Hi everyone! Remember that thread lil posted 6 months ago while I was deep into a hiatus?
Let's do that again!
After thinking about the State of The Hubwheel all morning (shoutout to flagamuffin), I crept through some profiles I haven't seen around in awhile - the gallery on lil's profile is a pretty great glossary for that.
I want to know who's around! Who's active? Who's lurking? Who's new and who's not?
I'd like to use the same format as lil's post from 6 months ago, with an additional question:
What change would you like to see from the users of Hubski?
I'll start!
Name:
kingmudsy, or just "mud"
Location:
Midwestia, USA
Age:
22
Current Preoccupation:
Getting my adult life in order! I need to get a new lease, new furniture, open all sorts of accounts (savings, retirement, rainy day, oh my!), and 500,000 other things. I posted about most of this in Pubski, but it's a battle between Being Stressed and Tired (tm) and Needing To Work During The Evenings (c)
Previous Preoccupations:
Graduating college, overcoming all sorts of mental blockages, and the stressful saga of how I found my current job!
What change would you like to see from the users of Hubski?
Overall, I wish the site was more active! I check a few times a day (probably more often than I should), and it'd be nice if there were more updates. There's been a pretty lengthy conversation about it over here, if you're more interested in my thoughts.
Name ThurberMingus - taken from a highway sign. Location DFW Texas Age Late 20s Preoccupations Some small coding projects, work has been pretty interesting recently, and the summer has been good. Still lurking here. I've aways been pretty quiet on here though. Changes Honestly not sure. Doesn't make much sense to tell everyone to post more or differently when l participate so rarely myself. I don't have a reason for not posting or commenting. Sometimes I don't think it's worth the trouble of explaining whatever I'm interested in, mostly it's just my nature.
Do you think you'd contribute to more casual conversations if you didn't have to explain any more than you really wanted to? Like if we weren't always talking Big Ideas (tm), do you think it'd be easier to step into discussions?Sometimes I don't think it's worth the trouble of explaining whatever I'm interested in, mostly it's just my nature.
Sure, some. But I was shy as a teenager, but I was weirdly quiet before I was shy and I'm still quiet now. I could adjust to a dessert cave dwelling hermitic life better than most I think.mostly it's just my nature
Name applewood Location Sitting on a dining room chair. Getting ready to head into the backyard to listen to the cicadas. Current Preoccupation Trying to learn Spanish. Looking for good stories to read, television to watch, anything that'll fill the hole that was created since I walked away from comics. Sewing. Bookbinding. Job hunting. More casual conversation, because it's genuinely a good way to connect to people. More OC and threads about what people are making. Humility. Curiosity. Civility. Gratitude. There's absolutely no reason why conversations on here should feel like walking into a war zone, where you're afraid to share ideas for fear of being dismissed, mocked, or antagonized against just because someone disagrees with you and feels absolutely no compulsion to treat you respectfully because of it. When this goes beyond even remotely controversial topics and bleeds into conversations about cartoons, movies, books, food, etc., it's beyond tragic. Conversations are supposed to be about exploring ideas together, to build relationships and share in the joys that our experiences bring us. They're not supposed to be battlefields, where at the very best the only thing that's won or loss is the building up or tearing down of egos. Four years ago casual threads would have comments numbering in the dozens. Now we're lucky to get that out of Pubski. We're not gonna be able to get back to where we used to be without a genuine and heartfelt shift in attitude.What change would you like to see from the users of Hubski?
To quote wasoxygen from forever ago: I couldn't agree more with the characteristics you laid out. I'm gonna ask some questions, answer the ones you feel compelled to: First, do you think we still have lurkers like this? I've seen a good number sharing posts without commenting, but I'm not convinced they're as sizeable a group as they used to be. Second, how would you like to see those conversations facilitated? Do you think people just need to start asking more casual questions (maybe reviving #askhubski?) or do you have a vision of some site-level support for that? I also want to know what you mean by a "shift in attitude" because I'm sure that I relate to it and agree with you, but I'm having a tough time articulating what I'd actually like to change about the base-level disposition of the site!The site has been aptly likened to a cocktail party. People are milling around, some clustered in little groups, many participating in multiple dialogues at once. For every conversationalist, there are many more nearly invisible lurkers who don't speak up but enjoy following along.
