Why has Metafilter IRC gone to zero attendance?

May 9, 2002 6:30 PM

Why has Metafilter IRC gone to zero attendance?
posted by ParisParamus to MetaFilter-Related at 6:30 PM (36 comments total)

And blogirc too!
posted by ParisParamus at 6:37 PM on May 9, 2002

I've been coming home late the past few days.
posted by riffola at 6:46 PM on May 9, 2002

I'm in there now. Also, ParisPariah, my evil twin is ready for duels....
posted by ParisParamus at 6:48 PM on May 9, 2002

tamim has said he won't be available for a few days, and some others (Melinika) are a bit preoccupied right now. i come around, but i've such a short attention span that if i hung out a lot i'd really only be idling.
posted by moz at 7:22 PM on May 9, 2002

I came back for once tonight, and am here now. Don't blink! You might miss me.

I've been busy anyway.
posted by lnicole at 9:05 PM on May 9, 2002

Why has Metafilter IRC gone to zero attendance?

'cuz it sux.
posted by evanizer at 9:59 PM on May 9, 2002

agreed. it's boring.
posted by mcsweetie at 10:42 PM on May 9, 2002

It sucks because nobody comes. Nobody comes because it sucks. If you don't want it to suck, invest some time in hanging out even when it does suck.

Chats work like that.
posted by kindall at 11:14 PM on May 9, 2002

I could probably search for the info, but its really late and I'm a bit tipsy... server/channel????
posted by 10sball at 1:06 AM on May 10, 2002

server: irc.metafilter.com
channel: #mefi
posted by riffola at 4:38 AM on May 10, 2002

What Kindall said.
posted by ParisParamus at 5:41 AM on May 10, 2002

riffola, you may as well add that bit of info to your user page so we can all just keep referring people to that ;)
posted by iconomy at 5:57 AM on May 10, 2002

actually, I came to the conclusion that it was boring after visiting during a particularly active couple of nights.
posted by mcsweetie at 9:18 AM on May 10, 2002

There was a Metafilter IRC?

Hmmm. I haven't used IRC in years. Not sure I would want to resume the habit, even if it was particularly cool.
posted by Mars Saxman at 9:25 AM on May 10, 2002

Possibly for the same reason the "Weblogs_reborn" Yahoogroup has 140 members yet hasn't had a posting since April 17th of this year (February, before that).

Perhaps all the great arguments about weblogs have already been argued (and argued, and argued)?
posted by precocious at 9:35 AM on May 10, 2002

Well...I visited when MetaFilter was down and greatly enjoyed the conversation. The great Tamim was there - I remember something about April 25 being the date when he would accomplish a perfect ratio for one post for every day since he joined - and the atmosphere was half-party and half-gentleman's club. Very literate, civil and amusing.

The problem, I think, is that, despite all moz's efforts, people still have no idea of the dates and times. That and(at least in my case)how easy it is to join. If you go there two or three times and there's nobody there, you sort of stay away after that. At least that's what happened to me.

But when server-change time comes, you'll be glad of it. So don't knock it too much. It's a bit ridiculous to criticize a chat room, precisely because it's only as good as the sum of its parts.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 9:55 AM on May 10, 2002

Regrettably, I haven't been able to make it in much lately, since I've been quite busy, but I believe the largest crowd is in there between 9 and 11 pm Central Standard; come on by! I'll try to be in there more often.

Also, mcsweetie made me cry. Cry like a baby.
posted by j.edwards at 10:17 AM on May 10, 2002

Duels! : )
posted by ParisParamus at 10:18 AM on May 10, 2002

Are there any women there or have you guys scared them all away?
posted by iconomy at 10:22 AM on May 10, 2002

there are girls, and have been girls. some (sugarfish) don't stop by anymore. some (mara, aka po on metafilter) are too busy. #blogirc, on wednesdays, probably has more girls than #mefi ever does. it's not like we argue a lot on the channel; we mostly just shoot the shit.
posted by moz at 10:30 AM on May 10, 2002

Is blogirc a chat for just anyone who has a weblog? This is all new to me. I think I'm too shy to join a chat but you never know.
posted by iconomy at 10:40 AM on May 10, 2002

Ike, do - the MeFi people are very polite and you can lurk for a long time, just reading. There's nothing pushy about it. In fact, I think it's ideal for shy people.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:46 AM on May 10, 2002

