Author Topic: The Rise and Fall of Escape Pod (Forums) and the Spiders from Mars  (Read 45637 times)

Tango Alpha Delta

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1778
    • Tad's Happy Funtime
Reply #25 on: December 11, 2007, 11:51:39 PM
but this place is noticeably whiter, maler and more American than it was previously...

This comment makes me wonder. 

I can guess race by nationality as far as our Europeans go, but I can only play the numbers on the rest.  We also have a couple folks with their pictures for an avatar.  I think the white, male American is just the common assumption when there is no evidence to the contrary. 

I don't have any real numbers to back up my statements.  Should we do a demographics poll?  It might be interesting to see what the actual breakdown is.

Why not? It might be interesting.

I was away from the forums for a while because of my move to England and starting a new job. But I haven't really felt that big a change in the activity in the forums over the past months - maybe because I wasn't paying close attention, but I'm wondering if people are really comparing the forums to the summer, or whether the long time members are thinking back to the previous forums (which predates my joining the community). I did notice that there seems to be a lot less direct involvement from the people running the podcasts.

I say let´s do the poll!  W00t!  May I call myself a mulatto lesbain vampire with a prehensile tail, though?  Because being a white male American is just dull, dull, dull... except for the beard.

This Wiki Won't Wrangle Itself!

I finally published my book - Tad's Happy Funtime is on Amazon!


Thaurismunths

  • High Priest of TCoRN
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1421
  • Praise N-sh, for it is right and good!
Reply #26 on: December 12, 2007, 03:20:12 AM
but this place is noticeably whiter, maler and more American than it was previously...
I don't have any real numbers to back up my statements.  Should we do a demographics poll?  It might be interesting to see what the actual breakdown is.

I don't know what a self-reporting demographics poll would accomplish.  That said, I'm not against it or anything, I'm just not sure it would elucidate.  More useful, I would think, to run a script through the membership breakdown by gender and geography (where given) and then sort that by number of posts (excluding, perhaps, moderators) and last post.

From a strictly anecdotal perspective, I have a mental list of people who no longer post, or post so sporadically as to be virtually non-participating whose acumen, insight and perspective I miss. 

They are:
hautdesert, palimpsest, CatRambo, J.R. Blackwell (female)
Simon Painter, Roney, sirana (European)
GoodDamon, Thaurismunths, slic, ClintMemo, Tango Alpha Delta (white, male, middle-class and American AFAIK, but I liked what they wrote anyways)

Caveat: It's possible some of these people still participate but are in threads I avoid.  I miss them in the story comment threads, which are usually the only ones I still read.
*poof* ...and I shall appear. :)

I've definitely, consciously, actively, made an effort to post less.
The truth is I've had to keep from joining in on some threads because I know my personality reacts poorly with some of the other members here and I've had to cut way back to avoid conflict with them.
Really it comes down to to things:
A: The mood, for me, has changed
B: I don't want be hypocritical

A: The mood when I joined was very friendly. There seemed to be a lot of ideas and personalities floating around. I loved the episode feedback and the zombie thread (to death), and even the more frictional conversations were enjoyable (if not a little frustrating). But over the year the mood seems to have become more guarded. For my part I'm less likely to express my less main-stream views so as not to start or be subject to an inquisition.

B: I've been pretty outspoken in my views in the past and probably stepped on a few toes. I feel I should apologize to Steve and all the mods for some of the things I've said here. I've told them how to do their jobs, but not done mine as a guest here in these forums. Often overbearing, and belligerent the mods have been indulgent of me, so who would I be to say they should be more stringent with others? Rather than joining in on the flogging of a dead horse, I've opted to stay quietly by the sidelines. If someone doesn't want to accept that that the horse is dead, it isn't my place to make them see otherwise.

I like a diverse, opinionated, and open-minded forum. I love hearing other, new, varied, and contrasting opinions. I would like to see more of that cultivated, but I'm not in a position to say what is a weed and when to pull it.

How do you fight a bully that can un-make history?


