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Post by Aspen d'Grey on Jan 30, 2007 5:10:58 GMT
So I'd hoped. ^^
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Post by rastarogue on Feb 16, 2007 22:29:55 GMT
For awhile we had a lot of people posting, and now we are fading out again. There appear to be maybe four or five people who regularly post, and everbody else just doesn't. Where did everybody go?
P.S. I may just be paranoid, but it seems to me that whenever myself, owl, mrw, aspen, or any of the other regular posters shows up, everybody else leaves.
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Ben²
Junior Member
Participant
Posts: 58
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Post by Ben² on Feb 16, 2007 22:31:02 GMT
I'm reading pretty regularly, but I guess I'm kinda shy, 'cause I don't post often.
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Post by rastarogue on Feb 16, 2007 22:33:49 GMT
I'm reading pretty regularly, but I guess I'm kinda shy, 'cause I don't post often. it's fine if you don't post much, but there are some people who have only one or two posts, and that just annoys me. |
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Ben²
Junior Member
Participant
Posts: 58
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Post by Ben² on Feb 16, 2007 22:43:47 GMT
Aw, you don't mean that, do you? Sometimes people join a new forum, say hi, and then forget to return the next day. It happens a lot; heck, I've probably done it a dozen times myself.
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Post by mrw on Feb 17, 2007 0:23:37 GMT
For awhile we had a lot of people posting, and now we are fading out again. There appear to be maybe four or five people who regularly post, and everbody else just doesn't. Where did everybody go? I was wondering that too. We had some really great posts from people that just didn't seem to come back. Maybe we post to much and are intimidating other people. Or it could just be that we've covered most of the big GC questions (since the inception of the forum) and there just isn't that much to discuss for a single new comic. Anyway, that leads into your next comment: Yeah, occasionally I wonder that. However I'm going to give people the benefit of the doubt and say that they probably just have other things to do. I think people are coming and going a lot, so there's always people leaving when one of us logs in. Hopefully we're not being too dominating. I know I don't intend to crowd out other people.  Sometimes it looks like people are just watching to see if anybody posts anything, or just watch an ongoing "conversational" set of posts. Which is cool by me. Sometimes when I see you guys are on, I'll sit back and watch to see if you post, because I can't think of anything to say without some ideas. It is getting harder to really contribute. I don't think Tom can produce new material as fast as we can analyze it to death.  |
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Post by mrw on Feb 17, 2007 0:30:36 GMT
Aw, you don't mean that, do you? Sometimes people join a new forum, say hi, and then forget to return the next day. It happens a lot; heck, I've probably done it a dozen times myself. I think what Rasta means is that when people pop in and contribute something worthwhile (like you have), that he would like to hear more of what they have to say. (Am I right, Rasta?) |
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brice
New Member
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Post by brice on Feb 17, 2007 2:11:40 GMT
It is getting harder to really contribute. I don't think Tom can produce new material as fast as we can analyze it to death. mrw, you hit the nail on the head, square and true. When the forum openned up, we quickly went through nearly 200 pages of Tom's imagination. Now we're very lucky to have 3 (and not 2) pages per week, but that's not enough to sustain the same levels of speculation and analysis. Also the recent few pages are less full of puzzle and tension than some prior chapters. The chapter is still young. When the forums openned, we were on the cusp of the biggest dramatic climax in the series to date: Zimmy's eyes. It will take some time to build up another head of steam like that one. If this chapter turns out to be more whimsical -- like the holodeck adventure -- then the interest levels may stay low until next chapter. Robots and fun are fun, but drama and suspense are what hooks people. There's no way to force people to catch a wave before it arrives. The story discussion will have ups and downs, like everything. When Tom drops more puzzle pieces on us, we'll pounce. But there's nothing much to pounce on right now. We already ate all the candy we were given. Have to wait for more. The storyline is clean and enjoyable even without daily puzzles. Just sit back and watch it unfold. Tom's promised another year or two. No rush. P.S. if there's nothing new to discuss, and you want to keep the boards going strong, you need to find ways to get new people to talk about old things. The attitude that people should search the forum for something that's already been said is fine for busy forums, but no thread here is so busy we can't answer old questions in-thread. Just my opinion of course. I wonder how friendly this board seems to newcomers? The forums may need better organization? More order? or maybe less? After all this is a place for discussion, not a wikipedia entry. Perhaps a generic and continuous thread for random questions? Sticky so no one has to hunt for it? In any case, it is striking how many more people post comments on the front page. I think part of that is due to the absence of categories and expectations. Too bad there's no obvious way to merge the two systems. |
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dawg
New Member
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Post by dawg on Feb 17, 2007 16:55:24 GMT
Hello everyone; I just joined a half hour ago, and I'd like to say at least to me that this place isn't intimidating at all. We just have to be patient, the posters will come.
