Update: A guy at the library asked me how to find the 'Ask Anything' section

I was at the downtown branch yesterday, grabbing a book on local history (you know, for a project). This older gentleman walked right up to me, pointed at the community bulletin board, and said, 'Excuse me, young man, where is the Ask Anything section? I have a question about my tomato plants.' I had to explain it's an online forum, not a physical place. He just nodded slowly and said, 'So it's like the library, but in the air?' Has anyone else had to explain what an online community actually is to someone in person?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren_smith4424d ago

Honestly, it's wild how we've built this whole other layer of society that's totally invisible. That guy's question made me realize online forums are like ghost towns full of people, you know? We're all shouting into the same empty room but never actually bumping into each other. Makes the help we give each other feel kinda cheap sometimes, even when the advice is solid.

angela_coleman24d ago

That line about it being "like the library, but in the air" is actually a pretty good way to put it. It makes me wonder if we lose something by not having a physical spot to gather. You can't share a real cup of coffee with someone on a forum. The help is still there, but the feeling is different.