I think the number of lurkers have probably shrunk alongside the general population. I've also seen regular uses, voices I've loved and appreciated, become lurkers at best. I think mk has put in great safeguards in his moderating system to help reduce the number of trolls and spammers. The rest is on us as users to be respectful, considerate, and mature contributors to this site. The majority of users here do just that day in and day out. Unfortunately, as small as this site is now, every interaction is more impactful because every interaction is more rare. As a result, negative interactions are more likely to drive people away than they were four or five years ago. Well, like I said in my previous post, I think we could all stand to be more generous in spirit. Every last one of us. The conversations I personally look for and want to contribute to are ones where I feel heard and respected and where, when someone disagrees with me, instead of making me feel attacked or like I have to go on the defensive, they give me space to speak and explain myself. It's amazing how much easier it is to share ideas if it feels like I'm in a casual conversation with a friend than in some fierce debate where I have to struggle to be heard. Knowing what I want from conversations and how one kind makes me feel over the other, I work very hard to try and afford others the same opportunity to feel heard and respected, even if I disagree with them. It's been a slow process to change my behavior, but where I'm at now is a world of difference compared to where I was five years ago.First, do you think we still have lurkers like this? I've seen a good number sharing posts without commenting, but I'm not convinced they're as sizeable a group as they used to be.
Second, how would you like to see those conversations facilitated?
I also want to know what you mean by a "shift in attitude"
Those influxes were usually people who got sick of reddit for one reason of another, and came here for some relief. Many found it, others just went back to reddit after awhile. Do you think we should be hoping for more influxes like that? What can we do to encourage them?
Name: my own Location: Kansas Age: 29 Current Preoccupation: Reading through this. About to finish volume 1. Trying to be less bitter about work. Previous Preoccupations: Being bitter about work. What change would you like to see from the users of Hubski? ? I find I lurk more as I become more comfortable with the fact that I'm not comfortable trying to be social for the sake of being social. More book threads would be nice. I need to get a hard copy of Society Of The Spectacle so I can finish it. I read super slow on my phone.
Name ilex Location Middle of the woods in the rural midwest Age Bit shy of 30 Current Preoccupations Finishing grad school, finishing writing a book, finishing reading many books, finishing fixing one of my MR2s, etc. Permanent Preoccupations Learning to love my wife, my metamour, and myself better. Transition. Previous Preoccupations Surviving grad school, transition again (but faster) More OC! And more not-serious conversation?What change would you like to see from the users of Hubski?
It seems like I see a lot of Big Topics posted here (politcs, econ, etc.) and most days it can be pretty hard to have something insightful to say about them. There are plenty of topics that aren't quite so daunting -- and might lead to more conversation and balance out some of the more heated stuff?
My suggestion? Start the kind of conversations you want to see. Maybe focus on some subjects that especially interest you and if the conversations are there, conversationalists will come. I'm trying to Field of Dreams tags like #art, #crafts, #hobbies, #godzilla myself. I think the last one is a looong shot, but you can't blame me for trying. :)
Name johnnyFive (j5) Location SE USA Age 36 Current Preoccupation Trying to find some direction. I've bounced from interest to interest for as long as I can remember, but that leads nowhere interesting or fulfilling. But my brain is such that the parts responsible for weighing cost-benefit are wonky, meaning it's hard for me to define what "want" actually means sometimes.
Thanks! I've kind of gotten away from doing those... it had seemed like interest had died down a little, although that may be my own neurosis talking. I'll try to get back into it next term!
Name: Foveaux - it's never taken online because NZ doesn't exist on maps. Location: Dunedin, New Zealand (Aotearoa) Age: 29 Current Preoccupation: Working, training, saving for a trip to Japan. Excited about the Rugby World Cup, also in Japan. Previous Preoccupations: Learning to handle anxiety/depression. Finding a job I enjoyed. What change would you like to see from the users of Hubski? It's been good, just a smaller site. My usual hobbies/interests aren't focal points here so I pop in and out to get some interesting viewpoints on things and see a side of the internet I don't often get.
