Whew! My secret is safe…
And Metalhead, we MADs have 'fests in DC/NOVA all the time, it’s a 90 minute drive, c’mon up! Next one is Opals b-day party in NOVA somewhere in about a month, there’s a thread in MPSIMS about it.
Ryan, sorry to hijack your thread. I dunno about 'fests in Manchester, but going to a dopefest is the best ( not the only ) way to become more “real” to people here.
Sheesh, if you have to ask…:rolleyes:
EVERYBODY knows you can’t paypal Easy Cheese. You must send it via telegraph. Or, for your convenience, I will also accept coupons for my chlamydia medicine. Your choice.
Tell me about it! 
I even buried $3125 in my backyard and the underground agents never contacted me.
The money is gone, though… :dubious:
Whew! My secret is safe…
And Metalhead, we MADs have 'fests in DC/NOVA all the time, it’s a 90 minute drive, c’mon up! Next one is Opals b-day party in NOVA somewhere in about a month, there’s a thread in MPSIMS about it.
Ryan, sorry to hijack your thread. I dunno about 'fests in Manchester, but going to a dopefest is the best ( not the only ) way to become more “real” to people here. **
[/QUOTE]
90 minutes? I’m in Roanoke. We have friends in Manassas, it takes 4 hours. 90 minutes gets you to Harrisonburg from here. But I might make it to one of those anyway, cool.
Ryan_Liam, I happen to like your username as well. Aren’t they both Irish names or something? I’ve always liked England for some reason. Never been there, but that’s the way it is.
You’re perfectly all tight in my books… I remember going through the exact same thing a few months ago, wondering whether I’d made any real friends on the board. Now, I’m aware that my posting style may be not quite what some people like, but some people have liked me despite that. 
I used to wonder about an inner circle or a clique, but nobody will admit to its existence. Oh well…
F_X
Of course, that should read “… all right in my books…” :smack:
F_X
Well, I like you, Ryan!
As for “how you go about breaking into the inner circle” – there really isn’t one, but there are a large group who have become close friends through the board. And there’s a very simple solution to becoming part of it – **share yourself **. Express your sympathy at DaveW’s father’s illness, your joy at Bomb Bay Doors’s birth and babyhood, your sympathy at the regularly scheduled random-teenager-feeling-angst-at-what-a-crappy-world-he’s-expected-to-live-in thread (and you’ve been there, so nobody else’s perspective will be quite as good as yours). Pop into Cafe Society and talk about the book/movie/TV show that really gets you involved; wander into Great Debates and take a (reasoned) position on an issue that interests you – or start a thread on something you feel strongly about and make a case for why things ought to be changed (I’m comfortable suggesting this one – there hasn’t been a teenager since Abel who hasn’t had strong feelings about something). Give of yourself, and you’ll find people who agree with you, share your interests, and come to care about you. I’ve forgotten the count, but there are at least half a dozen romances, at least two of them resulting in marriages, from couples who met just that way.
And based on past performance, you’re the last person on this board that might be accused of being too shy to voice your opinions! 
C’mon, dive in; the water’s fine!
Awww, SilentSpeak, that brought a tear to my eye…
Hey Ryan, I sent you a crimble card!
And my friends know I love you, I guess I just never got round to finding the words to tell you…
You’re doing fine sweets, chill.
That, sir, madam, whatever, was just FREAKY.
You know every once in a while I wonder the same thing.
I mean it totally took me by suprise a year back when Algernon mentioned like a sig line of mine.
I’ll have to find that thread cause it kind of made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to realise a new person who had been lurking for a while noticed me!
I know I’ve got friends out there. Stuffy and Chef Troy are two of the best. Others like WeirdDave and EvilBeth whom I used to chat with quite a bit got caught up with life. And what wonderful lifes to be caught up in. I’m so happy for both of them!
And it is kind of nice that even though I am rarely seen in chat that when I do pop in I’m recognised.
