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Briefly, what is this place and how is it different from urban75?

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14:39 / 11.04.04

Not saying it isn't different. But I'd like it if people could explain a little about the style of this particualr board?

Thanks

14:42 / 11.04.04

Barbelith Wiki .

14:43 / 11.04.04

Ah thanks.

14:46 / 11.04.04

Briefly: read the Wiki; that might help you. Then read the board and work it out for yourself. It's not a board for a particular kind of person - you need to decide for yourself if you'll fit in or not. It is different because it is not urban75, or any other community/message board; it is itself.

In fact, the first question on the Wiki is "What is Barbelith?" which sounds right up your street.

Also, around here, we tend to ask questions after we've tried to find the answers for ourselves rather than before. It just smacks of laziness, you know?

14:47 / 11.04.04

And, we like pie. And toast. With butter that is.

Tryphena Absent

15:16 / 11.04.04

Tbh I like Urban75 but it's just full of junk, people don't necessarily put thought in to what they're writing about- the nicest thing about barbelith is that people often pause to think before they write though sometimes they need to read a little closer (me included).

16:36 / 11.04.04

urban 75 is too hard to read, man.
kinda like the new barbelith.

Goodness Gracious Meme

17:39 / 11.04.04

People don't talk about football (enough) on Barbelith.

Haus of Mystery

18:16 / 11.04.04

You're such a hooligan.

18:51 / 11.04.04

this is why we need an Arena. a sports forum.

(see what i did there? its like, a forum, and like, a forum!)

19:04 / 11.04.04

I always thought that Doctor Who fans should properly be called Whooligans. Partly as a reference to the Quentin Crisp use of the word, but also to distinguish a combative, irreverent attitude to yer fandom, one thoroughly disdainful of the dozy antics of (ugh) Trekkies and their sad ilk. ‘Was going to start a fanzine called Whooligan Class, full of proper sartorial tips and elaborate mixes for sophisticated 3-stage cocktails with which to accompany key scenes, and long, wordy editorials constantly agitating to whip up fights with fans of all other series. Er, but I decided to just type this post instead.

19:06 / 11.04.04

Evening hatboy... nice to see you.

Celeriac Is Ugly Vegetable

19:55 / 11.04.04

and there's no pbman, thank christ!

Our Lady Has Left the Building

10:18 / 12.04.04

What's Urban 75?

10:41 / 12.04.04

12:10 / 12.04.04

I don't post at Urban 75, that's the major difference. I think you'll find that my tone and presense pretty much define this place.

17:54 / 12.04.04

Good to see you've dropped in, Hatboy. IMHO...

1. Much of the time, Barbelith is pretty overtly intellectual, U75 is less so.
2. Relatedly, Barbelith tends to be more about thinking than doing (very few Barbeloids do much in the way of (NV)DA, as far as I can tell), whereas U75 tends to be more about doing than thinking (a fair proportion of its members being activists and quite a few being on the spikier end of the activist spectrum).
3. Barbelith is more middle class.
4. U75 is less posh, more left of centre and more anarchoid.
5. Some say U75 is more blokey and more het, but I'm not sure about this.
6. Barbelith has no specific 'nationality' and has no local forums, whereas half of U75 seems to post from Brixton in London and many other posters there seem UK-based.
7. Barbelith has yet to cost a Metropolitan Police Commander his job nor received media coverage like U75 did during the Paddick incident. On the whole, I think that's a good thing.
8. Related to all the above is that Barbelith is not read as widely as U75 and (as far as we know) not frequented by police or journalists.
9. Barbelith has never been trolled like U75 gets trolled, what with all the cops, Nazis and loonies who target it, and things have always been less aggressive here. In recent times, trolling caused things to be tightened up a bit and moderation intensified, but still the 'Lith's more democratic in structure than U75.

ONLY NICE THINGS

18:00 / 12.04.04

3. Barbelith is more middle class.

And, since the arrival of Von Kobra Triumphant, also more Mitteleuropean.

19:52 / 12.04.04

Barbelith is a hipster think-tank.

19:58 / 12.04.04

We wuffle.
and candle.

19:59 / 12.04.04

Is he even here any more, or are we just talking to ourselves?

20:03 / 12.04.04

We like talking to ourselves.

ONLY NICE THINGS

20:04 / 12.04.04

In many ways, Barbelith is a process of awakening to itself.

You know, like God. Or the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

20:08 / 12.04.04

Qalyn, you handsome devil you, wake up. Wake up and ravish me!