Name: The username is apparently standard. Location: NYC Age: just hit 31 in July Current Preoccupation: Setting up this house to be self sufficient so I can buy a home with my partner in the upcoming years (need multiple bases of operation for the community.) Started a new job in July. Probably should do some push ups or something. Lots of house n techno. Weed. Watching white people still be in denial about directly confronting their racist half. Previous Preoccupations: Uh. Same unless we go back a decade. What change would you like to see from the users of Hubski? Some of y'all got a permanent sick in your asses, so I don't comment. The content and discourse is still the best thing about here.
This one's been frustrating. Say what you want about Obama, but at least the dude can publicly acknowledge how fucked up our country is. Think you'd comment more if we removed that stick?Watching white people still be in denial about directly confronting their racist half.
Some of y'all got a permanent sick in your asses, so I don't comment
Well, yeah. The conversations here are generally great. Some people just walk the line between discussion/debate vs arguing a little too often. I describe the behavior as this kindof very well worded verbal assault. Like: "how can I tell you to STFU in the most reasoned way possible." The aggression seeps through, but maybe I'm projecting.
Nah, I get it. I'm trying to get more casual discussion running by posting to #askhubski a few times a week - we'll see how that goes. I don't mind that tone when it's related to politics or something important/impactful, so I'm hoping that providing more opportunities for people to just talk about neutral shit will help mellow the average discussion without diluting the passion people have for some things
Name Zebra2 Location Not quite LA Age about 30 Current Preoccupation Settling in Change I think I'd like to see more traffic here, really. I know it's a double-edged sword to have a user influx or a growing site, but it feels like this community is fated to decline if we can't get some new blood to fill the seats of the gradually dropping regulars. If I get into the swing of Sci-Fi club again I think I'd drop some offsite ads for it. I've mused about that before.
Sci-fi club would be awesome! I always find myself lurking stuff like that, even if I don't read enough sci-fi to contribute. I agree that we need more people - it's tough to know how to find them, and how to find quality users. What's caused our inflows in the past?
Reddit events, generally. Whenever there’s a flare up of “rah rah reddit is terrible” in response to some policy change etc., and in the event that someone mentions Hubski somewhere, there’s a small surge of users. Although sometimes people mad at Reddit because they banned r/fatpeoplehate are poor Hubskians.
I think this is one of the biggest problems - if you're leaving Reddit now and didn't leave reddit years ago you have no expectation of thoughtful discussion. The site is something completely different now, and the emigrants that came here are generations removed from what drives Reddit now.
Even back in the day though, who was Hubski really snapping up from Reddit? Probably disgruntled tech employees who hated its guts but still couldn't avoid clicking on it until it finally became local news-level entertainment. The only way Hubski is going to get more users is if Hacker News goes out of business or somebody takes their entire grad school hostage, whichever comes first.
Name: Swedishbadgergirl - from being Swedish and from living in Wisconsin for a little while. The girl is from just swedishbadger being taken on gmail. Location: Sweden Age: 21 Current Preoccupation: Moving out and moving city and starting Uni. Working on the whole "adult" thing. Preoparing to live by myself and be all independent. Previous Preoccupations: Getting my mental health in check and getting that High School Diploma. What change would you like to see from the users of Hubski? I don't know really, I'm not that active so it feels unfair to make demands. But I do like the more chatty "how is your life/what are you working on/answer this interesting question" type posts , so more of those is what I'd ask for.
That's pretty much what we all want, apparently. What kinda posts would catch your attention? I can only talk about moving into a new apartment so many times before you guys start giving me shit for it I kind of asked nil the same question, but how do we make that feel organic instead of a continuous string of ice-breakers?
In a way I don't really mind a continuous string of icebreakers if I'm honest.
Yeah, a hugely common theme has been the need for more casual discussion. I'm ready for that culture shift, I just want to know how to do it without it feeling artificial Know what'd be worse than feeling like you're at your dad's house? Feeling like you're at some corporate meet-and-greet, which I now realize is the status quo with my "Name, age, and a fun fact!" questions. Honestly if you've got any suggestions on how to make shit feel more organic, I'm here