zonelistener
ONE love, blood, life
I have noticed lately that I have been getting frustrated over what has happened to IO in my eye.
Sicy had me take a one week hiatus (locked me out) because it was clear I could not even seen my own frustrations coming out on the board.
People were asking "what is your problem" and called me "mean." It made me even more frustrated.
yes, frustrated. I have been posting in IO for two years now. It has always been a nice little hideaway from all the mundane crap on the rest of the board. It was like a nice little smokey haven for oddballs who would post [/b]unrelated things in threads. That back-alley bar or coffee shop with an open mic night and people wearing berrets and black turtlenecks.
Occasionally we would get mistaken for a forum where people would care about "Real Official" statements. We would giggle to ourselves when someone would come in and make an official statement like "LARRY is hot" or "I am angry at a neighbor." We knew that that was for other forums, and would make off-the-cuff statements, offer their brains to Sicy...smack them with a spatula...check their credentials and take toenail samples...and finally, hijack the thread and create complete madness of it all. It was fun. Nothing was taken seriously. There were no daily discussions of lunch menus.
Somewhere along the line, things began to change. Some newer people came in, and didn't understand this concept. Suddenly, more and more threads started popping up that did not feel like IO. Many regulars silently got annoyed....and, a lot of them decided to outright leave IO (although they make an appearance here and there). A prime example is Sicy. She used to LIVE in IO like I do. Now, she may stop by once or twice a day. she still posts here and there. But she has realized it has changed, and avoids a lot of the crap now - something she has been working on with me. Thank you Sicy.
I have tried to hold onto the old IO. But I get more and more frustrated. I see a thread with potential....and it ends up turning into "well here is MY story that relates to that." It is the same content that can be found in PLEBAns or LemoStand, people's journals (ESPECIALLY people's journals) or anywhere else. It is not the unique and creative place it once was. That smokey cafe is now the equivalent of, say, a horrible fast food restuarant with dusty fake plastic trees and HAPPY meals.. Not unique...same as the one down the street (PLEBA, LEmoStand, Journals).
The fun has been sucked out of the place. And this is NOT only me saying this. I chat with people everyday that just shrug and can't figure out what happened. The non-sequitor concept is gone. The oddball humor. the fun that was going on, mostly gone. It is kind of sad.
SO, when it may look like I am being mean, it is actually me trying to hold onto the lone piece of string that keeps IO unique....That used to keep me looking at my watch, waiting to get off work so I can see what humor is to be found, created by my IO friends. How a one sentence thread can spawn 30 one sentence posts. How a simple statement (that should NEVER be traditionally answered) can turn into smilie art work.
Alas, I log on and see three threads about dentist trips (sorry...not being mean), something about the weather, someone PMSing, someones frustration with missing pages from the TVguide or a funny little statement about copywriting smilies and a dialog between two people is taken tooo seriously by a third party.
I can't let something SOOO stupid...make me frustrated anymore...so I must leave IO.
Thank you to Sicy and Salome, and the IOers who I have come to love and cherish (who are still around: Bonochick, AngieO'H, Screaming flour, LMPA, LadyLemon, meggggggie, beegeee, BAW, stephanie, MK, loveslave, guacamolelady, jkayet, martha, joyful, Lemopielady, and JessA. And to the new folks who understand hos, yertle and the kids from random.) Sorry if I forgot you..if you are cherished, you know it.
_________
ooch, ouch, eek, ooch, ouch.
Sicy had me take a one week hiatus (locked me out) because it was clear I could not even seen my own frustrations coming out on the board.
People were asking "what is your problem" and called me "mean." It made me even more frustrated.
yes, frustrated. I have been posting in IO for two years now. It has always been a nice little hideaway from all the mundane crap on the rest of the board. It was like a nice little smokey haven for oddballs who would post [/b]unrelated things in threads. That back-alley bar or coffee shop with an open mic night and people wearing berrets and black turtlenecks.
Occasionally we would get mistaken for a forum where people would care about "Real Official" statements. We would giggle to ourselves when someone would come in and make an official statement like "LARRY is hot" or "I am angry at a neighbor." We knew that that was for other forums, and would make off-the-cuff statements, offer their brains to Sicy...smack them with a spatula...check their credentials and take toenail samples...and finally, hijack the thread and create complete madness of it all. It was fun. Nothing was taken seriously. There were no daily discussions of lunch menus.
Somewhere along the line, things began to change. Some newer people came in, and didn't understand this concept. Suddenly, more and more threads started popping up that did not feel like IO. Many regulars silently got annoyed....and, a lot of them decided to outright leave IO (although they make an appearance here and there). A prime example is Sicy. She used to LIVE in IO like I do. Now, she may stop by once or twice a day. she still posts here and there. But she has realized it has changed, and avoids a lot of the crap now - something she has been working on with me. Thank you Sicy.
I have tried to hold onto the old IO. But I get more and more frustrated. I see a thread with potential....and it ends up turning into "well here is MY story that relates to that." It is the same content that can be found in PLEBAns or LemoStand, people's journals (ESPECIALLY people's journals) or anywhere else. It is not the unique and creative place it once was. That smokey cafe is now the equivalent of, say, a horrible fast food restuarant with dusty fake plastic trees and HAPPY meals.. Not unique...same as the one down the street (PLEBA, LEmoStand, Journals).
The fun has been sucked out of the place. And this is NOT only me saying this. I chat with people everyday that just shrug and can't figure out what happened. The non-sequitor concept is gone. The oddball humor. the fun that was going on, mostly gone. It is kind of sad.
SO, when it may look like I am being mean, it is actually me trying to hold onto the lone piece of string that keeps IO unique....That used to keep me looking at my watch, waiting to get off work so I can see what humor is to be found, created by my IO friends. How a one sentence thread can spawn 30 one sentence posts. How a simple statement (that should NEVER be traditionally answered) can turn into smilie art work.
Alas, I log on and see three threads about dentist trips (sorry...not being mean), something about the weather, someone PMSing, someones frustration with missing pages from the TVguide or a funny little statement about copywriting smilies and a dialog between two people is taken tooo seriously by a third party.
I can't let something SOOO stupid...make me frustrated anymore...so I must leave IO.
Thank you to Sicy and Salome, and the IOers who I have come to love and cherish (who are still around: Bonochick, AngieO'H, Screaming flour, LMPA, LadyLemon, meggggggie, beegeee, BAW, stephanie, MK, loveslave, guacamolelady, jkayet, martha, joyful, Lemopielady, and JessA. And to the new folks who understand hos, yertle and the kids from random.) Sorry if I forgot you..if you are cherished, you know it.
_________
ooch, ouch, eek, ooch, ouch.
Last edited:
IO is supposed to be fun, and if you're not having fun anymore then move onto something that IS fun. Life's too short to be pissed off over IO.
BC
