personal rant about forums (and canreef)

[kwirky]

Ok I feel I have to rant about some thoughts that have been on my mind for a while. I'm a bachelor of fine art's student majored in "media arts and digital technologies." It's my final year in college and a large portion of my daily time is spent on my art and it's research, AND on my reef hobby and the canreef forums. I feel the two are a little tied together though...

I was triggered to write about my personal thoughts on forums when the thread about "empty comments" on pictures caught my attention. I myself feel that I post a lot more than other people on the forums and I'm a little self concious about it. I worry whether it appears that I'm posting too much and especially if I'm posting useful information/advice.

I try to keep my writing limited to my own personal experience. I feel more confident in my posts that way and think there's less chance of somone disagreeing with my posts or outright telling me to stop posting like one person did long ago. If I do write about something useful I read but didn't have firsthand experience I try to mention it was something I read. I leave it to the reader to decide then whether it's good information.

The nature of forums is quite unique in that there is so much information available in an adhoc method. It's on a "need to know" basis. You need to know something, you post your question. I also feel that the structure of the forum creates many great ideas that blogs and wiki articles don't produce. It's not better than a wikipedia article, or something read on advancedaquarist.com. It's just suits a different need.

Back to my personal experiences with the forums, I feel I'm addicted to the canreef forums. I don't know why but I feel an urge when I'm at a computer with internet to check the forums. Don't know if it's a problem or not but it's not really interfering with anything or causing any negative aspect to my life. I'm just curious if there's anyone out there who can raise their hand and say "my name's so and so. I'm also a forum-holic."

I do value the canreef forums though, as a forum. There are other aquarium forums out there, and I've frequented forums on completely different subjects and I've found canreef to be the best forum experience I can find. So many forums are "hardcore" and have long lists of rules you have to follow or else your IP will be banned from viewing the forum for life. Stupid rules like you must search through EVERY thread in existence on the forums to make sure you're creating a new topic of discussion or you will fear a lifetime ban.

Or some forums (like RC) are so large that everyone's basically anonymous. New threads don't get burried in the 3rd page in an hour on canreef and I feel after my year or so of time on canreef I now kinda "know of" some people who post on the forums on a regular basis.

Which brings me back to my addiction of canreef. My posts are often long, and often frequent. I don't know if that's a bad thing but like I said it's something I'm definately self concious about. I felt I had to rant a little about it.

Let me know of your thoughts on forums though, and of canreef as a forum. I have a feeling there are other people who are as passionate about canreef as I think I am. Let me know if you think I need to "get a life" too. I do "have a life" btw. But if you feel you have to tell me to get one, go ahead, just make sure you tell me WHY you feel I have to get one