The Uses Of Forums

[pagan]

I vote for lunatic

+1, cause I fall in that category.
I like to think of it this way, gather a group of people from various backgrounds that have 1 thing in common in a room, the talk of that subject is discussed extensively then several times other subjects arise and are discussed, at times certain sub groups break off and discus other subjects, some relevant, some just opinion, some humorous, some not, some member will leave and return later, but eventually the conversation leads back to the original subject that the group have in common, then the whole scenario is repeated, over and over and over...

Ha ha! Your mother smokes Mixture 79

that's a mean thing to say :rofl:

 

[mawnansmiff]

A few weeks ago I spent many hours going over some threads going back to the days this place was created and noticed a significant change in general themes over the years.
In the early days it was all about posts bragging about how large ones cellar was (we still occasionally get those...sigh), often with pictures of stacks of tobacco tins one would expect to see in any decently stocked B&M. Often these were 'disguised' under the heading "What Is The Best Way To Store This Little Lot"!
It was most interesting (to me at least, a confirmed 'people watcher') to see how the themes of the threads shifted with time.
Today along with the usual banter and occasional duffer ("How should I clean my tamper?) I see a lot more threads of a more serious nature.
Also, particularly on the tobacco threads I see much more activity regarding folks seeking out info on blends not yet tried.
I wonder what changes the next few years will reveal?
Javan, great story about finding details on your Grandfather :clap:
Regards,
Jay.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Jay, pretty soon, we will all be just setting around discussing the significance of a forum like this and the types of threads that have happened over the past ten years. ::

 

[ssjones]

It seems the many of the younger guys use the Reddit pipe pages, which seem utterly chaotic to these 55 year old eyes.

 

[skraps]

It seems the many of the younger guys use the Reddit pipe pages, which seem utterly chaotic to these 55 year old eyes.

Yep. You couldn't pay me to hang out there.
I'm a member at a few places. Here and 2 others. One of the others is a private forum. Limited to about 30 people. Most of us have known each other for over 10 years, from previous forums. It was decided at some point that the best way to make a true "community" was to lock it down. Now, it doesn't give us the benefit of new people and changing views, but that's what places like this are for.

 

[jvnshr]

It seems the many of the younger guys use the Reddit pipe pages, which seem utterly chaotic to these 55 year old eyes.

Damn, it is even chaotic to these 30 years old eyes.

 

[lestrout]

Yo ssjo - re your: "A lot of the old guard doesn't seem to have any interest (Rich Esserman, ec.) Of all the guys who write for The Pipe Collector, I can't think of any who use the forums." - maybe click, aka Adam, might weigh in.
But you, skra and others observe the same things I do, that the Venn Diagram of types of pipers doesn't have too many overlaps. Curiously, Philly's own Christopher Morley's Pipe Club, which consisted several years ago of non-fora inhabiting members, has gotten almost all of its new members via fora (most especially PM here). Come to think of it, I found 2 members in this thread (skra and ssjo) through a forum. Some of our recent meetings have had half the attendees being forum users.
Facebook has subgroups, some tied in with fora, that may be taking traffic away.
Another cluster, somewhat different from forums, lives in the YouTube space. The Dagner phenom and the uprise of several carvers, along with the Southern Fried gathering spin from this setting.
When Virtual Reality becomes widespread, think it will have aromatherapy features so you can get the experience of smoking pipes without leaving burn marks on your clothes and with no tamping/relight problems? Heh
hp

les

 

[ssjones]

Excellent comments Les. Les and I did meet through a PM forum meet & greet at Boswells many years ago. Also through this forum, I've been able to meet a number of members at pipe shows (NY/Richmond/New Orleans) and pipe clubs (Philly, NYC, NOLA, Lebanon Valley). I'm fortunate that work travel takes me to this places and I've meet some wonderful folks as a result.
I'd forgotten about Adam on TPC, sometimes screennames and real names screw me up.
The youtube folks seem legion, but another social avenue that escapes me.
I am on a couple of Facebook pages, but they are secondary to checking the various forums.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

By the Google placement on search engines, I would estimate that the forum gets a huge number of readers that may not participate for whatever reason. I am guessing that Kevin would better know the hit rate. But, exploring answers to questions concerning pipe smoking, and actually becoming an engaged active part are two totally separate things.
I just downloaded Reddit to see what that was. Ahhh, I have no idea how that works. I am deleting it now.

