Nights out with people off the internet

Carlos_Ray

I'm new to this site and was a bit taken back when I came across threads about " boards nights out." From reading them I understand that some Boards members regularly attend these events.

I'm kind of from the school of thought that whats on the internet is best left there and that includes people, so it wouldn't really be my thing. However, I am curious to find out how people have got on when they met each other. So i'd really appreciate if , you have attended such nights out you could give me an insight into your experiences using the following questions as a guide.

(I can understand to a certain extent how specific areas of boards can arrange nights out because they have common interests eg Film, photography etc, so its really the "after hours" nights out etc that I find unusual.)


Did anyone regret going? Have any bad experiences?

Did peoples personality prove totally different to the ones they presented on boards?

Are nights out usually made up of single males looking to meet girls?

Is it just....nerds??

Did Moderators ever experience trouble from "banned members" showing up to seek revenge etc?

Perhaps I'm just old fashioned but its something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing at all.

Deus Ex Machina

Last time I met up with people from the internet I was shot and raped.

x PyRo

Last time I met up with people from the internet I shot and raped someone.

m@cc@

Carlos_Ray wrote: »

Did Moderators ever experience trouble from "banned members" showing up to seek revenge etc?

Ha ha ha ha! Please let this be true. Can you imagine being arsed to go somewhere to have a go at someone for banning you?

Rented Mule

Deus Ex Machina wrote: »

Last time I met up with people from the internet I was shot and raped.

In the opposite order.

starbelgrade

m@cc@ wrote: »

Ha ha ha ha! Please let this be true. Can you imagine being arsed to go somewhere to have a go at someone for banning you?

Or if they banned you at the Boards beer night for saying something insulting to another boardsie.

Actually, they probably carry yellow & red cards with them for that very purpose.

m@cc@

starbelgrade wrote: »

Or if they banned you at the Boards beer night for saying something insulting to another boardsie.

Actually, they probably carry yellow & red cards with them for that very purpose.

They could have a Feedback night where all the Mods are. You could go and complain about forums to them.

And when someone says something funny or something you agree with, you could say 'thanks' to them.

Seaneh

I called Tom a cu*t in the bleeding horse and Gandalf give me a 3 day ban from afterhours.*





















*this may be a total lie.

starbelgrade

If you are intending to go to a Boards beer night, make sure to take with you the full range of smilies to hold up, or people may not be able to read which emotion you wish to convey :



:):rolleyes::o:mad::(:eek:P:cool::pac:

OutlawPete

Here's a link to a thread of one of the last Beers held.

If you read it all you will get a feel for what it was like and how people got on that never met before etc:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055757913

m@cc@

starbelgrade wrote: »

If you are intending to go to a Boards beer night, make sure to take with you the full range of smilies to hold up, or people may not be able to read which emotion you wish to convey :



:):rolleyes::o:mad::(:eek:P:cool::pac:

It would be easier to use your own face to try and imitate each smilie. Can you imagine using :cool: on a constant basis though? You'd be shot.

KevinVonSpiel

I want to go to a boards fancy dress party as a thread & get locked.

El Siglo

I haven't been on any AH sessions, but I bet I'd do something like this...;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTbASqoqH3Q

That_Guy

I've met some really awesome people from boards beers. Don't knock it til you try it.

starbelgrade

KevinVonSpiel wrote: »

I want to go to a boards fancy dress party as a thread & get locked.

Cool - I'll get out my Thanks Whore costume & join ya!

m@cc@

starbelgrade wrote: »

Cool - I'll get out my Thanks Whore costume & join ya!

I wouldn't want to be the person that goes as: :rolleyes:

x PyRo

m@cc@ wrote: »

I wouldn't want to be the person that goes as: :rolleyes:

They'll get the shit kicked out of themselves. :rolleyes:

Ohhh noes! :pac:

Agent Smith

Have been to a few, Theres some serriously awesome people on boards.

Turn up, buy me beer, and I'll show you the ways of the boards beers.

Dave147

KevinVonSpiel wrote: »

I want to go to a boards fancy dress party as a thread & get locked.

Lol, hilarious!

Never been to one, but I'd imagine it'd be pretty cool putting faces to names.

KevinVonSpiel

starbelgrade wrote: »

Cool - I'll get out my Thanks Whore costume & join ya!

Ouch! :rolleyes:

m@cc@ wrote: »

I wouldn't want to be the person that goes as: :rolleyes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBGh03nvkdU

starbelgrade

Agent Smith wrote: »

Have been to a few, Theres some serriously awesome people on boards.

Turn up, buy me beer, and I'll show you the ways of the boards beers.

Can I come to Dublin to buy you a beer too? It's only a 400km return trip for me. I'd love to be shown the way & called "awesome". Please?

