Re: Our Off-Topic Family
gordondaviesmoustache said:
People say it's only the internet and they're right up to a point, but it's still human beings interacting with each other.
Yes, people sometimes brag and bullshit and put on a persona, but they also do that just as much in the 'real' world.
I've had a pretty challenging couple of years and this forum and especially off topic has really been a big factor in helping me through that. Its strength is its diversity of personalities, nationalities, political views, ages and backgrounds. It would be a lot duller if we agreed all the time.
I love this place, even if it is only the internet.
I'm now off to find a tea towel to cry into :-(
Exactly this.
At times this forum has been a rod for my back, a pain in the arse and ballache at the same time. But I love it. Everything from arguing with Billy/Dave about Mancini through TMQs Jedi posts and Glens posts about cat aids.
Either way though, I joke with the lads on here every night. I speak to my "proper/in flesh" mates twicish times a week. This place makes my life that little more fun and I'm thankful for the forum because of that. GSC was one of those guys who you could rely on to have a bad day wrestling with some nonsense algorithm (or whatever) and just come on here and laugh your tits off.
People who say that "oh well, it's the internet" miss the fucking point. We spend more time joking with each other than most families do. We have the insquabbles, the bitching and the drama but there's not a single person on here who I wouldn't enjoy buying a drink for.
I hope Ric doesn't mind me speaking out of turn, but I've spent an awful lot of hours on both the moderation and especially the infrastructure of this place. We generally speak via PM and MSN or the telephone when there needs to be back and forth. On a long coding session once into the long drinking hours, he once asked me what I get out of all of this. I answered simply that I get the satisfaction that we bring people together, that we reach out to City fans all over the world and present that piece of Manchester to them. Not just the results but the humour and the banter that we spread is as valuable to me as any financial value. As moderators we need to act the **** every now and again but we do it from nothing but good intentions.
The times like this puts things into perspective. Sam was one of us. He cared about nothing else apart from having a laugh and creating a community on here. I can't talk for you guys, but I think we've lost a spark from the fire. He'll be greatly missed by me and many others. A regret is that I never actually got to know the real man outside of his wicked sense of humour which was almost constant. Others did and report that he's as good a man as I thought that he was and that's comforting.
I want to donate to his family and I'm sure that we will soon setup this facility, However, our greatest tribute to Sam is that we will all continue to talk about him long after he has physically passed. We'll recount his greatness as a member of this community but also his greatness as a member of the human race. And thus, it may only be a tiny gesture but in our own little way, Ric renaming Off Topic in his honour will preserve his memory into the generations to come. Even the Indian gloryhunters who "have always supported us" in 2018 after 3 Champions Leagues on the bounce will know the legend of GSC and will be able to read his input to this community. It's not much but keeping his memory alive is all we can do as a community long term.
RIP Sam. You ****.