GR makes friends forever

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **RetroCora** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 2:03 pm

Last point on the football thing - I'd argue that football is probably the only thing that needs a splintered out chat. Anything else - politics, TV/film etc, can be kept in the larger group because it won't be as overwhelming and regular as a two fixture per week football league. :lol:

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **Jenuall** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 2:05 pm

Just wait until we start live reactions to PMQs every week!

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **Tomous** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 2:12 pm

Jenuall wrote:Just wait until we start live reactions to PMQs every week!

The problem with Corbyn is he always tries to ~~walk~~ cycle it in!

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **RetroCora** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 2:18 pm

Tomous wrote:
Jenuall wrote:Just wait until we start live reactions to PMQs every week!

The problem with Corbyn is he always tries to ~~walk~~ cycle it in!

This is great on many levels :lol:

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **Denster** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 3:54 pm

500 messages while I was sleeping was a bit too much for me. Sorry.

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **jiggles** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 4:08 pm

Qikz wrote:https://discord.gg/sc36rJ5WcZ

If people want a slower moving place to chat as well there's the GRCade discord which is a little bit easier to follow longer term. I know people want whatsapp because it's slightly more personal, but feel free to use discord as well

There’s no reason Discord has to be slower paced though. And there’s no reason for the two to even co-exist. There’s nothing a WhatsApp group adds that isn’t already there, better, on Discord.

Tbh, though. I’d be perfectly happy for the forum to die completely if everyone just moved to Discord, but you need the buy-in of everyone doing it. Without everyone there you still just come back here because, well, this place is where everyone is.

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **RetroCora** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 4:35 pm

Thing is, it's really only Qikz and Denny that have an issue with the way things are playing out. This is Dan's initiative - let's see how it goes, and let him take the lead on it. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, we'll try something else.

EDIT: Issue isn't the right word, but my point is that most folks seem quite happy for this to play out on Whatsapp for now.

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **Victor Mildew** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 4:43 pm

Maybe it's 500 messages about the eagles taking the ring to mordor.

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **Qikz** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 4:44 pm

RetroCora wrote:Thing is, it's really only Qikz and Denny that have an issue with the way things are playing out. This is Dan's initiative - let's see how it goes, and let him take the lead on it. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, we'll try something else.

EDIT: Issue isn't the right word, but my point is that most folks seem quite happy for this to play out on Whatsapp for now.

I don't have an issue, I'm just giving saying that the discord is also there and alleviates some of the questions people had. :toot:

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **Jenuall** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:08 pm

Discord definitely could do the same as what this WhatsApp group offers, but if doing it that way means fewer people want to get involved then that's probably a bad move.

Discord 100% can't replace the forum though, it just cannot handle the scope of threaded conversation anywhere near as well

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **jiggles** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:17 pm

Jenuall wrote:Discord 100% can't replace the forum though, it just cannot handle the scope of threaded conversation anywhere near as well

I dunno, the thread feature within channels is pretty good.

There’s not much value to me as a user having, say, a 300-page PS5 thread, another for PSN and PS Plus, another for each live event that comes up and then a bunch of dead 5-10 post threads for the less popular games when it could just be one channel with threads created within for dominant conversations that then get archived as they become less active.

The conversation around anything on the gaming side here gets either one gigantic bloated thread that nobody cares about beyond the most recent pages, or splintered discussions that simply don’t have enough engagement to really keep going.

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **Qikz** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:20 pm

Jenuall wrote:Discord definitely could do the same as what this WhatsApp group offers, but if doing it that way means fewer people want to get involved then that's probably a bad move.

Discord 100% can't replace the forum though, it just cannot handle the scope of threaded conversation anywhere near as well

Discord shouldn't and can't replace the forum. Discourse however *taps sign*

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **Jenuall** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:54 pm

I'm pro Discourse

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **Victor Mildew** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 6:12 pm

Stop trying to make discourse happen you nerds

I don't know what Discourse is and I don't want to find out.

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **LewisD** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 6:25 pm

It's when you're arguing with your homies on Mario Kart 64:

"Nah! I wanna do dis course, not day course!"

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **Herdanos** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:13 pm

Sorry jiggles but I disagree with you on both points (that running Discord and WhatsApp simultaneously is redundant; or that everyone moving to Discord and the forum here dying would be OK). The forum has a permanence that neither WhatsApp nor Discord can replace; and, we wouldn't want them to.

For one thing, the forum is public. That's great - its visibility allows us to attract new members. Sure, we do that more slowly than we used to, but we still do it.

The forum allows splintered discussion that is preserved in perpetuity. That's great too! Ideal for a public forum.

But that public nature definitely leads to some people sharing less personal info than they might otherwise. WhatsApp gets round that. And, hey - if your purpose is to participate in a forum, there's no obligation (no need, even!) to share personal info. But the purpose of this endeavour has been quite overt from the outset: to potentially transform those forum relationships into something more akin to IRL friendships. (Discord is public too, though to less of an extent.

Through WhatsApp I've learnt more about some people in a few days than I have in over a decade through the forum - real names, faces, places, jobs, families. I've spoken 1 on 1 with some people more than ever, and more quickly and easily than PMs allow. That's helpful for... making friends! Discord can't do that; and the reality is, the forum doesn't promote that.

But the forum is host to discussions, conversations games, etc etc, dating back decades, from over a thousand genuine registered members, and hundreds of meaningful contributory participants. WhatsApp or Discord can't replace that sense of community.

But WhatsApp can (maybe) help individuals within that community become friends. Some people have already discovered that they live closer than they think!

Again, though, I didn't expect this to be as big as it is. I think that speaks volumes as to how difficult it can be, as adults, to form meaningful friendships in a modern, post Covid, increasingly online world, where people "our age" (a broad spectrum) move around the country a lot. I do think it'll get quieter as the days pass; someone's already left, others have muted the chat. But I'd like to think it'll serve a meaningful purpose, and one that isn't to the detriment of the forum as a whole. If anything, by making stronger connections, we'll feel more determined to keep this place running!

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **Ironhide** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:42 pm

I will continue using the forum while ever it (or I) exists but would possibly consider using Discord (not whatsapp) as well if it became the main way most of us interact.

PostRe: GR makes friends 2022 by **jiggles** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:45 pm

Herdanos wrote:Through WhatsApp I've learnt more about some people in a few days than I have in over a decade through the forum - real names, faces, places, jobs, families. I've spoken 1 on 1 with some people more than ever, and more quickly and easily than PMs allow. That's helpful for... making friends! Discord can't do that;

Maybe you downloaded the wrong app

GR makes friends forever

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