Posted by bob on April 21, 2000, at 13:27:28
In reply to Re: December 31, 1999. - To bob, posted by Cam W. on April 20, 2000, at 23:47:35
> bob - I haven't been here that long, so I don't figure into your figures. Do you know of any other studies I could get involved in?
Well, it may preclude your posts from the analysis, but the point of analyzing the posts will be to develop a rich description of the culture of this group and a "grounded" theory of how it "works". After that, this analytic approach still requires bringing it back for a member check to see if it still holds water, if things have changed, etc.
The 12/31/99 cut-off was chosen for a number of reasons. It includes about 18 months of data, which in Babbleland is going to be thousands of individual posts. It captures the beginning of the group but also a period of time long enough to hopefully see some stabilization and development of relationships, cultural values, etc. It is also a distant enough time to (hopefully) reassure those out there who don't want every key they type scrutinized that this won't be the case, and that what we are discussing now is not going to be put under the microscope.
The last thing we'd want is for this study to have a chilling effect on the conversations here for anyone.
If we wanted to examine something specific like "How do people who don't respond to SSRIs manage the treatment-resistant nature of their depression?" then we'd be pulling specific threads from the whole and perhaps getting a bit intrusive. I'd be one of the lab rats for that question and, having been a lab rat often enough and being pretty belligerant about my disorder I know I wouldn't mind the intrusion ... but I can easily see that not being the case for a lot of people.
That's why we're focusing on "group-dynamics" -- not tracing the evolution of an individual's participation during those 18 months, but the evolution of the group.
... but getting back to your concern -- we will need "fresh" feeback from those willing to offer it when the time comes.
> Actually, come to think of it, I'm too scared of today's mind alterers of choice to actually try them. Do you think it's wisdom or just old age?
I think it's kinda like football, Cam. Back in the old days when there was natural turf and leather-covered pads packed with cotton, you might have got your bell rung or your nose broken, but you could have a good time playing the game without really getting hurt too bad. Now, with all our materials science and designer equipment, people are getting killed, paralyzed, and crippled out there. Perhaps the same is true about designer drugs -- too much bang for the buck, too much for the body to bear ... especially compared to the natural, simpler pleasures from the past. ;^)
Ooops! Almost forgot:
Not that I would have any personal experiences with such controlled, mind-altering, illicit materials, nor would I have had any sort of congress in the past or present with individuals who would partake in the use of such illicit substances.bob (not boB ;^)
poster:bob
thread:30694
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000420/msgs/30847.html