The Extra Cool Group! (of people Michael is experimenting on) discussion

People keep talking about Golden Agers, and Silver Agers, and how different people are different ages, and I wanna know WHAT THE HELL AM I? Am I a new jack? More importantly, how are these ages defined, and what happened in them? And what are we now?

This is a thread for you old and wizened golden-agers to indulge in reveries of Goodreads in the days of yore. Tell us what we missed. Face it, now that you're old and washed up, it's all you have to offer.

as long as I"m not a newager I don't care

Is that like being a Young Whippersnapper? Should I be looking down on newagers? I notice we don't capitalize the word...

I don't know I just don't want to be associated with new age ever.

I also think it's weird cause david said:

AND he hasn't been active since December 2008. Now THAT is straight-up Golden Age, kiddies!

I was here then and I don't think anyone would count me as being here in the golden age.

I think maybe you've needed to have been here since sometime in 2007 to be a Golden Ager. This is just a guess based on the fact that David's been here since '07 and that I'm a Silver Ager and I've been here since August '08.

There were some years given before, but it seems to be more of an idea now, a certain group who were together at a golden hour (in the Biblical sense of that bracketing of time), solidifying into one mass of for-life friends to the near exclusion of newcomers (i.e., the follwoing ages). I think there have been multiple golden ages. Past golden ages softening up to accept new members. Future golden ages to come.

Nostalgic BS circle jerkery.

Ookie cookie!

really I've been here longer than you?

but in reality I get what you are saying but there is a difference I think too between here and "here" I mean I made the account because karen told me to, I wasn't particularly attached to the site until much later... I know at the orientation party for grad school I was reading book reviews on my ipod, so like... fall 2009. In reality if I had created the account when she told me I probably would have been here in '07. But not in the actual "I'm here for the party kind of way."

Does that make sense? I feel like this theory might require new media philosophy.

Esteban wrote: "Nostalgic BS circle jerkery."

someone's jealous.

eh's right. I hang out on a myspace forum and there are "golden agers" and it's basically the crowd that is allowed to thread hijack without getting punished.

I was Esteban's first friend. We're like old war buddies now.

Jasmine wrote: "Esteban wrote: "Nostalgic BS circle jerkery."

someone's jealous.

eh's right. I hang out on a myspace forum and there are "golden agers" and it's basically the crowd that is allowed to thread hij..."

Yeah, no.

What's myspace?

Oh, I'm completely jealous! And I wanted in! The camraderie? The in-jokes? The laughing? But I also don't, because there are new funnsies to be had.

It's just like high school or college. Freshmen become Seniors, etc. Just the way of the world. Nothing to take too seriously.

MyFleshSingsOut wrote: "I was Esteban's first friend. We're like old war buddies now."

What's myspace?

yeah I've never heard that one before.



But I also don't, because there are new funnsies to be had.

Eh I totally agree, plus so much of that stuff is colored by nostalgia it wouldn't be nearly as fun to be there as it is to here the stories.

MyFleshSingsOut wrote: "I was Esteban's first friend. We're like old war buddies now."

It will probably end badly for us, MFSO. I'm thinking All Quiet on the Western Front bad, where Golden Ager shrapnel kills you and I don't know about it until later and then reach out for a butterfly and get shot for it.

MyFleshSingsOut wrote: "It's just like high school or college. Freshmen become Seniors, etc. Just the way of the world. Nothing to take too seriously."

Hah! But remember high school or college? At the time it was so totally serious and you'd DIE if they didn't accept you! It's better and easier to try to look back on it, like with high school and college now, right?

Jasmine wrote: "In reality if I had created the account when she told me I probably would have been here in '07. But not in the actual "I'm here for the party kind of way."

Does that make sense?"

Yeah. Makes perfect sense.

MyFleshSingsOut wrote: "It's just like high school or college. Freshmen become Seniors, etc. Just the way of the world. Nothing to take too seriously."

agreed.

as long as the seniors will still be moderately nice to me I have no desire to be older.

I'm too cool for that shit, Eh. I partied with the Seniors when I was a Freshmen.

Mike wrote: "You're all full of baloney--well, 'cept for Josh, and Esteban, and Jasmine, and Michael, and prob Eh? Eh! but I haven't had the pleasure of talking with her yet."

you should now go out of your way to do that. she is lovely

Esteban wrote: "It will probably end badly for us, MFSO. I'm thinking All Quiet on the Western Front bad, where Golden Ager shrapnel kills you and I don't know about it until later and then reach out for a butterfly and get shot for it."

