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Chatterbox - should I post/message?

by Anonymous Monk
on May 08, 2003 at 23:21 UTC ( [id://256705]=monkdiscuss: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??

Hi,

Forgive the AM post but I'm a bit embarrassed.

I've been with PM for a while now but haven't used the chatterbox. Do other people feel frightened/worried/etc about posting to the chatterbox as I do? Is it just me? It just seems that the monks on there have known each other for years and my input may be superfluous.

Anyhoo. I just wondered what views other people had.

Cheers,
Anony monk

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message? (who?)
by tye (Sage) on May 09, 2003 at 04:18 UTC
    It just seems that the monks on there have known each other for years

    Huh?! I post in the chatterbox all of the time. I don't know anyone.*

    What you are perceiving is just an illusion.

    Pay attention. A new user will sign up, chat a couple of times, disappear. The next day, when they reappear, several people will be all "Howdy" and "Welcome back" like they had the least idea in the world who this person, who they've read a couple of dozen words of text from, is.

    Just don't whine or be insulting (that is, pretend to be mature, whether you are or not) and soon it'll almost be like having real friends (well, on some severely superficial level, but "beggars", ya know?).

    It's fun! And if you are very careful to not let on where you live, then you don't even have to worry about them dropping by (no, Clive, really, I enjoyed it; I'm not talking about you, honest) and drinking your beer.

    * Sure, there are a couple of names that I'm likely to recognize because they recently annoyed me, but my memory isn't very good so most days there aren't even very many of those.

                    - tye

    Note for the humor-impaled, there is much truth and many lies in what I've said. If you can't figure out which is which, then you deserve a full refund of the purchase price.

Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by Louis_Wu (Chaplain) on May 09, 2003 at 01:21 UTC
    The Monastery in general is a place where you meet people who are very much like you - you can find "your people" here. Which is why it might seem that people who've known each other for a few months (in a virtual conversation, no less) are old buddies. We have very similar interests: Perl, programing, computers, science, engineering, tech gear -you know, "Stuff that Matters".

    When you meet someone (in person or digitally) who is interested in many of the same things that you are interested in, you have immediate common ground for conversation. This conversation is often good-natured (especially if you have a mutual friend 10 feet away (which I'm claiming is Perl (and not Lisp) ) ), and can lead to real friendship.

    The common interest is a shortcut - it allows both of you to speak about something you are passionate about; you can figure out if the person you are talking to is someone you can get along with. This sort of personality investigation takes much longer if there are few or no common interests.

    I see this quite often. When I go shooting at the pistol range, I meet many people who have a similar interest. We often get into conversations about firearms, but the thread usually moves all over the map - I met a local webmaster last week because we started talking about range activities. The common interest started a good conversation.

    I think the closeness you are seeing is a result of the common ground we share as monks.

    We.
    You too.
    See you in the CB.


    Perl programming and scheduling in the corporate world, as explained by dragonchild:
    "Uhh ... that'll take me three weeks, broken down as follows: 1 day for coding, the rest for meetings to explain why I only need 1 day for coding."
Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message? (absolutely not)
by VSarkiss (Monsignor) on May 09, 2003 at 02:53 UTC

    You should definitely avoid writing in the CB.

    The chatterbox is reserved for deep discussions about heavy Perl topics by learned scholars, and you're just going to embarass yourself if you speak up (well, type up). Seriously, if you aren't a member of the Perl Cabal I wouldn't even consider announcing your presence.

    As you have figured out by now, the average monk here is meaner than a junkyard dog, and can't wait to rip you to shreds. If you think we're bad when we reply to questions, you should just see what happens when you pipe up with an unrelated comment or question in the CB. It's even written up in the Chatterbox FAQ: "Don't post here unless it's on topic and you really, really mean it."

    HTH

    Did you know your tongue will hurt if you keep it in your cheek for very long?

Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by theorbtwo (Prior) on May 08, 2003 at 23:59 UTC

    Yes, it is just you. ;) Really, the chatterbox is a place for the superflous at least as much as the sublime. And those monks who seem to have known each other for years...? Sometimes they've only know each-other for months (hi, castaway), and just seem that way. Somtimes, they have known each-other for years, and met right there on that very CB. But the CB is for everyone.


    Warning: Unless otherwise stated, code is untested. Do not use without understanding. Code is posted in the hopes it is useful, but without warranty. All copyrights are relinquished into the public domain unless otherwise stated. I am not an angel. I am capable of error, and err on a fairly regular basis. If I made a mistake, please let me know (such as by replying to this node).

      hi hon ;)

      C.
      (I just had to..)

Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by Anonymous Monk on May 09, 2003 at 01:38 UTC

    Standard Public Internet Discussion Rules(SPIDR):

    1. If you would regret seeing it attributed to you on CNN don't post it.
    2. Nobody is smarter than you, they just want you to think they are.
    3. Nothing is so complicated it can't be learned in 3 months.
    4. Don't worry about breaking rule 1.

     

      Nothing is so complicated it can't be learned in 3 months.
      Is that true.

      Makeshifts last the longest.

        Great link++.

        There were several places in that where I said. "That's what I've be saying!", out loud.

        There were also several other places where I physically felt the metaphoric slap in the face.

        Thankyou.

Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by Nkuvu (Priest) on May 08, 2003 at 23:30 UTC

    The chatterbox is fleeting and temporary. Yes, many of the monks have known each other for years, and they talk in the CB. But does that prevent you from posting at all? After all, they talk in the regular nodes as well.

