ahh, gotcha!

Considering that people in here tend to use the term clique with pretty negative connotations, when a clique is mentioned, I think of it as a group that is excluding all others, and is not open to new members and heavily biased towards the insiders. I don't think this type of clique formation happens here on rendo, or if it does, it's on a very small scale, not enough to affect art charts.

However, there's another definition of clique... (for my own benefit of not mungling it up, I'll borrow websters definition: group held together by common interests, views, or purposes) This type of clique is not a negative thing. By that definition all of rendo is one big clique, and each gallery and each forum etc etc is a small clique in itself. What makes it not negative is that I don't see activites of people deliberately trying to excluse one or another individual or subgroup. Heck, by the second definition, even the critique group is a form of a clique, and guess what, those too bashful to join in will suffer in small ways by missing out on good feedback. Not because we don't want them, or because we're bad or are deliberately excluding them... They'll miss out just because we are unaware of their desire to join, or their existance, till they speak up!

This is just what I'm getting at, people with lesser social skills whom arent as good and put themselves out less then your average joe do tend to suffer lesser exposure. This is normal in any social group, and not something that is easy to rectify by rules and regulations. Also, what is normal occurence is that people whom don't socialize as much feel excluded.

The difference is that they are not excluded because someone wants them out. Their lesser exposure (I think calling it exclusion is too strong of a term for what I have in mind), is a result of their behavior within the group. It's not the groups fault, so to say, and in that case I don't think it's objective to label this kind of a group dynamic with a term carrying negative connotations.

The difference is also how one would go about correcting the situation. When there's no premeditation within the group, it's near impossible to create a set of rules and regulations etc to get the group to behave a certain way (as it's overall behavior os a result of number of individuals). 
To try and improve standing of an individual, one will get better result if they educate or train  the individual that is falling behind, in how to promote themselves and make themselves more visible and likeable. 

With cliques (in it's negative meaning of the term) which are deliberately exclusive of other subgroups, this is usually a result of strong conflicting interests or a few charismatic individuals whom have charmed the rest of the participants. To remedy that, highly dysfunctional type of a clique, one would advise to dismantle the clique and remove the 'leaders'. Now, I think I said this already, I really don't believe this kind of a cliqueish dynamic exists on rendo.

Now, as for the same names posting over and over again, I believe as a result of some social behaviors that can happen, for some creatures of habit and safety. That too is rather normal.
For me personally, when it gets to artsy stuff, I get bored of the same thing, and even if I am close friends with someone, if they stagnate, I get little bored and branch out. My particular personality (at least as I see it) is not conducive to creating long standing cliques (normal, positive ones).   
As for the negative kinds of cliques.... muaaaahahaha, better watch out! ;)

Anyway, that's my semi-educated understanding of it all.

(okay, now I lost track of all I was saying, getting tired, close to the end of the day... time to stop rambling and send) LOL

Hi, my namez: "NO, Bad Kitteh, NO!"  Whaz yurs?
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