My wife posts on a Red Sox board everyday, so she knows the culture and the changing nature of internet communication, how it's moved beyond geek culture and become something "other."

Other than that, I've not got much reason to explain the board to anyone else. It doesn't come up.

I used to not discuss message boarding with my friends because I just didn't think they would care one way or another. However, I recently discovered that one of my friends has been on the Sound Opinions since pretty much day 1, so I'm now a little more open about my adventures on the internerd.

Edit: I do discuss internet-related activities from "my main board" that MEGA is also on, but I knew a good chunk of those people before the internet even existed (at least in its current form).

I have noticed that after all is said and done most people don't care about where or how I got information, as it relates to music and upcoming releases and such, but rather that I have the information.

About 7 or 8 years ago I was an Instant Messenger whore and I did get ridiculed for that. However, most people that ridiculed me are now regular users.

It reminds me of when Cell Phones started gaining popularity. At first, people were generally apprehensive and mocking of those with mobile phones. Now it's hard to find someone that does not have a cell phone and even more difficult to find people that have and use a land line as a predominant form of communication.

All in all, I just think that this means that we are not just with the times we are ahead of them.

Kudos for the Obnish.

sometimes i stop and think about how weird the whole posting on the internet thing is, because outside of Obner i have never belonged to anything even vaguely resembling an online community.

Paradigms change. The nature of communication has been irrecoverably altered by the internet. It's not something to berate oneself about, just a fact. Most people don't know their neighbors anymore, but "community" was once something in your face, presented to you by geography and local responsibility. On the internet, for good or bad, a person can chat about things they actually want to chat about, unlike the old model where it was two hours about your Uncle Heeb's colostomy and how much Toby Who Lives In 1989 wants to get into his sister-in-law's pants.

Though it's possible we've talked about colostomies here.

Better THEM than ELLOS. Boo is annoying to hear from whitey's mouth, but papichulo would be worse.

Thank goodness. I don't even want to see my neighbors, much less talk to them.