Agent Smith

starbelgrade wrote: »

Can I come to Dublin to buy you a beer too? It's only a 400km return trip for me. I'd love to be shown the way & called "awesome". Please?

I'll Allow it

Bob Z

I was at one of those nights out. It was terrible everytime someone cracked a joke someone else would hold up a card that said 'lol' or had a smillie face on it

Tar.Aldarion

Carlos_Ray wrote: »

(I can understand to a certain extent how specific areas of boards can arrange nights out because they have common interests eg Film, photography etc, so its really the "after hours" nights out etc that I find unusual.)


Did anyone regret going? Have any bad experiences?

Did peoples personality prove totally different to the ones they presented on boards?

Are nights out usually made up of single males looking to meet girls?

Is it just....nerds??

Did Moderators ever experience trouble from "banned members" showing up to seek revenge etc?

Perhaps I'm just old fashioned but its something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing at all.

In my experience of going for 5 years they are great, have met hundreds and nothing bad. have made some great friends, have gotten housemates etc.

Some people are as you expect, some are not. Generally they are nicer than you think. single males looking for girls no, a range of different people. Wish it was just nerds....and girls...and they had lab coats. Somebody told me I banned them before, I said, ok, that was about it for that. No need to feel uncomfortable...there are meetups on so many forums here for so many things and they are just other people, you get to know something about them before meeting them too, unlike with randomers.

Duggy747

Bah! The beers nights are always over in Dublin, I don't go cuz I'd say they're crap for that very reason...
















*sniff*

Executive Steve

Haven't been to one in 9 years!

But internet people are fecking great, plus you know you're going to have common ground.

jill_valentine

I've never had a bad experience. People are generally a bit nicer in real life, but a lot of that comes down to the fact that it's far easier to read somebody's tone face to face. Aside from that, 9 times out of 10, if you know somebody online, you could probably pick them out of a line up the minute they open their mouth.

It's not like meeting strangers. Even if it's not all a tight knit common interest group like film or whatever, everybody has some common touchstones and there's a sense of community right from the get-go. There's a good mix of people, and the ice is more or less already broken before you start. I don't think there's a particular "type" as such, but you can expect a good pace of banter generally.

I know one girl who moved from Australia to Portugal to live with a guy - happily for all concerned - and another couple who ended up very blissfully married after meeting through a board meetup, but even though that's on the extreme end of the spectrum, I think it's a lot less unusual now than it was even five years ago, and it's likely to be a lot more common in future.

I think that probably seems a bit weird if you think of the internet as a very distinct media tool, but with stuff like Facebook and Twitter it isn't really anymore, or it's not for me at least. If I'm going out for drinks, for instance, I'll text some of my friends and PM some of the others, it's not really a distinct thing for me anymore. I'm very close friends with people I initially met through forums, and they're friends with my other "real life" mates, same as you'd know some people from work and some people from school, for instance.

Doesn't cost me a thought, really. Never had a bad time.

Xavi6

Had a cracker of a night out with some lads from Soccer last year. Great buzz between a load of like minded folk.

Also joined a football team through boards, played in a Soccer v Poker game, and went to a beers in Perth, Australia.

Give it a go OP.

Jay D

Op, you seem like a social dynamite, I'd love to go out with you, say you'd be some buzz to be around.

I've met quite a few online in real life. Some proper and utter gob****es, one complete false ponsey git and some decent likeable people too, just like those I initially met in real life

Bare in mind sometimes it's in yor best interests to go with it and meet in fairness! Opportunities and all that jazz.

If I ever moved over to Dublin, i'd be at one straight away.. Not so much incentive living in Galway tho.

The_B_Man

OP, I'm sure they're safe. Well, boards is, cant say anything about Facebook or anything, but i'd say the worst that'd happen to ya on a boards night out is you'd get a creepy boards stalker who thanks all your posts and sends ya the odd PM. though, ya may get let in on all the "in-jokes"! *Shudder*

Dancor

Jay D wrote: »

one complete false ponsey git

You could have just told me to my face Jay!

dr.bollocko

Deleted User wrote: »

If I ever moved over to Dublin, i'd be at one straight away.. Not so much incentive living in Galway tho.

There's one on in Galway on friday night in Massimo's.

Jay D

Dancor wrote: »

You could have just told me to my face Jay!

I couldn't, I'm a 2 faced bastard like that.

SugarHigh

Executive Steve wrote: »

Haven't been to one in 9 years!

But internet people are fecking great, plus you know you're going to have common ground.

Executive Steve: Hi I use the internet.
Other guy: Holy **** me too.
*Friendship occurs*

kylith

I've not been to a boards.ie night out, since I've not been on the site very long, but I'm keeping an eye out for the next one in Dublin.

