My on-line life
Nov. 26th, 2002 02:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maristu"Cyberspace: A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation." --William Gibson
"The 'Net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it." --William Gibson
Well, this is a first for me. Someone thinks that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bonibaru is *mean*. That's just... I don't know. Weird. Because she's one of the nicest persons I've ever known. And also wickedly funny :)
So... This got me to thinking about the Internet and on-line personas and relationships and... Well, pull up a chair, because this will probably be long.
I've been online for eight years now, since 1995. For some, I'm still a "newcomer", but here in Brazil, that's pretty much pioneer. Way back then, there was no commercial internet in Brazil, only government access. Since I worked for the government (Ministry of Education), I had the pleasure of not only having access, but being *responsible* for it. I was paid to fool around on the 'net, how cool is that!
Also, no nice, user-friendly World Wide Web, the web that *did* exist back then was pretty much a collection of gray pages with lots of text, hyperlinked. Windows was still in version 3.11 (for Workgroups, remember?), W95 was just about to be released, but the computers at my work were still 386 processors with 2MB or RAM. Two. Megabytes.
So... My 'net access? Consisted basically of ftp and telnet and email. Remember gopher servers? I lived for those. That, and EW-TOO. Ah, yes, EW-TOO servers were like heaven for me... I spent hours and hours chatting with people from Australia (because the time zone was compatible, I was logging at 9am and it was around 9pm there).
For those who don't know, EW-TOO was the precursor of today's chats, but much more fun. Because it was almost like Role-Playing, every server had a theme, and every room inside it had a description. Sadly, I don't think they're up anymore. At least, I searched on Google and didn't find any of the old ones I used to visit regularly, like The Vineyard and The City... That's so sad :(
*ahem* Anyway. EW-TOOs is where I first started creating on-line friends, and first participated in an on-line community. And I've been hooked ever since. Of course, things have changed a bit since then... People rarely know what telnet *is*, let alone how to use it. Ports and IP addresses are like foreign languages. Command line interface? No one uses them anymore, not even for FTP (they have those cool looking FTP clients with sounds and progress bars and stuff). The web has developed and grown into this huge monster of a thing, with millions of people accessing forums and lists and journals with a few clicks. Gee, I feel so *old*.
I've participated in all kinds of on-line communities. From the EW-TOO communities eight years ago (which were really quite well-behaved, if not slightly eccentric), to mailing lists (like Aikido-l), to forums and news servers. And what I've figured out is that they're all pretty much the same. Flame wars and misunderstandings and downright animosity are so common that they hardly bother me anymore.
I've come to the conclusion that people simply don't think. I dunno, I move that all web navigators come with a Netiquette page as the default opening page, like this one. Because these people that I see, shouting insults at the wind? I'm pretty sure they've never read it. And if they did, they should read it again. Every day. Until it's fucking *engraved* in their minds, until they've been properly reprogrammed like that guy from Clockwork Orange.
Did I say that it doesn't bother me anymore? I lied. It does. It bothers me *more*, because the number of people who don't have a clue about netiquette is just increasing daily, and they're threatening to stomp down us poor old-timers who want a peaceful community that will help us grow and be happy.
All the other communities I've belonged to have been closed communities. Some were moderated, some weren't. I'll use as example Aikido-l, since that's the one I've participated in the longest. It's a big community, about 800 people from all over the world, and with no moderator. You'd think that people would be on each other throats every day, right? Wrong. It's a lovely place. There are some nasties now and again, but nothing really major.
The thing is, we knew who we were talking to, after a few emails we more or less knew each person's sense of humor and writing style, all that stuff. The list promotes a yearly seminar (which unfortunately I've never been to, because they're in the US or in Europe and it's damn expensive to travel these days...) People play nice, because they know that eventually they'll meet face to face and have to live up to everything they've said on-line. And possibly be thrown several feet over the mat and twisted up in weird wrist locks :)
And now... LiveJournal. Which is a totally different beast from anything I've been on. For one thing, it's public. Pretty much. There's the private option and the friends option, but let's face it, if you're online it's because you *want* people to read. So in this respect, it's like a regular blog or journal.
