Mike Ventrella
Paragon
doverman said:
Well, until someone tears down that wall, it's never going to get any better, is it?
Link to the Seattle forums
- Thread starter jpariury
- Start date
Well, until someone tears down that wall, it's never going to get any better, is it?
Egor
Expert
Fearless Leader said:
You also have to understand that most of us here on the west coast don't feel like that. I am pretty certain that the East Coasters arn't out to get me (unless you guys are vampires or something?). While I feel that you on the East coast are not out to get me other people do and sometimes the loudest voices are not the majority of the voices. I myself do not really surf the National boards because one of the few times that I spoke up on a topic some one was a total *** to me and I just did not feel that it was worth my time to post on national subjects. While this person was an Eastcoaster I know that they do not represent the entire east coast just a small part of it. Also I surf the Oregon boards all the time and those are on this board. I also have noticed a trend: the Seattle boards that are located off site has around 170 members and is constantly active with updates and posts. The Oregon Boards are seldome active and very few people in the northwest read them. Back before Cymryc restarted the Oregon Chapter we had our own boards and they were far, far more active than the current ones are. However I can see that these boards do work for some chapters like Traverse City their boards are very active and it's what they are used to so it's what they use. Here in the Northwest we are used to having our own boards so we will continue to go with what we are used to it's just the way we do things. Please do not take offence to this most of us are in no way trying to be bastards with the (East Coast hates us) mentality. I hope to travel out to other east coast chapters myself this summer I did the weeklong last year and enjoyed meeting new people from your end of the country. I hope to do that again and meet more people from the east coast, most of the people I met were very freindly and I would like to meet more people like that.
jpariury
Paragon
Jeremy nailed most of what I was about to post on the head.
What difference would it make if the Seattle link pointed to viewforum.php?f=86 vs. http://www.alliance-seattle.com/forums?
I think the part you keep stepping past, Mike, is that the sense of disconnectedness is not a consequence of who hosts which chapter's forums. If anything, the attitude of "if you don't want to host your forum here, then you clearly not wanting to be a part of the greater whole" is more than a little off-putting. (Sounds an awful lot like "If you are not with us, you're against us")
What difference would it make if the Seattle link pointed to viewforum.php?f=86 vs. http://www.alliance-seattle.com/forums?
I think the part you keep stepping past, Mike, is that the sense of disconnectedness is not a consequence of who hosts which chapter's forums. If anything, the attitude of "if you don't want to host your forum here, then you clearly not wanting to be a part of the greater whole" is more than a little off-putting. (Sounds an awful lot like "If you are not with us, you're against us")
Saephis
Virtuous
Sigh. I guess if I try to be as nice as I can possibly imagine, my point isn't heard. Here goes something different:
Honestly, its a matter of seeing people in person versus seeing names on the intertubes. Until i can hit East coast events for the cost of a tank of gas or two (Like I can with Seattle and Oregon events), it won't be the same unless I'm suddenly independently wealthy. I'm guessing its similar for others.
Just because you're on an MMORPG, for example, doesn't mean you're meeting people and hanging out with friends.
This is still a computer screen.
No one's saying you're wanting people to stand in a circle and have everyone introduce themselves like a 10 year old summer camp. But the comments you made to start with were percieved as "Leave your forums and use ours, jeez, conform!".
We keep stating that we like our boards, that it offers much more flexibility and the like. Yes, these ones use the same coding. But unless you want to give someone Admin over it so we can fix them like we would want them, its extremely doubtful that anyone on the Seattle boards would prefer these to ours.
Yes, we appreciate it being here.
Yes, we see benefits in it.
No, we don't want to use them more than ours.
No, we don't want to port over the information we have there.
Yes, I'm serious.
Until you popped in and said what you did, no one started this line of arguments, so it is (in essence) being viewed as you throwing a rock over the fence and yelling something to the effect of: "HEY, GET OVER HERE, IF YOU WANT TO BE ONE OF US, YOU'LL DO IT".
Oh, and Jeremy's wall-of-text crits everyone for 9999.
Paragraphs, man. Paragraphs.
Fearless Leader said:
Honestly, its a matter of seeing people in person versus seeing names on the intertubes. Until i can hit East coast events for the cost of a tank of gas or two (Like I can with Seattle and Oregon events), it won't be the same unless I'm suddenly independently wealthy. I'm guessing its similar for others.
Just because you're on an MMORPG, for example, doesn't mean you're meeting people and hanging out with friends.
This is still a computer screen.
Fearless Leader said:
No one's saying you're wanting people to stand in a circle and have everyone introduce themselves like a 10 year old summer camp. But the comments you made to start with were percieved as "Leave your forums and use ours, jeez, conform!".
We keep stating that we like our boards, that it offers much more flexibility and the like. Yes, these ones use the same coding. But unless you want to give someone Admin over it so we can fix them like we would want them, its extremely doubtful that anyone on the Seattle boards would prefer these to ours.
Yes, we appreciate it being here.
Yes, we see benefits in it.
No, we don't want to use them more than ours.
No, we don't want to port over the information we have there.
Yes, I'm serious.
Until you popped in and said what you did, no one started this line of arguments, so it is (in essence) being viewed as you throwing a rock over the fence and yelling something to the effect of: "HEY, GET OVER HERE, IF YOU WANT TO BE ONE OF US, YOU'LL DO IT".
Oh, and Jeremy's wall-of-text crits everyone for 9999.
Paragraphs, man. Paragraphs.
markusdark
Virtuoso
If I may interject here as a fellow West Costian...