But maybe also, it could be a good idea to have a General Discussion forum, for us to talk about non GC things. It might spur more discussion in the forums in between updates.
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Post by rastarogue on Feb 18, 2007 2:10:10 GMT
Aw, you don't mean that, do you? Sometimes people join a new forum, say hi, and then forget to return the next day. It happens a lot; heck, I've probably done it a dozen times myself. I think what Rasta means is that when people pop in and contribute something worthwhile (like you have), that he would like to hear more of what they have to say. (Am I right, Rasta?) Dead on! It just depresses me to read a brilliant post by somebody and then never read anything from then again. I can understand the join and then forget syndrome, but the fact that so many people are apparently effected by it is amazing. If anybody does feel that I am bullying people around, or not being very welcoming to new members, speak up and I will try to do better in the future. |
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Post by UbiquitousDragon on Feb 18, 2007 14:25:59 GMT
I don't think it's 'bullying' or anything like that it's just the general newbie-ness.
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Anon
New Member
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Post by Anon on Feb 19, 2007 17:48:32 GMT
Hello everyone; I just joined a half hour ago, and I'd like to say at least to me that this place isn't intimidating at all. We just have to be patient, the posters will come. I agree. This forum is still new, which means it hasn't become set in its ways yet. Yes, there are some forum regulars, but it has been less than a month, there's plenty of time for the forum to grow as long as people continue to take interest in posting. A regularly updating comic should ensure that stays true. However, if membership stays small, especially if there is a core of regular posters who all know each other, it may become intimidating to post as a new user. Coming to a forum full of topics that are several pages of posts by two or three people makes it difficult for someone new to feel welcome. I've seen a lot of internet forums come and go and I still don't have any idea what makes one thrive while another fails. The only way to find out is to keep posting. But maybe also, it could be a good idea to have a General Discussion forum, for us to talk about non GC things. It might spur more discussion in the forums in between updates. A separate forum might be a bit premature, but there is nothing in the posted rules about posting unrelated topics. Just post something you think would make for an interesting discussion. If the front page of the forum ever started to get crowded with off-topic stuff, then maybe it would be time to start thinking about adding another forum. |
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Post by Aspen d'Grey on Feb 20, 2007 17:06:14 GMT
I don't really see a point for another forum- as anon said theres nothing AGAINST posting those topics here, but also, it doesn't really seem neccesary. There are a lot of general forums out there- Gaia comes to mind; if you just want to talk about real life, that would be a decent place.
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Post by mrw on Feb 20, 2007 19:14:22 GMT
I don't really see a point for another forum- as anon said theres nothing AGAINST posting those topics here, but also, it doesn't really seem neccesary. There are a lot of general forums out there- Gaia comes to mind; if you just want to talk about real life, that would be a decent place. Yeah, but the audience is different. The original idea may have been to talk about non-GC subjects with GC forum goers, not with the general populace. Hopefully that makes sense... |
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Post by owl on Feb 20, 2007 20:35:21 GMT
Makes sense to me, and it's what I was going to say. I've already found that I have similar interests with several of the people here, it would be fin to discuss those interests with them.
(Terry Pratchett, for example, or Sandman, or Wigu...)
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Post by rastarogue on Feb 20, 2007 20:45:01 GMT
It is rather rare to find people who share as many of your interests and with whom you can combine discussions and references and everyone will understand. Like our Star-trek and Pratchett etc... references I know very few people who would get them out side of GC forum.
So, if people want to start non-GC topics go ahead. for now I don't really think a separate area is needed for them.
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Post by mrw on Feb 22, 2007 1:09:07 GMT
Wow, the GC community got a pair of really nice compliments on the comment board today. I hope DITM and Tom don't mind me copying it here:
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julieth
Junior Member
Who knows, at this point?
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Post by julieth on Feb 23, 2007 6:13:15 GMT
awww...how sweet!
It is kind of weird that we all get along. I haven't met one idiot here, which is a big deal, for the internets! Maybe GC only attracts fairly smart people.
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Ben²
Junior Member
Participant
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Post by Ben² on Feb 23, 2007 7:34:16 GMT
What the heck? This is the internet, people, prime source for baseless antagonism. Something'll have to change.
