The time came

loltim said:
Small place, though!
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It really isn't - it's not like a small village with duckpond where everyone really does know everyone elses business is it?

It has a population 50% greater than the city of Bath, spread over an area 50% larger than Birmingham.

I think he really overplays the 'its such a small place' thing.

I could probably guess there are between 2 and 5 Civic EK9's in Sheffield for example, which has a larger population than the IOW.
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Between 2 and 5 is quite vague!
 
You need to remember that is isn't just about population, you have very little overlap in to surrounding area, it is fairly self-contained and that is why it feels so small.

This is why every 5 minutes on Facebook you see someone moaning because someone spotted their partner cheating on the other side of the Island, or because someone is now shagging their ex-girlfriend. Everyone knows everyone, and if they don't, a friend knows them. Most people's girlfriends have been out with one of their friends, or at least someone they know - it causes loads of problems and there is no escaping it.

You can not go out to any of the major bars without knowing several people, and you're guaranteed to know someone in just about every line of business or leisure.

That is just how it works down here, always has done, and always will do - any Isle of Wighter will tell you the same.
 
MikeHiow said:
This is why every 5 minutes on Facebook you see someone moaning because someone spotted their partner cheating on the other side of the Island, or because someone is now shagging their ex-girlfriend. Everyone knows everyone, and if they don't, a friend knows them.

You can not go out to any of the major bars without knowing several people, and you're guaranteed to know someone in just about every line of business or leisure.
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That sounds absolutely no different to live in any other population centre, surely most people see people they know on a night out :confused:

You might not have physical water around a town but many people live, work and play within the same 20 mile radius...

That is just how it works down here, always has done, and always will do - any Isle of Wighter will tell you the same.
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Once you move onto the mainland you'll realise it isnt an IOW thing, its just.. life in general?
 
I've lived on the Mainland, and it was nothing like it.

You may get some level of it, as people tend to form natural groups around high school - over here it bridges high schools, and is literally just the whole Island.
 
You may get some level of it, as people tend to form natural groups around high school - over here it bridges high schools, and is literally just the whole town.

See? Works for wherever you live really?

Maybe not in places like London but nothing you've said there seems particularly out of the ordinary?

Do you know 140,000 people? Of course you don't, not even close to that.
 
[TW]Fox;19006204 said:
You may get some level of it, as people tend to form natural groups around high school - over here it bridges high schools, and is literally just the whole town.

See? Works for wherever you live really?

Maybe not in places like London but nothing you've said there seems particularly out of the ordinary?

Do you know 140,000 people? Of course you don't, not even close to that.
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But i suppose you would get to know the car enthusiast community, or the power boat mob or whatever.
 
MikeHiow said:
I've lived on the Mainland, and it was nothing like it.

You may get some level of it, as people tend to form natural groups around high school - over here it bridges high schools, and is literally just the whole Island.
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You must have lived in an odd place then.

I can go to cardiff for the day and see loads of people I know, without planning it.
Or I can be in Bristol and see people. Given I left bristol for 7 years, thats quite something.
 
Morba said:
You must have lived in an odd place then.

I can go to cardiff for the day and see loads of people I know, without planning it.
Or I can be in Bristol and see people. Given I left bristol for 7 years, thats quite something.
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But lets say you lived on the IOW, i bet within 2 years you'd know everyone who was anyone into weights etc, that would happen im sure.
 
DM said:
But i suppose you would get to know the car enthusiast community, or the power boat mob or whatever.
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I think what really is the situation with Mike is that he's on the local car forum, and with the IOW being an Island, there is one local car forum. Therefore most people into cars know each other and have meets through said forum.

But of course the same happens in most towns. If you live in Milton Keynes you might be on MKWheelz or whatever and therefore know loads of local people with cars...
 
[TW]Fox;19006249 said:
I think what really is the situation with Mike is that he's on the local car forum, and with the IOW being an Island, there is one local car forum. Therefore most people into cars know each other and have meets through said forum.

But of course the same happens in most towns. If you live in Milton Keynes you might be on MKWheelz or whatever and therefore know loads of local people with cars...
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Yea i suppose, but them people over there are a bit, i cant even think of the word, familiar, clannish, cant think of a good word.
 
Perhaps I'm not doing a good job of explaining it, but it is really quite different - I've never experienced it anywhere else and so many of the few that move away from the Island praise the fact it is nothing like it.

Like I said, I think the main factor is the lack over over-lap, ie. you don't get people who say live on the outskirts of Portsmouth who are mostly friends with people in Fareham. You also get less spread - far less people leave the Island for work/uni/love/whatever.

There is not just one car forum, the one I choose to participate in is private and has a rather small base. I knew most of the people on this forum before I joined it, and that was why/how I joined.

It isn't just limited to the car scene - ie. I have a friend who is in to shooting, he happens to know a lot of people I know that are in to cars and shooting, and this trend grows exponentially. Hence, everyone knowing everyone - most people both work and play on the Isle of Wight, so there is no getting away from it.
 
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MikeHiow said:
Like I said, I think the main factor is the lack over over-lap, ie. you don't get people who say live on the outskirts of Portsmouth who are mostly friends with people in Fareham.
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But it's less distance from Portsmouth to Fareham than it is from Ryde to Freshwater?
 
Because it is an Island, there are not many of anything and people from different places often converge on one place of common interest be it related to their hobby, work or whatever. So, most of the time where you live is irrelevant.

I can't really explain it any better than that, so you'll either have to take it on my word, leave it or find someone else to ask :P
 
MikeHiow said:
Because it is an Island, there are not many of anything and people from different places often converge on one place of common interest be it related to their hobby, work or whatever.
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Yes thats generally what happens everywhere - people of common interest converge. As I said, there are numerous clubs/forums/etc which are highly localised where people who live in that local area meet up, chat, etc etc.
 
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