But then there's the "Live" part of the journal. The community part. Friends lists and commentaries and all that stuff, that makes it seem more like a forum of sorts than a journal per se. The fact that I have... *checks* thirty people who have friended and are possibly reading this (either that or you're all cursing me and scrolling down your friends page) is scary as hell.
LiveJournal is way intimidating. It's like being back in High School. It was so sad checking my user info page way in the beginning, and seeing that no one had friended me. Then, when people actually *did* friend me (and someone even paid for my account!), there was the pressure of actually writing stuff that people would want to read, of being entertaining, of writing all the right things so that people would friend me and leave me comments. In some ways, it's even worse than High School, because your "coolness" ratio is visible for all to see, right there on your user info. The number of comments you've recieved. The number of friends you have vs. the number of people who have friended you. It's like walking down the halls with LOSER written in big bold letters on your forehead.
It's a scary place. I love it to bits, but it's a totally different community than anything I've ever seen. For one thing, this is the only place where there are so many kerfuffles that people actually have a *word* for it. And a community for pointing and laughing, likefandom_wank. But maybe that's more of a fandom characteristic than a LiveJournal one. I dunno. I'm new to both.
It took me a while to get comfortable here. To accept that my "friend of" list will probably never be larger than my "friends" list. That the fact that people don't leave comments on my LJ doesn't mean that they haven't read what I've written, or that they didn't like it. It just means that they have nothing to add. After a few months here, I finally feel at home.
And I have to renew my account :P
"The 'Net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it." --William Gibson
Well, this is a first for me. Someone thinks that
bonibaru is *mean*. That's just... I don't know. Weird. Because she's one of the nicest persons I've ever known. And also wickedly funny :)So... This got me to thinking about the Internet and on-line personas and relationships and... Well, pull up a chair, because this will probably be long.
I've been online for eight years now, since 1995. For some, I'm still a "newcomer", but here in Brazil, that's pretty much pioneer. Way back then, there was no commercial internet in Brazil, only government access. Since I worked for the government (Ministry of Education), I had the pleasure of not only having access, but being *responsible* for it. I was paid to fool around on the 'net, how cool is that!
Also, no nice, user-friendly World Wide Web, the web that *did* exist back then was pretty much a collection of gray pages with lots of text, hyperlinked. Windows was still in version 3.11 (for Workgroups, remember?), W95 was just about to be released, but the computers at my work were still 386 processors with 2MB or RAM. Two. Megabytes.
So... My 'net access? Consisted basically of ftp and telnet and email. Remember gopher servers? I lived for those. That, and EW-TOO. Ah, yes, EW-TOO servers were like heaven for me... I spent hours and hours chatting with people from Australia (because the time zone was compatible, I was logging at 9am and it was around 9pm there).
For those who don't know, EW-TOO was the precursor of today's chats, but much more fun. Because it was almost like Role-Playing, every server had a theme, and every room inside it had a description. Sadly, I don't think they're up anymore. At least, I searched on Google and didn't find any of the old ones I used to visit regularly, like The Vineyard and The City... That's so sad :(
*ahem* Anyway. EW-TOOs is where I first started creating on-line friends, and first participated in an on-line community. And I've been hooked ever since. Of course, things have changed a bit since then... People rarely know what telnet *is*, let alone how to use it. Ports and IP addresses are like foreign languages. Command line interface? No one uses them anymore, not even for FTP (they have those cool looking FTP clients with sounds and progress bars and stuff). The web has developed and grown into this huge monster of a thing, with millions of people accessing forums and lists and journals with a few clicks. Gee, I feel so *old*.
I've participated in all kinds of on-line communities. From the EW-TOO communities eight years ago (which were really quite well-behaved, if not slightly eccentric), to mailing lists (like Aikido-l), to forums and news servers. And what I've figured out is that they're all pretty much the same. Flame wars and misunderstandings and downright animosity are so common that they hardly bother me anymore.
I've come to the conclusion that people simply don't think. I dunno, I move that all web navigators come with a Netiquette page as the default opening page, like this one. Because these people that I see, shouting insults at the wind? I'm pretty sure they've never read it. And if they did, they should read it again. Every day. Until it's fucking *engraved* in their minds, until they've been properly reprogrammed like that guy from Clockwork Orange.
