Is this how it ends?

Aniseteph

New member
Quite.

I wonder how FB groups will evolve if the same old topics keep coming up? If it's a linear structure, with only one or two live threads at a time, you can't usefully cross reference back to a thread further back where the same topics came up. So sooner or later either:
- the poor innocent who posted it for the nth time gets shot down in flames of exasperation or ignored for being a clueless noob,
- people are nice to the poor innocent, but it's groundhog day and everyone gets to post/read the same old stuff,
- or you rely on FBs coverage and sheer numbers to generate a steady stream of new members to whom this is cutting edge.

Another thing about sheer numbers plus the way people tend to use FB is that you get a lot of "oh thanks for posting that, how cool/ sad/ interesting/ whatever". Which is what it's all about in a small circle of friends idly chatting through their day, but doesn't make for an interesting discussion group. Discussion gets lost in little pockets of replies between the soliloquies and thanksforposting's.

OK, done soliloquising, off to paint walls and maybe a ceiling if I'm feeling brave.
 

Suzanne Azhaar

Active member
Favorite Bhuz.com thread, "What are you working on now?" From beginners to professional seamstresses, it made my day to see costumes created from raw materials. :cool: I'd pop in at the end of the month to delight in their accomplishments.

Shanazel, thank-you for the well wishes. Much appreciated.
 

Mosaic

Super Moderator
Well I learnt something today:) I wondered why/how Hannan Sultan had me on a mailing list. I haven't visited Bhuz in years so was surprised to hear it has wrapped up. I seldom go to FB either. I maintain my FB account so I can check the forum FB page for new member requests but that is just about my extent of being on FB.

We are still getting some new members but not many post after their initial meet & greet post.
~Mosaic
 

Jane

New member
It's been awhile since I've posted and have dropped in from time to time and see what's going on. My dance life has been through a lot of changes since I was active here. I got a bad injury which took almost a year to heal, moved, stopped performing and teaching as much as I used to because I got busy with non-dance commitments. I still dance and when life slows down, am thinking of re-starting weekly classes in my new community.

I feel like a bit of a traitor to the forum as I've been more active in the belly dance community on Facebook. When A'isha retired, Tedi, Shining and I took over her Belly Dance Matters group and I help moderate my state's belly dance Facebook page too. I promise I still love this site, all of the posters here, and the conversations we've shared through the years.

- Arwen aka Jane
 

Asra*

New member
Amen. Unless I search for a Facebook group that has bellydance members of all levels of experience and all styles from all over the world :(
 

Jane

New member
In our SCA Kingdom (Montana, Idaho, and Utah) the winning combatant (Ibrahim) and their consort (me) serve as Prince and Princess for five months, then King and Queen for six months. We did our full terms of office and survived! The 16th Century Ottoman reign theme was a blast. He was Sultan and I was Valide Sultan (his mom). Mothers were always the female power base for their son's rule at that time in history.


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Aniseteph

New member
Oohh, that looks brilliant and you look amazing. I am glad no one threw you into the Bosphorus or strangled you with a bowstring in some fiendish palace plot.
 

Shanazel

Moderator
I'm not a big Facebook fan but I have enjoyed your posts immensely. One of my students is getting married at an SCA event in July and wants dancers at her wedding, so the Veiled Threats shall dance as bidden. ;)
 

Sophia Maria

New member
The difference between Facebook and forums is that forums instigate conversations and Facebook is a platform for soliloquys .

Agree and disagree. I will agree that I use Facebook more these days, but I wouldn't say it's not constructive. Above ALL, I use it because of it's sheer networking power. Whether this is good or bad, using facebook to keep an eye on the dance world has it's advantages. Because of the sheer number of people on there, the networking, and the pace of social media, I can always be assured that things will be moving, new stuff will be posted, and I may end up talking to just about anybody, which is cool. Yes, you have to sift through a lot of s*** and misinformation, which is bad, but quite frankly I'm used to it. I sift.

Also, facebook doesn't just encourage soliloquys. If you're in the right groups and take care to whittle weird, creepy, rude people out, I've had some intense but wonderfully constructive conversations there.

I think the appeal of Facebook is that it seems to bring all the different platforms together. That's why even though at times I hate it and take breaks from it, I'll always come back. It combines flashy-seconds-long-"look at me!" posting, debates, blogging (you can write essentially blog posts in your notes section), interest groups, event signups, photo/video galleries, into one single interface. It's extremely interactive (in terms of the group connections and signups and "friends") , I suppose, in a way that writing on forums isn't for me.

However, take heart! I think things rise and fall in popularity again and again over time. I can say that I personally ALWAYS come back, because sometimes I need more than the intense sharing and group interaction that I get on Facebook. This is a place where it feels like I'm having a long, patient, important conversation, and trust me I may stray, but I ALWAYS come back here for that :)

(That and the one ultimate downfall of facebook for me is, "How the hell do I find that cool conversation again where I learned all that stuff?" The problem with Facebook is that it's all about the new, and everything in the past seems to fade away and become impossible to retrieve)
 

Shanazel

Moderator
The problem with Facebook is that it's all about the new, and everything in the past seems to fade away and become impossible to retrieve)

Definitely a big problem. There is a new weaving page sponsored by Weaving Southwest that I'd love to follow but it is already hopelessly complex and it has only been up ten days or so. No categorization of topics makes me crazy; too many years of being a legal assistant, I suppose, and dedicating my working life to organization of information and retrieval systems for the same.
 
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