when that well went dry (1199 hits)
Category: Computers & InternetRating: 0.09 on 12 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by EvilZurr <EvilZurr.at.gundamwing.net> (View user info) at 2003-05-13 00:39:15 EDT
so ubersite is an online forum, and people come here to express opinions and whatnot for nothing more than entertainment and help with certain things that they needed extra help with. im sure we can all agree on that one. heres my question: being that ubersite has been up for so long and that it is graced by multitudes of people daily, wont we eventually run out of topics to discuss?
sure, theres always new things happening in the world. but only about 25% of the posts here have to do with events that are actually occuring in real time. the other portion is jokes that will eventually get old and questions that will eventually be repeated. soon enough, we'll be seeing the same stuff appearing over and over, despite how hard we try. im not trying to be pessimistic here or anything, but ive noticed that so many posts are just different versions of other older posts, almost to the extent where i question if everyone is still giving a damn. i for one come here for entertainment and guidance, pure and simple. when ive got something to say, i say it. when i feel something needs to be shared, i share it. now though, its like people are just testing those bounds of ubersite. seriously, what the fuck was with that giant block of 'car' posts. i read MAYBE two before i disavowed almost anything that had the word car in it, despite the surrounding words. i fear i may have to start filtering out a lot more than just retarded car posts...
when i came here, i noticed that yes, there are certain trends we follow and yes, sometimes people overlook the past things. nonetheless, i read almost every post here because hey, why not? ubersite was a place for me to go when i wanted to read something that made me think or made me smile. now, im slowly scrolling through the assloads of posts here and thinking 'wow, where is the substance?' i make a point to read all of street's, blanch's, and darth's posts because i know that theyre not going to post something i dont want to see. i read the majority of hidden's stuff too, but as of late its become a myriad of 'im drunk'/'crash is an idiot' posts that really dont pique my interest too much. im not sitting here saying that ubersite isnt entertaining or that youre all boring, but i just want to know what has happened to ubersite? we're replacing quality qith quantity; almost to the point where i regret wasting the 30 seconds it takes me to log on to uber and read the titles.
all i want to know is whats going to happen if we keep following these trends? "we" (i use that term loosely, for i still cant talk for everyone) were once the epitome of what i thought the internet needed, but at the rate weve been descending at (be it due to the thought pool being diluted or whatnot) we're going to become just another stupid web forum. ive seen it happen to other sites, and id rather it didnt happen here...
bleh, i forgot where i was going with this, as usual. just think before you post.
User Reviews
Submitted by hidden101 (user info) at 2003-05-13 18:16:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
it was Bill and Ted.
in Billy Madison, Sandler says "Knibb High football rules!"
Submitted by jwlmar10 (user info) at 2003-05-13 18:08:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Aww damn, which one was it?! This has been eating at me all day. Is it Billy Madison or Bill and Ted? Does anyone know for sure?
Submitted by oddzandendz (user info) at 2003-05-13 14:52:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
wah wah wah ! I want the old ubersite back.....i don't like it here.....get a hobby.
Submitted by shaun <c3r341.at.yahoo.com> at 2003-05-13 08:50:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
no, it was bill & ted's excellent adventure.
Submitted by catscradle (user info) at 2003-05-13 01:45:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
haha, I thought that was Billy Madison, wasn't sure.
farewell!
Submitted by jwlmar10 (user info) at 2003-05-13 01:41:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
HAHA... Way to round that one off with a Billy Madison reference!
Classic.
Submitted by bart (user info) at 2003-05-13 01:36:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Interesting question. My response is two parts:
a) I agree
b) You're full of shit
Let's start with b). People never run out of new things to talk about. Every day, there is some new current event, some new experience, some new television show or movie that is on people's minds. Communication, be it written or verbal, has existed for thousands of years and has been able to continue because of the ever constant need for information both new and old. Maybe all the folk here ain't too smart, but the idea is that the more intelligent people (whatever that means) will in time educate the other people. Whether that education is in writing ability, history, grammar, manners, insults, or anything else is as-of-yet-undefined. All other things removed, not all people are created equally. Someone will lead and someone will follow and those someones will change over time. That is the natural course of things.
