Thread: Question for Veteran Dreamviewers

I was asked about the history of dreamviews while I was on dream radio an hour ago. everything so fresh in my mind.

Dreamviews kept me around because the people here are funny as hell, and it gives me a group of lives to save. there will always be more lives to save.

the quality of exchanges between members in extended discussion has never changed. the vast majority of it has stayed exactly the same. Beyond Dreaming has never been reasonable. Extended Discussion will always have R/S which will always repeat the same threads. there is no improvement or fall-from grace, it just is.
things have improved for me, as I've learned to properly think about what I'm saying, and have thus been able to answer the occasional ED thread.

this post wouldn't be anything close to discernible if I were to go more in-depth with this. I will return.
ask me questions. I know everything about Dreamviews.

Originally Posted by no-Name

ask me questions. I know everything about Dreamviews.

What is the worst moment in DV history or your worst moment? Does DV have any noticeable effects on your everyday life? Are there any former members who no longer or seldom post that you miss? Hmmm I feel that these are not very good questions Ill come up with more later.

With regards to my OP Im not a veteran member but my one year anniversary is approaching and I feel that Ive been apart of this site for awhile so Ive been thinking about this lately. What I enjoy most about DV is the discussions and the lively characters that come and go.

I dont have many friends that I can talk to so I benefit from discussing topics I normally wouldn't be able to discuss. When I first came to DV I thought I was hot stuff and got my ass handed to me in R/s and philosophy and at the time I felt extremely embarrassed and stupid. Im not really embarrassed to admit that back then I idolized the more intelligent members in ED and hoped to get on their level so to speak. In this regard I think DV has been very constructive for my intellect and this is what I have enjoyed the most about it. Not saying Im intelligent but thanks to discussions in ED Im vastly more intelligent now than when I first joined but thats not saying much(its a start). So I feel the same as you that ED has helped me articulate my thoughts better and of course criticism has helped tremendously as well. Thanks yall!

The more time a person spends here, the more they realize there are a bunch of people out in the world that are just as weird as them. I think it has something to do with a sense of belonging i get, and some of the better conversations that go on here.

A brief description of DV's dark moments in history?

How many sections where there to begin with?

How long did it take for this site to really get going?

Has this site always had a good mix of male and female members (I'm assuming it's at least something 60 - 40 atm [correct me if I'm wrong]) or was it ever dominated by either gender in that regard?

Is the site more user-friendly now or is it about the same?

Has the community always been this pleasant and accommodating or was it better (or worse) in the past?

Apart from the loss of some really good moderators and good assets to the community, DreamViews is mostly the same. Due to the constant influx of people, the community seems to cling to some values, resulting in very slow evolution, compared to other forums that are maybe a little smaller.

In the lucid dreaming section, things have definitely become better though. There's more research coming up all the time, and more precise and effecient techniques are worked out. The personality of the forum, which is the off-topic section to me, has changed a lot over the years, from something that seemed a little elitist towards new people, to something that is a lot more open. This was in part due to members like Kaniaz. However, the forum has also become more general I think, meaning that it doesn't really ever feel that personal, because there's constantly new "meat" coming in, especially in recent times with the high level of lucid dreaming awareness or just general dreaming awareness actually. This is not a bad thing, but it has affected the community I believe.

This is ofcourse all coming from a member who has spent a lot of time on other smaller forums, where the communities are much more personal, which can be very nice.

Here's a post I made a while back about how the forum had started to suck recently. Don't take it too seriously though:

It's everywhere. DreamViews OT section is dying, basically because 2007 members have been given too much ground to play on. They think they can do whatever they want, and thus if one of them posts in a thread, another one of them jumps in and wrecks havoc. Some 2008 members are doing it too.

The main problem is R/S. Atheists bashing theists, and vice versa, has created hate, which has then been brought into the other forums, thus creating a crowd paranoia. Everybody thinks that everyone else is out to get them.
The second root of the problem is the flash chat, where hate can get much more intense, because of 2 factors: shorter and faster messages allows for faster flaming and less thinking and secondly, the admins do not log the chat.
Because of this, basically every thread in our OT section (the Lounge) is turning into shitstorms of flaming and personal hate. Not only is it ruining our 'friendships', but it also causes the creation of groups. Groups which newcomers have difficulty getting into, thus making the problem even worse.

The conclusion is, that if this forum has to persist, we have to take drastic measures. For instance, close the flash-chat, get more mods (without taking in newbies that play into the members hands, like Wavefunction does) to view over R/S and generally the lounge, and make attempts to get more people back to the main forums of DV, the lucid-dreaming forums. When I joined this forum, I had a feeling inside of me. I loved this feeling, it is what kept my desire to master lucid-dreaming going. I think you all know this feeling, and it is that which drove us to continue our journey to master lucid-dreaming. This clowncar of a subforum has, however, distracted us from our initial goal, and instead made us, well, loos faith. I'm by no means saying there's anything magical about lucidity. I'm just thinking, that maybe, just maybe, sometimes it's better to let go of our selfs and let our gullible and naive minds embrace luciddreaming as a magical and mysterious thing, instead of researching and analysing it all the time. I lost the feeling and the drive, because I started embracing something special in a technical and logical way, and I feel that I should've never done that.


tl;dr: This place is not what it once was, and it has to be fixed. Get more mods that don't suck, give more warnings, even if it happens in Senseless Banter, and make some attempts to move focus back to the initial purpose of DreamViews.

