Subj : Re: What do you get out o
To   : Ron Lauzon
From : poindexter FORTRAN
Date : Mon Apr 12 2021 07:03 am

-=> Ron Lauzon wrote to Nightfox <=-

 RL> It's hard to get close to geeks in the first place.  It's even harder
 RL> when many of them can't get together (too young, too old, too insecure,
 RL> etc.). And it's pretty much impossible to make lasting friendships
 RL> without that contact.

We had at least quarterly get-togethers on NIRVANnet(tm), a local BBS 
network where, for the most part, we were driving/transit distance to each 
other. We'd rotate locations so each BBS could "host" a location.

The first social hurdle was identifying a group of strangers in a cafe, we'd 
bring something to make us stand out, like my linesman's handset, a copy of 
2600, anything. We'd still see people lurking outside, and unfortunately, a 
few of them wouldn't come in.

Once people dove in, they had a great time. For the socially timid, it was a 
place to interact with people they already knew and were similarly socially 
challenged.

Online rivalries often cooled when people met face-to-face. I've told the 
story of two of my users who *hated* each other online and ended up getting 
drunk together at the exclusion of almost everyong else, trying to convince 
the other that he was right - but in a loud, friendly way for once.


.... Abandon desire
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