TAN #203: TANese New Year - Horsing Around (Page 16)

Significantly decreased and black boxer briefs today.

I know.  Saw you put them on when I was stalking you this morning.

snerk

!.) Decreased and 2) White brief... cough-cough ... gray with brown strip.

The why is complicated. I have been thinking about the dynamics of online forums, what makes them increase in usage and what makes them decline.  The TAN group has declined by any measure of "size" or "activity level".   I do mathematical modeling and have been thinking about a forum community in terms of population balance equations.  I won't bore the group with what have speculated about the terms in the equations increase or decrease the population.  The key input I think is the number of single women actively participating.  Everything goes up and down with that. 

I would be fun to do some statistical analysis of forum histories to see if the hypothesis holds up.

You can probably guess also that mathematically inclined, creepy geezers have a negative impact on the population.  Sorry.

TW

TAN has zero single women regularly participating I think.  Is Elaine single?  Is her participation regular?

Also, that is a weird correlation - I would absolutely be interested in the boring details!

Yes - single.

My participation is semi-regular?

Decreased - reduced staff means more work
Gray and coral with lace.

I think that depends on where you're looking.  In a tri site like this, I'm not really concerned with whether or not a woman is single.  I wouldn't mind seeing how this hypothesis was developed.

1) Decreased to almost non existent, as the conversations just aren't as interesting lately (until now).  I've lately enjoyed posting more in TT and Challenge Me.

2) To quote Michael Jordan "They're Hanes. Let's just leave it at that."

so sorry we aren't interesting enough to entertain you!  maybe single wimmenz just talk about more interesting things?

Should I be sharing more of my single life antics?

I've got some stories... 

Here is something amusing. I got a text this morning from my BF's 12-year-old son (we have only texted once before regarding a christmas present for his dad):

omg happy birthday Lisa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hope u have an amazing day!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dont stop da party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love it.

I meant no offense.  There's usually not a conversation that I feel like I can join.  I honestly don't know who's single or not in this thread, which makes me think that tech_geezer may be off there.

What's interesting to one person may or may not be interesting to another, which is fine. 

it's OK i was joking.  i mostly only talk about food or annoyances in my office in here - i am probably a huge part of the problem!  hahaha.

It is just an observation over many years of mostly watching TAN roll by.  A single woman starts posting and the place heats up.  I don't think it is all that mysterious of a correlation.  Actually, there is a trajectory of declining participation over time in the community - a natural decay constant for the interest factor.   For a stable community population there has to be an influx of new people who are 'newer" in the population to keep the activity constant, even if "population" stays the same.  It works just like conservation of mass, don't you think?  As a nuclear engineer, I see parallels with nuclear reaction.  You need new fuel periodically.  There are lots of other similar quantities in the conservation of population equation that would have an analogy in neutron kinetics.

In other math news, I think I may have sold my wheel truing algorithm to a company that builds the machines for automatically building wheels.  I guess I am looking or a new math problem.

Anyone else interested in sociological modeling of online communities?  Maybe Ron would fund a research project into posting histories.  Hmm.  He probably doesn't want to know how it works.

TW

It is not so much the male response to single women at work in the dynamic, although that enters in.  The single women are way more active than non-single.  The stereotype is a single, particularly newly single, woman who joins the community and is all over place posting dozens of times a day.  If the same woman enters into a relationship, her posting rate drops.  This is a stereotype not a specific person.  There are of course exceptions.  And, sometimes single guys do the same thing, but my observation is the effect seems a bit less strong.  We clearly need to do some in depth studies of all posting histories of single and married male and female.

TW

TW

You need to ask?

(1) decreased due to having to actually work at times and I find I post more in the mentor thread I'm part of

(2) hot pink 

1. decreased- think we all can agree it has gotten boring

2. red boxers with bicycles on them

I want to hear Elaine stories!
I know I used to tell my dating stories but now in a relationship they are not as dramatic or amusing. I mean, if you guys really want to hear about my Friday night homemade pizza (shut it) + watching a movie on the couch escapades, I can detail it for you!

