and other violations of internet forum netiquette. Member #1 threatens to unsubscribe if things don't change for the better. Member #2 aligns himself with Member #1. Member #3 disagrees with both Members #1 and #2. Member #4 suggests that Members #1, #2, and #3 should lighten up. Flame wars erupt and adversaries emerge. Bandwidth is sacrificed as an abundance of postings proliferate in an effort to resolve differences and restore some semblance of order. During this particular phase, many a delete key gets more than its share of abuse and filtering and killfiles are implemented. 6. Stagnation of Growth - The purists castigate members who ask an old question or respond humorously to a serious post. Newcomers are rebuffed and discouraged. SPAM posts, trolls and stalkers dominate the forum. Traffic volume subsides considerably and is generally confined to minor topics. Many relevant issues are communicated via private emails. Some members turn in their membership cards in a huff and the remaining members continue to participate in phases #4 and/or #5 above. 7. Salvation from Destruction - Someone like me pounds away at the keyboard composing a post such as this one in an effort to stir the juices of those members who find themselves entrenched in the quagmire of phase #4 and/or #5 above ... mostly #5 in hopes of resurection ;-) Well, at least this posting should prove to be a thought provoking departure from the norm and hopefully sheds some light on the nature of the beast we have come to love and hate ... the internet forum. Perhaps I should have added a pahse nuber 8 (Fight of Forum), when hope is abandoned, forum flight ensues and membership dwindles. |
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#2
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Insight into the phases of the Internet forum life cycle: a perspective
On 7/2/2011 1:43 PM, JimmyMac wrote:
I haven't been here in quite a while. With advanced (end state, metastatic), clinical stage 4 prostate cancer, I've had to reassess my priorities, put hings in perspective and frankly ARBR was not at the top of the list. I have bigger fish to fry, so to speak. Regardless, I see that little has changed here. The forum has lost many of it members and is no longer about recumbent bicycles. ARBR has become the sounding board and soap box of the Tibetan Monkey who arguably has has far too much time on his hands. Even the crotchety Ed Dolan appears to have had enough and departed for other forums. I've seen this once useful forum hit the skids, degenerate and eventually rock bottom. It has gone through a regressive evolution that is unfortunate. Here are my thoughts in general regarding the Internet forum life cycle of which ARBR is a prime example... Like it or not, Internet forums commonly undergo an evolutionary process regardless of whether they are moderated or unmoderated. The natural life cycle of an Internet forum, with its various phases, might be best summed up as follows: 1. Declaration of Enthusiasm - Subscribers introduce themselves and gush over how wonderful it is to have encountered kindred spirits. 2. Origin of Evangelism - Participants moan about how the forum consists of far too few members and brainstorming ensues to initiate recruitment strategies. 3. Expansion of Community - An ever increasing number of interested parties subscribe and contribute to the forum. Lengthy threads develop (some more relevant than others). 4. Emergence of Camaraderie - Information and advice is exchanged (some empirically founded ... some just anecdotal nonsense). Friendships are forged. Members rib one another, but all in good fun. New subscribers are welcomed and newbies. Both newcomers and veterans alike are receptive to asking questions, providing answers, and sharing experiences. 1998 to 2001 5. Genesis of Disenchantment - The volume of postings increases dramatically. Not all threads are of interest to all participants. Members pitch a bitch about signal-to-noise ratio, off-topic threads, me too posts, forged and spoofed identities, forwarding of private emails, and other violations of internet forum netiquette. Member #1 threatens to unsubscribe if things don't change for the better. Member #2 aligns himself with Member #1. Member #3 disagrees with both Members #1 and #2. Member #4 suggests that Members #1, #2, and #3 should lighten up. Flame wars erupt and adversaries emerge. Bandwidth is sacrificed as an abundance of postings proliferate in an effort to resolve differences and restore some semblance of order. During this particular phase, many a delete key gets more than its share of abuse and filtering and killfiles are implemented. The general attitude in the US after the false-flag attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and the arrival of Ed Dolan [1]. 