I don't get on very well with... people. It's not that I'm nasty or bitchy, I just don't find it easy to talk to people I don't know and, consequently, I make a tit of myself and everyone thinks I'm a weirdo.

When I've been to meet ups for other boards it's been much easier; you already kind of feel like you know people, there are things that you know you can talk about because there are threads about them; so I don't have to try to think of topics of conversation and risk finding that I've initiated a conversation about wheelbarrows or hangars or something.

stovelid

Haven't been to one myself but the idea that you wouldn't get on with the majority of people in real life that you get on with online seems a little daft.

Executive Steve

SugarHigh wrote: »

Executive Steve: Hi I use the internet.
Other guy: Holy **** me too.
*Friendship occurs*

You must bear in mind that back in the 90's most people got most of their information about the internet from reading about it in magazines and newspapers!

Being someone who was "into the internet" was regarded in much the same way collectors of stamps are these days.

silvervixen84

They're nothing like this thankfully

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIloa5tTE8g

Minstrel27

I am of the school of thought that people online should stay there.

biko

Contrary to popular belief it's pretty much always sound people at beers, simply because when people meet other people face to face they tend to be less keyboard warriors and more accommodating. I've met some "odd" people but 99% would be great craic.

The Galway Ladies Beers have been huge successes afaik. I think the more specialised the meet is, the more the people have in common already and will get along better. Motors meets, Airsoft meets, etc, ...

Could actually be heading there for a birthday on Friday night... I'll keep at eye out for a group of people dressed like this guy..
http://www.forumspile.com/Internet-Don't_worry_Tron.jpg

reallyrose

The_B_Man wrote: »

ya may get let in on all the "in-jokes"!

That is the one thing, above all other that would discourage me from attending a boards meet. I've been on boards for years, but I still wouldn't feel comfortable attending a boardsmeet. (This is a new nick, I lost the password to my old account and then lost the password to the retrieve password email. Yes, I am smart) My post count is pitiful anyway, I'm not a huge poster of messages. I always fear the mocking. o.o

I've been to other internet-board-thing meet ups and generally things go swimmingly. There is always the hilarity of someone turning out to be the opposite of expected gender, or who looks exactly not-like what you expected them to look like.

In-jokes scare me though.

Dravokivich

reallyrose wrote: »

In-jokes scare me though.

Just laugh when everyone else does...

... worked for me

ibarelycare

Dravokivich wrote: »

Just laugh when everyone else does...

... worked for me

We were laughing at you that time. :cool:

Dravokivich

ibarelycare wrote: »

We were laughing at you that time. :cool:

...so... I was the "in joke"?

:cool:

chopperbyrne

I met my girlfriend at a boards beers.

Pretty much everyone I've met through boards has been sound, especially the fighting game players.

liah

I don't get why people have this fear of "internet people." "Internet people" are just.. people. They're the same people you pass in the streets every day. It's like there's this automatic assumption that if you're "from the internet" you're weird/a stalker/a murderer/a rapist/a nerd/whatever the hell else. Erm.. you're using the internet, and (I'm assuming!) you're not any of these things, so.. wouldn't it be safe to assume everyone else is pretty much the same way?

Of course you'll meet the odd weirdo off the internet.. same way you'd meet the odd weirdo in real life. The odds are relatively similar. Why worry? People are people regardless of the medium, there's no need for such a stigma around it.

Beruthiel

There are some great people on this site and not to be feared OP.
There are friends who met through Boards beers (I've a few good one's who I've met through this site going back 6/7 years now)
There are boyfriends/girlfriends who met at a Boards beers.
There are Boards marriages.
There are Boards babies.

Carlos_Ray

Thanks for giving me an insight into this area.

Like a lot of people I was first introduced to Boards via a recommendation for Bargain alerts. I soon realised there were many more interesting and fun sections.

I think its great that people have made genuine friends/partners through boards social events etc. You usually only hear the horror stories in the media, which is probably why there is still a stigma attached to it.

I'm in my mid-twenties so perhaps I'm a bit too long in the tooth to fully appreciate new social trends such as this. When I was a teenager, internet chatrooms etc seemed to be full of weirdos and perverts. Indeed, this is still the case with a lot of internet networking sites. For the most part, Boards seems to be frequented by normal people so its seems pretty logical to cut out the middleman and meet some people in person.

plasmaguy

Fortunately or unfortunately Carlos you will get the same mix of people online as you get offline.

People get away with a lot more online than they would offline.

It's far easier to insult someone online for example, as you don't risk getting a cut lip in return.

I only come on here to pass the time, not really into the social meet-ups myself. I'm sure they are ok.