Ants in Media

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JohnyDL

Ants in Media

Post: # 14140Post JohnyDL
Thu Oct 20, 2016 8:00 am

I've been on this site for 2 weeks now and wow I overestimated what goes on here. I know we're here for Ants but honestly the boredom has been setting in for a week. I'm still a newbie even though I have 4 times the average number of posts per user, really 6 is a shockingly low number and shows just how this site holds the attention of the average user. The top 5 posters make up 1/4 of the posts. You only have to add up the posts made by the top 18 members to get to 50%, meaning the average of the rest of the site is 3 posts each, not 6.

Typically, how do you build up interest on foura? Off topic conversation. Yeah we're all here to ask for help or give help with ant keeping but you hold the attention of users with other things not literally on topic, I don't mean we should do things like debate the big questions like politics etc (unless there's a proposed law to wipe out an ant species), we come here for Ants after all.

So without any further preamble then:

What are your favourite Ant related media? TV, Comics, Film, Games, etc? or are there some particularly bad ones that could be worth a look at if only to giggle.

For me I just read a book called Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez, which has a myrmecologist as the protagonist as people try to kill her and others with Autonomous Drones programmed with Weaver Ant like brains.

AntsMclama

Re: Ants in Media

Post: # 14144Post AntsMclama
Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:58 am

all the stats on the site are above average really. Its nothing less than expected. (depending on the forum)
What i assume goes on is most of the people come on and ask for ID help with their ant. Then they part ways with their colony. I have no problem with this, or helping them ID their ant knowing they will leave. They deserve to know what their ant species is.
People have a reason to come and go, etc.
A video gaming forum, people may have more of a reason to stay once registered, it just... happens to be that way.

I guess what I am trying to say is... Its expected, Its a forum. Most forums will have like... a 1 in 10 user base that actually posts things.


I watch ant video's on youtube, thats all the media i watch. ^^

JohnyDL

Re: Ants in Media

Post: # 14145Post JohnyDL
Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:28 am

AntsMclama wrote:all the stats on the site are above average really. Its nothing less than expected. (depending on the forum)
What i assume goes on is most of the people come on and ask for ID help with their ant. Then they part ways with their colony. I have no problem with this, or helping them ID their ant knowing they will leave. They deserve to know what their ant species is.
People have a reason to come and go, etc.
A video gaming forum, people may have more of a reason to stay once registered, it just... happens to be that way.

I guess what I am trying to say is... Its expected, Its a forum. Most forums will have like... a 1 in 10 user base that actually posts things.
Totally get that people come here for IDs, help, etc, I love that, it's one way to draw people in but all these people come and take advice and then don't stick around to share what they've learned. I understand that not everyone wants to, or knows enough to answer every question but if the average member comes on the site says "can I have help IDing ____?" or "When are nuptial flights in ______?" followed by "thanks for the help" and nothing else it makes me wonder about why they don't stick around to learn more or help more later. The answer is there's nothing to bridge the gap between the people who post a few things and people that post a lot, the learning curve looks like you either have to know everything or come to ask questions to most users. Why not have some things to talk about that levels everyone's experience and everyone can participate evenly?
AntsMclama wrote:I watch ant video's on youtube, thats all the media i watch. ^^
That's cool I think we all watch Mikey on AntsCanada are there any other channels you might recommend? I don't watch any others at the moment because Mikey's stuff has satisfied my curiosity for now, but maybe you could share something specific you've watched.

Something I always remember when I think about ants is this video I saw while I was still at high school about the fungus that turns ants into zombies.



As an aside, the same video was mentioned the book The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey, the film of which has recently been released in the cinema, another ant threat turned human sized like Kill Decision... I think I like little ants but their world on their scale is scarey.

AntsMclama

Re: Ants in Media

Post: # 14148Post AntsMclama
Thu Oct 20, 2016 1:37 pm

I subscribe to ant channels on youtube whenever i see them. 2 others i have found that are like AC, is Ants Australia and AntsManUK. (or AntManUK)

UK seems to have the least experience of the 3, which is why he is so good to watch because you can see the experience of someone that is just a little ahead of you.

I've subscribed to a couple others but they are more personal-like channels.



I have seen shows like the embedded youtube link, But i don't watch TV, anything i watch is on my mobile/PC :)

JPSMedeiros

Re: Ants in Media

Post: # 14158Post JPSMedeiros
Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:11 pm

Do you guys participate on other good forums? Is this the biggest one?

JohnyDL

Re: Ants in Media

Post: # 14160Post JohnyDL
Fri Oct 21, 2016 3:23 am

I was on another forum for about 3 years nothing to do with ants but that's where my forum experience comes from. As for ant fora I'm only here so far, I've seen there are others but there's nothing that's really grabbed me yet. I tend to be 'brand loyal' when it comes to picking where I spend my time online, it'll be one site or another, I don't have time energy or inclination to multi post to different sites and check all of them.

I will check out both of those channels thank you ;)

Okay Ants outside books, there's Ant War a little flash and now mobile game that's got to be 12 years old now you get to grow your colony and take over the world. I know it's nothing like real ant keeping but it is the first in a series of incremental type games where you're in it to watch the numbers increase that have an ant feel to them, it's just a shame that it actually costs money to play past a certain point which really is a pain it's not that good of a game.

SirAnticus

Re: Ants in Media

Post: # 15124Post SirAnticus
Fri Dec 02, 2016 4:23 pm

There is another forum called formiculture that is super active.

SpeciesK

Re: Ants in Media

Post: # 18025Post SpeciesK
Sun Mar 12, 2017 5:51 am

I saw, and downloaded, a demo version of the ant game... something of the undergrowth... I forget the name... where you, I think, build up an ant colony starting with a queen. But I haven't actually played it yet, and I don't think it comes with instructions. But it's not even a whole game yet, just a demo for a future game.
And I have been watching ant documentaries online, but kinda lose interest partway thru, not because they aren't interesting but because they go sooooo slooooooowly that I just go on to the next one (which drags on...).
Finding actual scientific info online about ant species is VERY hard for some reason. Ant scientists treat it like it's top secret info that no one can have but themselves or someone in their organization. So the most info is about pest control companies claiming knowledge about ants, but its basically just copy and pasted generic ant info they share. :P
So that makes me just try things my own with my ants.

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