Most people -- not "most people online" or "most people in fandom," but most people -- do not form the kind of LD relationships this particular community has.
I'm disputing the chicken soup bullshit, because the person is stating that one can't forge those kinds of relationships online, and well, here we are. I'd send you chicken soup, Strega. In fact, today I saw a pirate flag lunchbox and thought, "I'll have to pick that up for Strega," because that's chicken soup, Strega style.
As for most people, or most people online, and this particular community, I can hand you anecdotal evidence from every community I've seen: Farscape, Firefly, The Bronze, here, The Well, all have resulted in meetups, hook ups, face-to-face friendships. Daily Kos just did it as well.
My hypothesis is that any community that has been online for 6 months or more will result in meatspace friendships among some members. But that's just a hypothesis, and until I get a grant from some crazy rich person, I'll not have any empirical evidence to back me.
Getting craxy here, but still willing to assert it: non-meat-space relationships are at least as valuable as online relationships.
Sometimes, the flesh lies.
Yeah but you are saying it more entertainingly.
For a start, they're not growing beards to keep them company on those long, lonely nights.
Incidentally, Gus, I told my brother about your beard-growing theory. He suggested women could grow out their armpit hair. Can you believe he doesn't have a girlfriend?
Can you believe he doesn't have a girlfriend?
Well ... He could probably catch one who pets her armpits in public.
Hey, popsicles were not on the tour!
Well ... He could probably catch one who pets her armpits in public.
Yes! She'd be distracted!
I love my brother. He might not be able to wrangle it, but he's trying to book a flight down to the parents' at the same time I'll be there, for just a couple of days. He'd bring the nephew. If he manages it, we're not going to tell our parents. Total surprise. Mom will PLOTZ. (and then freak out because only one spare bedroom is made up for guests, but we'll do that for her.)
I really hope he can manage it.
It is ick and humid inside. there was virtually no humidity for the last two days (away from the city), I got spoiled.
sara - that will be cool. I hope it works out.
I'm gonna lay in front of the a/c and try to fall asleep.
I am never, EVER to eat broccoli again. EVER.
That is all.
My hypothesis is that any community that has been online for 6 months or more will result in meatspace friendships among some members.
Yep. Convergence is the annual net.goth meetup. It started out with people from the alt.gothic and alt.gothic.fashion newsgroups, and spread to LJ and various gothy message boards and forums. 2007 is Convergence 13. (And holy mother, am I glad that Seattle didn't actually win the vote for it. We would have thrown a really cool event, but none of the organizers would come out of it with their sanity.)
