Southport Forumite Gathering?

[Gav]

a strict no entry policy for people with real names... or are we? At least it'd keep certain riff-raff out anyway, won't it DJ

I used to like you.

[ducasi]

Interesting that the most popular vote is to make it more exclusive...

What's wrong with being exclusive for an hour or two?

FH and I invited a friend round to join us for food at our chalet – how exclusive was that?!

There's the rest of the weekend to meet and dance with everybody. It's nice being in an environment where you can ask someone "who are you on the forum?" without getting a blank look.

[David Bailey]

What's wrong with being exclusive for an hour or two?

Nothing at all - in fact, I don't believe I said exclusivity was wrong in itself. Southport itself is exclusive - you have to buy a ticket to get in. Private lessons are exclusive. Chalets are exclusive, for most people at least.

But what's wrong is to say that something is not exclusive, when it clearly is. It's a private gathering, no point in pretending it's not.

[CJ]

I used to like you.

Gav's not your real name is it?!? I thought it was an anagram of the real you...

[Dreadful Scathe]

what avg ? he's an average bloke

[Lynn]

But what's wrong is to say that something is not exclusive, when it clearly is. It's a private gathering, no point in pretending it's not.

Exclusive means that people are excluded - they're not. I took a non forumite friend along to the very first forumite gathering ('cos I didn't know anyone and didn't want to go on my own) and he was made very welcome, no-one expected him to be on the forum.

So in the sense that its invitation only, or people are turned away, its not exclusive.

And I think getting bogged down in 'this is an exclusive clique' type stuff is a bit petty to be honest. The 'forum gathering' is simply providing a focal point for people who interact in an online community to meet in person and dance with each other. Thats it, that's the purpose and the point. We just want to get together, introduce ourselves to those we haven't met, say hello again to those we have, and dance.

[MartinHarper]

The big confusion, for me, is why a forumite gathering needs to be on the official Southport program. If we want to get together in the bar on Friday evening, or go swimming in the sea on Saturday morning, or model lingerie on Sunday night, or whatever, we've typically got a multi-page Southport thread to organise that. Where's the benefit in making it "official"?

[Double Trouble]

or model lingerie on Sunday night,

What again?

I think I've modelled enough lingerie for you already Martin. Didn't you get enough of me at Beach Boogie?

[David Bailey]

The big confusion, for me, is why a forumite gathering needs to be on the official Southport program.

Indeed - that's the point I was trying to make. I'll even forgive you the misspelling for stating it so well.

Exclusive means that people are excluded - they're not.

They're not officially excluded, but any gathering with criteria is by definition exclusive to those who meet those criteria, whether formally or not.

I took a non forumite friend along to the very first forumite gathering ('cos I didn't know anyone and didn't want to go on my own) and he was made very welcome, no-one expected him to be on the forum.

But, would he have gone by himself?

And I think getting bogged down in 'this is an exclusive clique' type stuff is a bit petty to be honest.

What, compared to a "guess the chest" competition?

The 'forum gathering' is simply providing a focal point for people who interact in an online community to meet in person and dance with each other. Thats it, that's the purpose and the point. We just want to get together, introduce ourselves to those we haven't met, say hello again to those we have, and dance.

So why is it an official part of the programme?

[Lynn]

But, would he have gone by himself?

Why on earth would he have wanted to? The point is to meet and dance with people you know from an online community - why would someone with no connection or interest in that want to go? Especially with several other rooms with dancing on offer.

So why is it an official part of the programme?

I guess it was possibly because

a) at the first one John and Wes were willing to set aside space for forumites to meet and as they were the only weekenders producing programmes they added it into the programme.

b) it was originally in a separate room and if not on the programme what would they put on the programme for that hour - 'room closed for private party'? That does come across as exclusive. I guess putting it down as what it was seemed a pretty logical thing to do.

