They say storm's a-comin'. I'd say it's already here.

[Dill]

I wrote this post a very long time ago, simply titled, "Thesis," and it was one of the very few posts I made on Nsider. This thread was deleted three times, as moderators thought I was insulting them, but to be fair, the post had little do to with Nsider. You must learn the background of this post to grasp the meaning: The forum I had ventured for about a year had just been deleted by its head admin, during a revolt. This was the second time this has happened, and he was the third head admin to take over. This head admin has even started another forum, and just a few weeks ago this once again happened (although this time he did not delete the forum). This post was also directed at Outsider, as I was a member there at the time, and could see how the staff were becoming corrupt.

I should warn you that this post is very poorly-written. It was written in the middle of the day, to a forum with which I had no relations (I only posted it on Nsider because I thought Nsider was the least likely place for something like this to happen (quite obviously, I was wrong)). The original post consisted of three, large paragraphs. Many members refused to read it, and thus I added breaks, so it may be more appealing to those who dislike crowds of words.

So without further a-do, I bring you Thesis.

http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/board/message?board.id=np_po&message.id=21074868

This is a little thesis I have written on the cycle of how gaming forums go. I am not writing this with Nsider in mind. This is actually something I have put a lot of thought into writing, as this is compiled from information I have gathered from many other forums.

First, some unknown joe steps up and makes a forum. His idea is new, fresh, and sounds like a good deal. People come to spectate this beautiful thing, and see it as a beauty. It does not matter if this forum is for Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, or even Atari. It just has that new forum smell that attracts everyone. Then, a couple months later, when they've reached quite a bit of people, the people begin to try new things. Some may think of clans for online gaming, others may think of going into graphics to make the forum look prettier, and others may just stick with the old system. But to be put simply, the people, without knowing it, are trying to find ways to keep the forum from dying.

Then, something different happens, for once, a bout of seriousness strikes them. It may be a raid, a personal problem with a member, or any of the sort. But now, the people are suddenly starting to speak more rationally and with more thought. At this point, a few people may realize that the forum is dying, but will either slightly deny it or not tell anyone, simply in hopes of bringing it back. These group of smarter individuals are different than the rest. Even though everyone has begun to speak more maturely, there are some who will show a great deal of maturity in all that they do. These people will most likely be well-respected people from before the crisis. And now that the forum has been dealt a curveball of new ways of thinking, some people begin to think differently. One person may be for abortion if the situation calls, but another may be against it. This will create a conflict, and the forum will begin to seperate. The smarter people from before now have realized that the gaming forum they once knew is now dead, and they will believe that it is up to them to try and bring it back. So they will create groups or clans or sorts, to try and give the people reasons to go back to the old ways. And all the while this is happening, the admin, while still checking in and fixing things, is decreasing in his activity. Many people know why he is gone, but others (such as new people) may suspect that he is simply not caring for the forum. As these new people increase, the admin will get less respect. And sooner or later, these smarter people will pop out like a sore thumb, and will be seen as leaders of sorts. Either for clans or groups or whatever they show activity in.

Then another serious crisis happens: a revolt. The new people have begun to grow in numbers, and have started to take away the rational thinking and replace it with radical thinking. They may have even taken control of one of the smarter people, and someone who has great influence on the forum. These people will say that the admin is not caring, and that they are in need of a new one. The rest, though, will dismiss it, and will try their best to calm them down. The smarter people who have been converted to the new way of radical thinking will now step up and tell the people that they can provide better than the admin can. And even if the admin is active or not, he will have no control over this group of people, as they have already been lost. The people will still remain, though, but they will become more bitter, and will no longer support the actions of the admin. The smarter people are now being rapidly converted to their own ways of radical thinking, and will unknowingly create groups of people who dislike the admin. The admin will very quickly lose respect from the people, and even his own staff. But the staff, despite their admin's loss in responsibility, will continue to try and keep the peace. Although soon the radical staff and the rational staff will be divided, and the rational staff will slowly disappear. Either by conversion or by popular demand. The admin will now begin to feel something different about his people, he will begin to fear them. But he will not give in. He will start to become more strict on the radical thinkers, and remove the staff who have sided with them. And when he does this, even the few rational thinkers will begin to question his ways.

This is when something awful happens. A new revolt, but this time, a very large one. No longer is the radical thinkers the minority; they are now the majority, the vast majority. The admin, out of his own stressful conditions, will make a bad choice. Whether it is enforcing new rules, or banning many people, maybe even some of the smarter people. This will stir up everybody, and the admin will quickly lose his followers. And soon, he will have a mental breakdown, and most likely delete the forum. His own creation, which used to be a haven for gaming, had to now be deleted as it was a battlefield.

But something special will happen. The radical, smart people will join together and make a new forum. A new administrator will be made. The people will return, even the rational thinkers. They will be once again, attracted by the scent of the new forum. And they will blame all of their past problems on their past admin, and with this, be able to release all of their troubles and stress. No longer will there be rational and radical thinkers, they now will be one in the same. Not talking about serious issues, not debating about the wellfare of the forum. Now that they think the source of all their troubles is gone, they will return to their old selves. Talking about video games, planning online gatherings, without a worry in the world. Even the smart thinkers will become blended with this group of the carefree. Although one will have to remain stressed, pressed, and without a break. This will be the unfortunate smart thinker, who will have the job of being the new leader. It may seem a joy at first, but it's troubles will rear their ugly heads soon enough.