    What exactly are you worried about writing to the CB? I've said some silly things in the CB, and no one has revoked my monkey status. Or Monkish status. Yet. ;)

      I'm a new monk here, and when I first started actually talking on the CB, I was a bit nervous as well, I felt like I might be laughed at or shunned for not knowing simple perl facts and/or code bits, but I found that there are some very friendly people (Louis_wu, artist, submersible_toaster, Limbic~Region, diotalevi, Enlil, etc.) that are more than happy to help you and walk you through your problem. I think if anyone did anything to harm anyone, they would either die from a moral breakdown, or be reprimanded by one of the elder monks. I wouldn't worry about writing to the CB too much :-)
Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by The Mad Hatter (Priest) on May 08, 2003 at 23:39 UTC
    Bah, don't worry about your input being "superfluous", just talk! I know how you feel, as I once felt that way, but now I talk in the CB whenever I feel like it with whoever is around. Everyone I've talked to has been friendly. So join in!
Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by TVSET (Chaplain) on May 09, 2003 at 08:03 UTC
    Gee, if I can do it, you can do it... and I am less then one month old PM visitor. Jump right in and don't worry. :)

    Leonid Mamtchenkov aka TVSET

Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by phydeauxarff (Priest) on May 09, 2003 at 16:11 UTC
    I was pretty worried about posting, commenting in the CB, etc. when I initially joined this site and it all came down to two concerns
    1. Looking like an idiot
    2. Loosing what few XP I had

    I finally decided to dive in after more than a year of lurking when I realized that I would never do anything about #1 unless I asked questions and learned from my mistakes, and #2 didn't matter.

    I have since learned that the CB is a hoot. Crazy and cool stuff happens there...like the time Limic~Region threw off his robes and ran around, or when Mr. Muskrat tells another of his terrible jokes.. and I would have never had the chance to meet other monks like merlynin person if I hadn't had the nerve to post in the CB.

    Of course, there are always going to be a few jerks who may end up bashing you, but for the most part everyone here is pretty cool so it is easy to shrug off the flames and move on to more important things.

    So, welcome...feel free to jump in, the water is just fine.

      What's wrong with lurking? I average about a post every six months or so (which means I'll be silent until November, now)

      Interestingly, I when I typed that first sentence, I wrote "What's wrong with lurning?" I guess that is what I do here mostly. I'm not too gud at it though. :)

        absolutely nothing at all...I lurk most of the time anyway

        I was simply trying to suggest that one shouldn't be lurking because they are afraid to post.

Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by benn (Vicar) on May 09, 2003 at 10:25 UTC
    You can't do any worse than me mate...whenever I post to CB, half the time everybody else shuts up - I'm obviously not frightened / worried / embarrassed enough! (Actually, I think it's just being slow - I see a line, do some browsing, respond to the line forgetting the fact that it's 20 mins later, and then wonder why everybody seems confused :) )

    Seriously though, everyone respects 'just doing it' - if you say "Hi", you'll get some "Hi"s back. If you'd not posted this anonymously, you'd probably be love-bombed next time you showed up in CB :) OK OK - a wee exaggeration maybe...

    Cheers,
    Ben.

Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by pfaut (Priest) on May 09, 2003 at 13:26 UTC
Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by artist (Parson) on May 09, 2003 at 13:51 UTC
    Consider Online life and Offline life as seperate mechanism. Especially for this place, it's very true. Read Life at the Monastery. Chapter 1 to see the possible offline scenes of on-line monk to understand the difference. You will be more than happy to venture online.

    Take 2: Consider from the other perspective. How would you be introduced with group where people have known to each other for years and making friendly talks ?. That group has build a society and then society mechanism works. One of them is to welcome new people, help them to become part of the society. perlmonks community has practiced that concept very well.

    One of the great aspect of having chatterbox chat is you can instantly get opinions of experts about what you doing without much hassle. Imgaine that if you have to do the same offline in other fields of the life. The virtual meeting has definite advantage, and it is making it easy to link other resources, which also happen to be in the same medium 'online'.

    artist
    ============================
    Beautify your existence

Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by Mr. Muskrat (Canon) on May 09, 2003 at 13:59 UTC

    I routinely make a fool of myself in the chatterbox (ask most anybody). Does it stop me from going back again and again? Nope! (But then again... I have always been a bit of a glutton for punishment. ;-) I've got to be eaten by NodeReaper to keep me from having fun in the chatterbox.

      I have always been a bit of a glutton for punishment. ;-)
      Ohh, kinky. ;-)

      Makeshifts last the longest.

Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by bart (Canon) on May 09, 2003 at 12:23 UTC
    Well, one remark: in order to be able to "post" to the Chatterbox, you have to be a registered user — and be logged in. Anony Monks just can't talk. Does that solve your dilemma?

    I don't quite see what you're afraid of. Every day (well, almost... :) I see people turn up in the Chatterbox, who only registered just minutes before...

Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by Anonymous Monk on May 13, 2003 at 09:37 UTC

    I would like to thank everyone that kindly replied to this thread. You're all good people.

    The consensus seems to be that I should remember that the chatterbox is an informal thing and throw myself into it. I will be dropping my cloak of anonymity some time soon (over the next couple of days).

    /me Wonders (I've been reading the FAQ) if anyone will guess who I am?

    Cheers,
    Anony monk.

Re: Chatterbox - should I post/message?
by BrokenStones (Initiate) on May 13, 2003 at 08:36 UTC
    Yea I agree - it's a bit fightening - but mostly because these guys seem to know what they yapping about where as I ain't got a clue (yet!)

      /me gives BrokenStones a hint: it's rarely perl.


      Warning: Unless otherwise stated, code is untested. Do not use without understanding. Code is posted in the hopes it is useful, but without warranty. All copyrights are relinquished into the public domain unless otherwise stated. I am not an angel. I am capable of error, and err on a fairly regular basis. If I made a mistake, please let me know (such as by replying to this node).

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