I thought about some of this last night and today.  I have also sort of speculated on things like this over the years as well.  Mostly about friends or groups and how they evolve.  An internet forum is just another group.  I'm a huge fan of sociology and the study of group behavior/phycology - for example the whole "mob" mentality is fascinating to me.  If I ever went back to school for fun, it may be for sociology.

I think there are a LOT of factors in my estimation.  Probably can't even put math to it.  Couple key elements in my opinion:

• Many times a group needs a leader/instigator.  Nothing formal, but a charismatic figure that sort of leads the way and people like to respond to.  If that goes, so does the activity level.
• Groups evolve as people come and go.  It's a personal chemistry between individuals of that group.  IE - Someone may be "friends" with the entire group, but there will ALWAYS be favorites.  You could continue if you lost a favorite or two, but if the core people someone relates to more than others leaves, then they die.
• Obviously, if there is a larger group of people the keep it interesting and have a broader range of topics, the more the group thrives.
• I would guess the more titillating the conversations, the more participation.  Singles (especially ladies in a male dominated site) have more impact.
• The less the existing group is welcoming, the harder it is to get new blood injected into it.
• I think groups/events tend to run their course.  Had some friends that I would meet with every Sunday to meet for football.  It was FANTASTIC the first season or two.  We all just looked forward to it every Sunday.  Then it got a bit routine, but fun.  People stopped going because it was too far a drive for them (worth the drive when it was awesome, but not so much later on).  Then it got to be something we just kind of held on to because we always did it.  When it got down to 2-3 random people instead of the 5-6 regulars?  It just died.
• BUT, there are cycles.  We had one group of people when it started - lots of action.  Then slowed and we hit a dawning of a new age that was a high point.  Then slowed down.  I assume when the next right combination of people and chemistry hits?  Another high moment.
• Social and situational changes.  People work more, get into relationships, move, or quit triathlon or BT for other reasons.
• There may be some lingering effects of the TAN vs the World feud that happened?

Personally?  Some of my "better" friends left.  People I have hung out with both on BT, but FB and met many times in person.   They also happened to be the "instigators" of a lot of fun (maybe slightly off color and "kick in the ding ding" type stuff).  I personally sort of liked that because I have to be straight laced all day, it's nice to be a little off color sometimes.

In the last year?  I felt I have little to contribute and when I have tried to start up new conversations?  Minimal to zero responses or feedback.  I assume no one wants to hear what I have to say or is tired of MY topics.  Which is TOTALLY FINE.  Not everyone likes everything.  I sure as hell know I probably talk about my wife too much.  I don't feel part of the group anymore/outsider - again.  TOTALLY COOL WITH ME.  As new blood comes in, there will be new bonds and they may not include the "old timers" and there is a power shift.

Honestly, it's refreshing to have a topic with some meat on it in TAN once in a while.  Thanks Geezer!

Absolutely.  Happens across the board.  People with go out with their friends all the time when single, but start dating?  Then that drops off significantly.  Happens with just about everyone.  However, is would guess probably more prevalent with girls than guys.  I would GUESS, guys still like that night out with the boys a little more than girls have their girls night.

I know some girl is going to say, "NO, I STILL GO OUT WITH MY GIRLS - YOU"RE WRONG".  Yeah, I get that's the case.  But statistically, across the board, I would GUESS that's not as common.

Yes to this for me as well.
I am also cool with it, but it's definitely a deterrent to posting a lot.

I'm single but I am boring

I am on TAN now more than ever because my new job is so SSSLLOOOOOOOWWWWW. 

I wish BT would bring back the chat room. That was fun.

I have been on BT almost 10 years (GASP)  its changed a lot. I remember when the first people did IMs and we all were in awe and now tons of people have done them.  I have met many awesome people because of BT.  People drift away from the sport or the web site.  The change in the format does not foster friendships like it used to.  The friends list is SO much harder to use and if I were new to the site I would probably never find it/use it.  We used to really try to get groups of people together at races and it was a lot of fun but it just doesn't pan out like it used to.