theNoosphere.com

Meteor, I'd like to clarify something. Yes, I enjoy footbell, and yes, I'm a Redskin fan-but was not one of the ES contigent who came to TN from there-in fact, I never joined a fan board or anything like that until now. When I followed the group to BGO, I was following a group of intelligent friends I had made here through TN. As I mentioned in my previous post-it is unnaturally difficult for me to initiate a thread-even on other sites, I almost exclusively respond to what other people have posted. When the downturn began to happen at TN, I thought I'd wait around and see who managed to find the correct balance enough to be involved on both sites simultaneously-and start something, initiate a topic, raise a question-and then I would leap in and join the fray. I've pit a few posts on, again, mostly scientific or humorous in nature-kind of like throwing bait out and see if anyone bit. I'll probably keep doing that because I do a lot of digging online and run across interesting thins that I think the folks here might enjoy. I'm sticking around-TN serves a need I personally have as well as others and (this may be a difficulty to overcome when marketing this place, Boone) it represents what, in my travels, is a tiny fraction of the population online. Intellectual snobs?-obviously we don't think so-but my experience is that combining intelligence, open-mindedness, respect for another persons opinion, and generally polite behavior on a website of any kind is equivalent to being classed as a critically endangered species-there just aren't that many people who value such things. This may be a very small niche market.


Om, my friend. Having been down the road of "how the hell did I wind up in this situation?" in my life, I can sympathize with traveling through turmoil, psychological and emotional upheaval, physical insecurity, monumental confusion and just trying to keep the ship of identity afloat while the world around you goes about it's merry path as if nothing of import is going on.

I've discovered something-damned near anything, as long as you don't wind up actually dead, is survivable. I'm actually the better person for having gone through some rough stuff more than once in my giddy waltz through life. Even though I have only known you online for three-quarters of a year, it turns out I'm pretty good at picking up on the kind of person I'm dealing with-and you are one with whom I sensed a connection quickly. I have no doubts whatsoever about your ability to get through everything you're encountering and come through with flying colors. And I am definitely looking forward to your re-entry into the TN realm replete with gems of ideas for topics that have a known beginning but no guaranteed trajectory. I'll be waiting, and will try to remain up to the task of joining the fray.

I must admit to being one of the ones that began spending more time at BGO. However, with the state of the Redskins, I think I will find more time to spend here.

In fact I came here today to post an article which I thought would be of interest to this crowd. Based on the nature of the current membership, it is not unexpected to see a seasonal change in posting patterns. I imagine once the membership numbers here go up and there is a lower percentage of former ESers, there will be more continuous discussion here. It's just a matter of reaching that threshold.

Oh, and after looking at the posting stats, it's scary to think I'm among the top 20 (numbers-wise) posters on this (or any) site. I just don't have that much to say.

The driving idea (my interpretation of that idea, anyway) behind this site remains as valid and powerful as ever. In my travels I have yet to find a place like it, where open, thoughtful discussion is not only encouraged, but required, and where people from myriad backgrounds and age groups can share with one another the things in life that interest them, or make them laugh, or shape part of who they are.

Life being life and uncontrollable and all that, there isn't always enough time for the things we enjoy, but, hopefully, going forward, that will change and The Noosphere will become the site we used to all love way back when, before there were so many people here and Dan Snyder bought the mother******.

Nice Sassy That brought a chuckle...

I don't have anything really different from everyone else's reasons for not posting/lurking around TN as much. I guess I'd have to say my reasons are some combo of those previously mentioned, BGO and football season (But then I've always been a fairly seasonal poster, even during my ES days), travelling back to the D.C. area every three weeks to take Mom to chemo treatments while being the "go to" guy for treatment/medical explanations and negotiating the healthcare system, H1N1 and other work projects keeping me incredibly busy, trying to figure out and complete reams of forms in order prove we're responsible adults worthy of adopting a child. On top of all that, we've lost a few more family members and my ex-wife (formerly known as "Satan" - RIP India) which reminded me yet again that contrary to what I've always seemed to think, the people I love won't necessarily be around forever and I need to devote more time to them.