6. Stagnation of Growth - The purists castigate members who ask an old question or respond humorously to a serious post. Newcomers are rebuffed and discouraged. SPAM posts, trolls and stalkers dominate the forum. Traffic volume subsides considerably and is generally confined to minor topics. Many relevant issues are communicated via private emails. Some members turn in their membership cards in a huff and the remaining members continue to participate in phases #4 and/or #5 above. Flight to the nanny forum. 7. Salvation from Destruction - Someone like me pounds away at the keyboard composing a post such as this one in an effort to stir the juices of those members who find themselves entrenched in the quagmire of phase #4 and/or #5 above ... mostly #5 in hopes of resurection ;-) People these days are not satisfied with plain text, despite Usenet being my better to use than web-based forums. Less is indeed more. Well, at least this posting should prove to be a thought provoking departure from the norm and hopefully sheds some light on the nature of the beast we have come to love and hate ... the internet forum. Perhaps I should have added a pahse nuber 8 (Fight of Forum), when hope is abandoned, forum flight ensues and membership dwindles. Most of the former posters seem happier in an environment when a moderator steps in and squelches things at the first sign of spirited discourse. One cannot also ignore most ISPs dropping Usenet out of liability concerns, which limits new participation, and is responsible for much of the decline in Usenet. This was a foolish decision, as the binary groups (containing "pr0n" and "warez") could have been dropped, while retaining the text only groups. [1] Cross-posted to rec.bicycles.soc, since it seems unfair to talk about a person behind his back. -- Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007 I am a vehicular cyclist. |
#3
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Insight into the phases of the Internet forum life cycle: a perspective
On Jul 2, 1:43*pm, JimmyMac wrote:
I haven't been here in quite a while. *With advanced (end state, metastatic), clinical stage 4 prostate cancer, I've had to reassess my priorities, put hings in perspective and frankly ARBR was not at the top of the list. *I have bigger fish to fry, so to speak. *Regardless, I see that little has changed here. *The forum has lost many of it members and is no longer about recumbent bicycles. *ARBR has become the sounding board and soap box of the Tibetan Monkey who arguably has has far too much time on his hands. *Even the crotchety Ed Dolan appears to have had enough and departed for other forums. *I've seen this once useful forum hit the skids, degenerate and eventually rock bottom. *It has gone through a regressive evolution that is unfortunate. *Here are my thoughts in general regarding the Internet forum life cycle of which ARBR is a prime example... Like it or not, Internet forums commonly undergo an evolutionary process regardless of whether they are moderated or unmoderated. *The natural life cycle of an Internet forum, with its various phases, might be best summed up as follows: 1. Declaration of Enthusiasm - Subscribers introduce themselves and gush over how wonderful it is to have encountered kindred spirits. 2. Origin of Evangelism - Participants moan about how the forum consists of far too few members and brainstorming ensues to initiate recruitment strategies. 3. Expansion of Community - An ever increasing number of interested parties subscribe and contribute to the forum. *Lengthy threads develop (some more relevant than others). 4. Emergence of Camaraderie - Information and advice is exchanged (some empirically founded ... some just anecdotal nonsense). Friendships are forged. *Members rib one another, but all in good fun. *New subscribers are welcomed and newbies. *Both newcomers and veterans alike are receptive to asking questions, providing answers, and sharing experiences. 5. Genesis of Disenchantment - The volume of postings increases dramatically. *Not all threads are of interest to all participants. Members pitch a bitch about signal-to-noise ratio, off-topic *threads, me too posts, forged and spoofed identities, forwarding of private emails, and other violations of internet forum netiquette. *Member #1 threatens to unsubscribe if things don't change for the better. Member #2 aligns himself with Member #1. *Member #3 disagrees with both Members #1 and #2. *Member #4 suggests that Members #1, #2, and #3 should lighten up. *Flame wars erupt and adversaries emerge. Bandwidth is sacrificed as an abundance of postings proliferate in an effort to resolve differences and restore some semblance of order. During this particular phase, many a delete key gets more than its share of abuse and filtering and killfiles are implemented. 