Forum-ation

So I had recently been "involved" with some forums...one is a forum that I browse more than anything else, while the other is something I have joined about 5 years ago and have not posted much since 2005! The first is quite funny...I had come across the San Diego Chargers' fan forums at the San Diego Union-Tribune forum website.

There are hardcore fans, and there are hardcore forum fanatics! The place is crazy and I don't think I'll be posting there any time soon...many have their own "inside" lingo, like "CHURCH M'FER" ...I don't know what that means! But anyways, the experience was entertaining. From an outsider's kind of view, I'm not sure if I'll be involved anytime soon in terms of posting...but nevertheless, GO CHARGERS! These people got the scoop on ANYTHING!

As for the second forum...I had always been interested in city development namely that of urban cores and downtown districts. Hence, in 2002, I had chanced upon a website for skyscraper and city development fanatics called SkyscraperPage.com. Aside from the SkyscraperPage Forum, the page itself features many facts about cities, the skyscrapers they have, heights, dates built, architecture information, and user-produced renderings and photos of buildings and skylines. Given my love of the development of the San Diego city skyline, I had been enticed in joining this forum community who were all, "in the know" about my city's burgeoning development. Nearly six years later, I have seen a massive transformation in my city's skyline, and have the SkyscraperPage forums to thank for giving me the inside info throughout. Though I have not posted there in nearly two years, I had begun to be involved again recently.


The Downtown San Diego skyline...as I saw it last January, 2008.

In sum, I feel that online communities can be outstanding resources, especially when these communities or forums are inhabited by those who are "in the know." The drawbacks to membership to these communities could include "newbie status" where your respect in the forum does not take shape until you post enough insight, but after awhile, you begin to find more and more information about what you might be looking for, if you try hard enough (or ask enough people) on these forums. If you have hobbies about anything and have questions or a desire to know future info, you can really depend on forumers who post regularly to give you the answers you need. Really.

PS - Did I mention that I am a hardcore Chargers fan AND a one-time prospective ARCHITECT? Now I only CHARGE up the classroom and architect my own sky-high structures of badass English curriculum...scaffolds and all!