Is this place your main social outlet?

[Tom_Violence]

Hopefully most of you can deduce the nature of this from the title, but anyway...

I am genuinely curious as to the weight this place (or any other similar online forum-y type thing) has for people, in terms of social interaction. Is this where most of your communication with other living, breathing peoples takes place?

And if so, why do you think that is?

[zeratul]

Well aside from the fact that I talk to my family members alot yes.

[ForzaFiori]

no, not really.
i also use myspace, and i hang with my friends a good bit (although not so much over the summer)
however it is a large social outlet, as it is one of the few forums i've found with a large DnD playing population.

[Sean92k]

This and two other forums, yes. Because my friends live far away

[Ego Slayer]

Yes, most definitely.

[Hushdawg]

About 1/10 of my social interaction is done in these forums.

Another 1/3 is done on Livejournal.

1/4 is done on Yahoo Messenger.

All the rest is via telephone or face-to-face

[Tom_Violence]

Tell me why people!

I want to know if the internet is replacing more traditional forms of social contact for a lot of people.

[Pyro]

Yes, but I expect its only cuz its summer and all my other friends are out doing stuff. Yes that was a good lie Pyro, I think they took it...

[Indon]

I'd say most of my social interaction is with coworkers (I get along astoundingly well with them, considering many coworkers don't). This is my primary internet outlet, bypassing the WoW forums because I can't access them at work.

[adanedhel9]

I'd say this place is somewhere between 30% and 60% of my social activity. Any one week it'll be really low, any other week it could be really high.

[Nomrom]

Right now it is, because it's summer, and most of my friends are away. During college, I didn't even bother making an account, because I knew I would not spend any time here at all.

[StickMan]

Yep I love this site. Its nice being able to ask my geek RPG questions that my friends can't wrap there heads around.

[B-Man]

Yes, I would say that this is where I partake in socialising. I find myself not liking meeting with people face-to-face (most of the time). In general, I'm very anti-social now-a-days IRL, and I think it's subconsciously due to the fact that I'm moving at the end of August. I'm really bad at saying good-bye.

[Logic]

This is my biggest "Online" social outlet.

But I have coworkers, family, and friends that I am normally social around.

[Hell Puppi]

I socialize with co-workers, but since I've moved from most of my friends I do my socializing either through here or myspace to check up on my friends.
I hang out with my S.O. a lot, if that counts =P

[FdL]

*realizes and cries*

Yes, it is.
I also socialize with coworkers and other random people.

[SurlySeraph]

^ There there. You're not alone. At least, not when you're here.

I'm pretty antisocial, and this site is really a boon for me because I don't have to talk to people face-to-face and there are large numbers of people who share my interests here. Yes, I'm pathetic, but I don't care.

Basically, it's because there are no bad people on GITP. No one is particularly annoying, there are no trolls, no idiots, and no flame warriors (like I used to be...). Pretty much everyone here is intelligent, kind-spirited, thoughtful, and generally good-like. If I spent the time I spend here on real-world specialization, I'd occassionally run into people I would want to harm, but everyone here is borderline perfect.

[Hell Puppi]

Yay! I'm special!

Though I have to agree with you. The people on this board are some the nicest I've met, and thusly I've decided to hang around instead of become bored and wander off like I do on occasion.

[FdL]

Originally Posted by SurlySeraph

^ There there. You're not alone. At least, not when you're here.

Heh, I know, I was just joking :p
Thanks man. This is a great community.
Edit: Plus HellPuppi is here.

I'm pretty antisocial, and this site is really a boon for me because I don't have to talk to people face-to-face and there are large numbers of people who share my interests here. Yes, I'm pathetic, but I don't care.

I do like talking to people face to face...But sometimes they don't talk back. Or they don't say very interesting things.

It's just more natural for me to do this than to relate to people in RL. It's sad, and I don't like it but it's the way it is :(

[Lemur]

Now that you mention it, yes, this is currently my main social outlet. Although I'm still not particularly social.

For the record, I have no problems talking with people face to face, so long as they don't expect me to actually say anything.

[Amotis]

RL Friends: Talk rarely, meet rarer, still good friends though, only two though.

Gamers: About...five now. Meet bimonthly.

Band members: Two right now. Meet bimonthly.

Coworkers: Cool ones I hang out with outside of work sometimes. Lame ones I barely even talk to while I'm there. (The lame ones outnumber the cool ones unfortunately.)

Classmates: None that I socialize with.

Here: Yup. I have a bunch of friends, a wonderful girlfriend, and all the lurking and inane posting I can handle. It's my main social outlet and I don't think I've ever looked back. I actually came back to this site (after leaving) because I was getting lonely in all my antisocial behavior and I needed people to hang out with and talk to.

[Nomrom]

Evidently, I forgot that I do socialize with people at work, so this isn't my only source during summer.

[Koga]

It's either this or myspace.

And... myspace stupidity can grow most tiresome.

Albeit I can get away with alot more which makesup for it lol!

[Skami Pilno]

I come here when I'm bored. That's about it. My main social outlet? Not even remotely close, I prefer real people to people over the internet any day of the week.

Originally Posted by HellPuppi

The people on this board are some the nicest I've met, and thusly I've decided to hang around instead of become bored and wander off like I do on occasion.

Thank goodness a certain ninja and a certain bear who were really the same person aren't around anymore. The forums are much nicer.

[Orzel]

No

There is my family
friend from church
a couple of non fam, non church friends
my co workers and regular customers at work
another forum I've been at for many years
then here

[Alarra]

It's difficult for me to separate out 'here' and 'real life' friends, since so many of the people I meet here, I turn into RL friends, and socialize with outside of the boards. And 99% of the time, I'm ecstatic to find that they're people that I would be friends with offline anyway.

I do spend an almost unhealthy amount of time on this site however, and would probably consider it my main social outlet.

That being said, I do have a social life off of here. And a lot of friends that I see and do things with frequently. Although I'm trying my hardest to bring them here.

[Narmoth]

This is the only forum I care to hang on. So all my internet sosializing is here.
But I also have a "real" life

[Ikkitosen]

Since I currently work in my own office then I'm here a lot, but I don't tend to banter with people too much here so I'm not sure I'd call it my main social outlet. I see people at tea breaks, evenings and tend to have busy social weekends.

So I guess that's a "no"

[Charity]

As you know Tom I am a hermit living in Antarctica, miles from the nearest trading post. I havn't had real human contact since 1852 when I came out here.

[Castaras]

Yes .