thanks for the tip
i'll try it out now!
I hypothesize that the fix you're contemplating would change it to "AssBar," a term of derision I've only recently encountered and scratched my head over. If you'll indulge the curiosity of a newperson like me, why this generalized hate?
Welcome valued new member!
Thanks for asking in such a nice way.
There are several reasons you'll find derisions of the Asset Bar here. Most of it has to do with the difference between an audience (which is what Asset Bar is) and a community (which is what TOUAMB is, aside from an awful abbreviation).
REASONS
1. Acrimony. Many of us are refugees from Achewood's first message board and commentary system, the Dumbrella boards. Onstad dumped the Dumbrella board because he felt:
a. the discussions had become about the people posting instead of the strip (i.e. he wanted an audience, and got a community)
b. he didn't necessarily want the community that was forming to represent his work or his audience to new fans. Whatever impression they had of the boards would carry into their impression of the strip.
Jough, in his endless benevolence made a place for us to play, and he and JL made sure we played nice. The community that formed is great and still enjoys Achewood, but feels a bit of a sting from being disowned by Onstad. Now that he's started the Asset Bar business, its like being replaced by a bastard sibling you didn't know you had and you think is kind of ugly. But acrimony is not a
good reason to make fun of the Asset Bar
2. Liking quality. The Asset Bar discourages quality discussion. Each topic is only the strip, and only ever one strip, so it's hard to get a sense of history or the interconnectedness of various topics you get in quality human interaction. It uses terms like 'chubby' and 'lame' as part of its official terminology. This is juvenile and brainless and worst of all has
nothing to do with Achewood. (There's also the fact that women -- whom I've heard are half of the population -- cannot get chubbies and so the metaphor doesn't even work very well, but that's nit picking.) Rating a quality observation about a strip with 'chubbies' is like throwing peanuts at an opera singer (or roses at an elephant). You can have a nice conversation on the Asset Bar; I'm sure you do. But it's as if the thing doesn't
want you to.
3. Disliking unquality. The horrible nested layout. The animated booby avatars. The people whose posts are only phrases from their favorite strips. The people who pretend to post as Ray. The very obvious "That's so freaky!!" comments. The all caps and all exclamation points. The "me too"s. There's a great deal of what's wrong with the internet encapsulated in each day's comments.
4. The identification and vilification of external enemies. This is another bad reason. Part of what groups talk about when they don't have anything else to talk about is how much they hate something that they all hate. It's fun.
So there you go. Two good reasons and two bad reasons we make fun of Asset Bar. Plus. AssBar. It's so obvious. You and anyone else who hangs out there is SO MORE THAN WELCOME to hang out here. You're encouraged to be whatever you want to be here as long as it's honest, interesting, or amusing. We like smart things, but we don't turn our noses up at low-brow things if they're actually funny. We love Achewood, and buy tons of merchandise, but we don't always love Onstad. We hate the Asset Bar and much of its content, but not its users. Except for that boobies guy. Oops, there are two. Both of them. And the guy who pretends he's Ray. Anyway, I'm sure they're nice in person.
And you? You totally rock. Welcome.
This essay by Clay Shirky is where I'm getting a lot of this audience/community business.
Here's another one about how a group thwarts itself.
Edit: formatting
Author
Topic: Assetbar insists on shielding my eyes from lamed comments (Read 9966 times)