6. Stagnation of Growth - The purists castigate members who ask an old question or respond humorously to a serious post. *Newcomers are rebuffed and discouraged. *SPAM posts, trolls and stalkers dominate the forum. *Traffic volume subsides considerably and is generally confined to minor topics. *Many relevant issues are communicated via private emails. *Some members turn in their membership cards in a huff and the remaining members continue to participate in phases #4 and/or #5 above. 7. Salvation from Destruction - Someone like me pounds away at the keyboard composing a post such as this one in an effort to stir the juices of those members who find themselves entrenched in the quagmire of phase #4 and/or #5 above ... mostly #5 *in hopes of ressurection ;-) Well, at least this posting should prove to be a thought provoking departure from the norm and hopefully sheds some light on the nature of the beast we have come to love and hate ... the internet forum. Perhaps I should have added a phase number 8 (Flight of Forum), when hope is abandoned, forum flight ensues and membership dwindles. Sorry about the typos in the last sentence above now corrected. - Jim McNamara |
#4
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Insight into the phases of the Internet forum life cycle: a perspective
On Jul 3, 2:35*pm, Tºm Shermªn °_° ""twshermanREMOVE\"@THI
$southslope.net" wrote: On 7/2/2011 1:43 PM, JimmyMac wrote: I haven't been here in quite a while. *With advanced (end state, metastatic), clinical stage 4 prostate cancer, I've had to reassess my priorities, put hings in perspective and frankly ARBR was not at the top of the list. *I have bigger fish to fry, so to speak. *Regardless, I see that little has changed here. *The forum has lost many of it members and is no longer about recumbent bicycles. *ARBR has become the sounding board and soap box of the Tibetan Monkey who arguably has has far too much time on his hands. *Even the crotchety Ed Dolan appears to have had enough and departed for other forums. *I've seen this once useful forum hit the skids, degenerate and eventually rock bottom. *It has gone through a regressive evolution that is unfortunate. *Here are my thoughts in general regarding the Internet forum life cycle of which ARBR is a prime example... Like it or not, Internet forums commonly undergo an evolutionary process regardless of whether they are moderated or unmoderated. *The natural life cycle of an Internet forum, with its various phases, might be best summed up as follows: 1. Declaration of Enthusiasm - Subscribers introduce themselves and gush over how wonderful it is to have encountered kindred spirits. 2. Origin of Evangelism - Participants moan about how the forum consists of far too few members and brainstorming ensues to initiate recruitment strategies. 3. Expansion of Community - An ever increasing number of interested parties subscribe and contribute to the forum. *Lengthy threads develop (some more relevant than others). 4. Emergence of Camaraderie - Information and advice is exchanged (some empirically founded ... some just anecdotal nonsense). Friendships are forged. *Members rib one another, but all in good fun. *New subscribers are welcomed and newbies. *Both newcomers and veterans alike are receptive to asking questions, providing answers, and sharing experiences. 1998 to 2001 5. Genesis of Disenchantment - The volume of postings increases dramatically. *Not all threads are of interest to all participants. Members pitch a bitch about signal-to-noise ratio, off-topic *threads, me too posts, forged and spoofed identities, forwarding of private emails, and other violations of internet forum netiquette. *Member #1 threatens to unsubscribe if things don't change for the better. Member #2 aligns himself with Member #1. *Member #3 disagrees with both Members #1 and #2. *Member #4 suggests that Members #1, #2, and #3 should lighten up. *Flame wars erupt and adversaries emerge. Bandwidth is sacrificed as an abundance of postings proliferate in an effort to resolve differences and restore some semblance of order. During this particular phase, many a delete key gets more than its share of abuse and filtering and killfiles are implemented. The general attitude in the US after the false-flag attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and the arrival of Ed Dolan [1]. 6. Stagnation of Growth - The purists castigate members who ask an old question or respond humorously to a serious post. *Newcomers are rebuffed and discouraged. *SPAM posts, trolls and stalkers dominate the forum. *Traffic volume subsides considerably and is generally confined to minor topics. *Many relevant issues are communicated via private emails. *Some members turn in their membership cards in a huff and the remaining members continue to participate in phases #4 and/or #5 above. Flight to the nanny forum. 