International Help An Undergrad Day

[scoop]

Hi, all. Here’s the thing. I’m about to finish up my degree in English and only one project stands in my way: a virtual ethnography for a folklore class. Basically what that entails is picking an online community and observing/interviewing its members to get a feel for the "culture" of the community. ("Culture" meaning anything from inside jokes to slang to memes, etc.) I've always been a fan of Brandon Sanderson and I kept hearing about this 17th Shard fansite and wanted to check it out… so I did. Turns out it’s pretty great. In an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, I've decided to use the awesome 17th Shard community for my ethnography.

And so I come to you, dear Sharders, for help. Any time that you could put into answering the questions below would be greatly appreciated. The paper will only be read by my professor, and responses can be kept anonymous if desired. (Note: I got permission from Chaos to post this, so pretty please don’t come chasing after me with torches and pitchforks)

• What does a new member need to know in order to really fit in with this community?

• What is a common mistake that new group members often make?

• Has the community helped you through a tough or emotional time?

• Is there a specific event/post/moment where you felt like you had transitioned from noob to accepted member? (hopefully spikes weren’t involved…)

• Tell me about your favorite meme or inside joke from the 17th Shard. (For instance… what’s with the waffles?)

• Is there anything you think I should know about this great community that I haven’t asked about?

Feel free to respond in a post below or via email on my profile. Again, any input would help immensely and will be rewarded with a substantial number of awesomeness points.

[Satsuoni he/him]

And so I come to you, dear Sharders, for help. Any time that you could put into answering the questions below would be greatly appreciated. The paper will only be read by my professor, and responses can be kept anonymous if desired. (Note: I got permission from Chaos to post this, so pretty please don’t come chasing after me with torches and pitchforks)

•

• What is a common mistake that new group members often make?

• Has the community helped you through a tough or emotional time?

• Is there a specific event/post/moment where you felt like you had transitioned from noob to accepted member? (hopefully spikes weren’t involved…)

• Tell me about your favorite meme or inside joke from the 17th Shard. (For instance… what’s with the waffles?)

• Is there anything you think I should know about this great community that I haven’t asked about?

Feel free to respond in a post below or via email on my profile. Again, any input would help immensely and will be rewarded with a substantial number of awesomeness points.

Hello I am a sporadic member of the community. I'll try to answer your questions.

What does a new member need to know in order to really fit in with this community?

Well, knowing works of Brandon by heart helps Seriously, having read at least about half and knowing about Cosmere is about sufficient I guess.

Has the community helped you through a tough or emotional time?

Chaos helped me once, a bit.

Is there a specific event/post/moment where you felt like you had transitioned from noob to accepted member? (hopefully spikes weren’t involved…)

Umm.. No, I still feel like a noob. That is personal quirk, though. Maybe when the cat inquisitors were discovered? (see the signature)

Tell me about your favorite meme or inside joke from the 17th Shard. (For instance… what’s with the waffles?)

Hmm.. From well-known memes in the 17th Shard - spikes of course. Second (more or less well known) - cat inquisitors. My personal favorite phrase is "This is true"

Is there anything you think I should know about this great community that I haven’t asked about?

Nothing I can think of right now.

[Windrunner he/him]

I'd love to help out!

What does a new member need to know in order to really fit in with this community?

Well the biggest thing to know is that you shouldn't be intimidated by some of our posts. When people who aren't familiar with the Cosmere come here, it can be overwhelming to look at all the underlying mythology we talk about. I can see how it can appear to be too in-depth for them to be a part of but it isn't. Anyone here would be more then willing to answer any Cosmere questions a new member has, even if they feel like all their questions are stupid, or too unimportant for us to bother answering. That's what we're here for.

What is a common mistake that new group members often make?

Let's see, one mistake newer members sometimes make is taking criticism of their theories too harshly. Sometimes I think new members sometimes feel like we are are attacking them, rather then trying to give a theory a thorough critique. This doesn't happen very often, but I feel bad when it does. We really don't mean anything personal when we pick apart ideas, we genuinely love having new posters and new ideas brought forth.

Has the community helped you through a tough or emotional time?

Yes this community has helped me through a troubled time. I recently moved from my home for nearly as long as I can remember to somewhere else completely across the country. I missed my old friends and spent a pretty lonely summer here. This forum was and still is an escape from bad days for me.

