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Fortean-themed Groups On Facebook

stu neville

Commissioner.
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Casting around for some opinion, actually. As part of a wider thing I'm concocting, I've been delving into the myriad Fort-interest groups on Facebook.

Some - such as the main Fortean Times Appreciation group quite closely mirror the general ethos of the mag (and by extension this place), with a similar level of discourse and well-modded. A couple of the cryptozoology / UFO / Ghost ones are equally well-run. A number of groups, however, are basically believer sites and any dissent or attempt at anything approaching forensic discussion is met with wailing and gnashing of teeth. I've already been hoiked out of one for daring to point out that something was bollocks, and walked away from another having been lectured by someone about what Forteanism is (I apparently have no idea.)

I won't name them as I'd appreciate any observations, stories etc about how these groups appear to other users of this board, how they feel the group's membership are treated, whether it has a genuinely Fortean theme or if it willfully misunderstands what we're about. Keep the group name to yourselves - unless they're really good - but please share anecdotes and views.

TYVM :).
 
Charles Fort on Facebook:

Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with merely numerically adding to my stores. Other times I have joys, when unexpectedly coming upon an outrageous story that may not be altogether a lie, or upon a macabre little thing that may make some reviewer of my more or less good works mad. But always there is present a feeling of unexplained relations of events that I note, and it is this far-away, haunting, or often taunting, awareness, or suspicion, that keeps me piling on.

Screen Shot 2018-07-22 at 22.31.42.png

(Do I get sacked for that?)
 
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No. Because..

Actually, it brings up another point for discussion - as arguably the most widespread, and possibly quickest disseminator of info currently in use, does Facebook's ubiquity and frequently asinine overall image immediately devalue any opinions or discussion conducted on it?
 
Joking aside, Facebook (and more extremely Twitter) are of value for the contact. I've never had a Facebook account, but I've certainly seen it used often enough and the whole thing just seems too cumbersome for the exchange of substantial opinion; but for alerting others to the existence of something elsewhere (offline or on a website) or simply making contact with like-minded strangers they're clearly useful simply because so many other people are on them.

I've managed to get in touch with a few chaps via Twitter to help with my military research--people of whose existence I would have no way of knowing otherwise--and two contacts of mine who are hardcore experts on history have both told me of batches of unpublished photographs that have recently turned up on Facebook.
 
No. Because..

Actually, it brings up another point for discussion - as arguably the most widespread, and possibly quickest disseminator of info currently in use, does Facebook's ubiquity and frequently asinine overall image immediately devalue any opinions or discussion conducted on it?
One of the huge drawbacks of FB for me is the fact that the emphasis on what is happening NOW makes it hopeless as a repository of information - it is de facto impossible to go back and locate something if you didn't copy or record it there and then (and, of course, FB's desire to corral the internet into its own personal fiefdom makes that copying unnecessarily difficult). So that, and the difficulty of following a complex comment thread without losing your place, makes it pretty much valueless for my purposes. It's maddening, really: everyone is on there, but you can't hear anything worthwhile any of them has to say.
 
I'm on several Fortean-themed Facebook groups and haven't had any trouble. Plenty of belly laughs though. You just have to know what and whom to take seriously.

It's like on'ere sometimes, when a poster declares themselves the big expert on some occultery or other or lays claim to own a spectacularly important magical artefact. You roll the eyes and move on to the cat pictures.
 
Long time since I've been on Facebook but the Chaos Magick Group is good for entertainment value, at least.
 
I'm in Group of Fort, CFZ, and Monster: An A-Z of Zooform Phenomena. Despite bekng a sceptic rather than a Fortean, the only uncany thing I believe in is human fallibility, I don't really like sceptically orientated groups anymore than those for believers only. I find the arguments on both primarily partisan and a bit shrill. That's why I like it here.

I was always a big fan of Doubtfulnewx, but I've gone off the tone in Group of Fort recently. CFZ is fine, I enjoy some of the content and I appreciate that it doesn't take itself too seriously. I used to particularly enjoy Neil Arnold's Monster... page though. Sadly itseems to have gone. I do co-run a Facebook group which does I suppose could be considered by soms as tending border on Fortean topics, but I don't tend to get involved in that aspect very often. I stick to the verifiable stuff and want to avoid appearing to undermine what the other members are interested in. At the same time, the subject can and does attract a rather agressive true beliver/anti-science type and we've decided a zeto tolerance position on this. So far I've only had to deal with two, neither time was pleasent.

As for the general point, I'm about to have my first grown up article published (I hope) and for me Facebook has been the single most important research tool I've used. All the old tiger trapper's kids or grandkids are on Facebook.
 
Group of Fort's tone does vary, I agree: I think Sharon does a good job of keeping it on-message though. CFZ is generally on the same page most of the time. I agree completely that it's a vast and largely untapped resource (peerless in terms of ease of contact, etc) but also highly unfocused, but in fairness that's not what it's really there for.
 
Well... me!

Francisco José Pereira Madruga

I don't know why typing with the right hand while I have to control a toddler and an 8-year old while they perform the xamanic rite of the rabid tomcat with the left always makes my posts sound dry....
 
Well hey there Francisco José Pereira Madruga. Hail and well met, muchacho.

^ I can totally relate to your stress, mate. Had a couple of little diablos here for near on ten years before their mama took them away to live in another house. Been at peace ever since.

See you on Friendface.
 
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