And when that happens, the cycle will repeat itself. The leader will be forced to abdictate, and a new one will arise. Perhaps a group of leaders will now work the forum. But it will not be long before the equal-measuring problems of power hunger and member-stress arive at their doorstep.

But who is to blame for this? Is it the leaders? The forum has gone through so many, it would be preposterous to try and play that card again. Is it the members? Are they simply too selfish and self-centered to think of what's best for the forum? That cannot be it either, as there have been such variety in members. Perhaps it's out intelligence to blame. But then again, we were't going anywhere without it.




Well, that's the end of the story. I'm hoping those of you whom have read this story (as I'm sure there ar plenty who haven't) will have learned something new from it.

[Moriarty]

Oh, the cycles of life. So many things have cycles that even us humans cannot see. Yet many we can. Cycles of life - we come, we go. Cycles of digestion, television shows, technology, eras, periods of music, etc. Even gaming forums. The storm is most likely already here. As they ask in economics - how do you know when you're in a depression? The answer, young lads, is when you're already in it. How do you know when you're in a storm? When it's already raining. And the clouds are moving over. I smell a revolt, I smell the Jacobins and the storming of the Bastille. The tea has been dumped.

Whether we like it or not, the cycle happens. Everything will come and go, whether it goes noticed or not. One should just hope that he is not seen as the blundering idiot during the short time period of which he is seen. He should strive for something with the time he has left, and make do with the intelligence he can muster. For he must survive-for now. But the environment, the forum. It will disappear. And new, fresh-baked shanty forums will begin to pop up. Best brush up on your forum-sniffing lads, as the storm is coming!

[britneymahboy]

God forbid I (or anyone for that matter) miss out on reading this complex and wonderful piece of writing.  Seriously, I did read some of it, but, alas, I got bored.  I did indirectly learn something new from it though.

[Macawmoses]

Rather than joke around, like I normally would with your posts, I'll simply agree....it's really the truth, it's what happens. Take a look at the NSF part of things, how did we come to be, after all?

[Silverhawk79]

This actually somewhat described the process that made this place.
Good post.

[Dill]

God forbid I (or anyone for that matter) miss out on reading this complex and wonderful piece of writing.  Seriously, I did read some of it, but, alas, I got bored.  I did indirectly learn something new from it though.

To be fair, I didn't read it either.

[ThePowerOfOne]

God forbid I (or anyone for that matter) miss out on reading this complex and wonderful piece of writing.  Seriously, I did read some of it, but, alas, I got bored.  I did indirectly learn something new from it though.

To be fair, I didn't read it either.

I made it half-way through.

[Dill]

God forbid I (or anyone for that matter) miss out on reading this complex and wonderful piece of writing.  Seriously, I did read some of it, but, alas, I got bored.  I did indirectly learn something new from it though.

To be fair, I didn't read it either.

I made it half-way through.

I'd expect as much from you. But assumptions aside, if you can't read my posts, don't post in my threads.

[ThePowerOfOne]

God forbid I (or anyone for that matter) miss out on reading this complex and wonderful piece of writing.  Seriously, I did read some of it, but, alas, I got bored.  I did indirectly learn something new from it though.

To be fair, I didn't read it either.

I made it half-way through.

I'd expect as much from you. But assumptions aside, if you can't read my posts, don't post in my threads.

Actually I just got bored.

POST

[britneymahboy]

God forbid I (or anyone for that matter) miss out on reading this complex and wonderful piece of writing.  Seriously, I did read some of it, but, alas, I got bored.  I did indirectly learn something new from it though.

To be fair, I didn't read it either.

Those lessons aren't going to learn themselves, Mister.

[Eizweir]

But we all love Silver and Vattix.
I read the entire thing, though I'm not sure if I understood all of it >_>

[PsychoYoshi]

IT'S THE CIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRCCCCCCCCLLLLLEEEEEEEEEE OF LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFEEEEEEEE

AND IT MOVES USSSSSSS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

[L10]

God forbid I (or anyone for that matter) miss out on reading this complex and wonderful piece of writing.  Seriously, I did read some of it, but, alas, I got bored.  I did indirectly learn something new from it though.

To be fair, I didn't read it either.

I made it half-way through.

I'd expect as much from you. But assumptions aside, if you can't read my posts, don't post in my threads.

What about if we skim it, do we still get to post?

[Dill]

God forbid I (or anyone for that matter) miss out on reading this complex and wonderful piece of writing.  Seriously, I did read some of it, but, alas, I got bored.  I did indirectly learn something new from it though.

To be fair, I didn't read it either.

I made it half-way through.

I'd expect as much from you. But assumptions aside, if you can't read my posts, don't post in my threads.

What about if we skim it, do we still get to post?

Only if you are prepared to write a seven-hundred word essay, discussing the various rhetorical technics used in my post. This, of course, is to be written entirely in haiku.

[Level_9_Chao]

Nice. I actually read the thing all the way through.

I'd say something pretty close happened to my home at old FCD, where the initial founder Triforce34 kind of just died on us, then came back much later and wanted his rank back which we denied him. From before that point and onwards, we had good old VXG, who is far too mysterious for at least me to consider revolting against.

And for what reason would we? We seem pretty alright as we are.