84 replies to this topic

[fishers64]

Do you feel that BZPower has an "inner circle" that you're not a part of? Do you think thIs has to do with Premier Membership and blogs?

Do you think that some forums have a group of people that get all the attention and posts while yours are overlooked?

Do you ever look at people's signatures? How much effort do you put into being in the "in crowd" on here?

What do you think?

Edited by fishers64, Feb 03 2012 - 05:25 PM.

[Sumiki]

I make no effort to be in or out. I don't care for cliques. Obviously, people who are more famous in a forum will receive more attention for their creative output, but an unknown artist or writer can receive equal praise for their work. People who are well-known in a forum usually got to be that way because of their talent, not just because a bunch of people randomly thought it was cool.

A lot of non-Premiers visit the blogs and comment in them, though the actually blogging community is limited to those who are Premier. If you want to say that this is part of a clique, go ahead - but it's an artificial one, imposed by BZP's rules on who can have a blog.

I also think that those who are OBZPCs naturally get looked up to, mainly because of the orange name and mask. It is a common misconception to believe that OBZPCs are Staff - believe me, I've gotten tons of friend requests from noobs in the past due to this - and even when those members learn that we're not and we have no control over the site, we're still respected for the support we've given to BZPower. In my mind, we're the "Outstanding Citizens" for a reason - we're the role models, whether we like it or not. I've been conscious of this.

Edited by Sumiki, Feb 03 2012 - 05:36 PM.

[GSR]

I don't have many close friends here since I only became active about a year ago, but I don't feel particularly left out. Sure, people'll make more effort to respond to people they know well, but I've always been of the opinion that you'll get responses to your posts if you post something worth responding to (which is why my blog entries get no comments, ba-dum hey!)

As for "cliques", I wouldn't call the bloggers a clique, since everyone can comment. There's a few blog-related memes I've noticed, or users making entries linked to other entries, but it looks like a lot of those are a result of other things (eg. MLP), not just "we both have a blog, let's flaunt it."

Edited by GSR, Feb 03 2012 - 05:36 PM.

[Lyichir]

I rarely use my blog, have no avatar and hardly have a sig, and post relatively infrequently. But I feel my posts still get attention. I think that if you post something worth reading, you'll be noticed. And if you can build up a reputation of being well-informed and interesting, members will start to recognize you. Having a blog certainly helps to establish an identity, but it's not the only way. I hardly read the blogs at all unless I know a member personally, or they post something that grabs my attention.

[Lair of Rockwhales]

Not really. I only come here to see if the Rock Raiders topic has had any updates, so I'm not really part of this community.

[Bulik]

I think that I don't fit in because I'm one of the few who actuaaly care about bionicle

[Element lord Of Milk.]

Do you feel that BZPower has an "inner circle" that you're not a part of? Do you think thIs has to do with Premier Membership and blogs? Nope, even before I bought Premier membership I only thought of Premier Members as Members who had Spent money to get a few extra perks and help out the site.

Do you think that some forums have a group of people that get all the attention and posts while yours are overlooked? I've never really seen anything like that, no.

Do you ever look at people's signatures? How much effort do you put into being in the "in crowd" on here? Occasionally. And none whatsoever, i never make an effort to "Fit in" in any place(Internet or IRL)apart from following whatever rules are in place.


~ELM~

[Hurricane iBrow]

1. Do you feel that BZPower has an "inner circle" that you're not a part of? Do you think thIs has to do with Premier Membership and blogs?
I don't really feel that BZPower has an "inner circle". This isn't high school or anything. If there would be anything I'd consider "inner circle-ish" on the site, I'd say it's the staff, since I think that most of them would have ways to communicate outside of BZP, for obvious reasons. And no, I don't think it has to do with premier membership or blogs. We premier members are not special, unless you count that we gave the site money.

2. Do you think that some forums have a group of people that get all the attention and posts while yours are overlooked?
Hmm... tough to say. If anywhere on the site is like this, it's definitely in the creative outlet; for the set based creations, from what I've seen not necessarily just mine, but it's very hard to get yourself noticed. It's the same deal in Short Stories, and maybe Epics. It might be like that in Comedies and Comics, but I'm never really in Comics and I'd be one of those people that gets all the attention in Comedies....