Is there a specific event/post/moment where you felt like you had transitioned from noob to accepted member? (hopefully spikes weren’t involved…)

Not really, I've always felt accepted here. My first upvote was a pretty great moment though. It really made me think that people thought I had some decent ideas, and I became more confident in posting, knowing that at least someone agreed with what I had to say. On April 1st we had a pretty awesome chat battle in the cbox on the bottom of the forums. It really made me realize how happy and comfortable I'd become here with these excellent people. But overall, I never really felt like a noob or anything. It felt like I was part of the group from day one.

Tell me about your favorite meme or inside joke from the 17th Shard. (For instance… what’s with the waffles?)

Shivertongue will have to answer the waffles question, I'm still not sure how it came about. My new personal favorite inside joke is one that just developed the other day in the chatroom, so I'm hoping it'll stick around. It involves a spoiler revealed near the end of TWoK, so I'll hide it just in case.

We all dislike Highprince Sadeas for betraying Dalinar during the Battle of the Tower by stranding him on the plateau with no bridges. So now when you dislike something you'd say, "Sadeas uses/likes _______ (insert something like iTunes or anything else you dislike). I found it funny at least

Is there anything you think I should know about this great community that I haven’t asked about?

Just know we're as much about having fun as we are about theorizing. This is a place where you can make good friends that'll be nearby wherever you go. Also, even if you aren't a hardcore fan of Brandon's works, there's plenty of room for all. There are several non-cosmere RPG's going on all the time, as well as the Reading Excuses Writing group, for anyone who wants to get and give feedback on various stories they're writing. I think that's about it. I hope this helps!

[lil_literalist he/him]

I would love to help, but I only joined... 3 days ago (I haven't gone to sleep yet, so it's still the 24th). I won't really be able to answer your questions, but I can tell you about my experience as a newcomer.

I have a social forum that I frequent far more frequently than here, which I've been a part of for close to 8 or so years. I'm used to online community. When I came here, I wanted to distinguish myself, and prove that I was more than just a random poster who would post a few times and then disappear. As such, I tried to contribute as much as I could to any topics that were fairly new. I did feel quite intimidated by some of the cosmere stuff, though--especially shards and Adonalsium. Although I have a decent grasp of the basics, I'm not certain of exactly how it works, and I got lost just reading some of the more advanced theories. Although I'm able to understand most of it now, I still feel that anything I have to say in those topics is inadequate, unless it's tangential.

I'm a physics major, so when I saw several topics about physics, I was glad that I would be able to prove myself, in a way. On a board full of Sanderson fans, I'm seeking to distinguish myself, and since it's difficult to do so on topics with which other posters are more familiar, I go about it in a different manner.

I'm also curious about the waffles.

As a side note, I do have some original ideas, but most of them are saved on my computer at home. And the computer that I use for Internet access is not in the same place as my books, so I also have issues with that. This summer, after I do a bit more fact-checking, I'll be releasing my theories.

[Shivertongue he/him]

Ah, the waffles...

Basically, the waffles came about due to a thread ( This one, in fact! ) in which we were compiling questions members wanted to ask Brandon. Most of the questions people posted in the thread had to do with theories, or small details that might explain theories, or other such trivial things like the nature of the cosmere and Adonalsium.

Naturally, such a serious topic needed someone to come in and pop the serious bubbles. Fortunately, I am never without a pin. Being a longtime fan of waffles, I was curious if they existed in the Final Empire. And so, I asked, along with some other vital questions that others have deemed "silly".

Some time later, I forget how long exactly, Rubix and firstRainbowRose came back and informed me that Brandon had confirmed that, yes, there are waffles on Scadrial. ( The glorius proof. )

This was huge, as you can clearly tell. The biggest theory on the site, confirmed without even a hint of a RAFO. The waffle is representative of our tenacity, of our accumulated knowledge, of all of our hopes and dreams for the cosmere. Every nook is to be explored, excavated, fishing out the delicious goodness of discovery, while still keeping sight of the whole. New members are thus greeted with a waffle, a sign that we wish to share the fruits of our efforts with them, to welcome them into the fold, to encourage them to spread the butter of their experiences and drizzle the syrup of their insight upon our boards, thus enriching us all with their flaky newness.