[Dreadful Scathe]

i never saw it as a big deal - they knew there were a lot of people "from" the forum going so they organised a time and a place for them...nothing "official" about it, its simply good organisation and typically helpful

its no more a clique than announcing a room for latin dancers

[Twirlie Bird]

And I repeat, why have a Ceroc Scotland forum gathering at a Jive Addiction event? And why did Jive Nation drop the "Ceroc Scotland" bit from it, huh?

The fact that Jive Addiction encourage this forumite meeting says far more to me about them than the fact they've dropped the Ceroc Scotland.

There's the rest of the weekend to meet and dance with everybody. It's nice being in an environment where you can ask someone "who are you on the forum?" without getting a blank look.

It's only for a very short period of time. There were loads of new forumites there at the weekend and I think I met two of them. It just wasn't obvious who the unnamed forumites were and I got tired of asking people in the end who I'm sure thought I was a little bit crazy.

That's it, that's the purpose and the point. We just want to get together, introduce ourselves to those we haven't met, say hello again to those we have, and dance.

Exactly. Well said Lynn

We can argue all we like and go round and round in circles about its exclusivity but all we want at the end of the day is the chance to meet the people we have been chatting to and meet those whose posts we have been reading.

So why is it an official part of the programme?

I wonder how many forumites got excited when they saw it for the first time in the Southport programme. I know I did. Maybe that makes me sad but I bet I am not alone.

[David Bailey]

Why on earth would he have wanted to? The point is to meet and dance with people you know from an online community - why would someone with no connection or interest in that want to go?

So, you're saying it is exclusive then?

[Lynn]

The fact that Jive Addiction encourage this forumite meeting says far more to me about them than the fact they've dropped the Ceroc Scotland.

And if they hadn't dropped the 'Ceroc' bit you could be sure there would be people on here having a go at them for mentioning it on the programme!

So, you're saying it is exclusive then?

Yeah, like the milonga is - why would anyone with no connection or interest in AT want to go?

[David Bailey]

And if they hadn't dropped the 'Ceroc' bit you could be sure there would be people on here having a go at them for mentioning it on the programme!

Why? No-one had a go at them when they included it, after all.

Yeah, like the milonga is - why would anyone with no connection or interest in AT want to go?

Absolutely. The milonga is very definitely exclusive. And I've no problem with that, or indeed with saying that. As are, for example, the WCS rooms, or any other specialised rooms to a smaller or larger degree.

So why do people have a problem admitting that the forumite gathering is exclusive?

[Double Trouble]

I think some kind of dance card should be used. With the names of all the attending forumites. Rules should be that you can't leave the blues room on Friday until you have danced with everyone on the card at least once.

That way, everyone can speak with at least some degree of knowledge when they are slagging the dancing skills off of other forumites.

[Twirly]

So why do people have a problem admitting that the forumite gathering is exclusive?

Because to be properly exclusive, you'd have to shut the door to people who weren't on here. That isn't happening by the sounds of it. So anyone not on the forum would be made welcome if they happened to wander in. If you want exclusive, make it ticket only and have a bouncer on the door. Otherwise it ain't exclusive

[robd]

That way, everyone can speak with at least some degree of knowledge when they are slagging the dancing skills off of other forumites.

But that would take all the fun out of it

[stewart38]

So why do people have a problem admitting that the forumite gathering is exclusive?

We can argue all we like and go round and round in circles about its exclusivity

So why do people have a problem admitting that the forumite gathering is exclusive?

We can argue all we like and go round and round in circles about its exclusivity

So why do people have a problem admitting that the forumite gathering is exclusive?

We can argue all we like and go round and round in circles about its exclusivity

[stewart38]

Because to be properly exclusive, you'd have to shut the door to people who weren't on here. That isn't happening by the sounds of it. So anyone not on the forum would be made welcome if they happened to wander in. If you want exclusive, make it ticket only and have a bouncer on the door. Otherwise it ain't exclusive

Also make them pay up front

Like Eutopia now that is exclusive