Why I'm still here

[Sporge27]

I've been thinking tonight, why am I still on this forum? I don't really play animal crossing. I'm not nearly as active as I could be. There are probably better places for my interests. But I am still here.

Thinking through it, this place has been here for me to just escape some bad times in my life. It used to serve as a refuge, just as animal crossing kind of did. Lets face it, I liked the first one because it was such a nice little community where everyone got along for the most part, and any conflict could be solved with the littlest tokens. I might have had it easy compared to some people, but socially I felt like an outcast and I retreated to the internet, to games, to Nsider, and it led here. So that is why I came here originally.

That still doesn't explain why I am here now though. Here I am sitting on the edge of a promising career, my life turned utterly around after high school. And I still check up on here. I don't even contribute a lot. I feel like I just check to make sure things are in order.

Then it dawned on me. I am still here because I like the idea that there is a place for others to retreat to like I once had. There are still new members here and with each new animal crossing game there are more. Moreover, I like the idea that anyone who used to visit here can still get in touch with me. I miss a lot of people not around anymore. but there are some who are still on here since this place began.

There was a point I was in a clan for star wars battlefront... that fell apart, I can't even find our forums anymore. A bunch of people I used to know something about gone with it too. Nsider shut down, and with that several more people lost to the distant memories I still faintly recall. Heck I haven't talked to most people I was friends with in middleschool and before that. I barely keep in touch with people from high school, and college friends are likely to drift away too. However I will still be able to see them on facebook if I wanted to. It is nice having something constant over these yeas of radical change for me. Not entirely constant, people drift in and out of here as easily as they do in my life, but its nice to know there is still a place called The Bell Tree for loonies like me

Why are you on these forums?

 

[Mino]

I suppose the reason I spend and have spent so much time on here is for the same reason you did. I, too, am a vastly different person than I was when I joined here at age 13, and I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to leave TBT behind with my teenage years when I turn 20 next summer. As I'm sure plenty of people know, I'm something of a purposeful introvert, a holdover from being an incredibly shy child. I can only imagine what type of person I'd be if I had turned my attention away from the internet in my high school years. But such thoughts are vain and fatuous, what choices have been made have been made, and I do not spend time dwelling on what could have been. Especially since, in these imaginings, there are many people here who I would never have had the privilege of getting to know, even if it is only through the somewhat-sterilized medium of these newfangled internets.

Oh look, it's after 5am. Class at 9:55am. Old habits die hard, and this time I'm not even procrastinating about anything. Perhaps I will never leave TBT.

 

[Yokie]

I wanted to play AC:LGTTC with people. Now I just come here probably because I'm bored. No particular reason.

 

[[Nook]]

Because I used to play ACCF.

 

[Lisathegreat!]

I really don't know why I'm here. I came here because my brother/some friends came.

But, some of my friends left & so did my brother.
I come here 'cause I have friends here & it kinda feels like a home .
In real life, I have no friends & no one to talk to. People think it's 'cause I'm shy, but I only ACT shy around them because I know I don't want to be their friend. I want a friend that actually has things in common with me. Everyone thinks I'm a loser, etc. at school for some reason, so eh.
It's so weird how all of my friends are older than me though D:
I come here because there's always something to talk about, something to be annoyed of.
If I weren't here, I'd actually feel really lonely. I wouldn't cry/kill myself over it, but I'd still feel lonely.

So I kinda come here to hang :>

 

[D1llon]

Well I joined here when playing AC:CF, after a short time I left. Months later I remembered how fun it was and came back.

 

[brotatochip]

The reason I continue to come back is because I have a friend here that is probably 100x better than any of my friends in real life. She accepts me for who I am and I can talk to her about anything. And sometimes it's hard to find a relationship like that in real life because all the girls are stuck up and don't care about anything but themselves. I will stick to that opinion until I am proven otherwise.

 

[Kyel]

I didn't feel like reading your guys' essay's :[
but all I can tell you is,


God has a plan for you, you will change someones life here.

Love you.


lol justkidding, that's pure bullsh!t.

 

[Bacon Boy]

Since other people are doing it, I think he reason I'm here is because I enjoy it. It lets me be myself, instead of playing the part of the good, always behaving kid in school. This place is also kind of a place I can go to let my feelings out. I know people rant on about "theblogtree", but in reality, it's kind of what TBT has become. A somewhat comforting place for people to share about what is going on in their lives. It also is a place for people to come together and congregate about certain subjects that they like. Even though every now and then there's an outburst or a fight, this place is still a somewhat friendly place for anyone to come and hang out. It's like an after school hangout for some people (including me). I mean, after NSider shut down, I lost contact with some really good friends on there. Then I remembered Jeremy told me about this place, so I thought, "Why not," and I came back here after I had signed up in back in '07.

TBT seems to be like a drug for some people, you can make an infinite amount of threads about leaving and never coming back, but in the end... they come back. The main reason that I keep coming back is because of the people here. Even though it seems I dislike some of them, there are certain people on here like *trevor that keep the forum entertaining and without them, it'd just end up being another boring animal crossing forum. The Bell Tree kind of grows on you. It's almost like we should have a shirt that says "Everything I learned, I learned from The Bell Tree." I mean, it's changed the way I look at things. I've considered different things about my faith and how I look at people. Another main factor I think that's important to me is the fact that I have some great friends on here that are, in some instances, better than the ones I have at school and church. I can rely on some of you, even though it sounds silly, to always bring up my mood even when it's down (coughpetercough) and to always have my back, figuratively of course.

