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Post by nucleusofswarm on Oct 18, 2021 12:04:32 GMT
So yeah, this thread. It's... it's something.
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Oct 18, 2021 22:25:24 GMT
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Post by Ela on Oct 18, 2021 22:46:38 GMT
So yeah, this thread. It's... it's something. I love it!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2021 2:29:19 GMT
I’ll echo the words of others by saying that Wolfie will be sorely missed and that I wish him all the very best in his endeavours both on and offline. In regards to the forum and members leaving… I don’t have a magic solution or cure for the malaise but, as a person who’s been a member of many forums and pages over the years, this is what happens. We’ve had the DU for just over six years now, which is an eternity on the web. The average life of a website is a little over 2.6 years. A lot of us are old-school fans of media and the browser-based format suits us fine. Many newer (I almost said younger) fans prefer the portability that comes with apps and social media-based interactions and the old forum that we used to inhabit on the Big Finish site has largely been replaced for many fans by their Facebook, Twitter, instagram or whathaveyou where the interactions and comments are seen by thousands more than would be on older sites. The dropping off of members here is just what happens naturally. We’re fans of shows that have lost audience members and have become what is quaintly being referred to as “archive media”. Forums are becoming a part of that. We’re not dinosaurs (go the ankylosaurus, btw) but we we are becoming outdated. I love the format and maintain a membership on several still but when I can access the same information from one social media account and keep in touch with a lot of the same people through the same, then it might start to feel like a chore to be part of a smaller group (it isn’t, I assure you). We’re noticing it more because our forum has always been a small community. It’s been easy for a few people to dominate a conversation or influence views. When folks drop off the radar it’s more noticeable than in a larger forum because we know each other better. In a lot of ways, it’s great and it’s what I love about this place. But it can lead to factionalism, more visceral reactions to events and to dropoffs and walkouts by members when they don’t feel they have the support they’re used to. I don’t think we’re losing members or finding things different because the mood of the forum has changed: the mood has changed because members are finding other places to go where they can get the same sort of thing in an environment that they’re becoming more comfortable with. Things that might have been ignored previously have become more noticeable because they’re what’s left over when a lot of the discourse has moved on. I’m not going anywhere because I love this place and the people in it, but remember that we’re part of a older style of socialising here and don’t get too tetchy or focused on what’s passed. You raise some good points. Over the past 20 years, I have been in a variety of online forums. Several of them went bust, and you are right, it is always the same story, and it looks very much like what happened here. Luckily, with several of my good forum friends from the deleted forums, I still have good contact on social media. However, one of my most prolific forums went bust 10 years ago, and even back then, people thought forums were an outdated format. Now look at this place here! I actually LOVE this format and I don't think it is outdated. I am useless with typing on small screens, so I am not using Whatsapp or any mobile device social media. I HATE them. I just use Facebook and Messenger where I can type on my keyboard, and I have curated my Facebook in such a way that I have got rid of negative, toxic and people who pull me down, so it actually is a positive experience for me where I can meet friends.
Facebook is NOT replacing my forum time, however.
I think I am too much of an old fart to replace old fashioned formats with new fancy ones, unless the extinction wave forces me to do so. This will be a VERY sad day.
So I have to politely disagree- THIS is the way I am comfortable with, and I will come back to it.
I suffer from ADHD, so my interests wander around. I might be into Star Trek one months, and then switch over to Who or Marvel the next. This is why I am not always present at one place with my full attention. But looking back, I have always come back to my love and obsessions. I just rotate them around. So I am not on here as much anymore not because I have moved on, or because I find the mood bad on here, but because right now, something else has caught my attention. But I still collect my BF backlog and will go through it in time. I just hope this place will still be around when I am back in the BF mood. I know I should be around this forum more, and contribute more and get into discussions and be a more active member. But I have a demanding day job and yes, as I said above, I have other interests that take my time. And I have only that many hours in a day. I do not think I should feel guilty.
I still like this place to meet friends, and I love the forum format. I love this place to come back to, to be part of the community and to chat with like minded people. I would just be sad to lose it. But you are right, about the points about domination of conversations and about factionalism. I think this is EXACTLY what is happening. And since people like me are not around as much anymore to join the choir of voices, a lot of notes drop out. Sigh.
Yeah, I will agree with you both on that last point there. I will say, for myself, I'm definitely not departing because the forum's format is stale. On the contrary, that was one of the first things to draw me to it. It was so distinctive from social media. I still love it. It's also not exclusively because of the absences/hiatuses. There's a multitude of factors at work, which have contributed to the decision. Some of them, I just don't want to talk about. They're private and, even with you guys, it's not my place to air them as it would only feed the potential nastiness anyway.
