This is a downside to LW being a sausage-fest—less incentive for men to status-seek through community-valued accomplishments if it won’t get them chicks.
Actually, you can generalize that: since most internet communities are not geographically localized in meatspace (which is to say sexspace), it makes sense that such a community which happens to be full of men would not try too hard to attract female members (or impress exisiting ones), since if you live thousands of miles away from a woman, you’re unlikely to have sex with her unless she’s really, extraordinarily impressed.
But perhaps if LW focuses more on in-person meetups that could change.
I was part of a meetup on “alternative energy” (to see if actual engineers went to the things—I didn’t want to date a solar cell) when I got an all-group email from the group founder about an “event” concerning The Secret* and a great opportunity to make money. Turned out it was a “green” multi-level marketing scam he was deep in, and they were combining it with the The Secret. Being naive, at first I said I didn’t think the event was appropriate, assuming it might lead to some discussion. He immediately slandered me to the group, but I managed to send out an email detailing his connections to the scam before I was banned from the group. I did get a thank you from one of the members, at least.
I looked through meetup and found many others connected to him. Their basic routine involves paying the meetup group startup cost, having a few semi-legit meetings, and then using their meetup group as a captive audience.
I admit, I was surprised. I know it’s not big news, but the new social web has plenty of new social scammers, and they’re running interference. It’s hard to get a strong, clear message out when opportunists know how to capitalize on easy money: people wanting to feel and signal like they’re doing something. I honestly don’t think seasteading can even touch that audience, but then again, I’m not sure you’d want to.
Actually, you can generalize that: since most internet communities are not geographically localized in meatspace (which is to say sexspace), it makes sense that such a community which happens to be full of men would not try too hard to attract female members (or impress exisiting ones), since if you live thousands of miles away from a woman, you’re unlikely to have sex with her unless she’s really, extraordinarily impressed.
But perhaps if LW focuses more on in-person meetups that could change.
I suspect that meetup.com’s continued existence is fueled by single people trying to actually meet interesting others.
I was part of a meetup on “alternative energy” (to see if actual engineers went to the things—I didn’t want to date a solar cell) when I got an all-group email from the group founder about an “event” concerning The Secret* and a great opportunity to make money. Turned out it was a “green” multi-level marketing scam he was deep in, and they were combining it with the The Secret. Being naive, at first I said I didn’t think the event was appropriate, assuming it might lead to some discussion. He immediately slandered me to the group, but I managed to send out an email detailing his connections to the scam before I was banned from the group. I did get a thank you from one of the members, at least.
I looked through meetup and found many others connected to him. Their basic routine involves paying the meetup group startup cost, having a few semi-legit meetings, and then using their meetup group as a captive audience.
I admit, I was surprised. I know it’s not big news, but the new social web has plenty of new social scammers, and they’re running interference. It’s hard to get a strong, clear message out when opportunists know how to capitalize on easy money: people wanting to feel and signal like they’re doing something. I honestly don’t think seasteading can even touch that audience, but then again, I’m not sure you’d want to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_(2006_film)