What I Love About A2K

Variety of posts and threads.

Me.

The saucy guys, the chatty girls,learning, the differences of opinions, the company.

Well, I gotta be at a 'puter, online, several hours a day, just about every day, often just waiting for the next thing that requires my attention. I guess A2K beats playing Tetris during the dead spots.

Of course, i like all the doggies.

There was a piece on the radio yesterday about loneliness, with one pundit claiming that the internet did not provide people with real contact and engagement with others, and another denying this and saying that the first pundit had fudged the data by the manner in which the questions in a survey were framed.

But what occured to me was that both of them were referring to My Space and to chat rooms, and venues such as that. Both of them categorically stated that the internet is overwhelmingly a place in which the very young connected with one another, and that in terms of "loneliness," its significance was overrated, as the young have so many other avenues to social contact.

I then thought of this site, and in particular of the regulars here. Although the site has become "younger," by and large, the regular membership are mature men and women, ranging from early young adulthood to the very old. The contention of the most skeptical pundit is that there is no true contact, and that people cannot rely upon internet contacts for support, affection and "caring." I dispute that based on my experience at this and other sites. There is another site at which i most regularly attend apart from this site, and the crowd there is very young in comparison to the "regulars" at this site. Nevertheless, the same atmosphere of personal interest in one another applies there as one finds here. Some members there were recently complaining that the site was subject to cliquism--but that seemed silly to me (although i did not comment) because the large number of regular members who have posted there for many years were invisible to the members in the discussion. At this site, the "regulars" might often be invisible to the literally thousands who come for a particular discussion--riddles, or discussions of one's favorite online site, or riding the hobby horses of politics or religion--but there is nevertheless imbedded in this site a community of those who take an interest in one another, and provide a degree of social contact which is broader than that which the person involved would experience without the internet.

I value this site highly because of the personal relations in which members join, even if it is not apparent that i personally always participate.

I find A2K is a great place to express myself and work off the creative material of others. There is no greater thing than to make one another laugh or feel better in this harsh world. It's the reason I avoid the Big Argument threads and concentrate on the fluff. Fluff can be very meaningful.

What Set says rings true.

To me, it's like a large apartment high rise, that has lots of amenities, and some business running in it too..

You get to know the neighbors on your floor, and some on other floors because you both regularly go to the pool or weight room. Some stay in their apartments most of the time, but watch the happenings on closed circut TV. They know who's doing their laundry or hanging out in the dart room, or taking cooking classes. They just like to watch.

Some people only say "hi" to each other on the elevator, while their own their way to another floor.

Others you invite into your apartment, saying "Don't mind the mess"

Some people take short term leases, others have lived in the building a long time.

I'm not lonely here.

I am here strictly to seek advice from Chai Tea and GreenWitch.

Without the guidance of those two women I would be lost in the storm.

Eh-
who listens to Set??
Damn turd stirrer...



yeah. He is right on the money.

From my own experience, I can be who ever I feel like being that day and I always fit in.

I am , in person, quiter and a bit more reserved then I am here on A2K.
But, I have never felt like I was not accepted. Any issue I have in my life, no matter how silly, I can always vent about and get some great ideas on how to solve, or the simple pat on the shoulder while I work things out myself.

And if I dont feel like posting, there are TONS of threads to read over my coffee that keep my mind running and teach me a lot of new things.

There is something for everyone here...

even that swamp farmer..

Me, too!

Community, certainly. Diversity, in both people and topics. The ability to help and be helped. And gus, of course.


There have been times when I've gotten too close, spent too much time and energy here, and needed to step back.

Like Timber, I'm on the computer for 10 to 12 hours/day for work. I tend to have an A2K window running and check in periodically to see what's happening.

Bella, from your original post, I was away from my computer for most of the day on Monday. Before I left, I asked joe to check on Noddy's thread so that I'd know how she had fared. The first question I asked him when I saw him later that day was "how's Noddy?". Yep, community.

That's right!

THIS and THIS is what I love about A2K.

Never fails to bring a smile to my day.

Deviant sex jokes.

Chai--

A2K as Apartment Block--great metaphor. I've been visualizing the site as a public park, but the apartment analogy is more descriptive.

J_B--

I'm very touched that you cared--and that Joe did the leg work/finger work.

the rap battles, mostly...

BBB
Taking chances on A2K is a lot less risky than robbing banks.

BBB :wink:

Good for you!