Not to mention the fact (FACT!) that waffles are freakin' delicious.

Hopefully, this was of some help to you.

[Joe ST he/him]

What does a new member need to know in order to really fit in with this community?

They don't really need anything but to join in and have fun. Posting an intro thread helps, as does posting a really really REALLY long and in-depth theory/post in book boards. And of course, not becoming spike-fuel helps immensely, so it's good to be nimble and good at dodging things. I personally will love you for eternity if you contribute to the wiki.

What is a common mistake that new group members often make?

I can't say I read the theory boards much, so I don't know how much we get the inevitable threads questioning things that have been answered before (Eternal September). That's likely to get annoying after a while, but is probably an unfixable problem.

Has the community helped you through a tough or emotional time?

I don't think I've suffered through tough times recently, but I'm sure our awesome community will if I ever have to.

Is there a specific event/post/moment where you felt like you had transitioned from noob to accepted member? (hopefully spikes weren’t involved…)

I'm still a n00b, just one with a spike. A fairly useless spike too, all told I dont post much, and when I do they're usually dismissible. Any theories I come up with are fairly easily debunked, if I haven't debunked them myself by the time I've finished writing them up. I'm technically capable, but too lazy and/or distractable to ever complete any large task. I can just about cope with admining the wiki, but only because nobody else contributes (I'm looking at you, reader! go edit!!)

Tell me about your favorite meme or inside joke from the 17th Shard. (For instance… what’s with the waffles?)

I'd say my favourites are the spikes; those members that register but never post, they've been taken by the admins and used as spike-fodder. Each of the staff members have been imbued (as Eric would have said) with a spike, the admins themselves have a plethora.

Another meme we've got going on is the unfinished Ball. The Mistborn RPG that Eric and Kerry run have been stuck dancing around the same ball-room for nearly two years now, with no end in sight. That is one hell of an orchestra, and kitchen staff.

OH OH OH, and another: Eric stalks ALL the ladies

I stalk all the ladies.

So watch out

Is there anything you think I should know about this great community that I haven’t asked about?

Other than how awesome all the members are? One thing you casually overlooked, as so many do, is the Coppermind. You should ALL go and contribute some! NAO!!!

Joe

[lyssie95 she/her]

• What does a new member need to know in order to really fit in with this community?

Really you just need to post a couple times. The theory board is always cool, but I rather feel I fit in and I might have two or three posts on the theory boards . Just jump in on a discussion (of waffles, if they take you fancy. There is likely to be one going on) or something. I will say that you might want to look around for some of the little memes and things, so that you can tease the staff/admins in the chatroom, but... *shrug* If nothing else, welcome those newer than you to the boards! Most of my posts are probably either welcoming or on the "I would like to announce" thread.

OOOOOOOOOOhhh just thought of something else- go to the chatroom, make your presence known and say hi to all the cool people that hang out there. That is one of the best ways to CAW learn about the inside jokes as well, if someone says something you don't understand, then Ask and ye shall receive the answer.

• What is a common mistake that new group members often make?

I am still relatively new myself. Probably lurking, letting their confusedness about the shards, cosmere, etc. keep them from posting. Everyone here is pretty awesome and would love to tell you anything you need to know, or if you are too intimdated to ask, chances are someone may have asked before so a quick search will prolly yield great results.

• Has the community helped you through a tough or emotional time?

I wouldn't say that... I've only been an active member for about a month and a half, so nothing big has come up. That said, even with the little stuff, these people are great. Sweetness offered to beat up Temple Run (a phone game, if you don't know) for me when it was being annoying

• Is there a specific event/post/moment where you felt like you had transitioned from noob to accepted member? (hopefully spikes weren’t involved…)

Spikes were involved, but it generally took the form of me joking about spikes, so... . Probably the first night the chatroom went live, I was up to the point where I got a grand total of twenty minutes of sleep because I had so much fun hanging out with Chaos and Sweetness. I haven't done anything *quite* that insane again, and have made sure to get at least an hour ( ) of sleep ever since, but still- ever since I am hanging in the chatroom pretty much 24/7. it isn't like government or chem two are that important.

