I launched the Mumble server on a whim and when I opened it I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. We started with a select few of us being regulars every day; Jen, River and Myself with Kayla, Lauren and a few others coming along soon after.
There was a lot of apprehension from many people about whether it was a good idea, and many more people being apprehensive to join and speak mostly due to confidence. This seemed to quickly pass though, and we started gaining a group of friends formed mostly from strangers. It felt very.. open and welcoming. It was enjoyable to spend the afternoon, or in some cases at the beginning, the entire day and night chatting to everybody.
This lasted up until about Christmas. I got a job with exhausting hours and these open groups of friends started branching off into smaller groups, often abandoning Mumble due to tension between the groups and just creating Skype calls.
Personally, I hate Skype. Sure, it allows for video calling but in terms of community, it shuts everybody off who isn't already a part of your friend group. It feels elitist and invite-only. I guess that's the point, but for me, I much prefer the openness that the Mumble provides. It gives the constant opportunity to meet new people and form new friendships with people who share common interests. I also prefer the push-to-talk aspect. When in a large group you can quickly become overwhelmed in a Skype call. In Mumble, everybody gets their chance to speak.
Even for me, I feel unwelcome. In the few times that Mumble is active I tend to not feel like joining. I hate to think how completely new people feel.
Because of all of this, I am considering shutting down the Mumble. If people prefer to have closed groups then unfortunately there's nothing I can do to alter that and I am unable to be online because of career requirements to moderate what a few people have told me is becoming a "horrible place to be".
We'll see how things go, I suppose. I just wanted to air my thoughts on the subject.
There was a lot of apprehension from many people about whether it was a good idea, and many more people being apprehensive to join and speak mostly due to confidence. This seemed to quickly pass though, and we started gaining a group of friends formed mostly from strangers. It felt very.. open and welcoming. It was enjoyable to spend the afternoon, or in some cases at the beginning, the entire day and night chatting to everybody.
This lasted up until about Christmas. I got a job with exhausting hours and these open groups of friends started branching off into smaller groups, often abandoning Mumble due to tension between the groups and just creating Skype calls.
Personally, I hate Skype. Sure, it allows for video calling but in terms of community, it shuts everybody off who isn't already a part of your friend group. It feels elitist and invite-only. I guess that's the point, but for me, I much prefer the openness that the Mumble provides. It gives the constant opportunity to meet new people and form new friendships with people who share common interests. I also prefer the push-to-talk aspect. When in a large group you can quickly become overwhelmed in a Skype call. In Mumble, everybody gets their chance to speak.
Even for me, I feel unwelcome. In the few times that Mumble is active I tend to not feel like joining. I hate to think how completely new people feel.
Because of all of this, I am considering shutting down the Mumble. If people prefer to have closed groups then unfortunately there's nothing I can do to alter that and I am unable to be online because of career requirements to moderate what a few people have told me is becoming a "horrible place to be".
We'll see how things go, I suppose. I just wanted to air my thoughts on the subject.
