Internet Socializing

Off Topic
1


So before T-Nation, I never really participated in chat rooms and forums. After googling new weight training routines a few years ago, this site popped up. I read some sweet articles and liked the idea of a discussion forum with like minded people.

Along the way, I decided it is more fun to fuck around with people who take this shit seriously. Especially the get a life forum.

Now I have a semi serious question.

For those of you who do try to build friendships online, hide from the real world and look for social status in a forum, why?

Are you rejects in real life?

Are you just so sensitive that anything contradicting your opinion hurts your feelings and you react out of sorrow?

Do you not have real friends to develop meaningful relationships with and look to avatars and bs instead?

I am not expecting much participation but it is worth a shot to satisfy my curiosity.

Don’t lie.

What do you do professionally?

Highest level of education?

Do you really have friends?

Have you traditionally been an outcast?

What about you makes it appealing to develop respect with faceless strangers online?

Are you secluded in small towns and lonely?

I really am curious. All the cliched internet nerd jokes are hilarious in comparison to participating in a chat forum.

Granted, some people are really here to discuss body building and some passing time, but the rest of you, you know who you are, what is it?

2

It’s Friday night and you’re posting in here…um…what was your question again?

3

[quote]debraD wrote:
It’s Friday night and you’re posting in here…um…what was your question again?
[/quote]

pwned. Of course, I’m sure he’s just “killing time until his bros call him”, or something like that.

[quote]FormerlyTexasGuy wrote:
but the rest of you, you know who you are, what is it?[/quote]

Don’t be a pussy ftg - name some names.

4

You’re really strange!

5

[quote]debraD wrote:
It’s Friday night and you’re posting in here…um…what was your question again?
[/quote]

It is Friday night and you responded.

Also, there are 20+ views already.

I am in tonight, you are right. And I did come to T-Nation, which is a little weird. Normally I am out either taking it easy with some buds or booty chasing around town. But, coming to T-Nation on a friday got me curious.

Believe me or don’t my company is holding a networking event tomorrow and I have to be there early to set up. I am in charge of business development for the south eastern region and Texas and will need to be in top shape all day tomorrow.

I am a corporate slut unfortunately. I wish I could say it wasn’t so, but when a dollar sign is waved in front of me I drool a little bit.

I’m also watching CSI re- runs on tv. Which is a really cool thing to do on a friday night.

Anyways, answer the questions please.

And I would imagine the forum regulars will be the anonymous views and will come out with similar responses conveniently on monday or during the day tomorrow.

6

[quote]debraD wrote:
It’s Friday night and you’re posting in here…um…what was your question again?
[/quote]

And, to add to this as posts are taking forever to register, I will be asleep at 11pm on this friday night.

7

[quote]streamline wrote:
You’re really strange![/quote]

I bet you are wearing a tap out shirt you douche bag!

8

I’m off work early and I’m getting drunk/

9

Personally?? I was that ‘float around all kindsa groups in HS… never really with one’ guy… Ummmmm…

Occupation: Lan Admin… network guy… user end support person…

So ya… the PC kinda fits the role… I have a 6 year old daughter whom I share custody with… I have her EVERY Fri night to Sunday night… so it makes my social life a little non existent… before her… I would go out and party it up EVERY weekend… NOW… I do here and there… if I can get a sitter…

Truth be told… I don’t have cable… so I don’t watch TV… and I quite enjoy spending time on here chattin’ away in internet land… it gives me something to do on nights like these… when my buds are out… and I’m home with the little one…

It’s also free… and I get to wake up without a hangover…

I also enjoy when she comes and wakes me up (she’s 6)… and asks if I can make her one of my ‘awesome shakes… without the oil’ and watch Youtube vids of Jay Cutler… (he’s her fav… lol)

10

[quote]FormerlyTexasGuy wrote:
And I would imagine the forum regulars will be the anonymous views and will come out with similar responses conveniently on monday or during the day tomorrow. [/quote]

What “regulars” do you have in mind?

With 850+ posts in about four months, I’d say you’re as regular as it gets nowadays.

Perhaps you are one of our resident Friday night skulkers?

(waiting for you to assure me of how cool you are)

11

[quote]FormerlyTexasGuy wrote:
debraD wrote:
It’s Friday night and you’re posting in here…um…what was your question again?

It is Friday night and you responded.
[/quote]
Indeed I did, but that said I have not made any claims of not being a person described in your post :wink:

[quote]

Also, there are 20+ views already.
[/quote] I have 20 cats. One of them was stepping on the f5 key. Sorry!

Anyways, I work very closely with people all day at work. Right now I’m content to watch the hockey game and surf.

12

THAT was funny… lol

13

[quote]Are you rejects in real life?[quote] Nope have tons of friends

[quote]Are you just so sensitive that anything contradicting your opinion hurts your feelings and you react out of sorrow?[quote] Just poking fun at folks.