Second tl;dr: Atheists have to let go of them selfs for once and let lucidity embrace them, instead of embracing it. Theists need to shut up. I'd like to see a closing of the R/S forum, but I know that will never happen, so instead I suggest some more mods should look over it.

Point of this thread: I want to check if I'm the only one who thinks this.

I also made a rage post a while back where I pointed out how nearly everybody on here was an idiot and the good ol' times are never coming back. But sadly I can't find this grand post. What a shame.

Originally Posted by stormcrow

What is the worst moment in DV history or your worst moment? Does DV have any noticeable effects on your everyday life? Are there any former members who no longer or seldom post that you miss? Hmmm I feel that these are not very good questions Ill come up with more later.

worst moment in DV history?
stagnation. Asher owned the site/forum from early 2007 to late (Dec) 2009. after he was yelled at by much of the community for changes to the forum, he went into hiding, in a way. after Wavefunction was made an administrator, he promptly left dreamviews for 6 months. during this time, nothing progressive was done to the forum. during this time people realized that change isn't always bad.
there are no real dark times. there will always be light. but when both of the people allowed to change the internal database of the forum are out of reach, very little happens.

I live here, to answer your second question.

all of them. I would have them all back, in a way. if only for a little while.
Kaniaz, specifically. rip switzerland

your questions are fine.

Originally Posted by GavinGill

A brief description of DV's dark moments in history?

dark moments? when a staff member decided to leave with a bang (Shift)
when a staff member no longer cared for dreamviews, and would simply dick around in chat rather than contribute.
when injustice comes from misunderstanding, and what should have been a stern warning becomes a perma-ban.

How many sections where there to begin with?

that's a hard one. I can tell you the WILD section didn't exist at first. the AA, or what is now known as the role-playing forum wasn't created until suggested by a member now banned. I couldn't name all of them without a screenshot of all of the original forum.

How long did it take for this site to really get going?

the site was created in 2001, and the forum added on in 2003. it took over two weeks for the first member (a member that's not icedawg, that is) to join the forums. 5 months after that, the 200th member joined. I consider that to be our fledgling wings.

Has this site always had a good mix of male and female members (I'm assuming it's at least something 60 - 40 atm [correct me if I'm wrong]) or was it ever dominated by either gender in that regard?

it's been estimated without evidence that the internet is split 10-1 male-female. the last time I ran a scan (which was, mind you, over two years ago) it was 3-1. less than 20 had chosen "trans" and the vast majority had not chosen to show their gender at all.
I consider this a very healthy mix. it's been that way since I can see.

Is the site more user-friendly now or is it about the same?

user-friendly in what way? we have irc now, which is less user-friendly than flashchat. the dream journal system is simply different. I don't consider it any more or less user-friendly.

Has the community always been this pleasant and accommodating or was it better (or worse) in the past?

depends who you talk to. the dream guides will always be accommodating, and the cynics will always be harsh and quick to shun.


hearts to Marvo for sharing his story<3

What was DV like before I added in secret links and pages to catgirls?

The worst moment in DV history was when half the staff left and few chose to come back.

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

The worst moment in DV history was when half the staff left and few chose to come back.

Oneironaut, you specifically scolded me for my rage post I believe. It was basically a long post of names and hate. Do you think it can be tracked down, or is it gone forever and ever?

Not sure if I count as a veteran, but I've been here a while. So....

Originally Posted by stormcrow

What is the worst moment in DV history or your worst moment?

When The Dentist became obsessed with me. I still have nightmares.

Originally Posted by stormcrow

Does DV have any noticeable effects on your everyday life?

Not really. Besides, obviously LD'ing and RC's etc.

Originally Posted by stormcrow

Are there any former members who no longer or seldom post that you miss?

I wish SKA still posted here more sometimes. He got pissed at me for a misunderstood thread last year, and he left shortly after that.
I liked reading his posts about psychedelics, meditation, spiritual stuff etc.

Originally Posted by stormcrow

I dont have many friends that I can talk to so I benefit from discussing topics I normally wouldn't be able to discuss. When I first came to DV I thought I was hot stuff and got my ass handed to me in R/s and philosophy and at the time I felt extremely embarrassed and stupid. Im not really embarrassed to admit that back then I idolized the more intelligent members in ED and hoped to get on their level so to speak. In this regard I think DV has been very constructive for my intellect and this is what I have enjoyed the most about it. Not saying Im intelligent but thanks to discussions in ED Im vastly more intelligent now than when I first joined but thats not saying much(its a start). So I feel the same as you that ED has helped me articulate my thoughts better and of course criticism has helped tremendously as well. Thanks yall!

