As part of the BC (We call ourselves Base campers) team. I can tell you we are here. We came after grid started messing up but have not been very active or maybe orginized would be a better word. You can visit us at THIS site.

Just don't irritate some of 'em too much.

Seriously, standing on the outside and looking in isn't the best way to gain a true perspective of what teamwork means here. Try working with a couple of teams before reaching a final decision, you can always leave again.

Pray tell-what is it you seek young skywalker?

Personally, I can't imagine very many people scrolling through what might be a very long chain of posts describing the various teams. I think the current method of doing a search by key word within team descriptions is adequate. It doesn't take long to find a team or group of similar teams that would interest you or else be fairly certain that one does not exist on WCG; you can then check that teams size, performance (stats), and team thread to see whether it is very active and/or offers what you are looking for.

You are correct that joining a team isn't necessary. All it really does is add an element of fun -- some friendly competition -- by which team members who follow the stats are generally motivated to actively recruit new members, hopefully who are not already crunching. You might want to form your own team and see what you can do with it. Personally, I think you'd derive more self-satisfaction from that then joining some random team just for the sake of being on a team. But if you find a particular team to be more sociable and think you need to join that team to participate in that team's thread, then go for it. It hasn't appeared to me that membership is a criteria to be welcome in any team's thread; I've posted in a number of them, even with my signature lines, and have likewise noticed many others doing the same thing. If you want to make a polticial or social statement of sorts (Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative) or support a sports team, etc., you can probably find a group with very little trouble searching with the current tools.

Despite what a few members in WCG might think, I don't try to recruit here; I think recruitment from within WCG accomplishes nothing except increasing team size and points. Although it is permitted by the rules, I think it is silly - plain and simple. I've said it before, and I irritated a few folks. Tough! That's how I feel. And so, while I'm not going to tell anyone that they can't join my team if they are not a HomeBrewer (I have no way of confirming that one way or the other), my team is created for folks who either brew their own beer or think they would like to try it someday, and so I recruit from within many homebrewing forums.

Having said all of that, I, too, am puzzled about what you are looking for. If it's socialization, there are literally thousands upon thousands of forums on the Internet focusing on every conceivable subject which are just as warm and welcoming as WCG forums.

Good luck in your search.

Bill Velek

Some people just think way too much.

Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead, I say.

If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space!

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

Just do it. Join a team. Join Us. We're happy, carefree. After all, doesn't everyone want that? Just to be gay?