Tango Alpha Delta

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1778
    • Tad's Happy Funtime
Reply #27 on: December 12, 2007, 03:52:57 AM
but this place is noticeably whiter, maler and more American than it was previously...
I don't have any real numbers to back up my statements.  Should we do a demographics poll?  It might be interesting to see what the actual breakdown is.

I don't know what a self-reporting demographics poll would accomplish.  That said, I'm not against it or anything, I'm just not sure it would elucidate.  More useful, I would think, to run a script through the membership breakdown by gender and geography (where given) and then sort that by number of posts (excluding, perhaps, moderators) and last post.

From a strictly anecdotal perspective, I have a mental list of people who no longer post, or post so sporadically as to be virtually non-participating whose acumen, insight and perspective I miss. 

They are:
hautdesert, palimpsest, CatRambo, J.R. Blackwell (female)
Simon Painter, Roney, sirana (European)
GoodDamon, Thaurismunths, slic, ClintMemo, Tango Alpha Delta (white, male, middle-class and American AFAIK, but I liked what they wrote anyways)

Caveat: It's possible some of these people still participate but are in threads I avoid.  I miss them in the story comment threads, which are usually the only ones I still read.

You´re too kind, Anarkey!  I think my posting dropped off as we geared up for the school year.  That and I spent two months nursing my poor laptop back to health... which is also why I flaked out on our story.  :( 

Now I have guilt!  Curse ye gods of arbitrarily rapid time flow!

This Wiki Won't Wrangle Itself!

I finally published my book - Tad's Happy Funtime is on Amazon!


Planish

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 772
  • Fun will now commence.
    • northernelectric.ca
Reply #28 on: December 14, 2007, 06:37:55 AM
What I find somewhat disturbing is what you get when you rotate the graph counter-clockwise by 90 degrees.

What we see then is that Time passes more or less linearly with the decrease in the frequency of posts. Perhaps it helps to read it as the inverse of the frequency, ie. the wavelength of the posts. It looks as if by next January or February, the number of posts per month will approach zero, and Time will stop passing.

In order for Time to resume its "normal" flow, we will have to start logging in to delete posts. The real crisis will be when there are no more posts to delete. Perhaps that has already happened, and an increase in posts has caused Time to go backwards, as suggested by the graph.

My God ... what have we done? :o

I feed The Pod.
("planish" rhymes with "vanish")


goatkeeper

  • Guest
Reply #29 on: December 14, 2007, 07:22:00 AM
whooooaaa, just browsed through those Thaurismunths links.  now that's good television!



sirana

  • Lochage
  • *****
  • Posts: 409
Reply #30 on: December 14, 2007, 09:09:25 AM
I'm kinda puzzled by beeing included in Anarkey's list. It's true that I don't post that much, especially in the comments thread, but that has always been the case. I had a short look at the posting statistics and I had more posts/month in the last two months than any time before that (excluding the time of the story contest).
Anarkey's impression stems probably from the fact that I post mostly in Gallimaufry and Sci-Fi-Discussion and not in the comments thread.  I only tend to comment on a story when I think I have something relevant to say, when the story really touched me or when I really hated the story.
So, just wanted to shout out that I'm not dead and that I will be posting as much (or rather as little ;-) as always.



Heradel

  • Bill Peters, EP Assistant
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 2938
  • Part-Time Psychopomp.
Reply #31 on: December 15, 2007, 11:03:53 PM
Anyone else have trouble accessing the Forum today? (I posted a comment on the Psuedopod blog in the latest story post as I couldn't get here or the Escape Pod site — Mods please delete).

Edit: Well, it's kinda obvious there was a server thing between 9-10am and ~5 pm yesterday, so, er, was it planned, and if so, why no notice? In the grand scheme of things it's no big deal the forum's gone on a Saturday, and maybe I didn't see a notice that was posted, but even a short "hey, it'll be down for a little on Saturday" would have been nice.
« Last Edit: December 16, 2007, 06:54:47 AM by Heradel »

I Twitter. I also occasionally blog on the Escape Pod blog, which if you're here you shouldn't have much trouble finding.


