Ship of Fools - 5 years of discussion
The forums (er...fora?) at Ship of Fools went online five years ago yesterday, I'm told. I've been a member for most of that time, and it's been an enriching experience of online community. I was on quite a bit in the early days, when I had a permanent net connection via the college where I was studying at the time. A couple of years of dial-up, moving cities, then on to broadband, leads to where I am now.
The UK-based Ship of Fools has become quite well known, and the front-end `Magazine of Christian Unrest' is but a portal to the bulletin boards within. Discussion of the world and all that is in it, in a place where no topic is taboo and moderation is strict (although there are private boards for some topics). The Ten Commandments of the board are enforced to enable a productive, fun and worthwhile experience for people with many various viewpoints. It has been interesting to reflect on the time I've been involved, and to see which `shipmates' are still there and who has (apparently) dropped off. Last year there were some notable events - including the passing of at least two shipmates.
It seems that there have been many people joining the boards in the last year or so - probably the increase in permanent net connections has helped here as much as media attention and word-of-mouth. I understand there were particular problems in the pre-2001 developments of the boards, but it has been heartening (in the long run!) to see people, who, on joining up, espouse some apparently narrow point of view like it's their god-given truth, then soften their stance in the midst of many people with many stories, going on to become a valued member of the community. Many parts of the Christian tradition are represented, with a notable (and not unsurprising) apparent lack of Pentecostal/Charismatic folk.
The virtual aspect of online communities is open for debate, I believe. We can no longer make a blanket dismissal of `virtual worlds' as being something less than the real thing. On one hand, people can sign up to Ship of Fools with a good degree of anonymity (as long as they have a valid email address), and `outing someone' is frowned upon. In such an environment, I like to think that people can share quite personal stories in relative confidence. On the other side of the deck, real-life Shipmeets are a frequent occurrence, and there is a section of the boards dedicated to organising such gatherings. I think I've met about 50 of the 10,000+ members, in Australia, North America and Britain. Not a lot, but enough to provide a vague idea of who's on board.
So happy birthday to the SOF Boards. I'm very glad you're here.
The UK-based Ship of Fools has become quite well known, and the front-end `Magazine of Christian Unrest' is but a portal to the bulletin boards within. Discussion of the world and all that is in it, in a place where no topic is taboo and moderation is strict (although there are private boards for some topics). The Ten Commandments of the board are enforced to enable a productive, fun and worthwhile experience for people with many various viewpoints. It has been interesting to reflect on the time I've been involved, and to see which `shipmates' are still there and who has (apparently) dropped off. Last year there were some notable events - including the passing of at least two shipmates.
It seems that there have been many people joining the boards in the last year or so - probably the increase in permanent net connections has helped here as much as media attention and word-of-mouth. I understand there were particular problems in the pre-2001 developments of the boards, but it has been heartening (in the long run!) to see people, who, on joining up, espouse some apparently narrow point of view like it's their god-given truth, then soften their stance in the midst of many people with many stories, going on to become a valued member of the community. Many parts of the Christian tradition are represented, with a notable (and not unsurprising) apparent lack of Pentecostal/Charismatic folk.
The virtual aspect of online communities is open for debate, I believe. We can no longer make a blanket dismissal of `virtual worlds' as being something less than the real thing. On one hand, people can sign up to Ship of Fools with a good degree of anonymity (as long as they have a valid email address), and `outing someone' is frowned upon. In such an environment, I like to think that people can share quite personal stories in relative confidence. On the other side of the deck, real-life Shipmeets are a frequent occurrence, and there is a section of the boards dedicated to organising such gatherings. I think I've met about 50 of the 10,000+ members, in Australia, North America and Britain. Not a lot, but enough to provide a vague idea of who's on board.
So happy birthday to the SOF Boards. I'm very glad you're here.
posted by Alex Wegman at 01:20
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