I am not a chapter owner or a plot person so I am not privy to any of the disconnects between east and west coast management. As a player, I don't really notice it as east coast sticks to east coast games and west coast does the same. If there was more character transfers between the two sets, it wouldn't seem as much but with over 1,700 miles seperating the nearest East and West chapters, I don't see that happening on any regular basis.
I don't see this as a seperationists attitude but just what happens when there is a geographical barrier between sections. I work for the Dept. Of Energy out here in CA and there is a palpable division between my company and the DC office. It is nothing for me to get up in arms about.
However, I have been one of the lucky ones who has had some spare funds from time to time and have travelled to various chapters, including Oregon, Seattle and even the HQ chapter of Ashbury. I feel a better connection with these people as I have had time to sit down, face to face, and chat with them OOG and get to know them as a person. Perhaps that is why I don't feel as much seperatism as others seem to. Unfortunately, electronic coorespondence only goes so far towards making a connection with others. There is a lot I would be willing to do to help Mike that I wouldn't to someone else I have only known via email.
I also don't see having our own boards as being a seperatist move. In fact, I don't see every chapter having their own boards as an issue. 75% of these boards are more or less meaningless to me whereas all of the boards at the San Francisco site I read on a regular basis (or at least whenever stuff is updated) as it has an immediate impact upon my games. I suppose that with the relative distance between the east coast chapters, you'd want to keep a tab on all the games you regularly play in. For me, it is just SF.
I'm not sure what I am trying to say here other than I don't feel that there is an Alliance East Coast and an Alliance West Coast. Just an Alliance that I am able to get to and play in. I don't know if this has been addressed but for those on my coast who feel a strong seperation between the two, have you written Mike and stated SPECIFICALLY what it is that makes you feel that way?
I am not a chapter owner or a plot person so I am not privy to any of the disconnects between east and west coast management. As a player, I don't really notice it as east coast sticks to east coast games and west coast does the same. If there was more character transfers between the two sets, it wouldn't seem as much but with over 1,700 miles seperating the nearest East and West chapters, I don't see that happening on any regular basis.
I don't see this as a seperationists attitude but just what happens when there is a geographical barrier between sections. I work for the Dept. Of Energy out here in CA and there is a palpable division between my company and the DC office. It is nothing for me to get up in arms about.
However, I have been one of the lucky ones who has had some spare funds from time to time and have travelled to various chapters, including Oregon, Seattle and even the HQ chapter of Ashbury. I feel a better connection with these people as I have had time to sit down, face to face, and chat with them OOG and get to know them as a person. Perhaps that is why I don't feel as much seperatism as others seem to. Unfortunately, electronic coorespondence only goes so far towards making a connection with others. There is a lot I would be willing to do to help Mike that I wouldn't to someone else I have only known via email.
I also don't see having our own boards as being a seperatist move. In fact, I don't see every chapter having their own boards as an issue. 75% of these boards are more or less meaningless to me whereas all of the boards at the San Francisco site I read on a regular basis (or at least whenever stuff is updated) as it has an immediate impact upon my games. I suppose that with the relative distance between the east coast chapters, you'd want to keep a tab on all the games you regularly play in. For me, it is just SF.
I'm not sure what I am trying to say here other than I don't feel that there is an Alliance East Coast and an Alliance West Coast. Just an Alliance that I am able to get to and play in. I don't know if this has been addressed but for those on my coast who feel a strong seperation between the two, have you written Mike and stated SPECIFICALLY what it is that makes you feel that way?
Stoneskull_Rockfist
Specialist
Why all the East vs West coast turmoil?
You forget about us Midwesterners that are plotting against both of you...
Why don't you all come out to a weekend in Chicago? We're the closest thing we have to the middle of the country chapter...
You forget about us Midwesterners that are plotting against both of you...
Why don't you all come out to a weekend in Chicago? We're the closest thing we have to the middle of the country chapter...
Stoneskull_Rockfist
Specialist
I just got BACK from the dark side! Man! Cut a guy some slack!
Now, back on important topics - we should just have everyone come out to Wayside (Chicago). We'd love to have all of you... in fact, that's why we visited you guys on the west coast! We wanted you to come to our chapter now!
Rob
Now, back on important topics - we should just have everyone come out to Wayside (Chicago). We'd love to have all of you... in fact, that's why we visited you guys on the west coast! We wanted you to come to our chapter now!
Rob
Stoneskull_Rockfist
Specialist
Lurin said:
Stoneskull is too large for the MN chapter, per its policies.
Stoneskull_Rockfist
Specialist
We'd love to have ya JP!
Fynwei
Virtuous
Just my two cents, but I'm a Central player... and I'll be moving out to Olympia next fall. I was very disappointed that I couldn't look into much of the Seattle plot or boards to get a feel for it without jumping through thirty hoops and doing a hand-stand (plus I'm sick of signing up for so many damn memberships). I find it rather obvious that there will be a difference between west and east coasts (there's what, a 3,000 mile difference) That's what these boards are supposed to help ease!
Personally, I dislike using private boards because of the longer response time, the obvious feeling of being a stranger, and smaller knowledge base for help on everything from rules to makeup.
Again, this is merely my view on it... it looks like a united group SAVE for a very few... Seattle being the thorn in my side.
Personally, I dislike using private boards because of the longer response time, the obvious feeling of being a stranger, and smaller knowledge base for help on everything from rules to makeup.
Again, this is merely my view on it... it looks like a united group SAVE for a very few... Seattle being the thorn in my side.