Know Thyself

Some people do not cope well with chaos. MOOs are chaotic at times. Other times they are quiet refuges where you can work on your own projects, chat with one or two friends, meet quietly with students. But many times MOOs are loud and messy, especially when you introduce groups of new users. The more people talking in a room, the more text scrolls by. If you are bringing in new users, the demand for help can be overwhelming. If you are partaking of a "cafe" type event, and many "seasoned" users are all madly typing away, the sheer volume of discussion can seem overwhelming. One learns to deal with the chaos, scan text quickly and efficiently, pick up and focus on certain threads of conversation. But you must know how to cope with chaos, or at least be ready to learn. Those who choose to MOO learn to deal with the messiness in different ways. But the MOO is NOT a place for control. If you have strong control issues, the MOO might not be the place for you. If being a central authority is important to you, the MOO might not do. If you blanche at the notion of making mistakes in a public medium, the MOO is not the place for you. However, if you agree with the bard, that:
                All the world's a stage,
        And all the men and women merely players;
        They have their exits and their entrances;
        And one man in his time plays many parts...
then, welcome. You have found a home.

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