This isn't the first time I've considered leaving here permanently over the past year. There have been a few occasions where it's been necessary to weigh up the pros and cons of remaining. Ordinarily, the forum has lucked out. Beaten the odds. But, not this time. And a large part of why I've committed to this decision now is because life is actually rather good. I'm having a great time. No drama. No fuss. But, I still came to this decision in the end -- something which surprised me, initially -- so, I'm abiding by it. I appreciate that everyone's respecting that choice, too. It makes tying everything up much easier.
I will say, on my way out, I've a bit of general advice on factionalism in general. It's inevitable as part of any system or structure that when it reaches a certain mass it divides into smaller groups. That's just how human societies work. What's not inevitable is that these smaller groups, whatever weird and wonderful shape they take, end up against one another. In opposition. That's not how it has to be. You can have a multitude of groups working together in cooperation. Regardless of their differences. Often even because of them. Keep an eye on that going forward. It's too easy for it to slip from neutrality to opposition when no one's looking.
My personal philosophy has always been: "Who would waste their time dedicating their hours to being my enemy? (My God...)" It gains no one anything. I mean, hell, I'm leaving here, but nothing else has stopped. I'll still be around elsewhere chuffing away at things (still am, really).
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Oct 19, 2021 7:45:51 GMT
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2021 14:51:06 GMT
I have been thinking about starting up my own blog on Wordpress starting next year. It will be inspired by Bradley’s Basement Blogs, but not exactly the same. I will cover Doctor Who a lot along with other tv shows and movies I enjoy, but I will also cover a lot of F1 and possibly other sports I have an interest in. I already have many ideas as to what I want to do, and I’m sure more ideas will come along.
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Oct 19, 2021 17:29:44 GMT
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2021 18:35:47 GMT
Alright… Five days make a working week. Everyone who’s asked after me has gotten their opportunity to send a message. I’ve got everything archived and bundled up. Looks like this is it. Here we go… ~~~ Here it is. The final day. One last message in a bottle. As of today, I will be closing my account permanently. In fact, by the time you read this, I may very well be gone from the forum. Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts and your sincerity. It’s been a comfort to see everyone so supportive and a few people still asking me to stay. However, the choice – however heavy it is – wasn’t made in a flash of discomfort, misery or bad health. I’m safe, happy and well, but a friend put it best: It’s not a decision that has to be made, but one that must. However sad it is. I refuse to call this an ending. That implies once I vanish from here, I cease to be a person in the world. That couldn’t be further from the truth. My life will continue, yes, and so will everyone else’s. You’ll find a lot of other things to think about and people to talk with. The world will continue turning on its axis with crisis and charity. The new will come to replace the old. That’s not a bad thing. I’ll be missed, but I know it’ll fade and that I’ll be remembered instead. A good memory, I hope. I have many good memories from my end. To be clear, I didn’t leave because this was a bad community. It wasn’t in a flash of anger or disappointment. In all honesty, there is nothing that could have been said now to change my mind. No magic phrase. Nothing. I will tell you why… There are a number of contributing factors, but one I never expected to face was a situation which would cause me to react in horror. Genuine horror at something gone so spectacularly wrong. It wasn’t a choice, it just happened. And it wouldn't have contributed to my leaving if it hadn't been bad. Now, there are things I can reinterpret, things I can reevaluate and consider, but something truly ugly happens in the mind when you have to justify a feeling of horror. There’s nothing that can be said for that. I’ve seen a similar bit of mental gymnastics attempted in abused people going back to their abusers. It’s too dark a thought. That is where corruption of the soul starts. Is that the trend? I have no idea. None at all. But then, that’s not the point. Whatever else, I am a human being, not a statistic. With every other red flag, I cannot excuse that sense of horror and be a good person. This place is a place to chat, not a warzone. As has been said again and again, by all sorts of people. Including myself. It shouldn’t have happened… But I can't ignore that it did. So – for me – it’s time to leave. Now, to those left behind, look after this place. These circumstances are unusual, I wouldn’t have stayed for five years if they had been ordinary. It wouldn’t have been worth it. There is something good in the foundation work here, so take what you’ve got and build something good from it. I’ve met people who have pulled others out of metaphorical fires with only the health of the other in mind. But, nothing will happen without respect and respect should come naturally. Respect for others, but also respect for yourself. There is no indignity in being afraid to fail at something, but there’s a terrible shame in being afraid to succeed. Try. You might surprise yourself. And remember: “Courage is not a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.” Just as I did. ~ Wolfie
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Post by mark687 on Oct 19, 2021 18:44:15 GMT
