I mentioned my moochy friend trying to appropriate my lightsabers and poi, and generally being grabby.
I had an interesting chat with her the other night. One of her gripes is that "everything is online, nobody wants to get together and do anything, it's all online."
I told her that yes, people DO get together and do things, they just organize online. Pagan rituals, sci-fi fandom, cosplay, and so on. Which caused her to growl because she does not have a computer. Her roommate does, complete with internet. But since she spends so little time at her apartment, she doesn't get at it.
I told her that if she wants to stay in the loop, it's simple to set up hotmail and facebook accounts, and to drop into the public library every few days while out running around. She's on assistance and not working, so she has lots of time.
That wasn't good enough for her- she does not like having to wait her turn.
I suggested that she make a deal with her roommate- he might be willing to let her use his computer to check her emails and online groups a few times a week, if she chipped in for internet access.
She didn't like that either. She said "Internet is just one more thing to get money out of me!" and said that she would only agree to chip in $10 if asked, not a cent more. Not that she is completely broke, she just does not want to pay any more.
She believes that events planned online are unreliable- people cancel at the last minute without so much as a word, leaving everyone in the dust. I know that this is not the rule- it's happened once that I can recall, while other times I have recieved emails when things have had to be called off.
She believes that when you are planning an event, you NEED to make your phone number available for the convenience of people like her, who don't have internet. She says "I would want to call the night before and ask 'is it still going on?' It's only a quick, two minute call and it's done!"
She does not understand that "one quick call" is not going to be that way on the other end. Imagine having to answer a couple dozen "quick two minute calls" while trying to get ready for something. And not everyone makes "quick two minute calls". Some people are gonna want to chat, others will leave a ton of messages, getting flustered if they don't get called back rightthisveryminute.
She thinks that event organizers need to take exceptional measures just for people like her, who insist on clinging to phone trees, and refuse to do anything to get online, or adjust in any way. And that event organizers should accept phones ringing off the hook, fielding calls from people asking "Is it still on?", even when there's nothing (such as weather or other events) which would make cancellation likely.
I think that there's only so much hand-holding people can do to accomodate those who refuse to make any effort to get connected or stay current. And that if the price of organizing an event is having to field endless phone calls constantly interrupting preperations, or just plain quiet time (to say nothing of the lives of everyone else in the house), then a lot of people would stop hosting events, writing it off as not worth the hassle and loss of peace and privacy.
My friend whines about the poor people who can't afford computers or the 'net, while I can think of lots of free or low-cost options for people who want net access.
Whose side are you guys on?
I had an interesting chat with her the other night. One of her gripes is that "everything is online, nobody wants to get together and do anything, it's all online."
I told her that yes, people DO get together and do things, they just organize online. Pagan rituals, sci-fi fandom, cosplay, and so on. Which caused her to growl because she does not have a computer. Her roommate does, complete with internet. But since she spends so little time at her apartment, she doesn't get at it.
I told her that if she wants to stay in the loop, it's simple to set up hotmail and facebook accounts, and to drop into the public library every few days while out running around. She's on assistance and not working, so she has lots of time.
That wasn't good enough for her- she does not like having to wait her turn.
I suggested that she make a deal with her roommate- he might be willing to let her use his computer to check her emails and online groups a few times a week, if she chipped in for internet access.
She didn't like that either. She said "Internet is just one more thing to get money out of me!" and said that she would only agree to chip in $10 if asked, not a cent more. Not that she is completely broke, she just does not want to pay any more.
She believes that events planned online are unreliable- people cancel at the last minute without so much as a word, leaving everyone in the dust. I know that this is not the rule- it's happened once that I can recall, while other times I have recieved emails when things have had to be called off.
She believes that when you are planning an event, you NEED to make your phone number available for the convenience of people like her, who don't have internet. She says "I would want to call the night before and ask 'is it still going on?' It's only a quick, two minute call and it's done!"
She does not understand that "one quick call" is not going to be that way on the other end. Imagine having to answer a couple dozen "quick two minute calls" while trying to get ready for something. And not everyone makes "quick two minute calls". Some people are gonna want to chat, others will leave a ton of messages, getting flustered if they don't get called back rightthisveryminute.
She thinks that event organizers need to take exceptional measures just for people like her, who insist on clinging to phone trees, and refuse to do anything to get online, or adjust in any way. And that event organizers should accept phones ringing off the hook, fielding calls from people asking "Is it still on?", even when there's nothing (such as weather or other events) which would make cancellation likely.
I think that there's only so much hand-holding people can do to accomodate those who refuse to make any effort to get connected or stay current. And that if the price of organizing an event is having to field endless phone calls constantly interrupting preperations, or just plain quiet time (to say nothing of the lives of everyone else in the house), then a lot of people would stop hosting events, writing it off as not worth the hassle and loss of peace and privacy.
My friend whines about the poor people who can't afford computers or the 'net, while I can think of lots of free or low-cost options for people who want net access.
Whose side are you guys on?
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