Did I say that it doesn't bother me anymore? I lied. It does. It bothers me *more*, because the number of people who don't have a clue about netiquette is just increasing daily, and they're threatening to stomp down us poor old-timers who want a peaceful community that will help us grow and be happy.
All the other communities I've belonged to have been closed communities. Some were moderated, some weren't. I'll use as example Aikido-l, since that's the one I've participated in the longest. It's a big community, about 800 people from all over the world, and with no moderator. You'd think that people would be on each other throats every day, right? Wrong. It's a lovely place. There are some nasties now and again, but nothing really major.
The thing is, we knew who we were talking to, after a few emails we more or less knew each person's sense of humor and writing style, all that stuff. The list promotes a yearly seminar (which unfortunately I've never been to, because they're in the US or in Europe and it's damn expensive to travel these days...) People play nice, because they know that eventually they'll meet face to face and have to live up to everything they've said on-line. And possibly be thrown several feet over the mat and twisted up in weird wrist locks :)
And now... LiveJournal. Which is a totally different beast from anything I've been on. For one thing, it's public. Pretty much. There's the private option and the friends option, but let's face it, if you're online it's because you *want* people to read. So in this respect, it's like a regular blog or journal.
But then there's the "Live" part of the journal. The community part. Friends lists and commentaries and all that stuff, that makes it seem more like a forum of sorts than a journal per se. The fact that I have... *checks* thirty people who have friended and are possibly reading this (either that or you're all cursing me and scrolling down your friends page) is scary as hell.
LiveJournal is way intimidating. It's like being back in High School. It was so sad checking my user info page way in the beginning, and seeing that no one had friended me. Then, when people actually *did* friend me (and someone even paid for my account!), there was the pressure of actually writing stuff that people would want to read, of being entertaining, of writing all the right things so that people would friend me and leave me comments. In some ways, it's even worse than High School, because your "coolness" ratio is visible for all to see, right there on your user info. The number of comments you've recieved. The number of friends you have vs. the number of people who have friended you. It's like walking down the halls with LOSER written in big bold letters on your forehead.
It's a scary place. I love it to bits, but it's a totally different community than anything I've ever seen. For one thing, this is the only place where there are so many kerfuffles that people actually have a *word* for it. And a community for pointing and laughing, like
fandom_wank. But maybe that's more of a fandom characteristic than a LiveJournal one. I dunno. I'm new to both.It took me a while to get comfortable here. To accept that my "friend of" list will probably never be larger than my "friends" list. That the fact that people don't leave comments on my LJ doesn't mean that they haven't read what I've written, or that they didn't like it. It just means that they have nothing to add. After a few months here, I finally feel at home.
And I have to renew my account :P
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Goodness...
on 2002-11-26 09:53 am (UTC)Wow you've really hit the quirkiness of lj on the head. The high school analogy is EXACTLY how I feel half the time.
I mean I actually feel bouncy when I get friended. I feel jealous when I see someone has posted a "I just ate candy" post and received 35 responses. How silly is that?
Very silly. Boy amd I glad I'm not the only one who thinks of these things.
Re: Goodness...
on 2002-11-27 04:08 am (UTC)Hee :) Nah, I *like* being a minion. Besides, I wouldn't know what to do with you... I'm not a very leader type of person :P
I mean I actually feel bouncy when I get friended. I feel jealous when I see someone has posted a "I just ate candy" post and received 35 responses. How silly is that?
Me too! On both accounts! In fact, I just squeed because I got two new friends :)
And the worst part about this? I wasn't like this *at all* when I was in High School. Go figure.
no subject
on 2002-11-26 10:28 am (UTC)silviakundera is someone you should friend. She vids just like you. It's scary. You two should collaborate. Tell her Premiere isn't scary! LOL
no subject
on 2002-11-27 04:12 am (UTC)Awww... Now I feel left out. *pout* What do I have to *do* to make you be mean to me??
silviakundera is someone you should friend. She vids just like you. It's scary. You two should collaborate. Tell her Premiere isn't scary! LOL
Poor girl... I wouldn't want *anyone* to vid just like me ;)
Seriously, though, she's been friended, but I haven't watched her vids yet. Because my mom's other computer is temporarily without sound. Gah. But I'll convince her that Premiere isn't scary :)
no subject
on 2002-11-26 10:46 am (UTC)Trolls, flames, and just plain old lack of respect will always be a turn-off to most people and they will leave to look for a place without stressors. I guess I can see what you mean about the high school analogy, but I guess it's like that with a lot of other forums. Maybe not TWoP since it's just 1 thread per subject. And now I think I've gone to that little place in my head called "Rambling Road" so I'll just leave it at that. And if someone sees this and thinks, "God, that soap person always sounds like a dumbass," hey, I can live with that! *g*
no subject
on 2002-11-27 04:19 am (UTC)Thanks for the stroll down memory lane!
