Tico wrote:There are definitely cliques here. I believe that's a natural trait of a maturing site with this population.
That's a natural phenomenon of human interaction - anywhere. The way I see this website, if there is any real clique, that clique would be the active members, the participants, the contributors. There's no test to pass or anything like that; you wanna be active, be a participant, be a contributor, just do it - otherwise you're pretty much locking yourself into watching other folks do it.
Quote:But it's difficult for someone like me to break in.
Is it? Or might it be you feel it is, that you are uncomfortable among folks who apparently know one another much better than they know you? This is an open discussion forum - that means discussion is open to anyone. See something you wanna comment on? Comment on it. Think someone challenging your comment is off base? Defend your comment, challenge the counter comment.
Quote:I've made comments which were ignored,
Happens to me allatime, partner, allatime.
Quote: only to see a veteran A2Ker say essentially the same thing and be lauded.
Know where you're comin' from here, too - only from a slightly different perspective. Ain't an awful lotta folks here more "Veteran" here than me, any way you wanna measure that, and sometimes I'll write out something that gets no apparent notice, then see some upstart young whippersnapper (by comparison, understand :wink:) come along, say pretty much the same thing and drive a discussion on for pages and pages. Oh, well - it happens ... to everybody.. . that's life on the 'net.
Quote: I've started a thread that went nowhere
<chuckle> - I've got scores of those to my credit, too
Quote:-- either because there is no genuine interest or because a veteran said it was of no concern (alpha member redirects herd).
Now lets look at that - OK, if there's no interest, there's no interest. Mebbe it could be brought up again in a different manner, or from a different perspective - mebbe it was the presentation, not the product, that didn't grab the market. For your second point, an "alpha member" shutting down a topic, that's gotta be your fault if you let it happen; if you have a point to make, make it, if you have an opinion to voice, voice it. If you get flack, give it right back - somebody says "that's the silliest idea I've ever seen", demonstrate that it is not silly, and why. If you wanna drive a thread, drive it - if you don't, one of 2 things will happen; either somebody else will drive it, or it will go nowhere.
Quote: I've made sincere posts only to find out that the thread was a joke -- and felt like an idiot.
Once again, partner, the club in which you find yourself has more members by far than you realize; we all screw up, and some are much more persistent at that than others - doesn't stop 'em, though
Quote: I've learned from other BBs that commenting on the ubiqitous American politics or religion threads will only invite derision and scorn. These are all hallmarks of online cliques.
Well, they're hallmarks of online discussions involving politics or theology, that's for sure, apart from any consideration of clique. The play here gets rough sometimes, some folks play pretty hard, but there are rules, and there are referrees and umpires on the field to keep the play within the rules. Anyone can throw a flag on a play; thats what the "Report Button" is for. Say whatever you care to say - within the rules, of course - and expect that anyone else might say whatever that one cares to say. Particularly in the "Heavy Lifting" threads - politics, philosophy, religion, current events, that sorta thing, there is very little "Me Too" club going on; its debate, argument, contentiopn, and dissention, opposing views, exchange of ideas. Doesn't matter a bit if what you say is popular, what matters is how you say it, how you develop it, how you support it. If yours is the minorioty point of view, so be it (and if anybody here knows from minority point of view, that'd be me
)... your job is just that much more challenging if you care to stay with a, participate in, contribute to, profit from, enjoy the discussion. Any decision to stay or to tuck your tail between your legs and run away from the fray is yours entirely.
Quote:But maybe I just don't have the proper "intellectual quality" required.
Poppycock - ain't no such thing, really; its attitutude, more than anything else in that regard, that carries you through adversity.
Quote:On the other hand, I've also benefitted from some great advice and links here, learned new things, and enjoyed some debates (if I ignore the posts by the cut'n'paste monsters and the single-issue belligerent ones).
Somedays, it's just easier to play a few games, or enjoy the humour of the regulars.
That's sorta the whole point of being here; do what entertains you. If you enjoy the rough&tumble of debate, and you can hang in on a debate civilly and topically, go right ahead - if you feel like it. If you'd rather do game threads, or diversion/digression/chatty threads, do that. If you like one-one-one interaction with a broad spectrum of folks from all walks of lfe, from all over the planet, expressing all points of view, here you are. This sie is what you make of it, what you get from it depends entirely on what you bring to it and what you expect from it.
If ya ain't havin' fun, yer doin' it wrong.
That's my attitude, anyhow.
No it has happened, but it could...