3. Do you ever look at people's signatures? How much effort do you put into being in the "in crowd" on here?
Yes, I do look at people's signatures. I think signatures should look nice. You don't necessarily have to have anything in your signature, just don't make it ugly. As for how much effort I put into being in the "in crowd" here... depends on what you'd consider the "in crowd". If it's people who are popular for what they do on here (ie. making banners, writing epics), then a fair amount. Of not... then not as much.

-ibrow

[Toa Zaz]

Not at all. I think I've made at least a few enemies around here, actually.

[QuestionMark]

Do I feel like I fit in? Nope. I don't really fit in most places. It's only natural, though. I'm just not interested in discussing many of the things that are discussed here, and I don't say much besides. Usually, though, when I feel like saying something it's received fairly well. Other times, of course, not so much. It's inconsistent, I've realized, because I'm inconsistent.

About signatures and stuff, I wonder how much of that is wanting to be part of the "in crowd" or just wanting to be part of "the crowd"? Most people are always trying to make an impression, even if that impression is one of not trying to make an impression either to themselves or to others. Maybe "fitting in" is more of an unconscious thing.

Not at all. I think I've made at least a few enemies around here, actually.

Well, that just makes you more interesting, heheh.

~QMark

[xccj]

Nope. I'm on staff and sometimes I don't feel like I fit in. (And I'm being entirely serious here.)

Still have some good friends on here tho.

[Waffles]

Nah, I'm the pariah of the site.

[Electric Turahk]

No.

~|ET|~

[Ryuujin]

Not at all, and frankly, I'd like to keep it that way.

[UltraHau]

Yeah, I feel like I "fit in" - I don't participate much though except for FCG and CoT nowadays.

Edited by UltraHau, Feb 04 2012 - 02:06 AM.

[Taka Nuvia]

Do you feel that BZPower has an "inner circle" that you're not a part of? Do you think thIs has to do with Premier Membership and blogs?

I don't really think there's an 'inner circle', but there definitely are certain groups or cliques. And then there's those whom everyone seems to know.
I guess the more active you are, the higher is the chance that you'll be involvef with one group or the other. :shruges:

And if there is such a thing as an inner circle, I've never heard of it and therefore am no part of it.

Do you think that some forums have a group of people that get all the attention and posts while yours are overlooked?

All of them have. This seems to happen whenever people meet in some kind of place, though; it's not really limited to BZPower only.

Do you ever look at people's signatures? How much effort do you put into being in the "in crowd" on here?

Of course I do! It's one of the few ways of identifying people that I have on here!

To be honest, I don't quite understand your second question. Oo
I don't participate in memes or fads, if that's what you mean.

What do you think?

I certainly don't fit in with all groups of BZPower *coughbroniescoughwhateveractuallycough*, I wouldn't consider myself popular, but hey, does fitting in really matter that much if you've got people to talk to?

[Gatanui]

Do you feel that BZPower has an "inner circle" that you're not a part of? Do you think thIs has to do with Premier Membership and blogs?

To be honest, I do feel so quite often. As far as the blogs are concerned, that´s mostly due to not being a Premier Member and thus not blogging at all, but even as far as the staff is concerned, I feel like I don´t fit in. I mean, so many staff members know each other personally and meet at conventions, know their names and talk outside of BZPower. Personally, I haven´t been to any convention and I don´t know any staff member personally or talk with anybody outside of BZPower (besides Nuhrii the Metruan sometimes, but not too ofen). In fact, I have only ever met two BZPower members, Vorox Chief and Kaxix, for roughly two hours in the LEGO Store in Berlin (it was a great time, guys ). Obviously, there is nobody to blame about this but myself. The reason for this is that I´ve always done stuff in the Internet on my own, not wanting to depend for anything on anybody but my brother. Still, I feel a bit like a loner when browsing the forums and doing what I have to do, often feeling closer to the member community than to the rest of the staff. I guess this is a bit similar to my situation in real life where I often sit and work alone in classes if there is none of my close friends in it.

Do you think that some forums have a group of people that get all the attention and posts while yours are overlooked?

Not really, since I barely post any topics. In fact, my latest topic discussing the future of BZPower has been highly successful, so I can barely pretend my topics are being ignored. It used to be like this when I used to post art or MOC topics, though.

Do you ever look at people's signatures? How much effort do you put into being in the "in crowd" on here?

