I have about 6 primary message boards I visit and dozens more that I dabble in. One thing they all seem to have in common is a sizable sub culture of followers and contributors that are uncommonly passionate and knowledeable about the particular topics discussed on these boards.
I am mostly reffering to special interests such as writers, inventers, math, artists of all kinds, craftsman in every imaginable craft etc. I can't help but think of how much easy access we have to experts in nearly every imaginable field. Not only experts but people who are passionate about what they do and love helping and sharing information.
A crazy useless example might be. I want to build a giant catapult that could shoot a telephone poll over the grand canyon. I would need physics, math and engineering experts, I would need welders, machinists and fabricators, I would need publicity experts to help attract sponsors etc. I could arrange all these people in less than a month by searching message boards.
Do we have a viable resource here that is largely over looked.
The SDMB is very similar to your local community in days gone past, just on a larger, virtual scale. Back then, family and business connections often meant you knew someone who knew someone else who could help you. (Not saying it doesn’t occur today but the observed “me first” attitude so prevalent now is killing kindness and altruism.)
Of course, we have the goat, the squid, Hal’s sheep and a host of other critters and thingies we didn’t have in my neighborhood when I was growing up.
Since I’ve been a member not one single post has gone unanswered. It’s amazing. And, surely there are folks here who could help you launch a telephone pole over the Grand Canyon
I was thinking more in terms of just anything someone wanted to build or develop. Instead of looking for companies that provide such services internet special interest message boards make available people who genuinely enjoy being involved in developing things.
A few years ago I was asked to build a ginat bow for a TV show that would power a catapult. They found me on a primitive bow and arrow site. I needed someone with knowledge of physics to help me work out some of the stress loads and such and I found him on a message board. I feel like any of us who may have dreamed of doing something but lacked resources of one kind or another have a lot better chance of making those dreams become realities.
If I were looking for help launching a telephone poll I wouldn’t be looking here, I would be looking in respective message boards frequented by the expertise I might be looking for.
I was really more curious as to how others here use special interest message boards to possibly collaborate on projects or ideas they may have.
In the past 15 years I have flown all over the country meeting with people and have had folks from all over the this country and several european countries come to visit with me. I have made some good friends and have had a lot of fun. I just find it a little surprising that more from this board have not joined up and done things together or for that matter just used message boards as a people resource.
