Current Perceptions - A change?

This week I’ve decided to revisit my comments from the first week of this Blog. I commented that, regarding communicating in online communities, “I’ve become detached to this method of communication, and am definitely losing interest”. This was based on the fact that I’ve been suing such communities for around 10 years and, to be honest, it felt like it had gone a bit stale.

I’m happy to say that this module has thus far managed to renew my interest in the subject. There’s no doubt that I’m spending a lot more time on message boards and blogs. At first I assumed it was just because of this module and the need to be involved. But over the past couple of weeks I’ve noticed a change in myself – it all started 2 weeks back when I felt the need to log on at work to see if I’d had any replies to a discussion piece I’d posted about the comedian who’s Podcasts I’d been downloading.

It’s hard to describe, but when you get that you stop feeling like you’re an observer in someone else community, and begin to actually feel that you’re part of its everyday function.

So far I’ve felt this for around 3 new message boards I’ve come across, and it’s definitely renewed my interest in the Yafro message boards I discussed in my second post.

I’ve tried to get my head back into chat rooms again, but this is more difficult. Message boards by nature are time delayed, in that you can reply to a message whenever you want. Chat rooms are a lot more intense, as people expect replies to their messages ASAP – and it’s this sort of urgency that I can’t be bothered with.

Conclusion? Part of me still insists it has no time for online communities, but now I find myself being drawn to the content of the message boards rather than the people. I don’t think I’d be up for making friends to the same degree I did when I was younger, but the discussions are definitely still able to catch my eye. But now it’s more discussions that fit my lifestyle, such as Web Development, etc.