7. Salvation from Destruction - Someone like me pounds away at the keyboard composing a post such as this one in an effort to stir the juices of those members who find themselves entrenched in the quagmire of phase #4 and/or #5 above ... mostly #5 *in hopes of resurrection ;-) People these days are not satisfied with plain text, despite Usenet being my better to use than web-based forums. Less is indeed more. Well, at least this posting should prove to be a thought provoking departure from the norm and hopefully sheds some light on the nature of the beast we have come to love and hate ... the internet forum. Perhaps I should have added a phase number 8 (Flight of Forum), when hope is abandoned, forum flight ensues and membership dwindles. Most of the former posters seem happier in an environment when a moderator steps in and squelches things at the first sign of spirited discourse. One cannot also ignore most ISPs dropping Usenet out of liability concerns, which limits new participation, and is responsible for much of the decline in Usenet. *This was a foolish decision, as the binary groups (containing "pr0n" and "warez") could have been dropped, while retaining the text only groups. [1] Cross-posted to rec.bicycles.soc, since it seems unfair to talk about a person behind his back. -- Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007 I am a vehicular cyclist. Tom - I'm a bit surprised that only you replied. Typos from my previous post corrected here. - Jim. |
#5
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Insight into the phases of the Internet forum life cycle: a perspective
On Jul 5, 12:33*pm, JimmyMac wrote:
On Jul 2, 1:43*pm, JimmyMac wrote: I haven't been here in quite a while. *With advanced (end state, metastatic), clinical stage 4 prostate cancer, I've had to reassess my priorities, put hings in perspective and frankly ARBR was not at the top of the list. *I have bigger fish to fry, so to speak. *Regardless, I see that little has changed here. *The forum has lost many of it members and is no longer about recumbent bicycles. *ARBR has become the sounding board and soap box of the Tibetan Monkey who arguably has has far too much time on his hands. *Even the crotchety Ed Dolan appears to have had enough and departed for other forums. *I've seen this once useful forum hit the skids, degenerate and eventually rock bottom. *It has gone through a regressive evolution that is unfortunate. *Here are my thoughts in general regarding the Internet forum life cycle of which ARBR is a prime example... Like it or not, Internet forums commonly undergo an evolutionary process regardless of whether they are moderated or unmoderated. *The natural life cycle of an Internet forum, with its various phases, might be best summed up as follows: 1. Declaration of Enthusiasm - Subscribers introduce themselves and gush over how wonderful it is to have encountered kindred spirits. 2. Origin of Evangelism - Participants moan about how the forum consists of far too few members and brainstorming ensues to initiate recruitment strategies. 3. Expansion of Community - An ever increasing number of interested parties subscribe and contribute to the forum. *Lengthy threads develop (some more relevant than others). 4. Emergence of Camaraderie - Information and advice is exchanged (some empirically founded ... some just anecdotal nonsense). Friendships are forged. *Members rib one another, but all in good fun. *New subscribers are welcomed and newbies. *Both newcomers and veterans alike are receptive to asking questions, providing answers, and sharing experiences. 5. Genesis of Disenchantment - The volume of postings increases dramatically. *Not all threads are of interest to all participants. Members pitch a bitch about signal-to-noise ratio, off-topic *threads, me too posts, forged and spoofed identities, forwarding of private emails, and other violations of internet forum netiquette. *Member #1 threatens to unsubscribe if things don't change for the better. Member #2 aligns himself with Member #1. *Member #3 disagrees with both Members #1 and #2. *Member #4 suggests that Members #1, #2, and #3 should lighten up. *Flame wars erupt and adversaries emerge. Bandwidth is sacrificed as an abundance of postings proliferate in an effort to resolve differences and restore some semblance of order. During this particular phase, many a delete key gets more than its share of abuse and filtering and killfiles are implemented. 6. Stagnation of Growth - The purists castigate members who ask an old question or respond humorously to a serious post. *Newcomers are rebuffed and discouraged. *SPAM posts, trolls and stalkers dominate the forum. *Traffic volume subsides considerably and is generally confined to minor topics. *Many relevant issues are communicated via private emails. *Some members turn in their membership cards in a huff and the remaining members continue to participate in phases #4 and/or #5 above. 