Then another thing occured to me. I live in a small town outside of Ottawa, Canada (actually, where James Naismith grew up!). The population of my town is listed at 4400! The NLSC actually has a higher population than the town I live in.
So then I started thinking about how an internet community relates to a real life community. First off, I'd like to state that in no way, shape, or form, can internet socialization ever take the place of real life interaction. If you feel strongly against this statement, you have problems. You need to remove your coke bottle glasses, step outside, and take a deep breath of fresh air.
Getting that statement out there, I'd like to show the positives of an internet forum such as the NLSC compared to a real town.
1) The NLSC is run by a crew of people no older than 30, on average 16-25. And IMO, aside from a few little niches here and there, it is run very well. I have seen forums in a LOT worse of shape. On the contrary, most towns like mine are run by olda men, as 'kids' cannot be trusted.
(BTW, I'm not saying kids should run towns, just showing the advantages of online community-ism.)
2) The average age on here is I think (from a recent poll) 14-17. That means that people contributing to conversations are people who in the real world are considered to have opinions of absolutely no importance. Yet here, everyone's opinion is valid (except for spamming dumbwits of course - there are always exceptions to every rule
)3) Everyone has a say. Obviously, there are certain things the NLSC Team staff do without consultation or absolute agreement (ie addition of new moderators.) But that's because the people who have shown they can run the site (especially Andrew) are able to make the tough decisions. But for the most part, everyone can have a say in everything. And if you dislike a decision, you can comment on it without reprecussions (only if you go about it in the right way of course - clearly "FUCK THE NLSC" will be punisheable lol). In real life, people only have a say in who they vote for, it is much more difficult to get your opinion voiced. And even voting is only for people 18+.
4) Just like a real town, there are people who 'live' there and participate regularly, there are people who stop by once in a while, and there are people who visit rarely as tourists. And, just like a real town, there are skiffs between members, but if something were to threaten the NLSC, all members I think would come together to represent it.
Basically, even though it is an internet forum, it still has a higher population than my town and therefore should be considered a legitimate community. It allows people to feel a part of something, even more so than a real life community could. With the internet, you can't usually judge someone because of looks, or many other things that would lead to stereotypes and stuff in real life.
Just thought this was kind of an interesting concept. By all means, post your thoughts and opinions on this, add to it, argue it, I don't care. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to head over to basketball practice. Yes, I DO have a real life
I think that this is kind of besides my point though; just wanted to acknowledge it.
