Traffic53

this is a really helpful board when it comes to technical and asthetic queries about porsche 993's...perhaps the best available resource, really.

but every now and again, threads pop up (some interesting, some not so) where a poster asks for users to comment on pictures of their new lake home, yacht, airplane or other fancy daily driver. sometimes folks will even ask how to best spend the extra $50k they just came across.

i know humans are naturally curious, but do any of you really care what my house looks like...or that i just bought a new camcorder?

RallyJon

Some of it is "showing off" but a large component of the motivation for those discussions is people with like interests sharing ideas. Should you view a Look At My New Six Car Garage Workshop post as bragging, or as a great way to learn and apply some of what you see to your own home workshop. Do many people here own or want to own boats? I don't, but I'm sure many do.

Only a few people on this forum are shallow possession score-keepers for whom owning things is it's own end. Most are genuinely enthusiastic about the activities that give them pleasure, and there's nothing wrong with sharing that enthusiasm with a peer group, however loose that definition may be.

An Other Hobbies forum would fit in nicely on Rennlist. Like OT but without the politics, post ****** and 944 owners' relationship drama.

mamoroso

Well you share things with your friends, no? You share your day to day stories, what you buy, what you see, what you feel...

Now this is a community that is based on a shared interest in Porsches.
So you could say are "friends" when we talk about our common passion.
Go one step further.... One could assume that people here are somewhat more wealthy than the average Joe. Also usually poeple that are interested in cars like yachts, watches etc.
So you share also your experiences about them here.

If you notice there are never threads about holidays, weddings, rings etc... Even though people might spend more than a 993 on a ring/holiday and the equivalent of a 997 on a wedding it just doesnt come up.

Obviously we all like to show off.. but doing it here feels less guilty because we think we know that the audience understand the passion...

I think...

InTheAir

I find this more of a community of friends rather than a tech-only forum (I know that the late Ray Calvo would slam this comment). Therefore, the occasional post about something "OT", to me, seems more along the lines of sharing interests rather than "showing off".

One good thing is that each of these threads is clearly labeled and those not interested need not click on them.

There are also those that list a bunch of non-Porsches in their signatures....

TMc993

Mike,

If I may hazard a theory...Without knowing for sure, I think it is a safe bet to assume that most people on this board are reasonably accomplished and have fairly successful lives. The results is that "we" often have a lot of "stuff."

In many (Most?) cases, people enjoy sharing their accomplishments with others. I'd say that some of this type of thing is certainly ego driven, but that the majority of it is simply folks wanting to share "accomplishments" with friends. In the past, we used to invite our neighbors over to see our new pool, car, boat or cabin on the lake. In the last several years, the Internet has widened our social circles to the point that we now have "friends" worldwide that we can share our accomplishments with. The result is the occasional "sharing" post.

Are others really interested? Most of the time probably not, but I suppose the only harm is wasted bandwidth and server space. Not a trivial concern, but nothing we can do anything about from our end.

I've been on boards that have moderators with the power to delete off topic posts and they used their "power" indiscriminately. I always felt it to be kind of unpleasant having the "Thought Police" looking over my shoulder.

Just my opinion.

Blue Ocean

Now Mike, you know we are a caring group of people here.
Go right ahead and post those house and camcorder pics!

fast_freddy

I have a hard time with the "showing off" thing. I am a fairly modest person (I know I know - I drive a Porsche) and generally dont brag/show off/boast etc. However, on this forum I have found myself a handful of times (at least in my estimation) boasting about some things and in hindsight quite frankly I am kind of embarrassed. I have thought about removing those posts but then thought that if I wrote it, I should have to live with the consequences of it, meaning people thinking I'm a "boastful" person. However, I think there are some who routinely post in a veiled manner under the auspices of something seemingly noble to impart wisdom on the situation when they are simply using the forum to brag about all the money they spent on something, how smart they are, what big shots they are, always looking for affirmations, etc.

Jukelemon

I will push that concept even further and speak from personal experience. Success and what follows is typically a very lonely mountain in general i.e. there are few that can actually sit and have a discussion about a Porsche and its inherent qualities as opposed to getting stuck on the Brand name only and all the cultural crap that follows.

I was told by our President one day (I am one step below him) that it is very loney on the top. I never knew what that meant until I had 15 people under me and ALL my conversations had to be impartial and, for lack of better words, middle of the road. Same thing with my peer group as I became more successful then they. I actually found myself hiding the things I bought because I didn't want to hear the "well, what car do you have now" crap.

The point being, it is probably a comfort zone issue here that allows for someone to say, hey, check out this Rolex and not have to feel that they are being snotty or arrogant-much like if we were commenting on any other thing.

Just my take.

NEK

I think it has to do with something we call greed. And to that I say that the point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much.



-NEK

fast_freddy

Thanks GG

Jukelemon

I think your last statement is contradictory. In most of the global eyes, the USA is the most greedy of all so, how can we be saved or why do we need saving if that is the case?

As well, I am not sure Darwin would agree that "greed" is the basis for evolution or any socio-economic thrust.

Lastly, time and time again, "greed" has proven to be a character trait of demise NOT success. It is blind, short sighted and fueled by emotion not logic-which inevitably, in time leads to your demise. It has been proven over and over to be the case in both war and economics.

Ambition/agressive behavior and greed are NOT the same in my opinion

NEK

I couldn't resist, and was 1/2 hoping for someone to not get it. For the record, I love seeing pix of other people's cool stuff. Yeah, it's showing off a bit, but so what--it's just a bit and cool stuff is, by definition, cool.

-NEK

NEK

looks like I got a bite.

Jukelemon

How could I have been so foolish.... ( :

TRINITONY

I don't see a whole lot of boasting/bragging going in lil old 993 forum. Wanna see boasting go to ..uhh..better not mention it :-)