7. Salvation from Destruction - Someone like me pounds away at the keyboard composing a post such as this one in an effort to stir the juices of those members who find themselves entrenched in the quagmire of phase #4 and/or #5 above ... mostly #5 *in hopes of resurrection ;-) Well, at least this posting should prove to be a thought provoking departure from the norm and hopefully sheds some light on the nature of the beast we have come to love and hate ... the internet forum. Perhaps I should have added a phase number 8 (Flight of Forum), when hope is abandoned, forum flight ensues and membership dwindles. Sorry about the typos in my initial post, now fully corrected (I hope) . *- Jim McNamara |
#6
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Insight into the phases of the Internet forum life cycle: a perspective
"JimmyMac" wrote in message ... On Jul 3, 2:35 pm, Tºm Shermªn °_° ""twshermanREMOVE\"@THI $southslope.net" wrote: On 7/2/2011 1:43 PM, JimmyMac wrote: I haven't been here in quite a while. With advanced (end state, metastatic), clinical stage 4 prostate cancer, I've had to reassess my priorities, put hings in perspective and frankly ARBR was not at the top of the list. I have bigger fish to fry, so to speak. Regardless, I see that little has changed here. The forum has lost many of it members and is no longer about recumbent bicycles. ARBR has become the sounding board and soap box of the Tibetan Monkey who arguably has has far too much time on his hands. Even the crotchety Ed Dolan appears to have had enough and departed for other forums. I've seen this once useful forum hit the skids, degenerate and eventually rock bottom. It has gone through a regressive evolution that is unfortunate. Here are my thoughts in general regarding the Internet forum life cycle of which ARBR is a prime example... Like it or not, Internet forums commonly undergo an evolutionary process regardless of whether they are moderated or unmoderated. The natural life cycle of an Internet forum, with its various phases, might be best summed up as follows: 1. Declaration of Enthusiasm - Subscribers introduce themselves and gush over how wonderful it is to have encountered kindred spirits. 2. Origin of Evangelism - Participants moan about how the forum consists of far too few members and brainstorming ensues to initiate recruitment strategies. 3. Expansion of Community - An ever increasing number of interested parties subscribe and contribute to the forum. Lengthy threads develop (some more relevant than others). 4. Emergence of Camaraderie - Information and advice is exchanged (some empirically founded ... some just anecdotal nonsense). Friendships are forged. Members rib one another, but all in good fun. New subscribers are welcomed and newbies. Both newcomers and veterans alike are receptive to asking questions, providing answers, and sharing experiences. 1998 to 2001 5. Genesis of Disenchantment - The volume of postings increases dramatically. Not all threads are of interest to all participants. Members pitch a bitch about signal-to-noise ratio, off-topic threads, me too posts, forged and spoofed identities, forwarding of private emails, and other violations of internet forum netiquette. Member #1 threatens to unsubscribe if things don't change for the better. Member #2 aligns himself with Member #1. Member #3 disagrees with both Members #1 and #2. Member #4 suggests that Members #1, #2, and #3 should lighten up. Flame wars erupt and adversaries emerge. Bandwidth is sacrificed as an abundance of postings proliferate in an effort to resolve differences and restore some semblance of order. During this particular phase, many a delete key gets more than its share of abuse and filtering and killfiles are implemented. The general attitude in the US after the false-flag attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and the arrival of Ed Dolan [1]. 6. Stagnation of Growth - The purists castigate members who ask an old question or respond humorously to a serious post. Newcomers are rebuffed and discouraged. SPAM posts, trolls and stalkers dominate the forum. Traffic volume subsides considerably and is generally confined to minor topics. Many relevant issues are communicated via private emails. Some members turn in their membership cards in a huff and the remaining members continue to participate in phases #4 and/or #5 above. Flight to the nanny forum. 