It's fun, isn't it :) On a totally unrelated note (but somewhat related), the other day I ran across a bunch of VHS tapes in my sister's bedroom, of sitcoms we used to watch back in '85! "Who's the Boss", "Growing Pains", "Gimme a Break", "Facts of Life"... I'm scared of putting them in the player, because they're awfully old, but I *really* want to watch those...
I guess I can see what you mean about the high school analogy, but I guess it's like that with a lot of other forums.
Which is actually why I avoid most forums... I like closed communities because they're more likely to be troll free. They feel more like a family, where you have some arguments, and even a few divorces (when someone leaves the list), but deep down you all love each other :)
The good thing about LJ is that, if someone starts trolling, I just take them off my friends list :)
no subject
on 2002-11-26 11:55 am (UTC)Yeah, I realized that too. And yes, I have nothing to add.
no subject
on 2002-12-01 10:53 am (UTC)LOL!! TOTALLY!! Not only is it incredibly self-abosrbed, but yeah, its beyond cliquey!
pressure of actually writing stuff that people would want to read, of being entertaining, of writing all the right things so that people would friend me and leave me comments.
Heh! But you know, I think the thing is.. I think people don't always want to read teh "right things". I know that personally, I get sick of reading the same things over and over. But you are totally right. There is a lot of pressure to conform and like the same characters and always be talking about the hoyay etc. But, its funny b/c all the time I feel like I"m watching a different show than everybody else and I certainly have different views on the episodes. ANd honestly, I think a lot of people like to read my LJ for that very reason. That I'm not always saying all the "right things". But yeah, in general I totally know what your saying.
Hmmm I'm totally babling. But you said a whole lot of things that I've been thinking about.
Anyway, this is the first time for me on your LJ. Where can I find your vidoes? I don't normally watch them (I've only seen like two or three smallville videos in general) but I'm home alone right now and would love to see some of yours.
no subject
on 2002-12-01 12:27 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2002-12-02 06:19 pm (UTC)There is a lot of pressure to conform and like the same characters and always be talking about the hoyay etc.
*nods emphatically* And I sometimes worry that I'm too easily influenced. I wonder if I'd found a forum based solely around, let's say, the worship of Lana Lang when I first started out on this fandom (instead of ending up at TWoP), if I'd have a totally different view of the show.
But, its funny b/c all the time I feel like I"m watching a different show than everybody else
I feel like this a *lot*. People's opinions of the episodes are usually nothing like mine... I can read what they write and totally see where they got their ideas, but I always have different views. I rarely post them anymore, though, because I always watch the episodes after everyone else, and by then it's just been discussed to death and it gets a little boring.
Hmmm I'm totally babling. But you said a whole lot of things that I've been thinking about.
Feel free to babble at my LJ any time :) As you can see, I do it a lot myself... :P
no subject
on 2002-12-05 09:18 pm (UTC)At any rate, pleased to meet ya'. I'm adding you to my friends list ;)
no subject
on 2002-12-11 08:54 am (UTC)I know you posted this awhile ago, but nerodi just told me about it because we were talking about the inane intricacies of friends list etiquette.
Really? Did y'all post this discussion online? I'd love to read what you figured out, since I'm still trying to figure this whole LJ thing myself :)
I couldn't agree more about the high school aspects of it all, and I wasn't even this obsessed with my status in High School either.
Me neither! Which makes me even more puzzled about my own behaviour here... Is this some kind of childhood regression? ;)
Hopefully, after I've been on lj a little longer I'll learn to chill out about it just like you have.
Heh. I just *look* chilled :)
Welcome! I added you to my friends list too :)