I was there about two weeks ago with Holden and evanizer, and yes there were women talking too. It's a nice place to visit and talk, with none of that "U M or F" type of tripe.
posted by mkelley at 11:00 AM on May 10, 2002

blogirc is a channel that was centered on weblogs, mainly. there are a lot of people from the austin, tx and dallas/fort worth area on the channel. but it's very hard to have a topical irc channel, so mostly both #mefi and #blogirc revolve around whatever's interesting to whoever's talking.

i guess maybe part of the reason #mefi isn't real hopping is i don't put too much into it. i'm not saying that i don't care about the channel. it's just that if i am going out to drink tonight, or to see a movie, i'm not going to feel bad for not being around. because #mefi is so small, one person really can make a difference. it's an awkward point of the place, and i think that's why there are lots of occasional visitors and one-timers and very few regulars.

i mean, i could say that #mefi has been visited by over 20 or 30 people in its time. this includes matt, rebecca blood, jjg, miguel, and so on. but mainly it's just a couple of regular joes in their boxers and regular janes in large football shirts chatting before they go to bed.
posted by moz at 11:08 AM on May 10, 2002

A/S/L ROOFLES!!
posted by jcterminal at 2:03 PM on May 10, 2002

i showed up...glad i did...thanks again kids.
posted by gummi at 9:48 PM on May 10, 2002

i joined for a bit, but then the version of ircle i had just installed said the eval period was up :/..

maybe i'll try again today..


posted by PugAchev at 10:28 AM on May 11, 2002

#MeFi. It's informative! It's educational!

And just so you know-- munging... has absolutely jack shit to do with donuts.

I'm forever scarred.
posted by precocious at 11:04 AM on May 11, 2002

I had no idea there was an IRC channel for MeFi! I wonder if that's part of the reason no one shows up.
posted by Modem Ovary at 11:59 PM on May 11, 2002

metafilter's greatest strength to me is its asynchronicity.

no wonder the IRC channel is weaker than the strong brew.
posted by zpousman at 1:59 PM on May 12, 2002

When I was a kid, my parents were into CB Radio. The Citizens' Band. Dad wasn't a trucker. First he put one in the car to talk to people while he was in traffic to and from work. Then he set up a base station CB receiver in the house, using some stuff he got from a Radio Shack, and put it on a metal trash can to help boost the signal. And he talked to truckers. And he talked to other people in the area. We learned there was a whole community of people out there. Other people who had house base stations. Many of them because they were related to truckers, or they were ex-truckers. Then it started becoming 'fashonable.' It was a fad for awhile. Back around the time Smokey & the Bandit came out.

At first I thought it was stupid. My Dad sitting there talking to people he didn't even know. Asking them what's your twenty? Telling truckers about the best places to eat in the area. He left it on all the time, and Mom and we kids were sorta taking shifts answering the thing when Dad was at work. Whenever someone gave a shout out for "Tiny From Texas" we took a message for him and kept a log for Dad. And since we were talking on the thing, naturally we had to have handles. I went by "Lone Star" but since I was nine and my voice hadn't changed yet, the truckers kept confusing me with my sister "Blue Bonnet."

Then there were the Coffee Klatches. Where all the local CB fans would gather together at one of the diners near the highway, and rub elbows with truckers. They'd get to put faces with the names. The adults had fun. We kids met the children of the other adults. We humored our parents.

Why do I bring this up now? In this thread? Because I think the Internet now is in many ways for many people what CBs were for my parents and for many others of their generation. It didn't last. Who knows how long this will last. I don't know why some people can get into sitting and talking with people they hardly know just to get to know them. I don't know why some people can't.

I think #mefi & #blogirc are there for those who want it, and not there for those who don't. If those who want it wish to improve its success, you just have to give those who are on the fence a reason to try it, and then a reason to stay.
posted by ZachsMind at 4:22 PM on May 12, 2002

Hey, good comparison, Blue Bonnet! ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 4:31 PM on May 12, 2002

I had never heard of it either. I'm there now though. Somebody come chat. Dammit.
posted by beth at 6:07 PM on May 12, 2002

Well, come chat after I come back from hot tubbing, I mean.
posted by beth at 6:11 PM on May 12, 2002

metafilter's greatest strength to me is its asynchronicity. no wonder the IRC channel is weaker than the strong brew.

#mefi is not intended to be an IRC version of MetaFilter, but simply a gathering of people who already know they have at least one thing in common.
posted by kindall at 9:43 PM on May 12, 2002

#mefi is not intended to be an IRC version of MetaFilter, but simply a gathering of people who already know they have at least one thing in common.

Waaaaay too much free time? :)
posted by some chick at 8:46 AM on May 13, 2002