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Do You Really Want to Meet People on the Web?
Wolfspelz writes "Do you want to meet people on Web pages? The Jabber Virtual Presence project makes people aware of each other on the Web. Just like you are aware of other people in the real world anywhere you go, the virtual presence makes you aware of others on the same virtual locations. The project uses Jabber/XMPP as the transport protocol for virtual presence. Jabber conference components serve as presence servers. The code is GPL/LGPL. The Virtual Presence Protocol extensions are open and documented. The virtual presence system including the LLuna2 client is designed to protect the privacy and prohibit any indecent use, be it commercial use, advertising, or profiling. But: do you want to meet people on the Web at all?"
I don't want to meet people who need the web to meet people.
"Would you, could you, with a goat?" Dr Seuss
...for an internal project with the Jabber4R wrapper.
Jabber ended up being too slow, though, so we built a more specialized message router in C++ - and open sourced it - to replace it.
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That's why I'm on the internet to begin with... so I DON'T have to interact with other people. (Well, except for slashdot.)
Some cats swing, and others don't. Don't you be the kind that won't.
And of course, their #1 "topsite" is porn. Like we didn't know what it would be used for.
No, I don't think I'm interested in listening to a bunch of space-hogging attention-whoring avatars while I surf, thanks.
For geek dads: Contraction Timer
that the tens of thousands of geeks out there can compete to meet with the one of the 2 geek girls in the world so the possibility of the uber geek child can become a reality.
Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
What truth?
There is no dupe
You like Woman being fisted by donkeys? I like women being fisted by donkeys! Funny we should meet here. ... yeah i can see where this will lead ...
Mom?!? Dad?!?! Little Timmy!?! What are you doing on donkeypunch.com!?!?
-Malakai
A Dragon Lives in my Garage
I'd say that the more opportunity to meet interesting people in this world, the better, and this just improves the odds of randomly meeting people your probably wouldn't otherwise have to opportunity to meet.
As long as it doesn't supplant actual real world interaction with people as a primary social outlet, that is..
All of these services are just an excuse to gather a huge number of e-mail addresses and connections between people, and then to use that network to market stuff. If there were a service that banned marketing and advertising messages, maybe it would be worth doing. As it is, it almost acts like the "in-crowd", where if you buy what they want, magically you're the most popular. However, so what if people want to meet people online? How is that worse than in an establishment serving alcohol, where everyone's not themselves anyhow?
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While definately not the most obvious use of this software, it could prove interesting on sites such as /., cnn, salon etc. to talk live to others about an article. Posting comments is fine, but it's not live, and it could be days before anyone responds.
It's certainly not something you'd leave running all the time.
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NSFWAlthough I haven't downloaded this yet, it sounds like a fun social networking concept to me. Kind of a hybrid of the late Third Voice and the newer StumbleUpon (which I really love)
Would much rather ask someone looking at the same website as me if they have seen what I'm looking for, instead of a site map.
And no.. I dont go walking around the grocery store asking strangers where the broccoli is..
Sounds like what Odigo started out as about 5 or 6 years ago. They provided you with a display so you could see who else was at the web site you were visiting, then you could IM them if you wanted. There was more, like the ability to search for people, etc.
However, the lluna interface looks more interesting.
. 62,400 repetitions make one truth -- Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
I've met people socially who I met online, some were freaks and some were decent well adjusted people. It's the same as meeting people in the real world.
I'll admit that I have a bit of social anxiety in person and it's easier for me to start a conversation with a total stranger online and to subsequently dip out on the conversation if I don't like the tone or direction :).
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i would go down the pub/club/bar/gym/golf/beach/pool
i have no desire to speak to hotSexyGal14 who is really a fat pasty guy from texas with a hygiene problem and reads comics thanks
You can now make friends and be aware of people on the web!
....checks google....
So I now can order food, beer, Geek toys, clothes, make friends, work and interact - all without leaving my home.
Now if I could just be able to order sex, I can brickup my front door....
Just found out that all my needs are now catered for.....
Bricks are being delivered monday!
:^]
Jaj
... of reading Slashdot for the last 6 years, I would have to say, "Absolutely not."
IRL I'm sitting here at my keyboard typing this. The internet is no magical Alter Ego machine. I've met people from the internet, it's no different from meeting people in 'real life'. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad.
Why not ask the question: Do you want to see anyone in REAL LIFE at all?
*DrugCheese rants*
"But: do you want to meet people on the Web at all?"
