If this web forum were a bar, it would be like Cheers.
Only, instead of hearing everyone yell, "Norm!" when a regular walks in, it might be more like, "Watermelonpatty!"
The Unofficial UB network forum is like an electronic Student Union. Students gather to talk about anything and everything. But, in many cases, users know each other only by the tiny thumbnail picture they choose to display next to their username.
Alex Halavais, assistant communication professor, believes this type of social interaction can be just as valuable as those that take place face-to-face.
"I have a feeling the only way we are capable of thought is through interaction with other people. The greater the diversity of people with whom you interact, the more likely you are able to broaden your own thought process," he said. "We all seek out these communities of people with whom we can learn and interact. Many of these are real life sources of discussion. Some are now online."
Many users check in several times a day to rant, joke, opine about current events including trends and entertainment and share links to interesting or funny articles, Web sites, and comics. Discussion topics range from the lighthearted and whimsical to the heavy and philosophical. Hundreds of threads are posted every day.
There is always fresh material being put up, and that can be credited to The Forum's eclectic mix of users.
"It's likely that if you hear an idea from a friend, most of your shared friends have also already heard it. At least in some cases, these forums allow people who would otherwise not interact to exchange ideas. There is definitely some social value in that," Halavais said.
This advanced social network has given news the ability to travel even faster than it does in small towns. The Forum is the rumor mill of the 21st century.
When Gerald Goldhaber, a former communication professor at UB, was arrested in the Cayman Islands for drug possession, the Forum had the scoop before anyone else.
In this way, The Forum is reminiscent of Web sites like www.TheSmokingGun.com, which started as a place to post tidbits of gossip the administrators found interesting, and grew to become a major source of scandal scoops for national news media.
The forum, which was started in 2000 by a group of friends, has 1,418 registered users who have collectively posted over 150,000 articles.
To sustain such a high volume, the forum has been broken up into eight subject categories.
In the "leechatorium," users make arrangements to share files. Requests range from the latest Chris Rock HBO stand-up special to the movie "Spartacus." People share everything from episodes of "Queer as Folk" and "The O.C." to old Dreamcast games.
"Dealz and Stealz" is a place to post items for sale or things people are looking to buy. You can find anything from a fish tank to a futon, a keg tap to a car.
"PoliticalNut" announces a "free couch sighting" there and "Xanatos" is "looking to unload (a) piece of crap car on some brave soul." Some are hoping to sublease their apartment.
The Soapbox is a place for "friendly political discussions." At one point, political discussions in the main forum got so heated that users, like "Pharo," were begging the site's administrators to ban talk of politics altogether. Instead, they received their own section of The Forum.
There's a Gaming section, where folks discuss systems like Xbox and Playstation 2. It boasts, "all you need to know about the games that drop your GPA."
Computing comes in two sections - "Tech Questions" and "Alternative Operating Systems," for those who want to talk Macs and motherboards.
The academics section is prefaced by UB's policy on academic honesty, and warns against sharing answers and plagiarizing.
"Posts violating the rules of academic integrity are immediately deleted," said Jennifer Wiegand, fine arts major and one of the site's administrators.
In this section, "WeeDtester" is looking for a good English 201 professor. "OmniOne" asks, "What should I major in?" "NanakiThirteen" wants to know if taking Molecular Biology and Ecological Methods at the same time is a bad idea.
Wiegand said that as the site's administrator, she checks in between five and 10 times a day to make sure people aren't breaking the rules. But, for her, it goes deeper than that.
"I have numerous friends from The Forum. Being that this forum isn't like your typical message board in that everyone is in the same general area, meeting people from the web isn't as risky as, say, meeting someone from your typical chat room," she said.
Others have formed friendships as well.
"One of the things is Forum Football," said Trent Spencer, a senior electrical engineering major. "A lot of people were interested in football, so we started meeting up at the same time every Saturday to play. From there, some of us starting partying together, playing video games, whatever."
The friendships Spencer has made there have already outlasted his interest in The Forum.
"I still see these people all the time," he said. "I probably only check The Forum once every six months."
But that doesn't mean The Forum isn't going strong.
"The Forum has become something none of us expected," Wiegand said. "Who knows what will happen to The Forum when all of its current administrators graduate and have jobs and life to take care of. My best guess it is will continue to run itself in the form it is now, free to grow in whatever way the users see fit."
