People Watching

I’ve been a member of metafilter since September 8, 2000.

It appears I have posted twenty-five comments, more than half of which are replies to the one link I posted. One could easily deduce that I’m not an active member of the site.

The fact is I read the site almost daily and, often, several times a day. And I don’t just use it for the links; I read the comments, I look at the links. At times, I even print out some of the more interesting conversations so I can read and think on the subway home.

While reading the interesting goings on at metafilter tonight, I realized what I love about the site so much. I’m the sort of person who likes to people-watch. I can sit for hours and observe the people passing by and I also love making new friends, finding about their ideas and thoughts. Metafilter gives me the luxury of both without having to leave the comforts of my home.

I like to be able to click on a topic on a controversial issue and see tens of viewpoints and at least a few well thought out opposing arguments. I like the wide range of its members. Geographically. In age. In background. In priorities. In just about every which way. It’s the kind of varying audience that would be almost impossible to arrange in real life. Talk about getting to do some quality people watching.

I read about all these people getting fed up/frustrated/emotional about the changes in the site and making their dramatic exits and it makes me ponder. I’ve observed all the changes in the site too and there are days I get annoyed because there are too many links and not enough quality conversation. There are days I feel like it’s all crap. But then a neat topic starts up and I remember how much I love it.

I guess a people watcher never really gets emotional cause she’s observing and not really an active part of the crowd and hence feels less of a sense of belonging. Hence less of the sense of loss.

Or so one would think.

All I can say is that if Metafilter disappeared tomorrow, I would be really really sad. And if I can feel this way as a member who mostly watches from afar, I can only imagine the sorrow of its core participators.

Previously? Chocolates and White Dresses.