 

[Kyel]

Its like, why play video games....
when we can just talk about em' :3

 

[Jas0n]

I'm still here because of the community. It's nice to have a place to visit where I can know what to expect, threads about things I'm interested in and people who share similar interests.

I suppose a lot of people would say it's sad or even impossible for an online forum to help people develop who they are, but I think I would be a much different person without TBT. It's given a place to have (for the most part) open discussion with other people, allowing me to share my opinions aswell as see views from many other aspects. These are the kinds of discussions you can't have in real life situations, or atleast not for me due to my reserved nature. I generally like to stick to myself off the internet.

I would have been on this forum for 2 years come tomorrow, and while I'm still a child compared to some people I feel that this forum is an internet home away from home. I visit here almost every day and don't regret any of it. I have met some people on here who will likely be friends for life.

 

[Josh]

Most of these people on TBT are cool you know, You actually know what is going on in the world and actually have a brain. But sometimes most of you piss me off, then I want to leave. It's a true fact that out of the whole of the TBT members that want to quit, around 5% actually do quit (Who are actual members), the rest come back within a week, Including me.
But TBT needs more events to keep more members.

 

[Mino]

I didn't feel like reading your guys' essay's :[
but all I can tell you is,


God has a plan for you, you will change someones life here.

Love you.


lol justkidding, that's pure bullsh!t.

Marijuana will do that to you.

 

[Bulerias]

Aside from keeping in touch with a few people (more than a few of whom I have on Facebook), I honestly don't know. Perhaps it's habit. Like Trevor, I did spend a fair amount of time on these forums throughout high school, but I don't consider myself an introvert. I know for sure that these forums, as well as NSider, have honed my writing skills and even made me a little business savvy (PR stuff, website finances). Again, I'd say the main reason why I'm still here is habit. But I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way... kind of like a favorite restaurant or cafe, you don't really know why you're back but you find yourself there all the time... ambiance? No... definitely not the food... maybe the memories. Or maybe it's a mix of everything.

Bottom line, I don't know. Hahaha.

 

[Jeremy]

Aside from keeping in touch with a few people (more than a few of whom I have on Facebook), I honestly don't know. Perhaps it's habit. Like Trevor, I did spend a fair amount of time on these forums throughout high school, but I don't consider myself an introvert. I know for sure that these forums, as well as NSider, have honed my writing skills and even made me a little business savvy (PR stuff, website finances). Again, I'd say the main reason why I'm still here is habit. But I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way... kind of like a favorite restaurant or cafe, you don't really know why you're back but you find yourself there all the time... ambiance? No... definitely not the food... maybe the memories. Or maybe it's a mix of everything.

Bottom line, I don't know. Hahaha.

The reason you are here is to promote your music and make a few bucks off of us.

Lol, just kidding.

 

[Ciaran]

When I'm bored I'll usually just open this in another Tab next to facebook and youtube.

I had some great friends here, mainly from EPIC, but they've drifted away, I still have some friends here, but Im really sticking around in the hope things will pick up when AC:3DS comes out.

I wouldn't be lost without this place, I've got most of my friends' facebooks etc. but I like the memorie of animal crossing and stuff.


ALSO: I tend to do *censored.3.0*-all work in school, so coming here helps keep my standard of writing etc. good

 

[KoolKitteh]

I'm here as a retreat just like you. I'm an outcast, in my new school I have some friends but if I'm not weird or funny, I feel they would abandon me. And under my craziness I'm very insucure, I think sometimes "No one likes me" or 'Do they really like me or are they using me?" But here is where my friends are, I know I don't have to act weird here because I am accepted (I hope atleast) I like acting weird because thats what I am but not all the time. I'm only 10 and I shouldn't feel this way but, I do. So if I ever get mocked I run to the computer, to feel like I'm acually wanted. So thats why I'm here.

Oh and I like AC:CF too

 

[Princess]

Number one reason I'm still here are the friends.
It's great to be able to laugh with someone without them having to look at your face and reading your expression that something's wrong. A lot of the friends I've made here have helped me a lot through things I would never feel comfortable explaining in real life. Oh and of course the laughs. Many of your guys' humor is just so great.
But another reason I'm still here is that there's at least someone, one person who I know for a fact will never judge me. I can pour my heart out to her and she just understands we seem to click so well. She knows so many things that go on in my life and I do about hers. I also honestly don't ever think we've ever gotten into a single fight. <3

 

[OmegaMan]

Number one reason I'm still here are the friends.
It's great to be able to laugh with someone without them having to look at your face and reading your expression that something's wrong. A lot of the friends I've made here have helped me a lot through things I would never feel comfortable explaining in real life. Oh and of course the laughs. Many of your guys' humor is just so great.
But another reason I'm still here is that there's at least someone, one person who I know for a fact will never judge me. I can pour my heart out to her and she just understands we seem to click so well. She knows so many things that go on in my life and I do about hers. I also honestly don't ever think we've ever gotten into a single fight. <3

True That

 

[Princess]

Number one reason I'm still here are the friends.
It's great to be able to laugh with someone without them having to look at your face and reading your expression that something's wrong. A lot of the friends I've made here have helped me a lot through things I would never feel comfortable explaining in real life. Oh and of course the laughs. Many of your guys' humor is just so great.
But another reason I'm still here is that there's at least someone, one person who I know for a fact will never judge me. I can pour my heart out to her and she just understands we seem to click so well. She knows so many things that go on in my life and I do about hers. I also honestly don't ever think we've ever gotten into a single fight. <3

True That

..what