Now for a), I agree that a lot of the posts here are similar to a lot of other posts here, but that's true not only for online forums, but for anything else as well. People have been making rock music for the past fifty years. There are only like four chords, but if you just keep playing them in a different order with a different rhythm, in one case, G-D-C is "Knockin on Heaven's Door" and in the other it's "Me and Bobby McGee". Just because two people write similar things doesn't make the second one worthless and it doesn't mean that there is a lack of diversity. Ideally, it means that people are learning what works and what doesn't work and they're trying to make new things that work off of similar models. Question: story-wise, what's the difference between the movies Gladiator and The Wizard of Oz? Each contains a character who, due to unforseen occurrences against their will, ends up as an underdog fighting against a much stronger enemy that eventually falls. Obviously all the surrounding elements are different, but the core idea of "hero overcomes adversity" is as old as the idea of story telling.
Anyway, I would say that the openness and accessibility of an online forum makes it more diverse than any other media, partially due to the diversity of the contributors and partially due to the rapid feedback loop. If you want a good laugh, look at the variety of posts on Ubersite (good and bad) posted over the last seven days. Now, look at the variety of movies released in theaters across the US over that same time period. If you don't care about movies, look at the variety of CDs released or new television shows that aired. Very quickly you'll realize that the idea of "hitting a rut" is almost meaningless on something like Ubersite. Whereas a television network (*cough* ABC) may be in a rut for months or sometimes years, Ubersite spins around wildly from day to day and hour to hour.
San Dimas high school football rules!
Submitted by jwlmar10 (user info) at 2003-05-13 01:32:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Oh, get over it already chip. You have always hated me because I have repeatedly exposed you as a frequent poster of worthless crap. Some of your stuff is ok, some is mediocre, but most is junk. Everyone has a couple of bad posts under their belt, but you have an amount that is noticeably more than average.
You also use the same insults over and over. If I see you tell someone to, "get cancer and die" one more time, I will lose any shred of respect for you that still remains. It's not funny. Only an idiot or a complete douchebag would laugh at the mockery of cancer patients. Since the intent of telling people to get cancer couldn't possibly be for humor, you must be serious. If you are serious and you really wish cancer upon others, then I really feel sorry for you. I pity you, but not so much that I wouldn't beat your ass if you told me to get cancer in the real world.
I don't even know why I waste my time arguing with you. You never provide logical arguments. All you do is spew out lame, overrused insults. You can't back anything up. YOU ARE A SHAM.
Submitted by chipolatte (user info) at 2003-05-13 01:18:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
If everyone were like you at this site, not one good post would ever come out of it. The site might be so stupid it would be illegal.
I'm not kidding, you really do suck.
Submitted by catscradle (user info) at 2003-05-13 01:17:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I don't think it is possible to run out of topics to discuss - if such were true, humans would have exhausted their capacity for conversation long ago.
2 years ago, our conversations would all be drastically different. No September 11th, no war in Iraq. If you sit back and look at how much the world really has changed, you'd be surprised. Current events are not always the topic of choice here, but they do always influence the way we think and the way we interact with each other. It's not just what what you see on CNN that plays a role in our thought.
Not only is the greater society changing, but the actual people on Ubersite are. Since I've come, the only people still around are Bart, Razor, PAS, hendrixjrr, and Streetpunk. Maybe others have left because the well ran dry - who knows.
I suppose the answer is that as long as the world turns and as long as we keep getting fresh blood around here, the well will never really run dry.. only become stagnant for a short while.
Submitted by jwlmar10 (user info) at 2003-05-13 01:17:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Check out my posts. I have been conscious of the lack of originality in most posts for a while and I have gone out of my way to post some that are interesting and thought-provoking. I also only post once every few days max. What's the deal with all of these assholes posting 3, 4, 5, or more posts a day?! You can't possibly have that much interesting material to post. If you think you are that interesting, you are wrong. All of the people that consistently post 3 or 4 things a day have been assholes with crappy one-line posts or other bullshit. Dammit, put some thought into what you write and the site would be a lot better!
I know it seems like I am tooting my own horn here, but actually... Well, damn. I guess I am tooting my own horn. If everyone were as awesome as me this site would be better. What else can I say?
Submitted by chipolatte (user info) at 2003-05-13 01:08:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
The irony here is that this is not the first post that is whining about bad posts...it is a TREND. Still, I agree with what you're saying. Despite the fact that I'd like to think you don't include me as a 'stupid poster', you probably do.
Smoke smoke smoke time.