Uh... hey, Julieth, you... uh, smell. Yeah! Hah! Whaddaya got to say about that, huh? Ha ha! Enmity will take over these forums in no time.
Seriously, though, it is pretty neat to have a forum full of courteous people.
And kinda creepy. This is still the internet, after all.
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Post by Uglyhead on Feb 23, 2007 17:47:18 GMT
Seriously, though, it is pretty neat to have a forum full of courteous people. And kinda creepy. This is still the internet, after all. Creepy? How so? Do you feel the forces of chaos are biding their time, gathering their forces, preparing their catastrophic plan...? |
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Post by mrw on Feb 23, 2007 18:46:21 GMT
Seriously, though, it is pretty neat to have a forum full of courteous people. And kinda creepy. This is still the internet, after all. Creepy? How so? Do you feel the forces of chaos are biding their time, gathering their forces, preparing their catastrophic plan...? I think Ben's was a tongue-in-cheek comment. It is kind of wierd (in a VERY good way) when strangers don't act like total jerks on the internet. I blame Antimony! ;D She's having a good influence on us. |
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Post by todd on Feb 24, 2007 0:38:45 GMT
Yes, isn't it great?
Evidently (to refer to Comixopedia's interview with Ted) the Internet is no longer rearing its ugly head in such a way as to lead to highly inappropriate posts about Annie (the kind of posts that I can imagine Reynardine making if Annie allowed him to access the Internet, which she most likely wouldn't).
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neal
Full Member
Posts: 166
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Post by neal on Feb 26, 2007 8:25:05 GMT
Hmmm... I think it is a combination of the facts that A) the more regular posters get to everything so quickly that there is no point in other people posting, and B) there are no non-comic related topics. There have been many times that I've come to the forum with the express purpose of saying things, only to find that the topic has already been thoroughly dissected withing a half an hour of the comics' release. All speculation I have has already been covered, most questions posed, and the possible answers have been discussed more thoroughly than I would have been able to do. While this is in no way a bad thing, it makes it rather pointless for me to post. As for the second point I had, most forums are united by a common thread, the love of a comic for example, but are mostly posts about other things. You forge connections with other people further than simply debating one comic. However, there is an air of strictness to this forum that makes me reluctanct to bring up other topics. That is why I, personally, have not had a more prolific posting history.
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Post by owl on Mar 6, 2007 5:35:42 GMT
I feel guilty about neal's post, and I know I shouldn't. As one of the (somewhat) frequent posters, I do feel like I may steal some spotlight, and I'm sorry. It is okay to tell me to shut up and let you talk, but with the internet it's hard to do that.
And about the strictness - I think it will relax soon. I think it's part of the newness. But I know for one that I would feel more comfortable with another subsecton of the forum - posting other topics in this one feels too much like spamming.
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Post by mrw on Mar 7, 2007 3:18:21 GMT
However, there is an air of strictness to this forum that makes me reluctanct to bring up other topics. That is why I, personally, have not had a more prolific posting history. To me the forum doesn't have an air of strictness, more a feeling of maturity. Which sometimes can feel strict, I suppose. It's a little wierd, or interesting, depending on your point of view, but sometimes I feel like people are subconsciously taking a "What Would Antimony Do" approach to posting. Which is actually pretty cool. Anyway, I took the plunge and created a General Discussion thread for non-GC topics, so have at it!  |
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neal
Full Member
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Post by neal on Mar 7, 2007 8:28:19 GMT
I meant no scolding with my explaination, simply the reason that I have not posted more. Please, don't feel sheepish about your lovely posting habits, as you've all made the forum an excellent place to lurk in hopes of greater understanding!
Also, there is a thin line between maturity and strictness. While it is, indeed, lovely, that no one is running about spamming "LAUGHING ON LINE BUTTS!!!1!!!1", there is a certain degree of silliness that should be allowed, for the sake of sanity.
And on that note: Thank you for starting a general discussion thread! Silliness is already apparent in your Walrussy hearts!
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Post by skoolmunkee on Mar 7, 2007 19:51:48 GMT
Butts.
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Post by rastarogue on Mar 7, 2007 21:05:56 GMT
I think part of the reason it might feel like spamming to post non-topic stuff is the speed with which people will tell somebody to get back on topic if they stray.
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Post by Uglyhead on Mar 7, 2007 21:52:15 GMT
Heh, butts. Er. Armpits? I'm not really sure where to go from butts. |
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Post by rastarogue on Mar 8, 2007 2:15:26 GMT
I can think of a couple of places to go that would be against the rules to post.
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