UER Store order your copy of Access All Areas today! Activity 643 online Server Time: 2024-05-15 20:13:03 Visit Infiltration Access All Areas AvBrand

UER Forum > Archived UE Main > An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) (Viewed 683 times) Poll Question: Is internet exposure of UrbEx unhealthy for this hobby ? Total Votes: 76 1. YES - stop it now. 6 7.89 % 2. SORT OF YES - It should be limited / restricted. 27 35.53 % 3. NO OPINIONS what-so-ever. 5 6.58 % 4. SORT OF NO - UrbEx is a resilient hobby. 16 21.05 % 5. NO - Internet exposure has no real effect on the hobby. 8 10.53 % 6. HELL NO - Internet exposure helps this hobby and forms 'community'. 14 18.42 % CopySix  Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Gender: Male Agent of the System  |  |  An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) < on 1/29/2008 6:59 PM >   Just yesterday, I was catching the Munnday Blues and my 'ego-shield' had crumpled to about 15% strength. Reading the 'o-bits' usually helps me feel better but that was not working. To this end, I decided to 'ego-google' (http://timjoh.com/script/egogoogle) but still was not satisfied. I ended up doing a straight google search on my handle and my UrbEx Blog. What I found next sort of shocked me . . . My first thought was 'what a web-whore' I was. My second thought - Is this sort of internet exposure a healthy thing for the future of Urban Exploration ? I would like your opinion / feedback on this . . . What are your thoughts ? Is broad exposure of the Urban Exploration hobby on the internet via websites / photoblogs / etc., 'hurting' the hobby in the long run ? 'ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US' URBEX - http://www.UrbExBarrie.Blogspot.com Magic: The GAthering - http://www.MTG-Realm.Blogspot.com bonnie&clyde  Location: 510 & 415 Cleverly disguised as responsible adults  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 1 on 1/29/2008 7:57 PM >   If the civilians out there would truely READ our blogs & forums, they would see 99.9% of us are harmless. We are not the ones tagging,trashing, & scrapping what we explore. We help preserve with our photos. That's my 2 cents. The question is not when are we gonna stop, It's who's gonna stop us? G to the Race  Hi!  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 2 on 1/29/2008 8:08 PM >   It's the way people communicate nowadays, I see nothing wrong w/it @ face value. But, do you mean that posting stories/photos will ultimately undo UE? That I can see, but by the time that could happen those concerned w/ending UE will have something else to worry about. You betcha Vacant NJ  Location: New Jersey  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 3 on 1/29/2008 8:22 PM >   I think the internet is a great tool, but some people abuse it, so if anything those people should have restrictions. Glitch0010  Location: The Drive, Vancouver, BC Gender: Male Get Strange  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 4 on 1/29/2008 8:34 PM >   I like how I was fully introduced to the community. I was taken to an event, asked the usually verification questions, I tried to help out as best as I could, and proved myself not to be a cop, vandal, or a ass-hat tag monkey. It was like an initiation or trial by fire. I loved it. I think it should be like that more often.... we would probably have a lot less Lord Ricks or jtcolfax' Just my personal opinion. We are going to inherit the earth . There is not the slightest doubt about that. The bourgeoisie may blast and burn its own world before it finally leaves the stage of history. We Are not afraid of ruins. We who ploughed the prairies and built the cities can build again, only better next time. We carry a new world, here in our hearts. That world is growing this minute. Lord Awesome  Location: Valparaiso IN Gender: Male Arbiter  |  |  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 5 on 1/30/2008 5:59 AM >   you leave jt colfax out of this. no capitals cause i have toast in one hand and it's on the way to my m- mmmmmmmm peanutbuttery........so yeah! [last edit 1/30/2008 6:00 AM by Lord Awesome - edited 1 times] Hey yeah you, fat ass. Not interested. maypost  Location: North, South, East, West, all around... then down to the underground Gender: Male Exploring if for n00bz0rz  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 6 on 1/30/2008 6:04 AM >   Posted by CopySix Is broad exposure of the Urban Exploration hobby on the internet via websites / photoblogs / etc., 'hurting' the hobby in the long run ? Yes, yes it is Exploring is like tattoos... They stopped being cool in 2005 z0th  Location: /dev/urandom Gender: Male On the bleeding edge of cocking things up.  |  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 7 on 2/1/2008 1:33 AM >   CopySix wrote: Is broad exposure of the Urban Exploration hobby on the internet via websites / photoblogs / etc., 'hurting' the hobby in the long run ? interesting question. i think its a double edged sword. the only way a hobby perpetuates itself is by exposure to a larger community. the internet is almost a perfect medium for this type of exposure. the flip-side of this is that the exposure is not selective, so the hobby is exposed to the borderline types as well as the purists, and everyone in between. perhaps im a bit idealistic (can i be pessimistic idealist?), or just biased because of my line of work. in the long run, i think the internet will help more than it hurts. if the banlist is any indication, the community here is 'self-editing' (thanks mods!). the bad apples are dumped, the good ones are kept. not a perfect system, but its all we have. Dark-Pariah wrote: I think it should be like that more often.... we would probably have a lot less Lord Ricks or jtcolfax. i dont profess to know who either of these people are, but im going to make the assumption that they are asshats. heres the pessimist; you find these people everywhere. they are the ones that cut you off on the street, the ones that order the entire menu at the timmys drive thru -- the list goes on. admittedly, the internet DOES have this idiotic class of people. possibly more than its fair share. the internet just allows them to preform asshattery with impunity. not surprisingly, this happens an awful lot in meatspace as well. gallery | deviantart | flickr joeyofnepal  Location: Memphis Gender: Male  |  |  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 8 on 2/1/2008 2:01 AM >   It shouldn't be of any problem. As long as there aren't any sensitive posts which could be viewed by the public. There is hopeful symbolism in the fact that flags do not wave in a vacuum. -Arthur C. Clarke gmanred  Location: Michigan Gender: Male  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 9 on 2/1/2008 2:57 AM >   I have the fortune to live in a culturally deprived portion of the US. I was first introduced to Urban Exploring through the internet. Without it, I would never have been introduced into this hobby which I can truly call my own. I would not have found anybody else who truly gets the same satisfaction out of these activities. In that sense, the proliferation of Urban Exploring throughout the internet greatly increases the connectivity of people with obscure hobbies. The outcasts who never could enjoy after-school basketball, or football with the guys can find solace in the fact that there are literally thousands of people who, generally, share the same views and beliefs. Those doors stay closed...staring...waiting...plotting. I must find out their secrets. LostAmerica  Location: The West  |  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 10 on 2/1/2008 11:47 PM >   Is broad exposure of the Urban Exploration hobby on the internet via websites / photoblogs / etc., 'hurting' the hobby in the long run ? I see this kind of paranoia so much on this site. It is always mentioned in this vague way. No one has ever given me an example of HOW the internet is detrimental to UE. The internet has virtually no effect on the physical act of UE, except that you are able to research locations easier. But that, in and of itself, is not a detriment. It's a positive. The web does draw people together. When I was doing UE back in the 80s and 90s it seemed as if there was NO ONE doing it. The term didn't even exist yet. I saw it as an offshoot of the "Ghost-Towning" subculture that's fairly popular out here in the American West and that I was just taking it into new kinds of ghost towns. The entire UE subculture was actually created by the internet. It wouldn't exist without the web. The internet has drawn us all together into a big fat dysfunctional family as it has done for virtually every obscure subculture on earth. Having one of the oldest UE related websites on the internet (1998), the www has pretty much created my photography career. Without the web no one would have ever seen my photography. My website was crucial to getting my first book deal, and my second. Without the web there would be no Lost America. Period. It's pretty safe to say that this is true of all UE photographers, pro or amateur. The web lets our work be seen. I've always been very free with location info on my website. It has never had a detrimental effect on these locations. I have never completely hid behind the Lost America avatar. My real name is all over my site. I've always been easy to reach. The police have never come and knocked on my door for trespassing and posting pictures of my adventures. It's never been an issue. I'm totally for depicting UE in a positive light in all forms of media. It's up to us to control how the world perceives what we do. www.lostamerica.com blitz  Location: Cumberland, ME Good news!  |  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 11 on 2/4/2008 5:48 PM >   I'm going with the last option, but maybe not thinking a "HELL NO". I didn't know urban exploring was even considered a hobby until I was surfing the intraweb and found a couple of websites. The only reason I think people wouldn't like it is that its becoming more popular and they want to be non-conformists by being the only people that they know who do it. I may not believe in marriage, but I do believe in best men. Atomsk813  Location: Portland, OR Gender: Male Personal Picture loading...  |  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 12 on 2/4/2008 5:58 PM >   yeah... some of those are bots signing you up. ive been signed up at some sites, most of them unsavory (i.e. lolicon, all kinds of other disgusting porn, the owners of said sites wont take my name off of them) MHInc  This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information. Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada Gender: Male  |  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 13 on 2/4/2008 6:03 PM >   Posted by maypost Yes, yes it is Agreed, again! I think UER should be member only, and that no threads should be available to the general public. MH Inc. Photography Canada http://www.mhinccanada.com Glitch0010  Location: The Drive, Vancouver, BC Gender: Male Get Strange  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 14 on 2/9/2008 8:12 PM >   I like Full Members only and the concept of Vouching or trials by fire. I've been thinking about it and the more and more I ponder the idea I like it. It guarantees that we know who we are dealing with. Like whether they are Legit or not. [last edit 2/10/2008 3:54 AM by Glitch0010 - edited 1 times] We are going to inherit the earth . There is not the slightest doubt about that. The bourgeoisie may blast and burn its own world before it finally leaves the stage of history. We Are not afraid of ruins. We who ploughed the prairies and built the cities can build again, only better next time. We carry a new world, here in our hearts. That world is growing this minute. insainly sound  Location: Bay Area, CA Gender: Female How'd we get here, and how are we getting out of here?!  |  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 15 on 2/15/2008 5:37 PM >   I think we've started branching of into two different discussions with this one, as such I will try to address both subjects separately. First, the issue whether the internet is good for UE is a touchy one, and it's truly a good and bad thing all at once. While the photos and the documentation that is being taken from sites and being placed online is motivating and growing more people that are interested in UE (myself included). It is also having a detrimental effect on the community by drawing attention to us (the last thing as a community that we want). It's also tipping off people we don't want to know about our sites to our sites. Which breaks down to every time we share a site (especially in the public forums) we tip off the scrappers and taggers that there is a way into this building. Simply put the reality is, if we can find the building, they can find the building... Second is the public issue of UER, and to that degree I would say this. A trial by fire situation is not always a safe or effective way to induct new members into the community. First off in a trial by fire situation where theoretically and experienced UE'r would accompany a novice UE'r on an exploration to see if they were worthy of being allowed to join the community. The problem with this is the experienced explorer is being put at an extreme risk, and possibly introducing the novice to how to get into and loot buildings. Secondly not all regions of UER are as active as others. I finally am going to make it to the Pacific Southwest meet and greet this month, but I've been a member of UER for almost three and this is the first I can make. I would say this, as the internet leads to more popularity for our particular type of exploring, it will become necessary to restrict access to the information that we posses on this site. To counter this I would propose that than having a two party system (full and basic members) it makes more sense (in my opinion) to do share level access setup. So as an explorer does more sites (and can prove them), then they get more access to UER. I would also point out (referencing to my first issue) that if we are worried about scrappers and taggers finding our sites, then we shouldn't post anything about them, but to become a full member, one has to post... See where I'm going with this one? It becomes a catch 22 to become a full member we need to post, but by posting with put the very buildings we want to save at risk. But that's my opinion (sorry AV not trying to tell you how to run your site, I love it, it's just my feelings). Check out my photo blog! YouOnlyLiveOnce  Location: san francisco, ca Gender: Female  |  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 16 on 2/15/2008 11:06 PM >   I agree with insainly sound. To a point, us UE'ers shouldn't have to worry so much about tipping off taggers or looters, but there should be a way to control the information we post on the web and filter/tunnel it to those who aren't using it to destroy the history of many of these places. Regardless of our attempts to filter those people away of our websites, or forums, we can only do so much. I think the future of UE may be slowly closing in on us, because more people are starting to explore these places, and their locations are becoming more well known. I think we need to be more selective about the information we post, and those we tell about each site... www.amyheiden.com dixiesquare   |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 17 on 2/15/2008 11:32 PM >   Yes, but the damage is done... "sadly alot of explorers in Chicago are 'park hipsters who take boring pictures to impress girls who smoke Parliaments and listen to Wilco." YouOnlyLiveOnce  Location: san francisco, ca Gender: Female  |  |  Re: An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) <Reply # 18 on 2/16/2008 3:16 AM >   true. i think the only thing we can do now is worry about how we handle things in the future... www.amyheiden.com UER Forum > Archived UE Main > An Observation / Your Thoughts (?) (Viewed 683 times) All content and images copyright © 2002-2024 UER.CA and respective creators. Graphical Design by Crossfire. To contact webmaster, or click to email with problems or other questions about this site: UER CONTACT View Terms of Service | View Privacy Policy | Server colocation provided by Beanfield This page was generated for you in 140 milliseconds. Since June 23, 2002, a total of 741856605 pages have been generated.