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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Bluelight - just a web board?

jakoz

jakoz

Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 18, 2001
Messages
3,140
Something I've seen written on here fairly regularly on Bluelight, often in reply to people getting upset, is that this is 'just a board', implying 'who cares?'.
This attitude irks me, and always has, but I've never attempted to put it into words until now. I write this now because it would be interesting to see a discussion on the topic.
To me, saying it's just a board, is like calling a marriage a fling, calling a university a school, calling a telecommunications network a bunch of wires (or a couple of phones, a better analogy).
It is probably *the* communications medium for the topic at hand. It is based on good ideals and encourages learning and intelligent replies. A good example of the intentions is the Aus Drug Discussion moderator BigTrancer, who probably embodies the intentions of the site. Users enjoy virtually free speech on topics that are not generally acceptable, learning to a degree that far surpasses the level they would otherwise have reached.
How can this be 'just a board'? The fact remains that even if a web board were not the medium used, there is still a massive collection of people exchanging information in an environment where correct information is always encouraged.
 
I'm so tempted to say I think you're taking this too seriously (like I've had certain people say to me in the past), but I'd be lying if I meant it... ;)
I agree 100% :)
Well said Jakoz...
 
Guilty.
I've said this on a number of occasions. I know its not 'just a webboard' but its a way of defending yourself from people who are taking the non serious parts of it (like social) far too seriously. There's a lot of bluelight that is far far more than 'just a webboard', every forum that is devoted to knowledge sharing, harm minimisation and information falls under that category. Social is, however, to me, 'just a webboard' so people would do well to not take it quite so seriously as they do.
Fucking good question Jake. :)
-plaz out-
 
But it IS just a web board. Just as money is just some scraps of paper or pseudo-valuable metals. Humans are merely biological, carbon-based machinery. The piece of rock we are all living on is just another planet in the vastness of the universe. Which side of the fence you want to be on, how you want to see yourselves (and BL), how seriously you want to take things, is entirely up to you. Just because you think A is A does not mean that someone else can't see A as B.
Disclaimer:This is not a personal attack at anyone nor their opinions. If anyone wishes to see it as such, it is entirely your right and I wish you well. Oh hell, screw you Jake! ;)
 
*josh takes a pair of plyers and a power drill and inserts a usb plug into the back of his head so he can plug himself into BL matrix style*
Seriously though, I hear what you are saying and I agree with it but I think the main problem with treating BL too seriously is that alot of users focus all their energy on social and ignore the whole reason the board is here in the first place.
 
*sits next to jakoz and nods*
What more can be said? the man is right......
:)
 
im just going to state my personal feelings here so dont bother attacking them or anything...
to me bluelight is just an internet site. it isnt the only web forum that i browse, i post in a couple of different forums. and really i dont spend that much time online (ie. i dont work in a job that gives me net access although browsing the net is a good way to avoid uni work) that said though the aus drug discussion forum is one of the greatest resources available to a drug user. that is primarily what drew me to bluelight and in turn has kept me an active member. i dont post in there alot but damn it has taught me a heap! people like BT and apollo who are a wealth of information and keep the forum accessible and current. on the other hand though social and events and whatever else are really just forums that i read. im not passionate about anything that i read on a forum board, i dont see the point because its all anonymous. i dont care if im not the most popular person...its not a popularity contest about who is the coolest person on a website. im not into the whole oh yeah lets meet bluelighters like i used to be. the internet allows you to create a personality at the other end of the modem and i have found that there are people who have created personas and played them out through bluelight. i am a true person and dont find pleasure in creating people and situations. this is difficult to explain. but in essence i have a life away from bluelight and while i appreciate all it has given me and im always willing to give back...its only the internet.
 
I think the main point that it comes down to is that I know half the people who've posted on this thread personally, in real life...
Saying it's just a webboard and therefore anulling yourself of any responsibility of anything you say. It's like ringing your mate telling him his sister is a slut and that he is the scum of the earth, then saying "it doesn't matter, it's just the telephone".
 