Tryphena Absent

20:24 / 12.04.04

Look, to put it in short, Barbelith is like Ginger Rodgers to U75's Fred Astaire. We all know who got to wear the pretty dresses.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

20:25 / 12.04.04

We have tapirs. And platypi.

ONLY NICE THINGS

20:28 / 12.04.04

Tannhauser, you have touched me like nobody has ever touched me before.

I'm telling.

20:33 / 12.04.04

Mike, your Robot is showing.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:41 / 12.04.04

Bill, I love you to bits, but my DA is never by definition NV.

Other than that, you're right on the money.

Goodness Gracious Meme

22:10 / 12.04.04

Interesting. Always wondered if there was much of a crossover.

Me, as a longtimer here/lurker of moderate proportions over there...

1.It does strike me as more 'blokey' in parts, Bill. Not neccessarily more male(as barb. has always struch me as v.male. less so, these days), but more blokey. And less queer. Relative to my guesses at size, the vocal queer contingent here seems a bigger constituency. We're (rightly or wrongly) much more concerned with what some would call political correctness, others respect. Accurate use of language is a biggy here, seems less so on U75. Is that part of the 'overtly intellectual'?
2.but then, there's an entire forum devoted to 'Suburban' pursuits, a place where spiky activists go to talk garden sheds.(this i think connected to point 4). I *love* that. And here suspect it would provoke murmurings about not being 'crazy' enough. Not needed, mind, on size grounds.
3.On the 'more blokey': a vast and busy sports forum. Which I suspect would be anathema to lots of people here

(personal bias here as it's about the only place i ever post, and read very regularly. )
4.I get the impression there's more of an(even?) age spread on U75. But this may just be due to size.
5.The Head Shop gets alot more use(again as percentages) than The Philosophy seems to. HS, strikes me as more specialist/postrcutural cultural studies-inspiredspace. Philosophy is more generalist.

So, from more balanced cross-users (fridge, you strike me as a good example) what's similar? If anything?

Goodness Gracious Meme

22:33 / 12.04.04

oh, and BP, i'd suggest that this:

very few Barbeloids do much in the way of (NV)DA, as far as I can tell

Isn't neccessarily true, it may be that people talk about it less here/there's less of a focus on it/barb isn't functioning as an orgainsing hub in the same way U75 does? There seem to be a fair amount of people(from my unscientific personal memory) who have done what they'd call DA, NV or otherwise (gotta love the lingo) at various points, or still do... Perhaps more ex-DA'ers?

(ouch. those initals make my head hurt. need lie down now)

22:54 / 12.04.04

Similarities? Well, they're both UK-based message boards. Er. I've often thought the Suburban forum would probably please everyone, but then those are universal things. Bits of the Theory forum and Books/Films/TV would fit in well here too.

U75 is way larger and faster-moving (and has a million times more trolls). There are lots of little differences but major ones, well:

- a lot of people come to Urban specifically for help, unsurprising given that there's lots of drug and other info on the .com site. There are a lot more "what should I do about this?" threads.

- there's not half as much emphasis on theory, though I think Barbelith is the unusual one there

- the size means there's a more anarchic feel to the place, even though moderators have much greater power. Mods can't check everything and getting heavily involved in every argument where people are insulting each other would be incredibly exhausting, so there's a higher tolerance for it. There's also more pissing about, generally, which can be good and can be bad.

- it's true that there's a greater age spread. I don't know if there's ever been a survey but I get the impression that most lithers are 20s and early 30s. There are people from teenagers to pensioners on U75. Greater social spread too, I think.

Goodness Gracious Meme

23:29 / 12.04.04

I think Barbelith is the unusual one there

Quite possibly. One of the things I *loved* about Barb when i first discovered it was that there was a place where theory conversations happened that wasn't a specifically academic list. So you'd get 'theorybitching' but a broader range of backgrounds/subjects/levels.

Other boards I (or have) frequent do have these types of conversations, but they're either composed of academics, usually all from one discipline, or are area specific (queer/feminist) as they're boards with a more specific focus (eg queers, football fans, etc )

02:42 / 13.04.04

why the u75 comparison, anyway?
are we the only two boards for thinking revolutionary types?
are we even at all revolutionary as a board? are they?

i know there are activists, but revolutionaries? in more than name and bluster?

most importantly, should i be a member of their board as well? is theirs the punk record shop in the basement and ours the vegan cafe upstairs? is this imagined building in a city with a river or a beach?

Goodness Gracious Meme

02:49 / 13.04.04

I dunno.

hatboy?

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