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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 7:33:10 GMT
In response to a comment in another thread elsewhere on the board this morning, is Theatre Board becoming a bit cliquey?
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Post by infofreako on Feb 27, 2017 7:43:17 GMT
I don't personally think it is. There are places where it gets a bit tetchy but every forum has that just as every forum has its personalities and users that form friendships for want of a better word.
I really do think that on the whole this place runs just fine and that everyone's personal opinions are valued and discussed.
Theatreboard is a far friendlier more relaxed place than most other forums I use regularly and I find I post differently in each as a style that works in one could come across very badly in another.
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Post by hulmeman on Feb 27, 2017 8:00:02 GMT
I've just rejoined the board after quite an absence and I used to be active on the DC board. I have to say I have found this board very accessible and welcoming. So, no, I don't think it's cliquey. there are some members who contribute more often and some who have banter, but that is part of the pleasure of reading the posts.
Quiet often the topics covered on boards like this are subjective. We will never all like the same things, but if one can take a balanced view, the experience is better I think.
I certainly don't feel restrained from adding my two'pennarth unlike the American counterpart of this board, which terrifies me, but I still like reading (a bit like Dr. Who, from behind the sofa!!!!).
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Post by CG on the loose on Feb 27, 2017 8:29:17 GMT
As someone who reads regularly and posts fairly minimally, I really haven't found it to be so.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 8:34:30 GMT
Same, I haven't found it to be so- and on here as in life I will talk to anybody haha! and I think there are enough of us with that mentality here to make it welcoming enough.
Obviously it's all subjective, but if anyone was ever offended or feeling 'left out' by any comments I'd make I'd personally be horrified, because I come here to chat to as many people as possible about nerdy theatre things- mainly because if I did that in my everyday life I'd end up talking to a wall!
Also I think it's one of those situations where you just have to wade in and speak and assume everyone wants to hear your opinion too (spoiler alert, to steal from another thread we DO want to hear from everyone, and if you don't well that's a very specific instance of an asshat rather than a board wide feeling)
ETA: having found the original comment, and woken up a bit more there ARE certain groups that can come across as a bit cliquey- the 'we are the wise in the know people' or the 'we are the people of PROPER taste' but I guess I just tune those discussions out a bit. But if I was a newer person, or more sensitive to such things I can see how it would feel that way certainly. There's also yes, an element of theatre snobbery, at times that can feel like it's excluding people who aren't deemed as 'knowledgeable' sometimes just for not being able to go to as many shows as others.
So in summary I guess, for the majority no, and I hope I do my best not to make it seem this way, but I do get where people are coming from. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 8:39:38 GMT
There are times when some threads go through a phase where the topic is lost for a bit while members make a series of unrelated jokes at each other, which can maybe come over as cliquey. The jokes are often clearly coming from a place of being familiar with each other as posters, and I've certainly been on more tightly moderated forums before now where the mods would have asked everyone to stay on subject or start a new thread rather than joining in with the joking. I don't think the board *is* becoming cliquey, 'cos I don't think I could point to any particular clique (although I suppose I could name which members are quickest to stand up for feminism and which are clearly much less impressed, happy to be considered a part of any Joyless Feminist clique!), but stepping back and looking at it from the perspective of someone who is new or just doesn't post that much, I can see how there might be an impression of cliqueness.
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Post by Jan on Feb 27, 2017 9:05:37 GMT
In response to a comment in another thread elsewhere on the board this morning, is Theatre Board becoming a bit cliquey? Yes. And that is a good thing. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 9:15:20 GMT
My main concern is that people don't pronounce it as "clicky".
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Post by londonmzfitz on Feb 27, 2017 9:24:50 GMT
I have a friend on another forum who likes to type "wallah!" .... it's "wallah!" this and "Wallah!" that. No-one wants to be the snob to tell her is Voila!....
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Post by kathryn on Feb 27, 2017 9:26:17 GMT
Hmm. I don't think so. I hope not, anyway.
But, there is a definite tendency for old hands to stick together, and defend each other. This is especially noticeable when a newbie and an old hand are disagreeing.
And I would say it's absolutely true that old hands get away with behaviour that a newbie would be criticised for - like excessively posting in one topic, or posting over-enthusiastically, or hinting that they 'know things'. I absolutely understand why that would make this place unwelcoming for newbies, because they can be piled on for doing things they see other posters doing.
We definitely have the odd 'missing stair' - things old hands know to step over/avoid but can trip newbies up.
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Post by bellboard27 on Feb 27, 2017 10:18:38 GMT
A clique is generally unwelcoming of newcomers. I hope we are not that. Indeed I like the fact that all new members are actively welcomed. Occasionally things go wrong (an example was of a new member being attacked on one of the international threads and leaving), but I hope we are usually welcoming.
Of course, there are conversations and people that take time to get used to. That is inevitable in all forms of social interaction. I still have little idea what goes on in the Wicked thread and a newcomer might wonder why the Dreamgirls thread is mostly about ‘who’s on tonight?’. There are big characters and sometimes abrasive characters, but if anything they stir things up and make the board less cliquey.
If a newcomer comes in all guns blazing on a subject or person, they will inevitably get a reaction from those who possibly feel attacked. This reaction might seem like a clique as it suggests a consensus view from the board. This is not the case as there are plenty of members with different views, or who simply don’t care, who don’t react. Hence perception of a clique and reality are different.
Overall I think we are quite a diverse lot and many of our disagreements in debates are good natured (with the odd exceptions!). We are also very supportive – sharing tips on offers, bookings, website problems, etc. I think, therefore, we are a community, not a clique. A community that likes to grow. But also one which will challenge the views of others! That’s my sort of community.