In the grand scheme of life, all message boards (including ones I moderate) are just message boards. Most ppl on them have never met each other, and nothing beats "real" friends and company of people you are actually close to.
 
I first got on to Bluelight through a friends recommendation. Here I am some 6 months later, only now considering why, unlike other internet ventures, I keep coming back to post.
The intangible Bluelight entity that so many people are a part of has done alot more for me than I give it credit for.
there is still a massive collection of people exchanging information in an environment where correct information is always encouraged.
Damn straight. The information available on Bluelight made a world of difference when I first stepped into this niche of society not too long ago. The difference between a positive and negative experience is balanced between many factors; being armed with information however, has the potential to improve the circumstances.
Experimenting with drugs, especially hallucinogenics, is a fine example of this.
And to all those waiting to take the piss, I don't mean to say that this is all Bluelight offers.
Personally, I find the information available is second only to the relationships that can form from being a part of a community such as Bluelight. With an acquaintence base that I have only come to know through this web board, the potential to actually communicate with someone at events makes the entire night worthwhile.
I have met some of the best natured and interesting people that commune on this web board, and shared experiences with them that have changed my life. These people I have now come to spend my time with, I will soon be able to call friends..... not flowery, disillusioned e-induced dropping buddies.... real friends that exist outside a 'scene'.
People I knew only as acquaintences once upon a time, that on the first night I met in person, would come over to offer their genuine help in the midst of my own mind-fucking freak out on the dancefloor.
So I think Bluelight isn't just a web board. It's not an almighty light shining above the dancefloor masses; nor is it special.
But it is something that can benefit anyone who makes proper use of it.
Click to expand...
 
Bluelight isn't just a message board. It may have started that way, but now its much more. Some message boards you just write random jibberish on and thats ok. However, this one promotes a common way of thinking. Allows open discussion and learning on a range of issues which may not be able to be discussed anywhere else. It has a set of values that people as a whole are encouraged to follow.
That is why its probably more better classed as a community. It may not be an orthodox one as it is electronically based. But still almost everyone on this board is here for common goal. Education, harm min and a place which to discuss things without predjudice.
Regarding the 'its just a board' comment. People sometimes do take things to seriously, especially in social. But the *main* point is in drug dicussion things are taken seriously, errors are pointed out and correct information is given. As long as that takes place, who cares if people are going for popularity in social. Some people are quiet, some are not-thats just the way life is.
I'm glad i joined the BL community. And i have learnt a great deal from it. Just reading it everyday i learn something. Just because its electronic doesnt mean its 'just a board'.
 
Bluelight is a chance for a bunch of druggo's to chat and discuss what is important to them (aka Simpsons thread) without fear of recrimination from anyone.
And don't say we live in fear of the cops, cause there are rules that are setup by the mods to ensure that we don't have too!
Bluelight really is cool.
It is the way of the future, as far as communication among the 'lower ranks of society' is concerned. Im not saying we are lowly people who use this board, it's just that the rest of the world despises us cause we use drugs to have fun, and not run from our problems like they'd have everyone believe. Does this make sense to anyone else? Im trying to avoid insulting anyone here! :D
Keep on posting people. Bluelight is a different entity to different people. To me it is fun. Just fun. Oh and informative. And a chance to share Simpsons quotes too. LOL@Homer@6:30@night!
 