• Tell me about your favorite meme or inside joke from the 17th Shard. (For instance… what’s with the waffles?)

My favorite 'thing' is the REDACTED one I had a hand in creating. See, it was really late on the evening/morning of the REDACTED and REDACTED was being a REDACTED so REDACTED and I started calling REDACTED a REDACTED REDACTED.

also, more recently I have become enamored with lolspren and squeespren and wootspren, etc. I believe they are all canonical.

Hmmm... eero's femininity has always amused me.

Also, don't believe Chaos' recent I would like to announce post. He makes stuff up. Probably. Maybe. As far as you know.

• Is there anything you think I should know about this great community that I haven’t asked about?

ummmmmmmmm if I think of something later I'll edit this post.

[Arcanist Lupus he/him]

What does a new member need to know in order to really fit in with this community?

A quick briefing on the Cosmere is always useful. Hoid and Adonalsium and all that.

What is a common mistake that new group members often make?

There can be a bit of a learning curve as you learn about all the little things Brandon has spilled outside the books.

Has the community helped you through a tough or emotional time?

Not yet, for me.

Is there a specific event/post/moment where you felt like you had transitioned from noob to accepted member? (hopefully spikes weren’t involved…)

Maybe, but it's been long enough (and my memory is poor enough) that I don't remember.

Tell me about your favorite meme or inside joke from the 17th Shard. (For instance… what’s with the waffles?)

The admins' tendency to spike people.

Is there anything you think I should know about this great community that I haven’t asked about?

Can't think of anything.

[Eerongal he/him]

• What does a new member need to know in order to really fit in with this community?

Not a whole lot, just an interest in Brandon's work, really

• What is a common mistake that new group members often make?

Not posting a whole lot or getting to know people.

• Has the community helped you through a tough or emotional time?

Nope, Eero is a pretty stable individual

• Is there a specific event/post/moment where you felt like you had transitioned from noob to accepted member? (hopefully spikes weren’t involved…)

Nah, I knew pretty much everyone here from a previous forum (TimeWaster's Guide forums) when they started the site.

• Tell me about your favorite meme or inside joke from the 17th Shard. (For instance… what’s with the waffles?)

Chaos stalking all the ladies = BEST. Also spiking is pretty much a mandatory one. There's also welcome cookies, you can find them in pretty much any welcome thread.

• Is there anything you think I should know about this great community that I haven’t asked about?

Eric stalks ALL the ladies.

[Sweetness she/her]

My favorite 'thing' is the REDACTED one I had a hand in creating. See, it was really late on the evening/morning of the REDACTED and REDACTED was being a REDACTED so REDACTED and I started calling REDACTED a REDACTED REDACTED.

REDACTED was being a freaking REDACTED. *nods*

Anyways

What does a new member need to know in order to really fit in with this community?

They need to know who Brandon Sanderson is. Anything past that is bonus points . This is probably the most accepting group of people I've ever had the pleasure of associating with.

What is a common mistake that new group members often make?

I'm going with what everyone else said; asking questions that have already been answered. I'm still new and I'm pretty sure I have done this.

Has the community helped you through a tough or emotional time?

Well, a lot of people did read and respond to my epic work-rant, which I totally was not expecting. It's not really that serious, but the fact that they took the time to read it (I've seen shorter theory posts) gave me warm fuzzies.

Is there a specific event/post/moment where you felt like you had transitioned from noob to accepted member? (hopefully spikes weren’t involved…)

I still consider myself new, but the April Fool's Day Chatbox Incident was epic. I had only been a member for about two weeks at that point, too.

Actually, I'm not really sure that there's a distinction between "noob" and "accepted member." You're pretty much accepted as soon as you start posting.

Tell me about your favorite meme or inside joke from the 17th Shard. (For instance… what’s with the waffles?)

The chatroom is rapidly developing it's own set of memes, like Lyssie said. Like REDACTED and *_____spren*. I just learned about gamespren last night (which appear when someone loses the game.)

Is there anything you think I should know about this great community that I haven’t asked about?

The admins here are completely amazing.