When guys suggest adding new features like newer forums, I always wonder why on Earth someone would want to mess with perfection. Kids, they always want mess things up. ::

 

[jpmcwjr]

I came for information on repairing pipes, stayed for other information, camaraderie, sharing what I've learned, and amusement. I sometimes feel that helping newbies, correcting shibboleths and adding a tiny bit of wit here and there is some sort of service. Never thought about "leaving my mark", though now I have to ponder that!
Still use usenet! Started with BMUG (Berkeley Mac Users Group) and their form of BBS, then general BBS, then usenet, and now forums. (Even pedantic me feels "forii" is stilted)
The only reasons this place works as well as it does is the majority of posters are civil, and the mods take care of business with those who aren't.

 

[didimauw]

I like what we have here. Me and the wife deleted our Facebook accounts going on 5 years ago, and we will never look back. I have a google plus account, but only because My email is Google, I don't use the social media portion. So this and my Jeepforum account is the only Social Media I use.
Wether we talk pipes, cars, farts, chicks, etc I enjoy hanging around here. Lost of different people from different areas, teaching me different things.

 

[fitzy]

I think I come here as I'm always interested in reading others opinions on pipe related area's. Also I enjoy making some connections to people on here. As of yet I haven't had the pleasure of meeting any of you guys in person.
Also what I find interesting is that forums in general are dying out(many are replaced by Facebook groups) but this one seems to be going strong.

 

[sablebrush52]

Forums can be fun, informative, and a great way for isolated people to share common interests. As for immortality, what's that?

 

[pipesmokingtom]

The youtube folks seem legion, but another social avenue that escapes me.

I feel the same way. I considered making a YouTube channel to join in the fun, but couldn't make myself talk to a camera alone for minutes on end. It was bizarre.
Kudos to the guys/gals who do, though. I enjoy a few channels on YouTube.
As to here - well - Apparently, I feel more comfortable around cranky old people.

 

[mso489]

I'm trying to think if I have ever thought a post of mine was going to have any sort of ongoing readership or change anyone's else's life. Maybe in some wayward passing fantasy ... I don't remember. Yes, the Forums posts are going to be published in multi-volumes and posted in perpetuity online. And why would that happen? So is this a waste of time? Probably in my many posts, yes. Sort of a bad habit, to keep my verbal engine running. Should we all look for more effective ways to improve our lives and communities, other than our recreational posting online? Of course, goes without saying.

 

[wyfbane]

I have only been actively smoking pipes for 4 years. I joined this forum within 6 months of that. The old timers here have literally taught me 90% of the fine art of pipe smoking. It has been hard, because I am a predominantly kinetic learner so just reading the stuff has been a challenge... but a fun and rewarding one.
I like the community. It saddens me when we lose folks, but I think those who have left or been asked to leave have kept the remainder if us stronger. We are adults, but have a semblance of class. And I love that we stay apolitical. A huge shout out goes to our mods of today and yesterday. They do a wonderful job of keeping us in line with minimal curtailing of our creative expression. Huge props to Kevin as well for maintaining this haven of pipe knowledge where we can hang out.
Why do I stay (or come back as soon as I can after life is done kicking my ass)? I live in a desert where pipe smoking is concerned. And now that I have moved from Tacoma to Vancouver, WA with a class on Wednesday nights I can no longer make it up to Seattle Pipe Club meetings. You all are my best hope of not suffocating in the vacuum. I have noticed a shift in the threads over the 3 years I've been here. But not a bad one. Less touting of cellars is ok with me, but I am always down to see people's pipes!
I keep PAD/TAD' ing my travel bugets away, so I don't know if I will get to a big show this year, but I would LOVE to meet up with any of you that come to the Portland OR area. PM me if you are coming through.

 

[aldecaker]

I've never given the "meta" aspect of it any thought. I come here because I like the community; I lurked on a number of forums before I joined, and liked this one the best. I am not on any other social media or forums, and out of all the groups of enthusiasts of things out there, pipe enthusiasts are the only ones I care to communicate with for any period of time. This is the Goldilocks of pipe forums for me; this one is just right. Not too stodgy, not too rambunctious. It's a good place, and I'll try not to get kicked out of it.

 

[crashthegrey]

I have no idea why I am here. I've never given it much thought. I just find that I log in and read. And comment. I'll have to assume that I enjoy it. Lots of information, a few laughs, and a few annoyances. I can't complain.

 

[sthbkr77]

It seems the many of the younger guys use the Reddit pipe pages, which seem utterly chaotic to these 55 year old eyes.

While I love reddit for the variety of front page posts, the pipe section is somewhat elementary to me. It's the P&C of pipe forums. No offense meant, just my silly opinion.
I do enjoy review posts here and the repair forum is excellent for digging through old threads for tips. In the various forums I've participated in over the years, banter posts never bothered me but also didn't pull me in too much.

 

[fitzy]

Reddit? I hate it! ha ha seriously I can't stand it.