An extremely short history of the Austin Improv Forums

[Mo Daviau]

Happy Everybody Post Day.

A short history of the forums:

Back in 2005, a guy named Bob Apthorpe (aka arclight) decided the Austin Improv community needed an online forum for the exchange of information, lore, goods, services, friendly and unfriendly jabs, verbal fisticuffs, and Maestro sign-ups.

With his technical acumen, he made it so.

I think he still pays for hosting out of his own pocket.

Reader: I married him. (That's how I know all of this, since we were living together at the time. Sort of like how the First Lady knows all the nuclear codes...)

Seven years later, Bob's dream is a bigger reality than he imagined. And he very rarely visits these vaunted forums anymore.

With love from Ann Arbor, MI, which FINALLY has a decent taqueria,

Mo


A few of my favorite epic threads:

Ladies of AIC menstruation: http://forum.austinimprov.com/viewtopic ... nstruation

UCB TourCo Comes to Austin-->shitstorm-->Mailer/Vidal: http://forum.austinimprov.com/viewtopic ... gore+vidal

[Spots]

Is.. is.. that the thread where improvisers very publicly gave notes to out-of-town troupes?

[Pdyx]

Interestingly, that's the show that inspired me to formally get into doing live improv in Austin.

[CarlZ]

Well, bless his(Bob Apthorpe) heart. Thanks Bob, for a wonderful forum!

[shando]

UCB TourCo Comes to Austin-->shitstorm-->Mailer/Vidal: http://forum.austinimprov.com/viewtopic ... gore+vidal

Hahaha, I had totally forgotten that thread. Epic. I just read through the whole damn thing all over again.

[Spots]

Interestingly, that's the show that inspired me to formally get into doing live improv in Austin.

I love Aden's posts all through that thread. And Tami's. I'd never read through it before. I'd just heard about it.



4 stars. Out of stars.

[shando]

Looking back I stand by everything I wrote in that thread, although 41 year old me might have not been as quick to post or be as inclined to try to draw blood. The thought that some people were 'giving notes' to out of town troupes makes me laugh and laugh and laugh, or that anyone could look back at that conversation and think that's what people were doing makes me despair of people's ability to read. Laughing laughing laughing. Let's keep it going!

[Spots]

Although someone actually DID email UCBTourCo unsolicited notes for that show. So paired with the thread there's that.

[shando]

Although someone actually DID email UCBTourCo notes from that show. So paired with the thread there's that.

Oh that's, right! I totally forgot about that. Man, people were filled with fire and stupidity five years ago......

[Pdyx]

41 year old me might have not been as quick to post or be as inclined to try to draw blood

The older I get, the more time I spend online, the more hesitant I am to post. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, but as being online has become less and less anonymous, and I've grown more and more discerning, I'm less interested in sharing online, and more interested in face-time. However, I still spend a great deal of time on forums, Facebook, etc. I think it's because I have a job in front of a computer. I notice I rarely get online on the weekends. Anyone else have this experience, this increased hesitancy?

[shando]

41 year old me might have not been as quick to post or be as inclined to try to draw blood

The older I get, the more time I spend online, the more hesitant I am to post. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, but as being online has become less and less anonymous, and I've grown more and more discerning, I'm less interested in sharing online, and more interested in face-time. However, I still spend a great deal of time on forums, Facebook, etc. I think it's because I have a job in front of a computer. I notice I rarely get online on the weekends. Anyone else have this experience, this increased hesitancy?

For me I just give less of a shit about being 'right' about anything and realizing we all agree more often than not about this stuff. See Ratliff's
recent theory post for much more civilized conduct.

[mcnichol]

41 year old me might have not been as quick to post or be as inclined to try to draw blood

The older I get, the more time I spend online, the more hesitant I am to post. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, but as being online has become less and less anonymous, and I've grown more and more discerning, I'm less interested in sharing online, and more interested in face-time. However, I still spend a great deal of time on forums, Facebook, etc. I think it's because I have a job in front of a computer. I notice I rarely get online on the weekends. Anyone else have this experience, this increased hesitancy?

Yep. And that thread (and maybe a few others) are why I've stopped myself from posting about things other than music (or bits) on here.

[kaci_beeler]

I stand by what I said.

[kbadr]

I stand by what I said.

So do I.

I applaud anyone who can be a touring improviser. Must be an amazing experience.

[Aden]

Interestingly, that's the show that inspired me to formally get into doing live improv in Austin.

I love Aden's posts all through that thread. And Tami's. I'd never read through it before. I'd just heard about it.



4 stars. Out of stars.

Yay! Also uh oh... now I have to go back and read it all too, to see if I like what I wrote too.