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Post by Tibidabo on Feb 27, 2017 10:29:28 GMT
If a newcomer comes in all guns blazing on a subject or person, they will inevitably get a reaction from those who possibly feel attacked. Exactly. A newcomer who comes in and calls us 'saddos' in their 6th post and 'cliquey' in their 7th does not warrant this discussion and we should not rise to their bait whilst Digital Spy is down for maintenance. They will soon crawl back when it re-opens. Seriously everyone. Don't feed the trolls. We are welcoming and in no way cliquey. Chill. |
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Post by kathryn on Feb 27, 2017 10:57:44 GMT
If a newcomer comes in all guns blazing on a subject or person, they will inevitably get a reaction from those who possibly feel attacked. Exactly. A newcomer who comes in and calls us 'saddos' in their 6th post and 'cliquey' in their 7th does not warrant this discussion and we should not rise to their bait whilst Digital Spy is down for maintenance. They will soon crawl back when it re-opens. Seriously everyone. Don't feed the trolls. We are welcoming and in no way cliquey. Chill. I would agree that particular poster was out of line, but I don't think it's a bad idea to consider how we behave to newbies. After all, we want to be welcoming, and we want to know if we're putting newbies off. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 11:14:56 GMT
Although that particular newcomer only has 7 posts to their name, they do span a period of over a year, which suggests silent lurking, so they're probably more than familiar with us, hence the seeming-over-familiarity in their posts. It would probably have been helpful in this situation to bear in mind that people sort of earn the right to be a little ruder to each other by establishing an online relationship with the board, because we have more of an overall idea of the person. If people only have a tiny handful of aggressive posts to judge you by, you're going to come off far worse than if you have a tiny handful of aggressive posts alongside hundreds of thoughtful, jovial, and interesting ones.
I suppose it's interesting in itself to consider that someone who isn't quite a complete newbie trying to break into an established group is making accusations of cliqueness. "Over a year" is quite the period of time to spend observing a group before making a judgement...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 11:28:40 GMT
Did I miss a row somewhere? Someone point it out to me, I'm guaranteed to be bored at work at some point today!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 11:30:46 GMT
My personal experience, for what it's worth, is that I lurked for a while before first posting. When I took the plunge, it was to contribute with a relevant anecdote from my past theatregoing. I was nervous about putting this on a public forum, despite the anonymity. So I was distressed when a regular poster respnded by saying that my post was completely ridiculous and could never happen and I had obviously misunderstood what had happened to me.
I think we should state opposing views and opinions but should respect those of other posters and not dismiss them as idiots.
And we should be particularly sensitive to newbies.
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Post by bellboard27 on Feb 27, 2017 11:47:14 GMT
"Over a year" is quite the period of time to spend observing a group before making a judgement... Unless you happen to be Dian Fossey. |
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Post by mallardo on Feb 27, 2017 11:47:29 GMT
Did I miss a row somewhere? Someone point it out to me, I'm guaranteed to be bored at work at some point today! The Band thread in Musicals. Just found it myself. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 11:55:08 GMT
Did I miss a row somewhere? Someone point it out to me, I'm guaranteed to be bored at work at some point today! The Band thread in Musicals. Just found it myself. Woohoo!! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 12:17:58 GMT
To be honest, that coment on The Band thread came accross as someone who has been drinking that dark rum since 5am, stumbles across this board, reads one thread and then writes that. Bless 'em.
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Post by daniel on Feb 27, 2017 12:20:57 GMT
To be honest, that coment on The Band thread came accross as someone who has been drinking that dark rum since 5am, stumbles across this board, reads one thread and then writes that. Bless 'em. Don't hold back Dan 😂 |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 13:32:07 GMT
"Over a year" is quite the period of time to spend observing a group before making a judgement... Unless you happen to be Dian Fossey. Not a single one of us is as beautiful or intelligent as a gorilla. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 13:52:46 GMT
So far an overwhelming "No!" then.
But many responses have focused on the newbie scenario, understandably because that is what prompted me to start the thread in the first place. But are there cliques that have formed within our community which could be perceived as shutting out regular, long-standing posters? ''Likes' can be quite revealing, both of the poster, but- more interestingly- of those that give them out. I often chuckle at what, or who, has gained a 'like'. And I have wondered whether 'likes' have only been given out on occasions to mates. And then of course a point can be made by ignoring someone's post and awarding a 'like' to a mate who has gone on to make exactly the same point... This comes across as rather cliquey, I feel.
We don't all like each other, do we? Let's be honest. And in 'liking' are we always fair? Honoured Guest has suggested above that we respect each other and not dismiss them as idiots. I'm not sure he always practises what he preaches, but his sentiments are well meant, I have no doubt. Are we always respectful?
Perhaps not. But then life ain't always a bowl of cherries, is it?
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Post by infofreako on Feb 27, 2017 13:59:12 GMT
Likes are a funny thing on forums. I've switched them off in the past because they become a bit of a points scoring thing.
Equally on some forums you have the ability to give thumbs down as well which can cause real problems with people who take it all very seriously and I've seen instances where it almost becomes bullying where a group of users take a dislike to someone and down vote them all the time.
For me I use the like button when there is a post I like and I rarely focus on who has posted it when doing so. Sometimes I even manage to click it in error. If I notice I've done so I click it off again but usually I don't worry. Share the love and all that.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2017 14:02:13 GMT
Monkey put his finger on it there- while nobody wants to exclude anyone, the idea that we have no 'in jokes' or 'banter' (top bantz ladz) for fear of alienating people is a sad one. While I've no desire to exclude anyone, as Monkey says the mark of a real community is those exchanges and it does take time to learn some of that, people's personalities etc, but that's the same as joining any social group. So while people might at first wonder why Monkey and I have an unhealthy obsession with bondage-set-to-music, eventually they'll learn it's either part of our charm, or see our Tony award winning immersive musical experience.  |
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