7. Salvation from Destruction - Someone like me pounds away at the keyboard composing a post such as this one in an effort to stir the juices of those members who find themselves entrenched in the quagmire of phase #4 and/or #5 above ... mostly #5 in hopes of resurrection ;-) People these days are not satisfied with plain text, despite Usenet being my better to use than web-based forums. Less is indeed more. Well, at least this posting should prove to be a thought provoking departure from the norm and hopefully sheds some light on the nature of the beast we have come to love and hate ... the internet forum. Perhaps I should have added a phase number 8 (Flight of Forum), when hope is abandoned, forum flight ensues and membership dwindles. Most of the former posters seem happier in an environment when a moderator steps in and squelches things at the first sign of spirited discourse. One cannot also ignore most ISPs dropping Usenet out of liability concerns, which limits new participation, and is responsible for much of the decline in Usenet. This was a foolish decision, as the binary groups (containing "pr0n" and "warez") could have been dropped, while retaining the text only groups. [1] Cross-posted to rec.bicycles.soc, since it seems unfair to talk about a person behind his back. -- Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007 I am a vehicular cyclist. Tom - I'm a bit surprised that only you replied. Typos from my previous post corrected here. - Jim. I read it, agree with Tom, the same can be said of most Usenet groups. Good wishes on your health issues. Mike |
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Insight into the phases of the Internet forum life cycle: a perspective
"JimmyMac" wrote in message
... [...] Tom - I'm a bit surprised that only you replied. Typos from my previous post corrected here. - Jim. I responded at length, but it apparently disappeared into cyber space. The computer, the Internet and Usenet are all terribly flawed and I can't be bothered repeating my words of wisdom because of a ****ed-up technology. -- Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota |
#8
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Insight into the phases of the Internet forum life cycle: a perspective
On 7/5/2011 10:47 PM, Edward Dolan wrote:
wrote in message ... [...] Tom - I'm a bit surprised that only you replied. Typos from my previous post corrected here. - Jim. I responded at length, but it apparently disappeared into cyber space. The computer, the Internet and Usenet are all terribly flawed and I can't be bothered repeating my words of wisdom because of a ****ed-up technology. Look in your "Sent" and "Drafts" email folders. -- Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007 I am a vehicular cyclist. |
#9
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Insight into the phases of the Internet forum life cycle: a perspective
"Tºm Shermªn °_°" " wrote in message
... On 7/5/2011 10:47 PM, Edward Dolan wrote: wrote in message ... [...] Tom - I'm a bit surprised that only you replied. Typos from my previous post corrected here. - Jim. I responded at length, but it apparently disappeared into cyber space. The computer, the Internet and Usenet are all terribly flawed and I can't be bothered repeating my words of wisdom because of a ****ed-up technology. Look in your "Sent" and "Drafts" email folders. It was "Sent", so why did not Jim McNamara see it? If you saw it, why not say so instead of being so cryptic? -- Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota |
#10
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Insight into the phases of the Internet forum life cycle: a perspective
On Jul 5, 5:42*pm, "ATP" wrote:
"JimmyMac" wrote in message ... On Jul 3, 2:35 pm, Tºm Shermªn °_° ""twshermanREMOVE\"@THI $southslope.net" wrote: On 7/2/2011 1:43 PM, JimmyMac wrote: I haven't been here in quite a while. With advanced (end state, metastatic), clinical stage 4 prostate cancer, I've had to reassess my priorities, put hings in perspective and frankly ARBR was not at the top of the list. I have bigger fish to fry, so to speak. Regardless, I see that little has changed here. The forum has lost many of it members and is no longer about recumbent bicycles. ARBR has become the sounding board and soap box of the Tibetan Monkey who arguably has has far too much time on his hands. Even the crotchety Ed Dolan appears to have had enough and departed for other forums. I've seen this once useful forum hit the skids, degenerate and eventually rock bottom. It has gone through a regressive evolution that is unfortunate. Here are my thoughts in general regarding the Internet forum life cycle of which ARBR is a prime example... Like it or not, Internet forums commonly undergo an evolutionary process regardless of whether they are moderated or unmoderated. The natural life cycle of an Internet forum, with its various phases, might be best summed up as follows: 1. Declaration of Enthusiasm - Subscribers introduce themselves and gush over how wonderful it is to have encountered kindred spirits. 