No, man! Look at the happylaughter picture!

Eh?Eh! wrote: "Hah! But remember high school or college? At the time it was so totally serious and you'd DIE if they didn't accept you! It's better and easier to try to look back on it, like with high school and college now, right? "

In high school people only talked to me cause I was smart. Once in physics someone tried to ask me for help and I told them to fuck off. The teacher thought it was hilarious. and now they have babies and I have new york city. I win!

Is that The Pentagon after they dropped the bomb?

Esteban wrote: "Is that The Pentagon after they dropped the bomb?"

Either that or one of them farted and/or made a joke about smacking his wife around for burning last night's supper.

Hmmm. I've been here since early in '08, but I didn't know anybody until some time in '09, and nobody other than Jacob read my reviews before almost 2010. So, is my age measured in existence years, or socially active years? Trust me, this is vital to my study.

I count them from time of social activity. Thus, while I've technically been on gr for a while, I count my real use to date from 09/2009.

(Hello, Mike. Thanks, Jasmine! I wasn't cool, MFSO, but maybe our different experiences then make for different experiences now?)

socially active years, which are then further split into the "I talk to my real life friends online" and "i'm here for the party years"

for example, in 5 years I will not have been part of the 2010 age on facebook, because I might have an account, but I have almost no friends on it, and prefer to avoid my mother and therefore it.

I will be remembered as part of the 2010 age of goodreads , I hope. even if I have to be remembered as an annoying part.

Esteban wrote: "Nostalgic BS circle jerkery."

I just wanted to read that again.

I should've hyphenated it. Sorry.

So what age are we currently in? Carbon fiber? Titanium?

I vote for being in the Polyester Era, but that sounds automatically retro. Do we have to have a Modern Age before we can be in the Post-Modern Age?

You ask a lot of questions for a Supreme Hegemon.

Michael wrote: "I vote for being in the Polyester Era, but that sounds automatically retro. Do we have to have a Modern Age before we can be in the Post-Modern Age?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z36Z0F...

*pushes walker forward, adjusts hearing aid.*

what happened in them?

It was a magical time.
magical.

and as soon as I can remember any of it... I 'll tell you all about it.

Sheryl Crow looks awful!

i've been on here since 07. i suppose that gives me the right & duty to judge, dismiss, pout, and sulk at will and with impunity. 'tis a heavy cross to bear!

Oh, I missed this thread! What a shame since I'm obviously the self-appointed Goodreads carbon dater.

Membership years can be misleading as far as diagnosing age statuses because sometimes people sign up and don't really get into it -- i.e., branch out and make friends/enemies -- until later.

That said, I would say that everyone (that I know) on this thread is a Silver or Bronze Ager, except BRMB who's a Golden Ager and Esteban who's clearly a Fecal Ager.

Has anyone actually made enemies here? Are there "like" wars and review assaults?

As an online social networking site, there's a very good chance that clashes will happen on gr.

Also, AHAHAhahhahahaHAHAH!!! Have there ever! No need to open old wounds or anything, but they typically patch up or avoid each other. I'm not all that experienced with different social networking sites, but I've been suprised at how things do settle. It probably helps that the main focus of the site is books.

I don't make enemies here, or anywhere else for that matter.

And the secret weapon for the really bad dust-ups, a woven keychain.

Ala wrote: "Has anyone actually made enemies here? Are there "like" wars and review assaults?"

hmmm, i guess this thread would be an example:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...


btw: author removed several on his comments later, for ex, where he promoted his book early on in the thread

I've made more enemies than friends on this website.

I'm of the opinion that if everybody likes you, you're doing something terribly wrong.

you defended both republicans and democrats? you must be european...bravo! personally, i like to degrade both parties equally. but not on GR.

"enemies" is such a strong word. i have had many disagreements on GR, even some that got ridiculously personal, but i'd hesitate to call anyone an enemy.

i mean seriously, this is a book site! there are few enough readers in the world as it is. the idea of true enemies being made because of opinions on books is, to me, a sad and sort of laughable thing. but i guess people will be people, and people like to fight and they like to defend their precious egos.

Goodreads is all about pure enjoyment to me. reading and reviewing books are not complicated endeavors to me either. folks who get all wound up about enemies, genres, top reviewers, best reviewers, how absent or lame GR editors are, vote whoring, etc...well although it is sort of fun to read all the issues, it is hard not to see it as trifling either. i'm passionate about books, not the rigamarole surrounding them.

the post from petra that i responded to above seems to have disappeared! perhaps i am hallucinating posts again.

Up with People.

Down with Snark