I agree with this. I can't talk about things that I do here with anyone IRL. No one really wants to argue/discuss anything like we do here.
But on the off chance they do, I have learned stuff here that I can take in to the IRL discussions. So I guess that is one more effect on my everyday life.

I come here mostly for ED now. But occasionally still help out the noobs. I also like the Help! section for my own problems and to help others.

I like to think that I've helped some people with LD'ing and life. Especially because LD'ing can help one a lot in their waking life too.

It's also helped me realise I really am not that unique. I've never been much the same to anyone I've known IRL. And people notice that too.
But here, there are many people very similar to me.

The mass staff exodus was probably one of the hardest points in DV history since I've been here. Literally.. 80% of the staff left due to.. well yeah.

The second would have to be Clairity's account collecting dust.

Was the Help! section always here or did someone suggest it? This is the only forum I've been a part of where something like that's been implemented and I always thought it was on of DV's highlights.

Originally Posted by GavinGill

Was the Help! section always here or did someone suggest it? This is the only forum I've been a part of where something like that's been implemented and I always thought it was on of DV's highlights.

it wasn't here at first, but it was created as an experiment very early on, in 2006, I believe. the last time icedawg made a post on the forums, he commented on it, saying that he was glad it worked out well.
I count it as a very substantial and crucial part of the forum. if icedawg hadn't made the post he did, I would have assumed it had been here since the forum was created.

Substantial and crucial indeed, it's things like that that make this community seem personal and approachable imo. Also, is icedawg one of the our founding fathers? Who started this site and what was it like before the forum was implemented?

/annoyingly curious

Viva la was probably a highlight for many.

That or the shallow . . . copycat.

Originally Posted by GavinGill

Also, is icedawg one of the our founding fathers?

you could say that.

Who started this site and what was it like before the forum was implemented?

check it out.
Dream Views -- Lucid Dreaming

icedawg started the forum, and never changed his name, from what I know.

/annoyingly curious

please, keep the questions coming. I love answering them.

Originally Posted by Siиdяed

That or the shallow . . . copycat.

I wouldn't call a planned organized prank a "copycat." unless you think you gave staff the idea for an invasion/revolution?

I came here because I thought the idea of dream control was neat and I wanted to know how to do it, then I found this place and I was surprised to find that there was a whole community dedicated to this. The reason why I still come back is because I have always been interested in lucid dreaming, and I like reading/participating in some of the discussions you people have, (there are some real intelligent people here). I also just like being around other people who share the same interest as me, and maybe helping them out or asking for advice.

I think the worst part of DreamViews was when I was gone for a while, but when I came back I didn't recognize anyone, but it turned out a couple of people still post but they probably don't remember me. Also, the community sort of changed as this site grew. It seems that the bigger a forum is, the more arguments/fights/trolls you see so that kind of makes me miss when people where nicer to each other. I'm not saying this forum is full of mean people, I still think this place is very friendly.

Coming to DreamViews made me more aware, of course since lucid dreaming focuses on awareness.

So far, I remember Aquanina, Taosaur, Invader, who seem to still be active. I don't think they remember me even though we had discussions way back then.

Edit: I miss Howie and his dedication to this forum. I don't think he knows me, but everyone back then probably know who he is.

I love this place.

Originally Posted by no-Name

please, keep the questions coming. I love answering them.

Alright, what's Sindred talking about when he refers to "Viva la" being "a highlight for many." Was it something of a coup d'état?

Originally Posted by GavinGill

Alright, what's Sindred talking about when he refers to "Viva la" being "a highlight for many." Was it something of a coup d'état?

it was a joke.
it's always been joke that "staff are nazis." this joke embodies a faux revolution, where Sindred gathers forces in flashchat, and speak of power and lengthy words. Sindred will come in a second to tell you all of it's glory, and what it really meant. Patience, Xox, Sindred and I were involved. though I the least of these.

Oh how riveting I find these history lessons.

Originally Posted by no-Name

it was a joke.
it's always been joke that "staff are nazis." this joke embodies a faux revolution, where Sindred gathers forces in flashchat, and speak of power and lengthy words. Sindred will come in a second to tell you all of it's glory, and what it really meant. Patience, Xox, Sindred and I were involved. though I the least of these.

It was a joke that I liked.

And that led to GH's fun quitting.

the incident in which many of the staff members left, how many of them are still here?

Originally Posted by erible

the incident in which many of the staff members left, how many of them are still here?

Naiya changed her name but she's still around.

And Jeff.

ClouD was part of staff.

Man of Steel was also part of staff, but doesn't post too much.

Auron use to be Akono and he's been part of staff for a while.

So has Oneironaut.

I have some more questions, what exactly was the incident when a lot of staff left, was it the Shift thing? what is the story with this? unless its one of those "never to be spoken of" thing... o.o

I don't know if this fits here or in Meta, but I know users with teal names used to be on the staff, what happens to get someone off staff like this? can they ever re join the staff somehow?

Originally Posted by louie54

Naiya changed her name but she's still around.

And Jeff.

ClouD was part of staff.

Man of Steel was also part of staff, but doesn't post too much.

Auron use to be Akono and he's been part of staff for a while.

So has Oneironaut.

thanks