The trial of Darkfarmowl
I joined the internet sometime in the late nineties (the decade, not my age) and received my first e-mail with an excitement that far exceeded the circumstances. I’m a little teccy by nature and receiving mail without all the writing and envelopes and stamps and stuff appealed to my inner geek. Then there were all those fledgling websites with their terrible designs and horrendous graphics (like 70’s vinyl wallpaper – pointless but somehow captivating). I was like the kid in the sweet shop, this internet thing rocked!
Better yet I quickly discovered that suddenly I could engage with all sorts of people, from all over the world, in real-time conversation. Back then I used AOL via a modem – it was slow, it was clunky, and you had to pay an extortionate rate by the minute for your on-line time (I know!). A lot of the world wasn’t yet hooked up to the web and it was therefore a relatively closed community. AOL had features called ‘chat rooms’ which allowed you to talk nonsense with relative strangers, and so i did. I spent many an hour larking about in those rooms and made some good friends along the way.
Fast-forward twenty years and an older me decided to go and have a look at chat rooms again, having fallen out of the habit in the intervening years. AOL still have them of course but things have changed, now everyone is on the net, and the rooms have been subverted into places where people attempt to either a. Hook up with someone b. Abuse someone or c. Sell something to somebody. I was appalled – this wasn’t the cosy little community I remembered. The internet village had been bulldozed and a horrible shopping-mall-come-meat-market had been built over it. I tried other chat rooms and they were all the same and I gave it up as a hopeless search – retreating to the relative safety of my humble blog.
Well today I was at a loose end, under the guise of working from home, and just on a whim I googled ‘sensible chat rooms’ which returned (very near the top of the search) SeniorChatters. Well I now qualify for both clauses, I am over fifty and I do like a chat, so I followed the link and somehow registered for a 14 day trial period between two cups of green tea.
It’s now 11 in the morning and apart from a couple of ‘hello-how-do-you-do’s’ from fellow morning loiterers it’s been pretty quiet. I shall return later this evening to see if things liven up a little, maybe after a gin and tonic, when the dog is asleep and the house is quiet. The jury is out at the moment regarding a commitment to full subscription but it certainly looks like the sort of site that I have in mind. I’m not looking for a soul-mate, I certainly am not looking for a flaming, and I really don’t need either a new vacuum cleaner or life insurance, but apart from that, I’m game.
Welcome to Seniorchatters Darkfarmowl.
While I was reading, I was remembering how the first encounter with computers and chat rooms began for myself; a blog in itself, really.
I remember being in a 40’s chatroom in the 90’s. At that time it was normal to group the ages by multiples of 10; 20’s, 30’s, etc… But after 50 and especially 55, I liked the idea of sharing experiences with older groups of people. Sometimes there is wisdom in hearing out other members.
I hope that you find what you want here.
Morning DarkOwl , thanks for writing this Blog , can so relate to it vis a vie the dangers lurking in the internet nowadays and a far cry as you say from when it was more primitive years ago. I have just joined and am tipping my toes in the water so to speak , but hoping this is the site for me to meet and chat with likeminded people of the same generation , so thanks again Tin .
Hi Tin
I’m still feeling my around SC – it certainly seems like a friendly place and great for meeting new friends. Maybe we’ll see each other online sometime.
DFO
Thanks davidr. I hope so too 🙂
Well give us a whirl Owl,,,,,,,,,,I have been here nearly 5 years on and off and I love it here.
xx M
Thank you Morv and it was nice chatting to you earlier. Just the one chat room on SC though? It must be crowded at times!
Welcome Darkfarmowl,………….hope the site fulfils your requirements………either in the chat room, private chat or contributing to the various groups and activity page……..nice to see a newbie blogging too……..enjoy.
Hi Star
I have the very vaguest of ideas as to what requirements I have from SC which is the result of having a vague mind I suppose. But I shall wander the corridors of SC looking for enlightenment. Talk soon 🙂
Welcome Darkfarmowl…..hopefully you have struck it lucky in coming to this site. You described it as it was in the early days when I first joined and as the Admin hopes to be able to keep it. Of course to do that needs the co-operation of its members many of which are looking for the same thing as you are. Good Luck…:-)
Thanks Faye – it does seem to be a well controlled community unlike some of the places I have visited on my quest. I’ll enjoy the ride for now 🙂
Thanks to everyone who’s responded. Nice welcome.
I have one of those vacuum cleaners that plugs into a central hole and then you can vacuum the entire ground floor. The answer to my dreams stated the salesman. Except – it has a severe personality disorder and tries to wrap itself seductively /maluciously around your legs. It can miss bed fluff but suck up gold rings. So, I may be ready to receive any of darkfarmowl’s rejected vacuum salesmen.
Hi VanillaIce
Thanks for the comment. I liked your blog – I left a comment there 🙂
Well farm owl , been here going on 4 years so it can’t be all that bad , made some great friends , cyber ,now real …. not hooking up as you say, think one gets out whatever one puts in , like most things…..not selling or buying unlesss you like poetry then i have books for sale ahahahahah, and i need a new vacumm cleaner …. well their you go … you have now met an Aussie , plain speaking , though some Aus speak canbe a little hard to understand for the educated ….
have a great time with the chatters i.m sure you will have not wasted your time …. xxLani .