[quote]Do you not have real friends to develop meaningful relationships with and look to avatars and bs instead?[quote]
Have a great core group of friends from all walks of life.

[quote]What do you do professionally?[quote] Education/Admin/-Part time: actor

[quote][quote]Highest level of education? MS Education

[quote]Do you really have friends?[quote] Yes

[quote]Have you traditionally been an outcast?[quote] Nope

[quote]What about you makes it appealing to develop respect with faceless strangers online?[quote] It’s entertaining

[quote]Are you secluded in small towns and lonely?[quote] Los Angeles aint small

14

I live in a city of over 3 million people, have my own graphic design company and also work as a personal trainer. I didn’t get back from the gym until 11, and chatted with a friend on the phone for an hour before I decided to eat, so as I digest my PWO meal, I’m surfing some.

I have real friends, a real life, a real boyfriend with whom I share a mortgage with, and I don’t think I’m an outcast or isolated by any standards.

FTG, you seem pretty invested in stirring the shit on this site. I find your posts to be rather amusing mind fluff, nothing more. The kind of stuff you read and forget in less than 5 minutes.

15

I’m a real loser. I’m posting from my blackberry while lying on the couch and watching TV.

But to answer the question. I socialize online cuz sometimes I don’t feel like going out and I don’t feel like cleaning up after my friends when they leave my place. Especially on this site I’m not looking for any friends. Its also interesting to read different views on subjects. If you limit yourself to your town and your friends you are gonna have a very limited view on limited subjects.

16

used to,people who spent all their time on the internet were losers, the grown man living in their mothers basement, the ones with poor social skills and lesser work skills.

Now adays just look around you.
I can bet that if you look in any social setting you will be hard pressed to see anyone that is not texting on their phone,talking on the phone,surfing the internet on their phones.
and what do they do at home
they interact with people on the internet
they get their news and entertainment on the web as well.most dont have cable tv they get free programing which they control the content of over the web.

its evoloution, what do you think people started saying when the television and the phone became main stream.
people said "why dont they just get outside and interact with “real people”

or that television was bad.
go outside and interact with people.
well now that everyone has a phone,children as young as 5 years old have cell phones now (they market ones for children) they use television in schools to help teach.

its just how it is,get used to it
your becoming one of them old guys that dont ever want to change cause change is bad.

17

I do gotta say that this generation kids and teens aren’t very good at socializing in person. You aren’t forced to develop that skill as much since most people talk through other sources now.

Hell as I’m posting this I’m thinking of a response to a message I just got. In real life you don’t have the option of saying “I was talking to someone else” or “I didn’t see that I got a message”. Then again nobody questions it.

18

I hardly go out now for a few reasons. I am not working and can’t afford to get drink and spend money on uneccessary stuff. I have a severe hearing loss and any situation where I am talking to more then 1 person, or if there is background noise I really can’t understand what a person is saying. This makes it extremly hard to meet new people when they have to repeat everything they say about 3 times and its frustrating for both me and them. The nature of the hearing loss makes it close to impossible to hold a conversation with a female. I can’t understand what they say on TV so I spend most of my time on the net. As a result my social skills are fucking terrible, which sucks because I like meeting people.

Working on saving $10k to buy some good hearing aids.

I don’t come here to make friends or socialise, I enjoy the content and the humour here. And I love bodybuilding.

I am alone, but I’m not lonely. I have few friends, but they are ones I have grown up with and known for a long time. I’ve known my best friend since I was 8. I know people who have like 200 friends, but they don’t have close friends.

So what makes a reject? Is it a social requirement to have as many friends as possible. Are you judged by how many people are on your facebook list? Hell, I don’t even like drinking all that much and when I do go out and don’t drink, people look at me all fucking weird so I guess I am a reject. What pisses me off is that its basically impossible to socialise without drinking around here.

19

This is the only internet site I’m on. I’m highly invested in what faceless people here think about me. Sometimes, when nobody replies to my posts, I quietly sob myself to sleep. I didn’t realise that was odd.

The fact is, I use this site as a tool to meet people who have the same driving interest that I have. It’s been a great resource for meeting people, ultimately in real life. So far, I have met 6 people from here.

One person I have been regularly training with now since October and another will be coming here to enter a meet with us. A third has been a super resource on working with my new bench shirt. A couple more, that I have yet to meet will be coming up i a couple weeks to watch the above meet.

All to say, it has been a great means to further my goals in powerlifting.

Oh, I forgot, I work in construction sales and have a Bachelor of Arts. I own my own home, have children, real friends and a cat.

20

It is perhaps worth pointing out, FTG, that your view of the people that post on this site is incorrect.