It´s impossible to ignore signatures, at least the images. I don´t put any effort into being in the "in crowd" regarding my signature, though, as I only link to things related exclusively to me. I guess that makes it more unique. Have you seen anybody else with the same banner as me?

~Gata.

Edited by Gatanui, Feb 04 2012 - 08:44 AM.

[Takua Nui of GoAnimate]

I'm fairly new here, so I'm not too sure.

[Mr. Peanuts]

1. Do you feel that BZPower has an "inner circle" that you're not a part of? Do you think thIs has to do with Premier Membership and blogs?

Do I feel it has one related to Premier Membership (if not blogs)? Yeah. Do I feel I'm not part of it? Also yeah.

But tbh this question shouldn't be 'Does BZP have an inner circle in your opinion?' It should be 'What inner circles does BZP have, if any?' I can think of at least five off the top of my head.

2. Do you think that some forums have a group of people that get all the attention and posts while yours are overlooked?

Mine being overlooked? That's not happening so much anymore. But I know of several in the situation you're talking about in TB BRPG alone-including one or two friends.

3. Do you ever look at people's signatures? How much effort do you put into being in the "in crowd" on here?

I look at every sig. Get a bit tired from all the ponies, but I still look at them.

I put no effort into being 'in' intentionally.

Edited by Pein, Feb 04 2012 - 09:45 AM.

[Bane of No Isles]

I think that I don't fit in because I'm one of the few who actuaaly care about bionicle

While I should've let everyone ignore this, I couldn't help but saying you're wrong. Just because they like Hero Factory or talk sabout it doesn't mean they dislike it. In fact, the minority here is the people who don't care about it.

As far as the question goes, there are people I respect. One of these is Sumiki. Pein as well. Another is Aanchir (or however he spells it.) The reason is because they've proved themselves great members.

Now, the chances of respecting someone simply because of their member group is significantly less.

[Wind Elemental]

I honestly don't think that I fit in with BZP. All of those well known and Premier Members made me feel like I'm not part of the right group.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

Do you feel that BZPower has an "inner circle" that you're not a part of? Do you think thIs has to do with Premier Membership and blogs?

No to both questions.

Do you think that some forums have a group of people that get all the attention and posts while yours are overlooked?

Sometimes, but it doesn't really bother me.

Do you ever look at people's signatures?

Sometimes, yes.

How much effort do you put into being in the "in crowd" on here?

I'm not aware of any 'in crowds' on here. But if they do exist here, I wouldn't try to get into any of them.

[Angel Bob]

I'm entirely happy with my status here on BZP. I have a group of fans who are into my work and will comment on most every chapter, and that's enough for me. (Not that I wouldn't welcome more, of course! )

Really, this is just an online forum -- nobody should be seeking all their friendly relationships on here. If I didn't feel that I fit in, or that anybody truly liked my work, I'd go somewhere else. As it is, I'm still here, so I'm obviously satisfied. XD

[Eeko]

I'd say I fit in alright around here. I'm new to the staff, so I can't say as for sure if I fit in there. They straight crazy.

On the subject of 'inner circles', I don't think there's an official 'in crowd' on BZP.
Just like in real life, you tend to hang out with people with similar interests. Given the wide variety of interests on BZP, there are a number of social circles that occur. But being excluded from one doesn't mean you don't fit in on BZPower.

[Kakaru]

Nope. I'm on staff and sometimes I don't feel like I fit in. (And I'm being entirely serious here.)

Still have some good friends on here tho.

I wonder if all reporters feel like that since we don't really have any power on the forums. Maybe it's just because I'm a nub. :|

Actually tho, I don't think I'm too much of an oddball. I still get paranoid when talking to other staff or even OBZPCs, but it's just residual fear of the higher-ups from years ago.
I used to feel like the loner all the time. Then I gave up and stopped caring.

Yes, it does feel like there's some sort of impenetrable "inner circle" surrounding certain members, though this is usually because they've been friends for years and/or have met each other in real life. If you feel excluded by certain members it just because they prefer talking to the people they know. It's not really personal, it's just natural to converse with your close friends more.

As far as celebrities within forums, I'd say there's definitely some prejudice towards the masters of the craft. It's more apparent in the creative outlet (or used to be) where certain members had established themselves and their talents early on, setting the standard for those who followed. Naturally your creations wouldn't get as much attention as an update from someone who was already known to have top-notch work, and any amount of replies less than what they gather would make the forum-goers appear biased against your topics. I dunno. I don't notice it much anymore, but there's always going to be a slant towards the more active participants in any given forum.

