I need your input for a project!

[Sky]

Long time since I've posted on here..

Anyways, I'm doing a paper for school that's a feature article on what it's like to be a coaster enthusiast. Obviously this involves getting info from other enthusiasts, so my main question for you is...

How has CoasterForce affected your social life? How have friendships grown from being a part of this site, both online and offline?

You can be as totally vague or specific as you want.. I just need input from enthusiasts for this! I really appreciate your help!

 

[Ian]

I have met some amazing people through CF, and I would certainly class a good handful of them as actual, proper friends.

Having theme parks in common is a great ice breaker. Even if I don't share the same outlook on life and values as somebody else, there's always coasters to fall back on. By seeing somebody talk passionately about a particular ride or park, it's usually a good way of learning a bit more about their personality, likes and dislikes. Over time, such conversations do tend branch away from theme parks and the person reveals themselves and friendship can blossom.

Thankfully I've met some similarly minded people through CF, and others who I can learn from and (hopefully) they can learn from me. I think that's where friendships really develop - what you can offer and take from each person.

People always fascinate me and CF has a nice mixture of people that I certainly would not encounter in my everyday life. I think that has certainly improved my life.

How has it affected my social life?

For starters, it's widened it. I have a solid core of local (non-CF) mates and as much as I enjoy their company, what we do together can be limited, although it's always fun.

Without getting to properly know certain people from this site, I wouldn't have had many wonderful, eye opening and off-the-wall experiences.

I don't like to socialise on the internet, which is why I'm rarely on MSN, not publicly on Facebook and don't bother with Skype or other crap like that. I'd much rather see somebody in person, watch their facial expressions and gestures as they talk, actually physically experience their personality.

There have been times in the past when I've been low and considered jacking in CF but keeping in contact with the good mates I have made through it.

But no, if I jacked in CF, then I'm less likely to meet another Martyn, Karen, big john, Tanya, Mark & Marc, Vadge, Sam, Pierre, Rob, Kir, Slayed, Leighton, themeparkphreak, Snoo, Rach, furie, Joey, Jerry, Mandeerrrr, Ben, Jake, Collette, Gay-but-not, Stone Cold and so on......

(Btw, that's not a definitive list, just several examples.)

 

[Sam]

I think Ian pretty much summed it up. I've met people on here I consider genuine and close friends. People I can not only have a great time with but also seek advice from and so forth.

The fact I'm not interested (no where near to the extent I once was) with Theme Parks doesn't really change it either, and I'm very much looking forward to going to lives and trips again.

 

[ECG]

The common bond of liking coasters/theme parks is just a small part of CF when it comes down to it (unlike TPR & other similar websites). This site is more about the friendships that develop online that are strengthened through meeting up at the Lives.
Of course my best friends are ones outside of CF that I have known for years upon years, but I can honestly call many of the people I have met here true friends and I can't wait to meet some of those that I have not had the pleasure of seeing face-to-face. I've even made such good online friends on CF that I am willing to travel halfway around the globe just to see them. Getting to do something we really enjoy like riding coasters together adds to the experience of meeting someone you've gotten to know online & only helps solidify the friendships that develop.

 

[ciallkennett]

Back before I joined CF, I thought I was weird and had little to no social life. I went out sometimes, and all my best fiends kept moving away. It wasn't a good time in my life.

But then Martyn H told em to join. I wasn't an enthusiast back then, and I occasionally posted. I didn't seem to fit in very well, so ended up drifting away from CF. I then found myself browsing CF again after visiting a few theme parks, and slowly, I started finding myself enjoying CF.

Then almost 2 years ago (crikey, it's gone so quickly) I want to my first CF Live to put persona to face. I felt included right away, and loved the laid back atmosphere and general feel of the event. I became much more comfortable around people

Since then, there has been nothing stopping me on CF. I've attend countless lives, met great people who I speak to and meet outside of CF and met some people who I know will be great friends for a long, long time.

Has CF influenced my social life? Vastly.

 

[marc]

CF changed my life a lot. For me I always went of coasters etc but I joined CF and met Mark and then attended lives. I have made some good friends from CF some I count as people I would be friends with for the rest of my life.

Sorry to say though CF has made some friends outside of it upset, so I have lost the friends that I had before I joined CF.

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

CoasterForce really changed my social life, and as people on here said, I truly consider some people on here to be good friends, despite not being able to see them in person as often as I would like.

Anyway, my first Live was back in 2008, one of the biggest years I struggled with my social life outside CoasterForce. By actually meeting up with people on here, it really made me feel good because for the first time in a long time it made me feel included and made me realize it's really not as hard to make friends as I was thinking. And also, a lot of the people I met during the first Live I've seen a few times a year since then, and like I said, I consider them friends.. I don't refer to them as "online friends" when they might come up in a discussion.. Just "friends".

Since I started posting regularly basically, CoasterForce has always been a place I feel like I can go to when I'm having bad days, when I'm in an argument with friends/family I have here, and just generally whenever I want, and the members, besides maybe a few, can really cheer you up, whether on the forums or as people to turn to on MSN just for a heart to heart discussion or something. That being said, I <3 most everyone on here.. Most of you are my friends and the forums and meetups have really helped strengthen my social skills and even when I feel like I don't belong elsewhere sometimes, I always still feel like I belong here

So in a nutshell.. Yes, it changes your social life.

 

[Ben]

It changed my social life to a scary extent.

I wasn't *that* popular at school (not a loser though...), but, CF gave me so many more. It also helped me realise people would like me for me, since I've never been anything but myself here, and people liked me. So, self-esteem issues of my 13-year old self disappeared.

I'm going back to Uni tomorrow for five weeks, and when I think I have *one* weekend until I come home NOT taken up by something related to a CF member, it actually kindas scares me

But, they're people who I don't think of as "CFers", but, friends who HAPPEN to post on here. And I love you all <3

 

[nealbie]

CF is for sure a great social networking site. And I see it as such. I may be an enthusiast, but I rarely post in the coaster related topics, and if I do it's usually drowned in sarcasm.

I love going to a theme park with guys from on here. Most notably my trip with Ian in May(ish) time when we just happened to be in a theme park. We didn't do coastery-goon type things like count wheels or um and ah about Intamin and B&M. We just dossed about in a theme park, times - they were good.

I also have had a few trips not related to theme parks. Such as with Ben to London (Woman in Black must be done soon) and then to Silverstone. Both non-coaster related; but it's because of our like for coasters and this website, that we were able to become mates and discover other interests we had as well.

In fact, it's so good here, that when the internet comes on this is the first site I have a look at, even before Facebook, Twitter and even my email account :lol:

 

[Snoo]

CF has changed the way I do my hobby first and foremost, which has shaped my life for the last 4 years. I've really immersed myself in this fun hobby and without the people on here and the 1,000's of threads which I've learned all aspects of basically everything, I'd just be a normal passerby like I was before.

I've also met dozens of people which I love calling friends. The only downside is that, besides once a year for maybe a few days and talking through MSN/the forums, I don't get a lot of social interaction with these friends. That is the only real downside tbh.

Sadly, CF hasn't changed my life socially a whole bunch.. as my off the computer life is quite vibrant. My personality is attest to that. But, to say I would be the same person without CF would be a lie.

Maybe I should move to England.. lol

 

[Tjex1]

I have only recently joined, but I can already see how closely knitted the community on CF is. I am realy enjoying it and hoping to go to a CFLive in the near future!