Not taking any offence to your comment, but just commenting on your opinion. If you look at alot of the posts on here are by doctors, nurses, lawyers. There are a also very wide range of university students/graduates on here either chemisty/biology or other non-chem related fields.
I would say that this board is alot more upper class in the sense that is has alot of well educated people on here. People who take drugs on these forums aren't always the beleclava wearing thug-type. My opinion is they are the type of people who will research something. Work out risks and then make decisions on that.
 
as plaz said,
I know its not 'just a webboard' but its a way of defending yourself from people who are taking the non serious parts of it (like social) far too seriously
i've noticed the "just a webboard" comment is usually used in social forums or wherever posters have freer reign and less consideration for the discussion at hand. unfortunately, it also gives fools more license to flame or make disparaging remarks thinking they can get away with it because this is "just a webboard". i havent seen much of that phrase in words, music or the assorted drug forums.
i do agree with jakoz's opinion that bluelight is a/the receptacle for information and knowledge regarding drugs.
it might not be "just a webboard", however, it is indeed "a webboard". and as such, we have to constantly remind ourselves that it might suffice as a means to disseminate qualified/quantifiable information, but it is by no means the best medium for communication, especially in social forums very much subject to the quirks and nuances of human characters hiding behind computers and the very fallible written language.
i dont see "just a webboard" as a degratory description applied to bluelight as a whole but, a reminder that we are bound/limited in our expressions by the nature of a text based medium.
simply because bluelight is a webboard means we really should put more thought and consideration into what we write instad of excusing every trespass as this being "just a webboard".
Click to expand...
 
I used to like to think of Bluelight as a loosely organised underground press, legally publishing information that was nevertheless frowned upon by society about the taboo subject of illegal substances. These days, with a steady increase in popularity and global attention, Bluelight is no longer so underground. There is an enormous database of user experiences, documented trip reports, and feedback on many ethical, moral and medical issues surrounding drugs. Bluelight stands alone as a unique contribution to global harm minimisation. We don't pretend to be the last word in factual information - we defer to Erowid for that purpose, however in terms of question and answer, and raw man-hours of experience I think Bluelight is matched by few other document archives.
Socially, there are a large community of users that are essentially tied together with Bluelight as their common link - sometimes the only thing they have in common. I believe that there are a tremendous number of people who 'lurk' at bluelight, reading and learning from the information, but without choosing to contribute unless compelled by a particularly strong opinion or a unique experience they wish to add.
The software is just a web-board. The paradigm brings people together to share experiences. The content is made up of all the people's contributions. Bluelight means different things to each of the contributors, but the contributions make up Bluelight as a whole.
BigTrancer :)
 
It's a community...people come and people go....people leran and people grow...new questions are asked and dreamsare lost...dreams are also still there...if it's not your thing anymore andyou have out grown it move on and let other people use it for whatever reason that may be.... :)
 
First and foremostly i would like to say that Bluelight has educated me on many topics, obviously the drug related and just as import other issues which tickle my fancy. because i choose not to go to a place such as a university or so forth, my direct conctact with the typical person that visits bluelight is very limited. I would be lying to say that at most times i do feel an outsider to both Bluelight and also in real life.

but as BT said, i usually dont post on topics unless i have something important to say.
i am going to take a moment to eat my words, because i know that in last couple of weeks i have been bored for a number or reasons and not had the appropiate stimulation in ''REAL LIFE'' to discuss stimulating topics. apologies for that.

Although i find many of the topics in Thoughts and Awarness very interesting it seems that after the 15th or so post, all that can be said about the subject has been said. As physcotik said, there are a huge amount of very intelligent individuals that offer deep and meaningful points of views.

but as a whole bluelight provide a range of information from time to time when i find it neccesarily on a wide range of topics.

As a side note - i think that a lot of the pointless and meaningless posts ( which vurtumatic or pleo, i cant remeber which one... gets pissed off at) are a result of unstimulate people, looking for stimulating, but no idea where to get it from.
 
anfalicious said:
Saying it's just a webboard and therefore anulling yourself of any responsibility of anything you say. It's like ringing your mate telling him his sister is a slut and that he is the scum of the earth, then saying "it doesn't matter, it's just the telephone".
Click to expand...
I remember reading that when it was posted and thinking that it just summed up the whole internet message board thing perfectly. This might be an online discussion board, but there are real people with real feelings talking about real things behind it all.

I could have sworn I quoted that at the time, but I must have just thought it was awesome and not done anything to show it.

Nicely put! :)
 
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