[Joe ST he/him]

I just learned about gamespren last night (which appear when someone loses the game.)

damnation YOU!!! ¬.¬

I was bonded to a spren, I was a Knight of Ice Cream, she was my stabspren. It was all fun until I said,

[lil_literalist he/him]

damnation YOU!!! ¬.¬

I was bonded to a spren, I was a Knight of Ice Cream, she was my stabspren. It was all fun until I said,

Said what? What did you say? Tell us, so that we can learn from your mistakes!

[Joe ST he/him]

She stabbed me every time I ended with a,

[Emeralis00 she/her]

What does a new member need to know in order to really fit in with this community?

Not much really. If you are a fan of Brandon Sanderson it is really easy to fit in.

What is a common mistake that new group members often make?

Hmmm, Lurking I suppose.

Has the community helped you through a tough or emotional time?

Not really, but I know that they are willing to listen and help if I need it.

Is there a specific event/post/moment where you felt like you had transitioned from noob to accepted member? (hopefully spikes weren’t involved…)

Well, I was here for a while. Not really one of the first, (I was more like the 56 or so person) but I was there when the site transitioned from the clunkier and less organized without the pretty pictures site into what it is now.

Tell me about your favorite meme or inside joke from the 17th Shard. (For instance… what’s with the waffles?)

:D Eerongal is a woman.

It started in this topic. When Peter thought Eerongal was the name of the girlfriend of a guy named Eeron.

It started spreading of course, with me helping it along. Not shown is the meme spreading to the chatroom.

Is there anything you think I should know about this great community that I haven’t asked about?

Its very easy to find a place here.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Emeralis00

[scoop]

Wow, thanks so much for the great responses! I give you all +700 awesomeness, plus good karma in the form of finding a great parking spot when you least expect it. You've earned it.

[Arcanist Lupus he/him]

Wow, thanks so much for the great responses! I give you all +700 awesomeness, plus good karma in the form of finding a great parking spot when you least expect it. You've earned it.

Wouldn't that be Car-ma?

Also, now we'll be expecting an awesome parking spot when we least expect it.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Sir Read-a-Lot

[Windrunner he/him]

As such, I tried to contribute as much as I could to any topics that were fairly new. I did feel quite intimidated by some of the cosmere stuff, though--especially shards and Adonalsium. Although I have a decent grasp of the basics, I'm not certain of exactly how it works, and I got lost just reading some of the more advanced theories. Although I'm able to understand most of it now, I still feel that anything I have to say in those topics is inadequate, unless it's tangential.

Hey, anytime you have any cosmere questions let me, or probably anyone else, know. We'll be happy to help out. The cosmere 101 questions topic or the chatroom are useful for that. If you feel embarrassed about asking something you feel everyone else already understands you can always PM me. I remember feeling dumb when I first got here because I thought I was the only one who didn't know where Hoid had appeared in WoA. Things like Realmatics can be murky from the outside looking in, keep in mind that we don't really know what we're talking about either. We're shooting in the dark a lot of times.

Also thanks for espousing my Endowment theory!

[Eerongal he/him]

Is there a specific event/post/moment where you felt like you had transitioned from noob to accepted member? (hopefully spikes weren’t involved…)

Well, I was here for a while. Not really one of the first, (I was more like the 56 or so person) but I was there when the site transitioned from the clunkier and less organized without the pretty pictures site into what it is now.

actually, you're user number 68

Tell me about your favorite meme or inside joke from the 17th Shard. (For instance… what’s with the waffles?)

:D Eerongal is a woman.

It started in this topic. When Peter thought Eerongal was the name of the girlfriend of a guy named Eeron.

It started spreading of course, with me helping it along. Not shown is the meme spreading to the chatroom.

You speak LIES, son! There is no such meme, and you are making things up!

[Shivertongue he/him]

I can't answer any of the others, really, as I'm member #3. And an Admin. The site has no choice but to accept me.

[Emeralis00 she/her]

actually, you're user number 68

It was a guess really. I tried counting from the order of registering but lost count a few times. Is there a better way?

You speak LIES, son! There is no such meme, and you are making things up!

don't deny it.

[lil_literalist he/him]

It was a guess really. I tried counting from the order of registering but lost count a few times. Is there a better way?

Unless I'm mistaken, if you go to your profile, your user number should be in the URL. For instance, here's mine.

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/user/2450-lil-literalist/

I'm number 2450.

Edited April 26, 2012 by lil_literalist