Ben Phillips

  • Lich King
  • Matross
  • ****
  • Posts: 299
    • Pseudopod
Reply #32 on: December 16, 2007, 02:42:56 PM
Comment deletion:  done. 

Server issues:  no idea!



Thaurismunths

  • High Priest of TCoRN
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1421
  • Praise N-sh, for it is right and good!
Reply #33 on: December 16, 2007, 05:57:44 PM
Anyone else have trouble accessing the Forum today? (I posted a comment on the Psuedopod blog in the latest story post as I couldn't get here or the Escape Pod site — Mods please delete).

Edit: Well, it's kinda obvious there was a server thing between 9-10am and ~5 pm yesterday, so, er, was it planned, and if so, why no notice? In the grand scheme of things it's no big deal the forum's gone on a Saturday, and maybe I didn't see a notice that was posted, but even a short "hey, it'll be down for a little on Saturday" would have been nice.
Yeah. wasn't just you. I couldn't get on yesterday either.

How do you fight a bully that can un-make history?


Thaurismunths

  • High Priest of TCoRN
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1421
  • Praise N-sh, for it is right and good!
Reply #34 on: December 16, 2007, 05:58:34 PM
whooooaaa, just browsed through those Thaurismunths links.  now that's good television!

Yeah... sometimes I type faster than I think.

How do you fight a bully that can un-make history?


Russell Nash

  • Guest
Reply #35 on: December 16, 2007, 06:53:34 PM
whooooaaa, just browsed through those Thaurismunths links.  now that's good television!

Yeah... sometimes I type faster than I think.

You think??

 ;D



Tango Alpha Delta

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1778
    • Tad's Happy Funtime
Reply #36 on: December 16, 2007, 09:43:03 PM
whooooaaa, just browsed through those Thaurismunths links.  now that's good television!

Yeah... sometimes I type faster than I think.

You think??

 ;D

So fast that you can't see it!

This Wiki Won't Wrangle Itself!

I finally published my book - Tad's Happy Funtime is on Amazon!


Russell Nash

  • Guest
Reply #37 on: December 16, 2007, 09:58:32 PM
whooooaaa, just browsed through those Thaurismunths links.  now that's good television!

Yeah... sometimes I type faster than I think.

You think??

 ;D

So fast that you can't see it!

Just a little smoke and a strange smell.



Thaurismunths

  • High Priest of TCoRN
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1421
  • Praise N-sh, for it is right and good!
Reply #38 on: December 17, 2007, 01:36:22 AM
whooooaaa, just browsed through those Thaurismunths links.  now that's good television!

Yeah... sometimes I type faster than I think.

You think??

 ;D
I try, but nothing can compare to your truly dizzying intellect.

How do you fight a bully that can un-make history?


Russell Nash

  • Guest
Reply #39 on: December 17, 2007, 12:29:34 PM
whooooaaa, just browsed through those Thaurismunths links.  now that's good television!

Yeah... sometimes I type faster than I think.

You think??

 ;D
I try, but nothing can compare to your truly dizzying intellect.

Wait till I get going!  Now where was I?



Kurt Faler

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 50
Oh, and feel free to rip on me for the above plug, as long as you think it'll stir things up. :-)

The only reason I ripped on the guy was because his stuff was crap.  I gave it an honest shot, listened to two podcasts and a couple vidcasts and it made me want to chuff.  They were about military/survival issues.  He was trying to be very "tactical", but no military or police background.  He seemed like a chubby guy with an airsoft gun.  It was pretty clear he had no authority to be talking about the stuff he was talking about.  Seriously, one "tactical" vidcast was about using RPG (that's role-playing-game, not rocket propelled grenade) character sheets of yourself to better understand your strengths and weaknesses.  Another was spent on how to properly groom yourself, including nail trimming and cleaning.  Awesome.  I'm sure that's standard issue in most special forces kits.  "Here's your M4, your body armor, and your character sheet.  I expect that to be filled out by 0400 tomorrow, and no, not everyone will have a dexterity of 4!"

Give me a break.

I'll check out Drabblecast and let you know what I think, Goatkeeper.  I'm a big fan of flash fiction.



