What Do The Forums Do For You ?

[How Brown]

I thought that this might be a good time to bring up the following subject considering the focus many of us have on the upcoming Ripper Convention regardless of whether we're going to be present or not.... as its just one of the several ways in which we fellow Ripperologists relate to each other and with those who here for specific interests. Message Boards,Skype calls, chatrooms, magazines,podcasts and self made audio/visual programs on the Web are the prime ways we communicate as opposed to the way those before the Internet was developed did through letters and phone calls. We've made progress for sure in that way.

I think that we as a community get a bad rap from outsiders..the civilians... who view the often heated repartee on the boards as a sign of something far worse than what it really is. Not that it matters to me what people outside the sphere of Ripperology think, but thats what I percieve when I read or hear about us in other venues.

The Forums has a few ways of communicating with people in and out of the community. One, being these message boards, our mainstay...and two others formats, those being YouTube Forums and Facebook's cadre, run by Jon & Mike. Small potatoes at present, these two latter format additions, but with concerted effort hopefully two valuable communication tools for the future within the upcoming new decade.

My question to you is....What good are the Forums message boards doing?

Are they doing something positive for your studies? Are they expanding your general knowledge of the Case ?

What doesn't the Forums do for you ? What do you think the Forums do for those who aren't participants on these boards ?

Your answers and input, either in the positive or negative, will be most appreciated.

Thanks

[Robert Linford]

The title sounds a bit like Reg from Life of Brian.

There isn't much wrong with the Forums that I can see. I suppose some of the discussions, like many Ripper discussions, go round in circles but then, circular saws cut forwards so it's not all pointless. Then there's some great research, and a friendly atmosphere.

Outsiders who think it's silly to study a 121 year old murder mystery will doubtless seize on How's captions as evidence that Ripper studies soften the brain. But don't let them put us off.

[Big Jon]

I think that we as a community get a bad rap from outsiders..the civilians... who view the often heated repartee on the boards as a sign of something far worse than what it really is. Not that it matters to me what people outside the sphere of Ripperology think, but thats what I percieve when I read or hear about us in other venues.



Unfortunately I think this is often the case with an online discussion. People feel protected by the anonimity provided by the internet, and so will act and speak as they would not in real life. If you look at nearly every online community and you will find this.

Add to this the automatic reaction some people get when you say you have an interest in the topic (they have a tendency to look at you as if you have just admited to murdering puppies as a hobby) and then it's no wonder we get bad press (especially as I bet it is these types of people who are more vocal than the other type you encounter - who I term the "That's quite interesting, tell me about it." crowd.)

[How Brown]

Jon:

Another part of the problem with any website ( You know first hand how it is when we chat on Skype...we can instantly rectify anything misstated and move on..) with a message board is the time lag between initial posts and responses. I didn't see any semblance of disharmony three years ago between the cadre when I was in Baltimore...and only one or two comments that were a little pointed or barbed...but they passed.

Anyway...enough of what I have to yap about.

Back to the members...>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Mr. Poster]

HI ho

Add to this the automatic reaction some people get when you say you have an interest in the topic

Just out of interest.............

This perplexes me somewhat. Why would someone tell someone else, in the course of conversation, that they are interested in the matter?

Given that the chances of lighting upon a fellow interessee (?) are minimal and therefore the chance of a discussion is minimal....why bother telling anyone?

I doubt I've ever told anyone. The only times it has ever come up in face to face discussion is as an incidental to something like the age of ink, can you see colour in the dark, do criminals tend to run away, etc. ie. it has only come up in relation to putting a context on something else.

All my ripper books, along with some others, are not on display anywhere.

We know the reaction it gets, the mutilation of prostitutes is hardly polite dinner table conversation, its a topic that hardly lends itself to casual meetings ("Hi, nice to meet you. My name is Lars and I'm a big fan of Victorian prostitute killers. Can I have your phone number?") ...... so I'm not sure why anyone would bring it up with people who are not interested in the matter.

And if it is brought up, the reaction of the public is probably natural enough.

One would get I imagine the same reaction if one brought up that one was a doctor with a speciality in piles, or that one is interested in venereal diseases of Africa, or any other speciality pursuit of slightly distasteful matters.

If one goes around telling people they like Rippers in order to elicit a response they know with certainty they are going to get (and naturally enough)...then it says more about the person trying to the response that the respondee surely?

p

[Big Jon]

Lars:

You'll be amazed how often it comes up in conversations! Here are two scenarios that happen to me quite regularly.

Someone is talking to you about some high publicity crime that is on in the news, and they compare it to the Whitechapel murders. You say something about it and they work out you have knowledge on the topic.

With a group of friends and friends of friends, down the pub for example, and someone mentions something related (such as Whitechapel when it was on, or a well publicised documentary) and another friend says "Oh Jon knows all about that..."

Plus also I sometimes read Ripper books on trains, buses, in libraries and cafes, etc. and I have had people ask me about it.

And at least half a dozen times I've come accross the subject in a pub quiz! And half of the team are interested in how I know the exact year, or how many victims etc.

So I don't run around shouting "I study Jack the Ripper!" in the faces of every new person I meet. But I don't hide my interest either.

[Mr. Poster]

Hi ho BJ

Those are reasonable scenarios. I am obviously hanging out with the wrong company!

p

[How Brown]

The number of days where someone from the civilian world doesn't ask me whether I've seen the latest news of someone putting their infant in a microwave, stabbing 5 people in a Post Office, or some other ghastly murder and asking me whether the Ripper would have done something "like that" is very rare.
*************

I think Ripperology in a way is like the lyric/title to the old Blind Blake song..."Diddy Wah Diddy". You either "get" what Diddy Wah Diddy means or you don't.
*************

Lars....which feature of the site...if any....has the most potential for good in terms of study for a traveling civilian who may come across us. I'm depending on you,mate.

[Big Jon]

Do you know what I'm tempted to do? Go into my local bookshops and put some of those little leaflets for the conference inside the Ripper books!

[How Brown]

Well..I say you have no crust, guts,or sufficient masculine hormonal development and won't do it....but don't let that discourage you...you wimp.:rolleyes:

Start with Trevor's book.:rolleyes:

[Robert Linford]

Well, I go around asking every old guy I see, "Are you Jack the Ripper?"

By the way, it isn't you, is it, How?

[Jeff Leahy]

Lars:

And at least half a dozen times I've come accross the subject in a pub quiz! And half of the team are interested in how I know the exact year, or how many victims etc.
.

Surely a trick question. Everyone knows there was actually six :thumbsupbud:

Pirate

[Currerbell]

Ive met some fantastic people on here so thanks How! x

[Archaic]

What I like is when people say "Why do you even care?
What does it matter who the Ripper was or what he did, it was 120 years ago!"-

- and then they go off to pursue something more meaningful,
like 4 hours sitting on the couch watching "Reality" TV. :rolleyes:


Well, I say History Matters... 'Wife Swap' doesn't!

Ive met some fantastic people on here so thanks How! x DITTO! :)

[Magpie]

The Forums has provided me contact with some particularly awesome people whom I would likely have never met under any other circumstances.

If that were the only benefit (which of course it isn't), it would be ample.

[A.P. Wolf]

If it hadn't have been for the forums I would never have discovered that Robert loves his anorak, How gargles with bourbon when he does a podcast, and I sound like Johnny Rotten... plus I get to solve the JtR case, or do I mean I get a case of JD?