One of the biggest threads I was involved with was Guy Stuff and what a ball that was.
But I am rarely mentioned in “hot doper” threads, or flirted with, and I’m guessing that if we dopers were the only ones left on the planet that I would be the old maid.
And then again with popularity you can be put under a microscope and I am too much of a creative speller to make it to far without being called out on that.
That and most of my post ramble and don’t make sense.
Back on topic…Ryan you are a-okay in my book.
There are too many names to remember everyone, but when I saw your name come up, I recognized that I have a tender spot in my heart for you. I like honesty and vulnerability and you have that down in spades.
You will find your way through teenage angst just fine. Then you will find twenty-something angst.
(Then it gets better.)
By the way, I like the way the Brits use the word “rubbish.” It’s such a good word. We Yanks ought to use it more.
SilentSpeak, that was so cool!
Now please tell me how to make the music stop.
You’re one of the dopers who sticks out in my mind amongst all the myriad other user names. And I think you’re all right, buddy!
No.
But becoming a mod involves goats. More specifically, one goat. We should probably get another one, that poor thing has been traumatized enough.
Ryan Liam, I rather like you. My father’s family’s even from the Rochdale area, up north of Manchester, so chances are I’d even like and understand your accent. I certainly understand insecurities. When I was your age (sorry about that phrase!), I wouldn’t even ask if anyone liked me; I’d just assume nobody did. Follow Polycarp’s advice – he usually knows what he’s talking about. It’d be nice to get some fresh, young minds in Great Debates telling us how to save the world!
Hang in there, kiddo.
Oh, and Polycarp, while you’re talking about board romances, is there any chance you could set me up with one?
CJ
I had about 600 posts before I noticed that people started to occassionally reference something I had said. But I still felt like nobody knew who I was.
Then I went to a doper gathering (about 1000 posts at that time) and I discovered that people did know me quite well. I was extraordinarily flattered and surprised. I had no idea that the name would even have registered dimly in people’s minds.
Now I’m comfortable that I do have friends on these boards (and dammit Matt, that includes you, yellow-tube-lines be damned. And the kabbess still listens to that Goldfrapp album you recommeded, so there).
The moral of the story is this: just because nobody ever seems to register a word you say doesn’t mean that they don’t. Think about how many names from the SD you know, remember, recognise. Now think about how many times that you have let those people know this.
As for actual friends - it’s hard to really be a friend without actually having met someone IRL. But I’d like to consider that a few such as Spritus, eris and wring* that I’ve taken part in a few debates with at least care whether I live or die. I know that I certainly do about them.
pan
*example only. I hate to name names as it is always a top of the brain thing and one inevitably misses many people out.
The straight dope starts over the ocean. In the Atlantic it’s known as " The Straight Dope", in the Pacific " A Message Board Community" and elsewhere it is called " A Bulletin Board System." Once the MB water is heated to 81F the Straight Dope has begun to form. It’s not really a community, though, until it reaches post speeds of 75 posts per minute.
The Straight Dope can become massive, covering 1,000 miles, and reach post speeds of up to 200 posts per minute. The Straight Dope rains down massive amounts of words and sarcasm, which can led to flooding. A Straight Dope this size can cause massive coastal damage, as well, bringing post surges that can cause even more damage than the words already had.
However, because of the swirling nature of the straight dope, some 10-30 miles of message board remains unaffected. This is the Doper Inner Circle. The inner circle is still, cloudless and word-free. Some people fail to realize that the Inner Circle is only a temporary reprieve from the Straight Dope, and that it moves along with the Dope; if you are lulled into thinking things are safe during the inner circle and resume your normal activities you could be hurt or killed. Once the Inner Circle has passed you by posting picks up and you’re in the midst of the Straight Dope for the second half of the storm.
I’m in Fairfax, VA. Which is about 20 minutes from Manassas…
I just felt like saying that…
Uh…oh…someone made a Freud…
All “tight”, eh?
::Whispers to Ryan ::
I think she likes you!
