Relics of an Older Age
Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2022 10:18 pm
This is my first post in the Web Diplomacy forum, and it is a post about forums. How meta.
It's struck me as interesting that the biggest social media platforms are usually not forum-based. Forums as a medium of exchanging ideas are typically superior if you want the ideas exchanged to actually be worth something. If you want your ideas to actually be worth something, you don't put a character limit on the posts, but limit the rate at which they can be sent. If you want your ideas to actually be worth something, you don't make sending a message a matter of just pushing a button and a handful of keys - you make it slower, so that you actually think for a while about your words. If you want your ideas to actually be worth something, you don't let yourself get distracted by hundreds of notifications whilst you're typing.
A forum reminds me of an older age that I was never really a part of. And maybe that older age isn't really what I imagine it to be. But I do get some nostalgia just from posting in an online forum, where anyone might be watching and reading. Half the nostalgia comes from there being a politics sub forum. It makes me think that maybe the people in this forum actually think. (Or at least some of them. This is still the internet. *eyeroll*)
I'm a newcomer to the game and art of Diplomacy, and I must say that I think it to be conceptually genius. It even by its very nature discourages that infamous gamer toxicity! Name me one other game that does this if you can.
I do not foresee leaving it or this site anytime soon. As a result, you all here in this ancient internet forum may be stuck with me for a while. The least I can do for your benefit is come in with a bow and a smile and some epic orchestral background music to haunt your ears.
Lord Xerxes Worldweaver, Ancient Guardian of Fate, Master of Procrastination, Irontongue Philosopher, Greater Baron of Sarcasm, Collector of Empty Titles, Amateur of a Hundred Arts, Auramancer, and Observer, at your service.
(The epic orchestral background music haunting your ears: https://youtu.be/V1HlSymdnB8)
It's struck me as interesting that the biggest social media platforms are usually not forum-based. Forums as a medium of exchanging ideas are typically superior if you want the ideas exchanged to actually be worth something. If you want your ideas to actually be worth something, you don't put a character limit on the posts, but limit the rate at which they can be sent. If you want your ideas to actually be worth something, you don't make sending a message a matter of just pushing a button and a handful of keys - you make it slower, so that you actually think for a while about your words. If you want your ideas to actually be worth something, you don't let yourself get distracted by hundreds of notifications whilst you're typing.
A forum reminds me of an older age that I was never really a part of. And maybe that older age isn't really what I imagine it to be. But I do get some nostalgia just from posting in an online forum, where anyone might be watching and reading. Half the nostalgia comes from there being a politics sub forum. It makes me think that maybe the people in this forum actually think. (Or at least some of them. This is still the internet. *eyeroll*)
I'm a newcomer to the game and art of Diplomacy, and I must say that I think it to be conceptually genius. It even by its very nature discourages that infamous gamer toxicity! Name me one other game that does this if you can.
I do not foresee leaving it or this site anytime soon. As a result, you all here in this ancient internet forum may be stuck with me for a while. The least I can do for your benefit is come in with a bow and a smile and some epic orchestral background music to haunt your ears.
Lord Xerxes Worldweaver, Ancient Guardian of Fate, Master of Procrastination, Irontongue Philosopher, Greater Baron of Sarcasm, Collector of Empty Titles, Amateur of a Hundred Arts, Auramancer, and Observer, at your service.
(The epic orchestral background music haunting your ears: https://youtu.be/V1HlSymdnB8)