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David Bailey
12th-July-2005, 06:44 PM
Just because I can't resist a good argument (plus I didn't want to mutate the Southport September thread too much!):

The issues originally raised in the Dance immigration thread (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5585), and comments made by people here (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showpost.php?p=118495&postcount=37) and there (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showpost.php?p=132985&postcount=59), make me wonder how much of a clique the Forum is when Forumites get together as a sub-group within general dance events.

Note: I'm not referring to BFG-events, but dance events such as weekenders in general.

My personal view is that the Forum is an online community, not a real-world grouping, and I'll dance with people, and socialise with them, irrelevant of them being a forumite or not - to me, that is more in line with the ethos of MJ.

That doesn't mean I'm unfriendly (although I can be :) ), but it means that I have near-zero interest in social sub-groupings at dance events. Unless there's free food of course... :innocent:

However, I could be wrong (amazing though that would be :eek: ).

So: how much is such sub-grouping inclusive and welcoming, and how much is it divisive and cliquey?

Discuss...

DavidB
12th-July-2005, 06:50 PM
So: how much is such sub-grouping inclusive and welcoming, and how much is it divisive and cliquey?It all depends on whether you have been included and welcomed.

A clique is usually invisible from the inside.

Zebra Woman
12th-July-2005, 06:56 PM
Yeah this is a wind up.... :rolleyes:

Well all I can say is at Daventry last Saturday when I tried to introduce Lucy Locket to some other Forumites they were absolutlely all over the place dancing with all and sundry :clap: .

Yes, of course we look forward to seeing each other at various events but IME very little time is spent socialising. 5 words to Lory on a good night :rolleyes: . Some dancing with forumites yes, but far less than 50% of my dances would be with Forumites I would say.

I would say categorically we are the opposite of cliquey, we absolutely love to meet new people. :cheers: :clap: :D

Of course most Forumites do still reserve the right to say no to pervs and yankers wherever they are :wink:

mooncalf
12th-July-2005, 07:58 PM
I know a song about a clique.

We don't need a clique
To make our clock tick

By Dee-Lite. Not one of there most famous songs. Then again they only had one famous song. I'm not including The Power of Love.

Magic Hans
13th-July-2005, 09:36 AM
Is the forum cliquey at all?

Being such a large group from a seemingly extensive background, and because of it's internet nature, I probably near enough impossible to say!!

All I can say, with absolutely no justification, is that I get a slight inklingly feeling of it being a little too cliquey for my liking. [That is once forum members have identified/recognised eachother, and at big events]

Either that .... or I have no friends!! :tears: :tears:

[Lashings of sympathy would be good now!!! :whistle: ]

Magic H

Dizzy
13th-July-2005, 09:46 AM
I don't feel that the forum is a clique.

The forum has allowed me to meet new dancers that already know me as a friend before I have even met them.

Being on the forum means that I can get to know people that have interests in common already then when I finally do meet them, it is just like meeting old school friends!!! :clap: :hug:

I still dance with non-forumites and would not wish it any other way.

Andy McGregor
13th-July-2005, 10:04 AM
What is a clique? We've all been to venues we call ciquey (sp?) and they're the ones where everybody seems to be in closed off groups that make it difficult/uncomfortable to ask it's members to dance. Please feel free to tell me if I ever seem like that :flower:

RachD
13th-July-2005, 01:02 PM
I know a song about a clique.

We don't need a clique
To make our clock tick

By Dee-Lite. Not one of there most famous songs. Then again they only had one famous song. I'm not including The Power of Love.



Groove is in the Heart? Great tune....I have that on 12". Do you think it's worth anything?

I hadn't noticed any cliqueyness on the forum.

mooncalf
13th-July-2005, 01:08 PM
Groove is in the Heart? Great tune....I have that on 12". Do you think it's worth anything?

I hadn't noticed any cliqueyness on the forum.

It's worth is to show evidence of your good taste.

RachD
13th-July-2005, 01:19 PM
It's worth is to show evidence of your good taste.


Why, thankyou. :nice:
It has a great sleeve design too.

mooncalf
13th-July-2005, 02:15 PM
Why, thankyou. :nice:
It has a great sleeve design too.

Is there a picture of Lady Miss Kier on it?
Goodbeat was also good but In no way related to cliques so I shouldn't mention it here.

RachD
13th-July-2005, 02:40 PM
Is there a picture of Lady Miss Kier on it?
Goodbeat was also good but In no way related to cliques so I shouldn't mention it here.


A cartoon version of her, yes. She is flying on the back of a huge green dragonfly.

mooncalf
13th-July-2005, 02:43 PM
A cartoon version of her, yes. She is flying on the back of a huge green dragonfly.
This thread seems to have become a bit cliquey.

RachD
13th-July-2005, 02:54 PM
This thread seems to have become a bit cliquey.


