Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!ucbcad!nike!caip!meccts!mecc!sewilco From: sewilco@mecc.UUCP (Scot E. Wilcoxon) Newsgroups: net.social Subject: Re: Electronic Relationships Message-ID: <552@mecc.UUCP> Date: Sat, 16-Aug-86 06:46:05 EDT Article-I.D.: mecc.552 Posted: Sat Aug 16 06:46:05 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 16-Aug-86 23:25:35 EDT References: <140@uwmacc.UUCP> <1034@tekig5.UUCP> Reply-To: sewilco@mecc.UUCP (Scot E. Wilcoxon) Distribution: na Organization: MN Ed Comp Corp, St Paul, MN Lines: 29 Summary: Conversations require a subject. Should have a subject to talk about. Several people have mentioned awkward first-time meetings between people who had only known each other electronically. I've had several similar experiences until I realized that if we wanted to just see what we looked like we may as well just mail photographs. Conversation requires a subject to talk about. Electronic communication often either centers around at least one subject, or (particularly in real-time CB-type conferences) until a subject is brought up the people are doing other things not visible to each other. If you meet in person with a subject in mind, conversation begins more easily. I think the awkward meetings are an artifact of the reason for the meeting. If the meeting's purpose is mainly to be physically near and see what each other look like, both people might not have thought of anything to talk about past "Hello". ....... Any adolescents listening? You'll find the same awkwardness during some dates, particularly if you don't stumble across topics of mutual interest. Similarly, I prefer to host parties of at least three couples, to increase the chances of several topics wandering around the rooms. I do also prepare by remembering recent movies and news items of popular interest, in case small talk is needed to get things rolling again. -- Scot E. Wilcoxon Minn Ed Comp Corp {quest,dicome,meccts}!mecc!sewilco 45 03 N 93 08 W (612)481-3507 {{caip!meccts},ihnp4,philabs}!mecc!sewilco Laws are society's common sense, recorded for the stupid. The alert question everything anyway.