I was recently sent to an article (via Slashdot) that discussed the idea
of a “third space” (the home away from your home away from home).
Click here for the article (I’ll only quote parts of it here, I hope that’s
Kosher vis-a-vis the copyright rules…)
Anyway, according to the article, the Places in your life are lined up by
the level of community experienced. So, the First Place is your home,
the Second Place is work (or where ever you get most of your social
interaction outside of your home), then the Third Place is somewhere
you can socialize comfortably outside of home and work. Since the
idea was proposed by the founder of Starbucks, I assume that a
coffee house would be an example of a Third Place for some people.
For others, it might be a bar with a familiar crowd, or maybe church.
The article in question was exploring the possibility that MMORPGs
(online video games like Everquest or World of Warcraft) would
qualify as Third Places for many players. Eight characteristics were
applied to the world of gaming to check the hypothesis. I thought I
might do the same for C&F…
Neutral Ground: Individuals are free to come and go as they please.
There is nothing keeping people here, and nothing even says that
you have to be seen. Anyone can lurk, or post, as they please, as
long as they maintain the neutrality by practicing basic civility.
Leveler: An individual’s rank and status in society are not significant.
This is mostly true. You get out what you put in. If you use a gender-
and race-neutral avatar and screen name, and keep out of
discussions about race or religion, then it’s going to be hard to guess
at your social status, race, gender, etc. On the internet, no one knows
you’re a dog (miss ya, glauber!)… There are some internal rankings,
intentional or not. If you make commercial posts, then you’re
a professional maker or player, so more weight may be given your
views on the instruments or music. And of course, there’s post count
and join times. But, I think C&F still resists external status rankings,
so I think we’re OK for this one.
Conversation is Main Activity: In third places, conversation is the main activity that the individuals participate in.
Well, duh.
Accessibility & Accommodation: Third places are easy to access and accommodating to individuals.
As long as you have the internet and can play nice, you can access
C&F 24 hours a day. Posts are retained so that people in different
timezones or with different sleep schedules don’t miss out on the
conversation.
The Regulars: Regulars are those who give the place its character, and attract new individuals.
I think that I would not come here nearly as often were it not for the
familiar “faces”. The people are what make this place great. I like
that, for example, during conversations (in real life) about current
events, I can say “I’ve heard from some British citizens that in the
UK, …” or suchlike. I like the inside jokes, the shared life experiences,
and the daily astronomy posts. None of this would be possible if
people didn’t stick around for awhile.
A Low Profile: Third places are characteristically homely and without pretension.
I think the moderators have striven to keep this place relatively free
of pretense. Egos clash sometimes, and this is good for conversation,
but I’ve seen apologies, and mendings of ways, and I’ve watched
people mature after an argument showed them things they were
previously blind to. There is a lot of humility here, and not just from
folks who are shy about their whistling skills (though, perhaps that’s
the launching pad for the prevailing humble attitude…)
The Mood is Playful: The general mood of a third place is playful and witty.
Natch. I certainly have a lot of fun here. I could list some examples
of the site’s wittitude, but it would unavoidably be an incomplete list.
A Home Away from Home: Rootedness, feelings of possession, spiritual regeneration, feelings of being at ease, and warmth.
This is what some people feel is missing, but I think for many of us,
it is present in spades. I’ve seen this board and its members defended
vehemently. We voice our dissent or support of the board’s governance,
even though we as individuals have little direct power to change
anything. Many of us share in the joys of new parenthood, as well
as the sorrows of loss, even when the people involved have never
physically met. I’ve seen emotions that can only be explained by
the word “community”.
Conclusion:
I think, for me at least, C&F can be regarded as a “Third Place”. It
is a place filled with familiar people, who together own this community
where social standing is set aside to facilitate conversation and fun.
