Virtual friends

[Colin_T]

I speak modern geek. Oh you said Greek

 

[sharkweek178]

With the sad passing of Byron I have noticed a phenomenon I have never thought much about . Virtual friends and acquaintances are a thing of recent times . It seems peculiar to think of as friends someone you’ve never met in person and don’t even know their real name . Most of us here don’t even know what we look like and all we know about any of us is what we post or pontificate about . And yet . . . I consider as friends several people here on The Great TFF Forum . This little corner of interwebby land is a real community and I always look forward to yanking some chains and learning things here and seeing the great pictures and videos of peoples fish and aquariums , people who are just ordinary everyday people like me . I can honestly say that I have only encountered , at most , two people here who irrigated me and they didn’t last long and are no longer here . So long Byron , rest well and all the rest of you fine people here please live long and prosper - even @Fishmanic .

Part of it is the nature of this forum. This is all people with a common goal. We're all looking for the best information and advice to care for our fish. I don't know what it is about this place. But you don't see the "I never change water. I just top off. I've been keeping fish for 30 years that way" crowd here. People here are either a lot more knowledgeable than that or they come here looking for knowledge and don't stay unless they're open to it.
Not every forum is like that. Some are a lot more adversarial. But even then, people form connections. In a forum like this one, with such a strong common interest, it's even more of a connection.

 

[Magnum Man]

@WhistlingBadger Guessing you’re not really a professional cat herder either…. So much misinformation on the internet…
Though teaching has to be about like trying to herd cats

 

[Oldspartan]

Okay, I'll bite. Is a Spartan in this case a college sports team? Or do you wear funny sandals and speak ancient Greek?

College sports…. Football many years ago when someone under 220 pounds could play.

I am also known to wear funky sandals.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

...But you don't see the "I never change water. I just top off. I've been keeping fish for 30 years that way" crowd here. People here are either a lot more knowledgeable than that or they come here looking for knowledge and don't stay unless they're open to it.

We largely have our mod crew to thank for that. People that are stuck in their ways tend to get belligerent, and eventually they get shown the door. We don't see it a lot, but the mods work hard. That's why I retired.

@WhistlingBadger Guessing you’re not really a professional cat herder either…. So much misinformation on the internet…

You've obviously never tried to run a kindergarten music concert...

 

[sharkweek178]

We largely have our mod crew to thank for that. People that are stuck in their ways tend to get belligerent, and eventually they get shown the door. We don't see it a lot, but the mods work hard. That's why I retired.

It's not a bad thing to have different schools of thought. But how people express disagreement is important.

 

[Back in the fold]

College sports…. Football many years ago when someone under 220 pounds could play.

I am also known to wear funky sandals.

Interesting . . . . Funky as in stylishly offbeat or funky smelling ?

 

[Oldspartan]

Interesting . . . . Funky as in stylishly offbeat or funky smelling ?

Likely both

 

[GaryE]

There does seem to be peace in this valley.
Really dogmatic people tend to be angry - if you believe you "know' the answers and no one goes along with you, it must be very frustrating. So they end up crossing the line in terms of acceptable behaviour. It isn't what they think that's the problem, it's how they act.
An older guy I used to know said when we talk fish, we hang our politics on the hook with our hats. Now, we don't wear hats anymore and that has lead to problems, but the Forum has been pretty good with staying on topic. If we're going to have pitched battles and conspiracy theories, at least they should be about fish.
If I get mad about a Canadian political issue, should I expect British, Indian, Australian, US or Brazilian aquarists to care in the least about that? Whatever issues we have in our own countries, we aren't in our own countries on a forum like this. That's something a lot of new to discussion people don't realize.
I have fish friends I disagree with vehemently when it comes to political things, but we simply avoid those topics. We'll go to war over filtration though. Politely. A thing I like about this forum is most people don't write like they think people who disagree with them are idiots. If they fall into that, they get a message, or more often than not, simply go off on their own. If you're looking for a fight or sounding board bubble, this place fails miserably.

I like that. Maybe we can't change the world, but we can change water.

 

[Oldspartan]

Personally, at my age, I have no time for any politics outside my immediate area. I avoid them by keeping my opinions to myself unless there is a very direct effect on my quality of life. I was quite active until I realized that outside of my local community it was tilting at windmills. Now I just smile.

 

[Oldspartan]

Gary’s how far are you from the Bay of Fundy? We are going there sometime this summer as well PEI. A bud and I worked a lobster boat out of Ship Wreak Point the summer after high school for room and board and a bit of pocket change and I want to revisit.

 

[GaryE]

I'm right across the street from the Bay. I just watched a ship go by, from the comfort of my couch. I'd be on the road to PEI from Maine. We can PM about this.

 

[Endlersendlers]

Guessing you’re not really a professional cat herder either…. So much misinformation on the internet…
Though teaching has to be about like trying to herd cats

Yea, that sounds pretty accurate, actually.

 

[Back in the fold]

@GaryE “Maybe we can’t change the world , but we can change water”.
That slogan is now part of my life . I like that . I like it a lot .

 

[Fishfunn]

Yea, that sounds pretty accurate, actually.

Have you ever tried organizing and playing music in a band? Now that is like trying to herd cats.