[ASLML] Who Cares About the ASL Forums?

[Bruce Bakken]

Hi, Bruce.

Nice response.

>
> >I was curious whether Listers have similar, reciprocal feelings about the
> >Forum.  Do we, by virtue of being Listers, inherently prefer the ASLML 
>over
> >any other forum?
>
>Well, firstly, I'm a creature of habit.  The ASLML has been around for a
>long time, and I've never seen the need to "replace" it with anything.
>
>Secondly, although these days I have a lot of free time that I can use to
>hang around on-line, it hasn't always been true, and may not be true in the
>future.  The ASLML comes to my mailbox off-line.  If I suddenly lose my
>internet connection, I can still read and reply to mail (it's just that the
>replies may be delayed a little).  (This was more important a couple of
>years ago, when the average daily discussion was 150 messages; a lot to 
>chew
>through in one sitting.)
>

This is a very good point, IMO.  Perhaps the mechanical differences between 
the two plays a role in which one a player prefers.

>If the "Forums" could be made accessible in an off-line format, I'd 
>probably
>participate.
>
> >Is it even a good thing that two separate sources of
> >information exist, when many times the topics do not overlap?
>
>But why don't the topics overlap?  No matter how you talk about it, ASL
>remains the same game, and the same people play it.  I've never thought of
>any *ASL* discussion as being "inappropriate" for the ASLML; the same 
>should
>be true of the Forums.
>

An interesting question.  I guess I should qualify my observation, insofar 
as it appears to me there is not a lot of overlap.  Certainly the same 
*types* of subjects come up: i.e. rules questions, AAR, and so forth.  On 
occasion, the same person will ask the same question or raise the same point 
in both venues, so it does happen.  Mostly I suppose it could be a function 
of different inhabitants, thus different *topics* come up.

> >How can an ASL player keep up?
>
>I guess it depends on whether you think you *need* to keep up.  One aspect
>of the Forums that is useful is that topics are compartmentalised, so that
>if you never want to read about a particular ASL sub-topic, you can 
>probably
>avoid it.  (Similarly, you should be able to avoid the completely-off-topic
>stuff.)  On the ASLML you have to take it all as it comes.  Personally, I
>don't mind that, but I don't begrudge others that do.
>

I have heard other laments in the past about the number of different venues 
(e.g. ASLML, ASL Forums, Consimworld, others I can't remember off-hand).  
Personally, I don't feel a need to keep up, per se.  Just having so many 
venues causes me to sometimes wonder if I'm not missing something 
interesting on the other channel, as it were.

I have no problem with multiple forums, nor for people expressing their 
preferences.  It was only the recent ASLML discussion about moderation, 
along with the recent ASL Forums thread about the ASLML, that got me into 
thinking along these lines.

Regards,
Bruce Bakken

>----------------------------------------------------------------
>Bruce Probst              bprobst at netspace.net.au
>Melbourne, Australia      MSTie #72759
>"A planet where apes evolved from men?"
>ASL FAQ              http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mantis/ASLFAQ
>

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