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I have to disagree. IRC/Slack/Discord only add to potential distractions. I have to have my phone near me for two factor auth but plagued by notifications from

I have to disagree. IRC/Slack/Discord only add to potential distractions. I have to have my phone near me for two factor auth but plagued by notifications from these communities. Hackathons have been a huge point of my community engagement; however, online hackathons are only a shadow of their in-person counterparts. Not arguing there is not technological enhancement. Think about how many services have had to deploy fully online services that were holdouts from the internet age. My school's club has been able to invite interesting hosts from around the globe because we are already meeting digitally. Remote/online has its strong-suits I just hate how much absolutism there is in these discussions.

dijit 6y ago
Obviously I disagree, but since you got to say your bit- I’d like to rebut. I run an IRC network, I’ve hired people from my IRC network, you choose your own level of involvement. (And your own level of notification. I know the default in slack and discord is aggressive and designed to push more engagement but it is configurable) As it stands there are many people who are absolutely not “distracted” by it, most do not get notifications at all, but usually if you did get a notification it would be because someone said your name explicitly. Most people tend to read up when they feel like it and respond when they feel like it. I also don’t like absolutism but the OP sounds absolutely defeated and for no reason other than they seem unaware that these communities exist and in my experience have given me better experiences than in person “networking” meetings. Unless I’m already friends, meeting people at conferences is often not as valuable as meeting them on IRC.
- ProjectBarks 6y ago
  What you are saying has some truth. Maybe I am not involved in the right communities. I will see what communities are out there and where to find them.
  - specialist 6y ago
    Maybe start your own clubs. I've always been more Groucho Marx than not, eg wouldn't be a member of a club that would have me as a member. A more positive phrasing: Find your own tribe. I started a design patterns book study group +25 yo that's still going. When I was doing activism, I had a hard time fitting in. Politics (and people) suck. So I started a new group. I've participated in many other groups that were technical, volunteering, political. There's often at least one person that I connect with, making the effort worthwhile.

dijit 6y ago

Obviously I disagree, but since you got to say your bit- I’d like to rebut. I run an IRC network, I’ve hired people from my IRC network, you choose your own level of involvement. (And your own level of notification. I know the default in slack and discord is aggressive and designed to push more engagement but it is configurable) As it stands there are many people who are absolutely not “distracted” by it, most do not get notifications at all, but usually if you did get a notification it would be because someone said your name explicitly. Most people tend to read up when they feel like it and respond when they feel like it. I also don’t like absolutism but the OP sounds absolutely defeated and for no reason other than they seem unaware that these communities exist and in my experience have given me better experiences than in person “networking” meetings. Unless I’m already friends, meeting people at conferences is often not as valuable as meeting them on IRC.

ProjectBarks 6y ago
What you are saying has some truth. Maybe I am not involved in the right communities. I will see what communities are out there and where to find them.
- specialist 6y ago
  Maybe start your own clubs. I've always been more Groucho Marx than not, eg wouldn't be a member of a club that would have me as a member. A more positive phrasing: Find your own tribe. I started a design patterns book study group +25 yo that's still going. When I was doing activism, I had a hard time fitting in. Politics (and people) suck. So I started a new group. I've participated in many other groups that were technical, volunteering, political. There's often at least one person that I connect with, making the effort worthwhile.