Where is everybody?

[John P]

'Fresh fields and pastures new' is it not?
John

No, "Fresh woods". See the last line here:
http://www.bartleby.com/101/317.html

[eyesup]

And don't forget the bots that call in quite frequently. . . . Don't know how often the bots might scrape a site, but they could be inflating the viewing figures quite a bit.

Case in point! Go to the stats page and scroll down to the "Forum History" table. Back in Dec. of 2014 this forum got spammed. If you expand the Dec. 2014 data you will see that almost 400 new members signed up, added over 550 topics and entered almost 700 posts over a two day period.

I remember logging on that day and having to scroll through hundreds of adds for online performance aids of all sorts.

I'll bet Karla & Stuart remember that one too! Lots of house cleaning that day! 

Duane

[jbeegoode]

Yea, in this age of texting,we are longer winded and have more depth. Not everyone cares to write. DF is always busy doing other things with her limited time, than to sit down by the potbellie stove and relax with us. If you don't write much, it seems like work, or hassle. She hustles to write progress notes at work all day and this gives typing a bad taste in her mouth. She reads and chuckles, mostly when I'm next to her online. She enjoys this, but she doesn't express herself unless she has something compelling to say.

Not everybody will have interest in every thread and may pick and choose.

Lots of reasons...AND this is the beginning of the traditional winter lull time. Often, not much to say unless you fly south. Often, frustration in the cold.
Jbee

[nuduke]

One thing that Mrs. Walker has commented on is the quality and styles of writing that the members exhibit. Perhaps there is an intimidation factor in place where lurkers or some of our less active members feel inadequate or think that their skills don't quite make it?

This was an occasional worry on TSNS and it's the first time it has been raised in recent times.  Although I am a big supporter of inclusiveness (for is there not always interest and engagement in diversity?), the ability to write in reasonably literate prose and the exhibition of a reasonable level of intelligence does seem to be an attribute of the members of our group and yes, this might be intimidating to some that think they can't write.  But being an advocate of inclusiveness doesn't mean support of positive discrimination.  Should we dumb down and censor our conversation, ban words of more than 2 syllables and sentences with a subordinate clause, brackets or a comma, in the hope that a diffident, semi-literate but interesting, lurker might come and join in?  No, no, please no!

Let's rejoice in our slightly above average literary skill and instead of dumbing down, welcome all comers who want to have a go; assuring them that there is neither a writing competition going on nor will they be criticised or belittled if they express themselves more simply than some.  No, they will be welcomed as warmly as any latterday Dickens or budding Shakespeare!

Lurkers and low confidencers, once you join in your diffidence falls away in the warmth of the friendly banter will welcome you in.

I do recall Larry and Duane, Dave and the odd other excusing themselves at one time or another for their plainness of voice and simplicity of expression.  In the face of the positive and supportive responses from others responding to that insecurity, all those folks settled down to be as comfortable with their own modes of expression as they were with their nakedness in nature.

Good grief, if everybody wrote as floridly as me, the site would be boring indeed!  But I hope that my style, challenging prose and vocabulary though it may contain at times, also has its place in the spectrum of argument information and discussion that we display!

John

[nuduke]

By the way, embarrassed at my literary lapse, I bow humbly to your superior Miltonic scholarship, JohnP

John

[nudewalker]

Jbee touched on something that the younger masses using text messages so often that there is a lack of righting skills. My daughter admonishes her students that texting language or shortcuts are not acceptable on essay questions. And we do have a niece who has distinguished herself for her skills in putting pen to paper to compose essays.

I would hope that ,as John noted, anyone would feel free to join in the banter. Unlike many places I visit differences of opinion are civil. Moderators have not stepped in to lock discussions or block posters. Also as Jbee noted, winter is closing in and those of us who will not be able to escape to warmer climates will need stories to read next to the fire.

[Greenbare Woods]

 

the younger masses using text messages so often that there is a lack of righting skills.

I agree.  Al lack of righting skill makes life into a lot or wronging. 

Some say going naked is righting. 

[eyesup]

I agree.  Al lack of righting skill makes life into a lot or wronging. 

Some say going naked is righting.

I began to treat all of my wronging as learning experiences. In this way a wrong can lead to a right.

Although a wrong doesn't make a right, but three lefts do!

Duane

[John P]

I swear this really happened. My wife's son said he'd had some medical treatment for some minor thing, and the doctor's name was Dr Wong, but he appeared not to be Chinese. I said, "So evidently two Wongs can make a white." General hilarity ensued.

[jbeegoode]

After going through the wringing of the academic paper and peer review, I tend to see less proper writing as more just a matter of style and voice. There is a lot of ad-due, to do, about nothin'. When vocabulary limits an audience, or targets an audience, it is often inappropriate and counter productive. Not always, but...

For me, nearly anything goes, BUT, writing is about communication. However it is put, the object is to BEST communicate a view, knowledge, idea to the other. Doing this can be entertaining and fun. If I can read it and get the point, I don't mind a few mstacks, and most get corrected by these machines.

Then, there is that ache where the whole is degenerating because of those of us that are less versatile bringing down the level of communication and quality of all writing over time. I tend to get more polished on my blog, or in a magazine and enjoy that to a degree. Here on a forum, I feel free to be more loose...or looser...there you see....

If there is something important to say, then say it, share it, inform, get the point across in the most effective manner. We are a thoughtful, well versed and experienced group with much to give on the topics.
Jbee

[eyesup]

That reminds me of a story I read years ago. It was speculative (not science) fiction where the author intentionally wrote in colloquial or patois. The purpose was to communicate a more visual and visceral story. There also was a lot of onomatopoeia.

Now it's going to drive me crazy trying to remember the story and author!

Duane

[jbeegoode]

 Onomatopoeia. Amazing that you could actually spell that word!
jbee

[ric]

another , unrelated, forum i frequent  there is a self appointed grammar police , one elderly ex public school ex merchant banker is constantly criticising other posters spelling and grammar .  to be honest i often post summit in less than perfect english just to wind him up...bit like shooting fish in a barrel... works every time. 

[nudewalker]

In this day of autocorrect if one does not reread a post carefully before submission errors do occour; reference to righting in a previous post of mine. My interest is reading what others are doing, what their experience's  are and mostly what I can learn from it. Thanks to many here my FRN time has grown for example Jbee's camping set up has allowed me days of naked time in sparsely populated campgrounds. Not to mention the tips from many others. Descriptions of places visited make me think of comparable places near me to enjoy.

[jbeegoode]

 

another , unrelated, forum i frequent  there is a self appointed grammar police , one elderly ex public school ex merchant banker is constantly criticising other posters spelling and grammar .  to be honest i often post summit in less than perfect english just to wind him up...bit like shooting fish in a barrel... works every time.

Dang I miss that little devil with the red horns that used to be available on TSNS...how's about this.

I recently joined the club, when my son set me up with a smart phone. I can text now. It is just too much hassle to punch those tiny button things on the screen since people don't talk anymore. So, I have been letting myself get sloppy and lazy and brief. It will be curious to see if bad habits happen and spill over to my other written communication. If paragraph long  concepts and thinking become sound bites and simplistic.
Jbee