Hello Lani – I think I chatted with you earlier so it’s really ‘hello again’. I don’t think the vacuums over here would work in Australia (something about them having to suck in the opposite direction I’m told). Don’t worry about understanding Australian as I have watched Neighbours and Home & Away for many years and consider myself fluent. See you soon 🙂
I have tried other sites and almost gave up. One last try is senior chatters – I have paid my dues!!! Some parts are good, others – hmm. Still getting used to how it all works. Weird really, but I’ll give it a go. Best of luck to you.
Thanks Fran.
It’s only my first day and I’m not parting with any cash until I’ve squeezed every drop out of my free 14 day trial but so far it seems to be worth the money (although I did seem to clear the chat room by declaring that I was in need of a wee)! What parts of SC belong to the ‘hmm’ category do you think?
Welcome Farm! You need help wringing out that 14 day trial? Then gimme the other end…I am a natural-born wringer…..as long as I don’t break a nail! Lol xx
Hi again
Unless you’re very attached to it or keen on litigation, I think I’ll pinch your title” the trial of darkfarmowl”. I’m torn between a children’s story full of scary forests and the adventures of owl’s friends lighttawny ferret and speckled mousythrush and/or a BBC1 serial killer where darkfarmowl leaves recordings of toowhit toowhoo in his victim’s DVD players. Autopsy will reveal a single owl feather lodged in their throats.I can give you a mention in the credits if you like though any financial advantages would have to go towards the vacuum.
Feel free to use it and I think both ideas are worth exploring. Personally I lean towards the BBC series; I think its the perfect story for DCI Banks, or Vera, or even Lewis (a Too-WHOdunnit?). No idea what the motive might be – perhaps a terrible thing happened to him when he was on a childhood visit to an owl sanctuary – and the vacuum must NOT be a Dyson – otherwise I grant you carte blanche (I only found out recently that this is not a type of ice-cream).
welcome to SC! You won’t find the meat market here which is great! so many sites are.
I have been on SC for 3 years now…maybe two…and still enjoy coming in and talking with people from all over the world! I have learned a lot and enjoyed learning new things. Gotta keep the senior brain going you know!
The monitoring is great to have.
Got a laptop a few months ago and still fighting with the keyboard…
Again, welcome!
Hello Darkfarmowl, we are a community of a wide range of interests which is perfect. We have to deal with different views, ideas, experiences, likes etc. I’m sure you’ll find your circle of interest.
We meet again Darkfarmowl………..the first being on the Charabanc thread and you are certainly easy to chat too,whilst very responsive……. judging by all the replies here to your blog!.
I am no techno phobe,and the talk scares me !!! however I am only new to computing and that was brought about simply by necessity!
Briefly, seemingly “born with a pen in my hand” about 5 years ago my health was deteriorating, my old great love of nature,the outdoors and even writing was at risk…………..so I enrolled at the local College for a Computing crash course!!
Since at least managing the necessary areas, I quickly enrolled in a Forum and found a new life for myself via social media.I have been on several Forums,started up several successful threads myself…………however it was only last September I think, when I joined SC…… and quite frankly after a few early headaches,I have settled in very nicely,both feet firmly under the table…………and computing,Forums,Friendships and a broad spectrum of interests are now at my fingertips,such a lovely class of people …………..am still rather shy of the Chat room……….but getting there!
I sincerely hope you settle in and enjoy every aspect……………….. K.o D.
Hello again K.O.D
I think it’s great that you’ve taken the internet beast by the horns and wrestled it into submission! I’m an IT professional of some 25 years standing so I’m not phased by anything technical, which you’d think would give me an advantage, but doesn’t always. I do try and spend as much time on SC as i possibly can because I have just 11 days left in which to decide on whether I’m going to invest in it long term. I agree that it’s a very friendly place to visit and certainly the people here are pleased to receive newbies. To be honest there are a couple of things that have been less than I anticipated within SC but that can be said about most things in life and I’m not sure yet whether they will sway my decision in 11 days time.
I also spend far too long talking Trivia in the then 30,s chat room, always dreading the day I would have to graduate to the 40’s. I also landed here just two weeks ago having searched for the old aol chat rooms, they were great fun for making friends. I also used to use icq chat at the time and I’ve no idea if that still exists. I did find one, but not in the format it once was, far too complicated for me. Them were the days
Hi Tiamia
I’d forgotten all about ICQ. It does still exist but if its gone the same way as the AOL chat rooms I’m not going to bother checking in. Too many young idiots in there and I don’t qualify any more!
I missed this one, read the second one only.
I was right there too.
Never read a better description.
I miss it so much.
The internet went backwards instead of forward with social media.
I found this exactly the same way.
I knew there was nothing out there but tried various combinations of thecwirds senior and chatting..and one such attempt brought me here.
Wow, talk about being transported back.
Time travel.
Great post.