Signatures? Mostly I see them as decorations. They kinda suck for advertising contests, entries, topics or really anything, and even I don't click links unless it's something that piques my interest or I notice a recurring theme. You know what I'm talking about.

[Dralcax]

Personally, and with no offense to them, I have no interest in joining the bronies in search of "acceptance". If people are the type I would befriend, they will accept me. Simple as that. If you are not accepted within a group, don't try to be accepted. Do your own thing and those worth being accepted by will accept you.

[fishers64]

Well, I am getting some advice. Usually when I post a topic, it is something I have mixed feelings on. Some posts in this topic are starting to sound like I was complaining about not fitting in. I'm not. I'm asking the members some open questions to try to inspire a bit of discussion and curb some of my ignorance on how this community thinks on a subject. To belay this further, I will answer my own questions:

Do you feel that BZPower has an "inner circle" that you're not a part of? Do you think thIs has to do with Premier Membership and blogs?

It depends on the situation. Yes, I can think of multiple "inner circles" on here. The Blogs are one, the Comedies forum has one, e.t.c. I do not resent these circles for existing, but sometimes I think I should go out of my way to recognize people in the forums who aren't part of those circles.

Do you think that some forums have a group of people that get all the attention and posts while yours are overlooked?

Depends on the forum. In GD and S&T, I always get responses. But then again, everybody does. In the creative forums, I get overlooked, but that's fine. I can't say I don't care about whether I get a response or not, but I can understand when people don't.

Do you ever look at people's signatures? How much effort do you put into being in the "in crowd" on here?
What do you think?

Yes, I look at people's signatures, usually looking for items of interest. However, I do not put any effort into getting into the "in crowd" much. I'm not sure whether there is one or not...it is a rather fuzzy line. Which is why I made this topic.

[Waffles]

The blogs aren't as much of an inner circle as people think. Blogs are like radicals screaming proselytism over megaphones attempting to be heard, and occasioanlly they mention another blogger, and everyone goes squee.

Or maybe I'm just not part of that circle. Probably not.

[Toa Onarax]

All I have to say is that the majority of my posts are overlooked.

[GeluNumber1]

Do you feel that BZPower has an "inner circle" that you're not a part of? Do you think thIs has to do with Premier Membership and blogs?

I do not think so. It does have different people, bu they don't fit into a clique, class, or circle, not at all.

Do you think that some forums have a group of people that get all the attention and posts while yours are overlooked?

Some forums do; not this one. We're a fairly listening group here.

Do you ever look at people's signatures? How much effort do you put into being in the "in crowd" on here?

I do look at people's signatures, out of curiosity. Oh, and I put in no effort.

What do you think?

About what?

[Onyx.5]

All I have to say is that the majority of my posts are overlooked.

Don't be so sure.

1. Not really. Or at least, not a single one. I'm sure there's various circles of friends, and each forum is in itself a microcommunity. In general I wouldn't say I'm part of the "regulars", or even the average members, but that has much more to do with my decreased interest and activity on BZP than with anybody intentionally exluding me. I can see how premier membership has the potential to create a "higher" circle on BZP, but I don't think it has. If anything it works the other way, that the dedicated community members decide to become premiers.

2. Oh yes, some forums have groups of people that get all the attention. However I think, on BZP at least, that's to do with the actual merits of what they post and create, and they've simply built up a positive reputation. Popular people crop up on any site, and in real life, in the world in general. I daresay if you want to be more well known then you need to make more higher quality topics. But hey, I did just say I'm not very active around here, so what do I know. All I do anymore is check general art.

3. I check signatures, though I start skimming when dealing with a lot of posts. They're a good way for members to express things about themselves, perhaps expressing more than they think they are. I hardly see what signatures have to do with trying to fit in though. Aside from the fads, and they're, well, fads.



So far I count 13 people that feel excluded or ill-fitting in some way.

[Toa Onarax]

All I have to say is that the majority of my posts are overlooked.

Don't be so sure.
So far I count 13 people that feel excluded or ill-fitting in some way.

Don't get me wrong I don't feel excluded in anyway, infact my posts being overlooked, atleast in the BZPRPG is more a running gag than anything else. Just like me getting ninja'ed all the time.

[Hahli Husky]

Over the decade (holy night) that I've been here, it seems more like there are several circles of friends, depending on their interests and involvements, and the circles often overlap one another. Now that the active population is smaller, it may feel like there's a big "inner" group, but people seem to have their circles still. Every group of friends that I've been apart of, aside from the staff group, has fallen apart as members move on in life. But if I start feeling kind of lonely or uninvolved, I try to find something new to get into, and new friends usually come with that. I've personally enjoyed the regular changes and meeting new people.

[-Windrider-]

I do tend to feel like I don't fit in, even among the staff, but then I remember that I do have a few good friends - not many, but enough. I could stand to be closer with just about everyone on the staff, though. I blame, in part, my never having attended BrickFair (which I hope to fix this year), and my lengthy absences in which I separated myself from the internet as a whole. So, those were long periods of time in which I was not in contact with anyone here.

I do, however, feel that I have the ability to get along with everyone, really: older staff, whom I have known for a long time, newer staff, and of course a few members, especially Comics-goers. So why, then, do I feel like I do not fit in from time to time? I think that I am the problem, not others. I can only hope that I am liked and respected. But, I tend to keep my own solitary position; I isolate myself. I won't attempt to analyze myself and evaluate why I do this, but it obviously does not help one who relies upon his friends, offline and online.

I do not feel that BZPower is divided by Premier Membership and blog ownership. If there is a division, it is by forum, or by staff/non-staff. However, I would not claim that any such group would qualify as an inner circle, in my view. I see no discrimination or elitism.

"Do you think that some forums have a group of people that get all the attention and posts while yours are overlooked?"

I can only hope people pay attention to my posts and edits in the forums I lead and help to lead!

"Do you ever look at people's signatures?"

Oh, I look at signatures, no doubt there - maybe for a different reason, though.

"How much effort do you put into being in the "in crowd" on here?"

I question the existence of an "in crowd"; in any case, I make no such effort.

[Paleo]

I feel I fit in, but sometimes it feels like I'm ignored, kind of a "background member". I'm not that well known, but I know a few people (Dancy, Sumiks, Bricks, Daiker) that I THINK accepted me into their group.

[Canama]

Do you feel that BZPower has an "inner circle" that you're not a part of? Do you think thIs has to do with Premier Membership and blogs?

Certainly. I feel that many of the more "famous" members have more influence than the rest of us. I am premier and have a blog, but am not part of this "inner circle", so I feel that they are unrelated.

Do you think that some forums have a group of people that get all the attention and posts while yours are overlooked?

See above

Do you ever look at people's signatures? How much effort do you put into being in the "in crowd" on here?

Never and none.

-Canama

[Papa Vinc]

Oh my inner circle's long gone from this website back when I perused the forums. People come and go, but what's important is what you take from the relationships you do make with the people you do get along with and not care about some sort of "inner circle". Focus on YOUR inner circle.

~TN726

[InnerRayg]

I am the inner circle. It's me.

[Makaru]

In your dreams, Ray.

[Phyoohrii]

The best answer I can come up with there isn't one 'inner circle', there are several of them. They really only have influence on those that want to be part of it, and ones that are already part of it. They're really only made up of people who have similar interests and/or talents. Sometimes they intersect. I dismiss the term 'inner circle'.

Do certain people have particular influence or prestige on here? Yeah sure, but that's only because they've built up their profile on here over a long period of time, such as having a clearly identifiable way of interacting, or having a particularly obvious talent for something, and it's these people that are recognised.

Do blogs have a role in this? Admittedly, probably yes. It's because you get to see more insight into the people behind the avatar than you would an ordinary member, because they can soapbox and advertise and all sorts of things. But anyone can participate in the blogging experience, whether they can actually blog or not, because there's always interaction available with commenting and such, and if you browse through the blogs and comment here and there, people will start recognising who you are and what you stand for as well.

I have no idea where this post is going, but I guess the key point is interaction with others. Keep interacting and engaging with others, create stuff, make interesting topics, share your thoughts, and eventually you'll be noticed and recognised more, and be accepted into these so called 'inner circles'. That used to be a huge priority for me, but for now all I care about is just seeing the goings on around here, and posting the odd thing every now and again, just to remind people I still exist.