I think I'm going to start doing book reviews, but instead of a long summery and rant I'll just fill out a character sheet for each book.
(Maybe that guy took a foam sword to the head just a little to hard and has LARP flashbacks that get confusing?)





stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
From a strictly anecdotal perspective, I have a mental list of people who no longer post, or post so sporadically as to be virtually non-participating whose acumen, insight and perspective I miss. 

They are:
hautdesert, palimpsest, CatRambo, J.R. Blackwell (female)

hautdesert?  There's a name I recognize ... she posts to the forums at the C.J. Cherryh fan site Shejidan.  (though not much of late there either.)

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


Thaurismunths

  • High Priest of TCoRN
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1421
  • Praise N-sh, for it is right and good!
I think I'm going to start doing book reviews, but instead of a long summery and rant I'll just fill out a character sheet for each book.
Wow. That's a great idea!
Let us know when you get some done.

How do you fight a bully that can un-make history?


Kurt Faler

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 50
Reply #43 on: February 12, 2008, 12:35:25 AM
I think I'm going to start doing book reviews, but instead of a long summery and rant I'll just fill out a character sheet for each book.
Wow. That's a great idea!
Let us know when you get some done.



Hey I had forgotten about that. I'll see if a can do it for a few books I've just finished.  :D



Heradel

  • Bill Peters, EP Assistant
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 2938
  • Part-Time Psychopomp.
As this month we've almost matched this month a year ago's posting total (still inflated from the tail end of the Flash Fiction Contest (is that ever going to happen again?), I, as the thread originator, declare the thread's original purpose dead.

Tangents are discouraged but inevitable.

I Twitter. I also occasionally blog on the Escape Pod blog, which if you're here you shouldn't have much trouble finding.


Tango Alpha Delta

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1778
    • Tad's Happy Funtime
As this month we've almost matched this month a year ago's posting total (still inflated from the tail end of the Flash Fiction Contest (is that ever going to happen again?), I, as the thread originator, declare the thread's original purpose dead.

Tangents are discouraged but inevitable.

So, as the thread's originator, do you claim to have performed this bit of virtual santeria?  If so, then we could add this to the Big List o' Zombie Threads!

This Wiki Won't Wrangle Itself!

I finally published my book - Tad's Happy Funtime is on Amazon!


Heradel

  • Bill Peters, EP Assistant
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 2938
  • Part-Time Psychopomp.
As this month we've almost matched this month a year ago's posting total (still inflated from the tail end of the Flash Fiction Contest (is that ever going to happen again?), I, as the thread originator, declare the thread's original purpose dead.

Tangents are discouraged but inevitable.

So, as the thread's originator, do you claim to have performed this bit of virtual santeria?  If so, then we could add this to the Big List o' Zombie Threads!

More like just a bit of nail-driving into the coffin, and to make sure that anyone in the future reading this knows that I don't consider it an open issue.

In a little bit I'll cremate to get rid of the zombie/vampire/genericly undead issue.

I Twitter. I also occasionally blog on the Escape Pod blog, which if you're here you shouldn't have much trouble finding.


Heradel

  • Bill Peters, EP Assistant
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 2938
  • Part-Time Psychopomp.
This thread's so old I wasn't even a moderator when I created it.

But I'm getting a bit of deja vu. We haven't had a 50+ posts day in almost a month, and 100+ in two months. For whatever reason things seem a lot quieter than they used to be. As someone that's been here a long time, and found a community that was quirky, incredibly geeky, and fun (with a dash of scary), it's worrying.

I Twitter. I also occasionally blog on the Escape Pod blog, which if you're here you shouldn't have much trouble finding.


Talia

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2682
  • Muahahahaha
The spiders from mars got everyone.

:/



Russell Nash

  • Guest
If I realize that a good poster hasn't been around for a while. I normally send them a PM asking how things are and if there is anything I can do.  The response is normally RL has gotten in the way or that they were trying to cut down on their online addiction. 

I have, however, heard that some folks will not come back, because they thought they were mistreated by people in power here.  Not one of these complaints has been about a moderator.