Well, given that I met someone on match.com more than two years ago and that we're getting married in August, I'd say there's nothing wrong with meeting people on the web.
If it weren't for the web, I wouldn't have met my font-design mentor, Chank, despite the fact that we live in the same city. Some of my best friends on the planet, I've met through IRC and Livejournal
That said, I still don't want to have a sitatuation as describe in the article of being aware of people that are surfing the same sites I am. Especially when I'm surfing the pr0n. I mean, yeesh...talk about TMI.
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I can see how this will work: Jabber: You are visiting goatse.cx, there are 1 other visitors. Visitor: Don't you just love looking at this guy. You: Wait... is that you, Mom?
Some years ago ICQ (mirabilis) tried to launch something similar: a chat integrated with browser where you meet the people on the same page, but without the avatars. I don't know where it has gone.
Having met several people in person that I first met through e-mail or chat (fellow programmers and co-workers from remote locations), I've noticed several interesting dynamics from virtual communications relative to those of "real life." Some of these are obvious, such as judging people by how well they express their ideas and opinions in words (instead of by their appearance or personal hygiene).
Others are more subtle, and are apparent only over time, such as the speed with which someone responds. Do they think quickly, but type slowly? Do they fly off the handle and just post the first thing that comes to mind, or do they carefully consider every response?
In most cases, I have found that getting to know someone online, over time, gives you a better perspective on how that person sees themselves. If they have low self-esteem, that will come across (eventually). If they're confident and authoritative, that will show (again, over time). If they're egotistical and full of themselves, they'll have microsoft.com in their e-mail address.
However, you *can* get to know someone really well on one level (or in a given context), and completely miss another. For instance, I used to manage several mailing lists about Borland Delphi. One of the moderators for the list, named Jo, was moving from one part of South Africa to another, and was offline for a couple of weeks. I had known Jo for years as a serious gearhead when it came to Delphi Database programming. After I asked one of the other moderators about Jo by saying, "Where is he moving?", I discovered that Jo was, in fact, a woman.
At that point, Jo's signature line took on new meaning (and I got a much-needed lesson in gender stereotyping): "I am a programmer - I don't do relationships."
Tim
Despite my rants elsewhere about the unreality of the "real world" concept, I'd have to say no. I do not have any unfulfilled desire to meet people on the 'net (or anywhere else). I meet people all the time, netwise and otherwise, and I find this sufficient.
But: do you want to meet people on the Web at all?
I didn't think I would, but yes. When I moved to London, I didn't know anyone in the city and had to bootstrap myself a new social network. Graduate school helped, but after a while I wanted more than one group of friends so I turned to Orkut. I've been to a bunch of meetings and generally my experiences have been positive.
For those interested, I wrote about my first orkut meetup on my blog here.
Really, and the person you meet at a bar, park, restaurant, club, etc.. cannot be a paedophile? The fact that there is no presence makes the interaction safer. You can chat with the person for months, and then chat with the person on the phone, and if you continue to proceed to meet the person face to face, you are better off (much better) then if you just randomly met the person on the "street." At least, utilizing the Internet method, you have some time you can attempt to get to know the person - on the street, if the person is psychotic, you may have very little warning. To assume psychopaths only proliferate on the internet is naive and wrong. Your example is sorely lacking. And your statement about being "genuine" lacks evidence. In fact, people are more blunt on the Internet because they have a certain sense of protection - hence people are more willing to speak their mind. While some people cannot control their emotions and decide to lash out, many people utilize this form of communication as a way to voice their, legitimate opinions, without feeling pressured due to society rules. That is VERY genuine.
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Well, as a guy, I automated part of the process of being rejected by women.
- Neil Wehneman
My legal education, in nifty podcast format
There are obvious advantages to meeting in person - body interactions, voice inflections, etc. I agree that it is easier to read people in person (and sometimes damn near impossible to read people online). Thank you for saying I may be a nice person...I like to think that I am. (my name is Avi). I do meet many people face - face, I utilize a blend of both online and offline. Everyone needs to find the niche that works for them. My problem comes around when people assume that online engagements are sub-par. Good luck to you, and enjoy a good room temperature beer for me :)
I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
We've been together for just over eight years, married for almost 6, and we have a 4-month-old daughter.
;)
So, can you and should you meet people online? Hell yes!
Um, if they want your credit card right away, they're not just being inquisitive.
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ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.