Is The Sinner just an ex-pat community?

[McK]

After a conversation with a trusted member of my academic family, I wondered whether The Sinner has not been usurped by Facebook/Bebo, and has become a sort of ex-pat community for the older, less technologically inclined alumnus?

Am I right?

How many of you are current students, of the 2006 or 2007 intake?

[orudge]

Well, I'm still a "current student", but of the 2005 intake, probably the last year I saw any sort of advertising for The Sinner around. I gather Oli is intending to advertise the site more soon though, so perhaps we will get some fresh blood in. I wouldn't say the Sinner is just an ex-pat community at present, but at the same time, new students are becoming few and far between.

[hr]

http://www.owenrudge.net/
http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37103734

[Duggeh]

Facebook didn't kill the sinner, the sinner killed the sinner.

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IMAGE:www.thismanwillkillyou.com/avatars/tb3-100.jpg
Duggeh: Master Of Ceremonies

[Frank]

I killed the Sinner.

Well, I didn't really. But it begun dying its death more or less at the time I logged on properly.

What we need is a good bit of university-wide and important debate on it.

Facebook might replace it for keeping in touch (though I don't imagine it ever was used for that), but it's certainly still the only proper communal forum we have for things pedantic...

[hr]

"There is only ever one truth. Things are always black or white, there's no such thing as a shade of grey. If you think that something is a shade of grey it simply means that you don't fully understand the situation. The truth is narrow and the path of the pursuit of truth is similarly narrow."

[kitty]

I think the biggest flaw has been in advertising. Facebook serves an entirely different purpose than the sinner does so it shouldn't really have anything to do with it's demise. Students would obviously use thesinner.net more if they were aware of its existence. I am of the 2005 intake as well.

[Gealle]

I'm just curious why you had to point out it was a 'trusted' member of your academic family.

Is there a guild of assassins that hunts down those who slag off the sinner?

[hr]

Funky flunky munky...

[Al]

I can't imagine Bebo usurping anything, and Facebook, as has been said above, serves a quite different purpose to The Sinner.

I'm not sure advertising is the answer to any perceived decline. It might temporarily attract new users, but there has got to be something to keep them here.

[macgamer]

Important debate? I'll get one started on a new thread.

[macgamer]

Join the debate:

Main/thesinner/30351

[777]

I'm a new student[img]littleicons/yellowtounge.gif[/img]

[iab2]

And I am part of 07/08 intake, though as a postgrad I have already served a three year tour here before I graduated. And technically I am registered in Heriot-Watt, though working living here for the semester, making me a Sinner ex patriot in transit.

How many whingers here will bring in new blood, either by distributing the posters or shouting loudly in the streets etc? The same people should also keep the pointless pedantry (staple and amusing fare of Sinners though it is) down to minimum until the freshers are firmly trapped in this beasts jaws with no hope of escape, at which point the mighty battery of pure invective may be brought to bear and fired with all the speed you can muster from your touch typing digits.

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http://www.usefilm.com/photographer/104233.html

[exnihilo]

Tell you what puts a lot of new people off after their first couple of forays?

"Stupid noobs, we had that discussion three years ago!" and similar posts from more established users. If I join a new forum and get shouted down the second I post something, I'll leave, similarly if all the first few topics have 48 pages worth of comments, I won't join in. Some of the old threads need to be allowed to die and some people need to just let new people start the same discussions over again. Does it really matter all that much if an old topic gets raised in a new thread? Do we have to trawl back to the old one? Is what you said on it so seminal that it must be seen by all? Could you not just type it again?

[Admin]

Hear hear.

Far be it for me to tell people what to do, or how to act, but I feel that more people would be inclined to continue using The Sinner if the existing users were more welcoming.

Having said that, the users on the whole are helpful, friendly and generally quite pleasant. Sadly, there are a few more vocal members who seem to enjoy stirring things up by posting offensive or inflammatory messages, which is a shame.

There's a new advertising campaign coming out which should stir up some new interest in the site - let's welcome them with open arms; listen to what they have to say and perhaps we can keep the pedantry down a bit?

I think there's one phrase that sums up how we should all act; two philosophers from the 1990s really hit the nail on the head when they said, "Be excellent to each other".

Shall we aim for a positive outlook to 07/08?

[exnihilo]

Hippy.

[Gealle]

Quoting exnihilo from 13:36, 6th Oct 2007
Hippy.

For once, I agree with him!

Go get your hair cut and put a suit on. Stop being so luvvy duvvy.

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Funky flunky munky...

[Admin]

Sorry I didn't reply earlier, I was talking to my plants and giving my trees a much needed hug.

[777]

Thanks for the welcome, guys; you all know how to make a newb feel special[img]littleicons/laugh.gif[/img]

[Guest]

Thanks for the welcome, guys. You all know how to make a nebie feel special[img]littleicons/grin.gif[/img]

[Bizarre Atheist]

I've commented on this phenomenon before, and being of the 05 intake I still feel like on of the youngest on these here boards. I think a poll might be in order...

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[mispy]

I'm 06 intake and I read the Sinner, I've just not posted before. I saw it as a good way to see what was going on and keep myself amused. I found the new advertising on my floor this evening (it was miles away from the door, so it may have arrived earlier and I kicked it there, or the Sinner is employing people with good wrist skills) and thought if I wanted it to carry on, possibly I should actually post.

I think probably I'm not the only one.