Yes, but I don't see anybody posting a reply to say they are bothered?
Please feel free to join in our conversation. :whistle:

Lynn
14th-July-2005, 12:29 AM
Several reasons why the forum is not a clique IMO -

Firstly, this is a public forum, any dancer can join here, join in discussions and therefore join in any forum 'meeting, greeting and dancing' at 'external' events. Simply joining in here is sufficient, it doesn't seem to matter your age, job, where you come from, or even (thankfully in my case!) your dancing level. You just have to love dancing.

Secondly, I have experienced meeting forumites at weekenders, where I maybe haven't known that many people and what a friendly and welcoming bunch. :hug:

Thirdly - the friendly and welcoming bit extends beyond the forum edge - as some of my NI friends over at the last weekender discovered - forumites heard their accent, guessed they knew me, and introduced themselves. So NI friends who aren't on the forum were telling me 'I just met someone you know'.

So finally - the above illustrates that its having that connection - knowing someone at some level, even if it is only from on here, and that translating itself to dancing and chatting and enjoying meeting others. Its not exclusive, it doesn't shut people out, but neither do forumites go and insist other dancers join the forum. But anyone can who wants to!

under par
14th-July-2005, 09:26 AM
Several reasons why the forum is not a clique IMO -

Firstly, this is a public forum, any dancer can join here, join in discussions and therefore join in any forum 'meeting, greeting and dancing' at 'external' events. Simply joining in here is sufficient, it doesn't seem to matter your age, job, where you come from, or even (thankfully in my case!) your dancing level. You just have to love dancing.

Secondly, I have experienced meeting forumites at weekenders, where I maybe haven't known that many people and what a friendly and welcoming bunch. :hug:

Thirdly - the friendly and welcoming bit extends beyond the forum edge - as some of my NI friends over at the last weekender discovered - forumites heard their accent, guessed they knew me, and introduced themselves. So NI friends who aren't on the forum were telling me 'I just met someone you know'.

So finally - the above illustrates that its having that connection - knowing someone at some level, even if it is only from on here, and that translating itself to dancing and chatting and enjoying meeting others. Its not exclusive, it doesn't shut people out, but neither do forumites go and insist other dancers join the forum. But anyone can who wants to!


Well put Lynn have some rep. :hug:

Magic Hans
18th-July-2005, 07:18 PM
Several reasons why the forum is not a clique IMO -

...

If it's a simple Yes or No, then I quite fully agree. However, rarely is anything black and white! Certainly the forum is inclusive, friendly and welcoming for the most (99.9%) part. Furthermore, I would never suggest that it is any more than minorly cliquey.

However, two points. [with disclaimers!!]

a) Someone raised the question in the first place. Although this, in itself, is in no way conclusive, it does suggest that said person has some grounds, or uncertainty regarding some (even if minor .... or maybe rumoured or commented on) cliqueiness.

b) My observation at Southport in June was that some (unspecified number) forumites seemed to have at least a slight preference for other forumites to dance with. That's not to say that no forumite ever danced with a non-forumite, this is clearly untrue.

However, I can imagine non-forumites seeing others (especially those with badges on, me included!!), wondering how these people know eachother, and what their missing!!

Disclaimers. I fully except that my observation may be flawed, and my imagination over ... nay hyperactive!! :D

!an

Lynn
18th-July-2005, 08:24 PM
b) My observation at Southport in June was that some (unspecified number) forumites seemed to have at least a slight preference for other forumites to dance with. That's not to say that no forumite ever danced with a non-forumite, this is clearly untrue. Could be because they know each other 'outside' the forum? Maybe they are friends already or have made friends through meeting each other on here and at dancing venues? I wouldn't think it was really down to them being 'forumites' that they had a preference for dancing with each other - more likely they had danced together before, enjoyed it, and wanted to dance together again.

And I'm a forumite, and you didn't dance with me! :tears:

Lynn
18th-July-2005, 08:30 PM
However, I can imagine non-forumites seeing others (especially those with badges on, me included!!), wondering how these people know eachother, and what their missing!! Some probably did!

But I met several people that I knew from other weekenders, I knew they weren't on the forum, and they were in the middle of the 'forum reception' dancing away, with no idea that it was a 'forum' event. So if even the one hour in one room on the whole weekend that was meant for us on the forum to 'get together' was so far from being exclusive that some people were oblivious, despite the badges - then it can't really be terribly 'cliquey' can it?

And when I asked them (to check in case they were on here and I didn't know) they said 'Oh yes, I wondered why some people had sticky labels on!'

Gojive
18th-July-2005, 08:36 PM
"Is the forum a clique?"......YES! Every time I post a reply, I 'ave to clique zees booton 'ere! :na:

:blush: I'll just get my B&Ws, and I'll be on my way......

In a nutshell, I'd say that this forum most certainly is not cliquey, but it can perhaps appear so. Does that make sense :confused: :)

Magic Hans
18th-July-2005, 09:37 PM
....

In a nutshell, I'd say that this forum most certainly is not cliquey, but it can perhaps appear so. Does that make sense :confused: :)

No!! :D :flower: