Importance of "status" in forums...

Hey'all. Well the above topic pretty much says it all. I've always found it somewhat intriguing in some sense that as I look back on my own "forum" experiences, what an odd feeling "status" can give you. There are times when you rush home to check whether other forum goers loved your messages and innundated it with dozens of replies. And of course the flip side, when NO ONE gives you a reply whether you deserved it or not.

Its always interesting when usually these instances occur. I remember first going online to this XENA forum and after posting and replying to dozens of messages, STILL wasn't given the courtesy of a reply much less a nod to my otherwise puny existance. Why was that? Obviously, and I do it as well, regular forum goers just really don't pay attention to what you have to say initially. Usually, your post just sort of passes them by because they don't quite see how your response is any more important than say "Lucite, Amazon, or Battleship" (smirk) and so who really cares. Now its purely not personal. I probably just hadn't really established myself yet with any other distinct identity than anyone else which was to say the least, probably true in the beginning.

As I became more attuned to however, with different conversations around me and found subjects that I was able to truly answer and give my own opinions own (rather than for the sake of replying), people began to take notice and reply back as well. Back and forth debates would rage or just simply fun loving dialogue. How exciting! Eagerly rushing back to check who had responded or what they thought of which and that. The importance of being accepted seemed to swell in me.

But isn't that an odd issue? We for the most part, really don't know each other, at least ever met face to face. Its dubious if we would recognize each other on the street and hit it off rite away because of our Xena affiliation. In this virtual world, a seemingly own society has formed. Though obviously not nearly as hierarchical as the realworld, strange divisions in status do exist. "Old Timers" are upper echelon while newbies are generally ignored (at least for a while). The others are basically the normal everyday man/woman in society. Its a unique invention because the status is so non discriminating: no one cares about your ethnicity, incomine, or sex. We're all in the same boat initially and of course harder workers (better, quality posters) can climb the ladder.

Is this wrong? Definitely not. Structure is a good thing to most extents. "Old Timers" as in real life, should be respected for what they've been through (yeah rite :) ). And newbies will eventually learn the ropes and fit in like everyone else. As a "newbie" myself again, I'm once again trying to find my own niche on the forums. Will I climb the ladder? Maybe. If I work hard enough.

The floor is yours,

Moo