Even with all that, I didn't really realize how long it's been since I came through TN to see what's new. I suppose there's something to what others have said about that as well. That is, I can generally post a quick paragraph or a one-liner about the Skins over at BGO or ES off the top of my head. Here, that just won't cut it.

A few less categories on the forum page might help as well. Having that many options seems a bit overwhelming. But, that might just be me.

With regard to membership numbers and post counts, bear in mind that "value" can be measured in terms of quantity or quality. ES for example, is about the former, whereas TN is clearly much more about the later. Above some minimum threshold, I don't think the numbers should matter all that much, if at all. If TN ultimately ends up being a site only visited by at most, say 1K or so members with 50-100 quality posts per day, that's not the worst thing in the world. You guys just need to figure out a way to make that model work.

Regardless, (or should I say "irregardless" ) I love the place and hope it's always around. I may not have enough time to post, but I'll try to drop by more often, even if only to lurk for a bit.

As said previously - I think the 'creeping to a crawl' that's occurred here is due to one factor alone - and that's a focus on the 'other website'. We've reached a level of stability on the football site that I think will allow us to return to at least a modicum of activity and energy here.

I'd like to see us getting the blogs here active again - we had some nice ones going. If anyone is interested in a recurring blog on the homepage, let us know!

No question, our administrative attention has been dominated for the past few months by cranking up the other site. Add to that my own personal unforseen and complete hiatus from any real interwebz activity there for a while, and this place was left a little undermanned.

I'll echo what I think Boone wrote earlier though ... TN isn't going anywhere. As long as there IS a web, and your friendly staff are on the right side of the grass, I'm prepared to pretty much guarantee we'll be here.

The idea is sound. The niche, and need, we firmly believe are there. We hope those who started off with us will remain with us while we get geared back up, and will continue to provide the place with the rich content and insight that gave it so much soul in the first place.

In other words ... we're back, baby. Hang with us.

You may not see it manifested overnight, but the tide is slowly rising again.

Well, that and football season is almost over.

I have a number of ideas that I have been playing with. Actually, my computer is littered with nearly a dozen entries I have started over the last year but didn't get done in a time frame I considered good for subject relevancy or there wasn't as much material there as I thought when I started.

I feel more than a bit bad about letting it languish and will be getting back to doing something soon. Hopefully it will also be relevant and, with any luck at all, thought provoking.

Is this like the cyclic small tide that we see at the beach every 12 hours, or the once in a lifetime tide such as the one that hit New Orleans during Katrina? I need to know in order to prepare myself for any eventuality.

Meteor, here is an image metaphor that probably describes fairly well what I perceive to be happening. Imagine a bowl sitting on a table 2/3 filled with water, now slide it toward yourself quickly. The sudden acceleration overcoming the inertia of the still water in the bowl causes it to slosh toward the rim of the bowl nearest you-this is my mental image of what happened in the first few months after TN's introduction, the water sloshing back toward the other rim could represent the onset of the NFL football season setting up an oscillation the first cycle of which could represent the sudden recent realization that TN had been "under-utilized" for a while and the birth of this thread. These oscillations will continue and decrease in amplitude until an equilibrium is reached and TN settles into a "comfort level" of activity and involvement that retains stability regardless of external system perturbations.


I'll be around in any case because it's an outlet and source of information and exchange I have discovered is rare enough that once found must be kept open and available.

I would accept those options, gentlemen.

The cyclic tide is universal and eternal. The inertial, finally-finding-its-level option connotes balance and happy medium. Both suggest permanence.

Alternatively, should TN go the route of the once-in-a-lifetime tide, it would mean that if nothing else we had risen to such epic heights as to leave an indelible mark on both in our own lives and the world.

As long as we avoid the Tide that swooshes away in an ignominious whirlpool of blueness we're good.