2. Origin of Evangelism - Participants moan about how the forum consists of far too few members and brainstorming ensues to initiate recruitment strategies. 3. Expansion of Community - An ever increasing number of interested parties subscribe and contribute to the forum. Lengthy threads develop (some more relevant than others). 4. Emergence of Camaraderie - Information and advice is exchanged (some empirically founded ... some just anecdotal nonsense). Friendships are forged. Members rib one another, but all in good fun. New subscribers are welcomed and newbies. Both newcomers and veterans alike are receptive to asking questions, providing answers, and sharing experiences. 1998 to 2001 5. Genesis of Disenchantment - The volume of postings increases dramatically. Not all threads are of interest to all participants. Members pitch a bitch about signal-to-noise ratio, off-topic threads, me too posts, forged and spoofed identities, forwarding of private emails, and other violations of internet forum netiquette. Member #1 threatens to unsubscribe if things don't change for the better. Member #2 aligns himself with Member #1. Member #3 disagrees with both Members #1 and #2. Member #4 suggests that Members #1, #2, and #3 should lighten up. Flame wars erupt and adversaries emerge. Bandwidth is sacrificed as an abundance of postings proliferate in an effort to resolve differences and restore some semblance of order. During this particular phase, many a delete key gets more than its share of abuse and filtering and killfiles are implemented. The general attitude in the US after the false-flag attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and the arrival of Ed Dolan [1]. 6. Stagnation of Growth - The purists castigate members who ask an old question or respond humorously to a serious post. Newcomers are rebuffed and discouraged. SPAM posts, trolls and stalkers dominate the forum. Traffic volume subsides considerably and is generally confined to minor topics. Many relevant issues are communicated via private emails. Some members turn in their membership cards in a huff and the remaining members continue to participate in phases #4 and/or #5 above. Flight to the nanny forum. 7. Salvation from Destruction - Someone like me pounds away at the keyboard composing a post such as this one in an effort to stir the juices of those members who find themselves entrenched in the quagmire of phase #4 and/or #5 above ... mostly #5 in hopes of resurrection ;-) People these days are not satisfied with plain text, despite Usenet being my better to use than web-based forums. Less is indeed more. Well, at least this posting should prove to be a thought provoking departure from the norm and hopefully sheds some light on the nature of the beast we have come to love and hate ... the internet forum. Perhaps I should have added a phase number 8 (Flight of Forum), when hope is abandoned, forum flight ensues and membership dwindles. Most of the former posters seem happier in an environment when a moderator steps in and squelches things at the first sign of spirited discourse. One cannot also ignore most ISPs dropping Usenet out of liability concerns, which limits new participation, and is responsible for much of the decline in Usenet. This was a foolish decision, as the binary groups (containing "pr0n" and "warez") could have been dropped, while retaining the text only groups. [1] Cross-posted to rec.bicycles.soc, since it seems unfair to talk about a person behind his back. -- Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007 I am a vehicular cyclist. Tom - I'm a bit surprised that only you replied. *Typos from my previous post corrected here. - Jim. I read it, agree with Tom, the same can be said of most Usenet groups. Good wishes on your health issues. Mike Thanks for the well wishing, Mike. I've come a long way since being diagnosed and I am now in a much better place than I was just a few months back. Unfortunately, prostate cancer becomes much more likely as the age. Primates who share 99.9% of our DNA and are vegetarians don't get prostate cancer. Canines in the wild don't get prostate cancer. The only mammal known to get a significant amount of prostate cancer is the dog, and who makes their food and feeds them table scraps? Japanese men rarely get prostate cancer, but when they move to places like Hawaii and California and change to consuming a Western diet, their male born children get the same amount of prostate cancer as other native born males. OK, this is all anecdotal but the evidence strongly suggests that there is a correlation between diet and the disease. If you or anyone else would care to read the details of my complete story, it can be found posted here... http://www.prostate.net/2011/survivo...-side-effects/ Jim McNamara |
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