Alright… Five days make a working week. Everyone who’s asked after me has gotten their opportunity to send a message. I’ve got everything archived and bundled up. Looks like this is it. Here we go… ~~~ Here it is. The final day. One last message in a bottle. As of today, I will be closing my account permanently. In fact, by the time you read this, I may very well be gone from the forum. Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts and your sincerity. It’s been a comfort to see everyone so supportive and a few people still asking me to stay. However, the choice – however heavy it is – wasn’t made in a flash of discomfort, misery or bad health. I’m safe, happy and well, but a friend put it best: It’s not a decision that has to be made, but one that must. However sad it is. I refuse to call this an ending. That implies once I vanish from here, I cease to be a person in the world. That couldn’t be further from the truth. My life will continue, yes, and so will everyone else’s. You’ll find a lot of other things to think about and people to talk with. The world will continue turning on its axis with crisis and charity. The new will come to replace the old. That’s not a bad thing. I’ll be missed, but I know it’ll fade and that I’ll be remembered instead. A good memory, I hope. I have many good memories from my end. To be clear, I didn’t leave because this was a bad community. It wasn’t in a flash of anger or disappointment. In all honesty, there is nothing that could have been said now to change my mind. No magic phrase. Nothing. I will tell you why… There are a number of contributing factors, but one I never expected to face was a situation which would cause me to react in horror. Genuine horror at something gone so spectacularly wrong. It wasn’t a choice, it just happened. And it wouldn't have contributed to my leaving if it hadn't been bad. Now, there are things I can reinterpret, things I can reevaluate and consider, but something truly ugly happens in the mind when you have to justify a feeling of horror. There’s nothing that can be said for that. I’ve seen a similar bit of mental gymnastics attempted in abused people going back to their abusers. It’s too dark a thought. That is where corruption of the soul starts. Is that the trend? I have no idea. None at all. But then, that’s not the point. Whatever else, I am a human being, not a statistic. With every other red flag, I cannot excuse that sense of horror and be a good person. This place is a place to chat, not a warzone. As has been said again and again, by all sorts of people. Including myself. It shouldn’t have happened… But I can't ignore that it did. So – for me – it’s time to leave. Now, to those left behind, look after this place. These circumstances are unusual, I wouldn’t have stayed for five years if they had been ordinary. It wouldn’t have been worth it. There is something good in the foundation work here, so take what you’ve got and build something good from it. I’ve met people who have pulled others out of metaphorical fires with only the health of the other in mind. But, nothing will happen without respect and respect should come naturally. Respect for others, but also respect for yourself. There is no indignity in being afraid to fail at something, but there’s a terrible shame in being afraid to succeed. Try. You might surprise yourself. And remember: “Courage is not a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.” Just as I did. ~ WolfieAll the Best in Future Endeavors Wolfie Kind Regards Mark
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shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
Likes: 5,677
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Post by shutupbanks on Oct 19, 2021 22:29:41 GMT
I have been thinking about starting up my own blog on Wordpress starting next year. It will be inspired by Bradley’s Basement Blogs, but not exactly the same. I will cover Doctor Who a lot along with other tv shows and movies I enjoy, but I will also cover a lot of F1 and possibly other sports I have an interest in. I already have many ideas as to what I want to do, and I’m sure more ideas will come along. Good luck with your blog. I’ve been using Wordpress for a couple of years now and I love it. I even took the plunge and upgraded to a dot com earlier this year.
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Post by Timelord007 on Oct 20, 2021 7:27:21 GMT
Alright… Five days make a working week. Everyone who’s asked after me has gotten their opportunity to send a message. I’ve got everything archived and bundled up. Looks like this is it. Here we go… ~~~ Here it is. The final day. One last message in a bottle. As of today, I will be closing my account permanently. In fact, by the time you read this, I may very well be gone from the forum. Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts and your sincerity. It’s been a comfort to see everyone so supportive and a few people still asking me to stay. However, the choice – however heavy it is – wasn’t made in a flash of discomfort, misery or bad health. I’m safe, happy and well, but a friend put it best: It’s not a decision that has to be made, but one that must. However sad it is. I refuse to call this an ending. That implies once I vanish from here, I cease to be a person in the world. That couldn’t be further from the truth. My life will continue, yes, and so will everyone else’s. You’ll find a lot of other things to think about and people to talk with. The world will continue turning on its axis with crisis and charity. The new will come to replace the old. That’s not a bad thing. I’ll be missed, but I know it’ll fade and that I’ll be remembered instead. A good memory, I hope. I have many good memories from my end. To be clear, I didn’t leave because this was a bad community. It wasn’t in a flash of anger or disappointment. In all honesty, there is nothing that could have been said now to change my mind. No magic phrase. Nothing. I will tell you why… There are a number of contributing factors, but one I never expected to face was a situation which would cause me to react in horror. Genuine horror at something gone so spectacularly wrong. It wasn’t a choice, it just happened. And it wouldn't have contributed to my leaving if it hadn't been bad. Now, there are things I can reinterpret, things I can reevaluate and consider, but something truly ugly happens in the mind when you have to justify a feeling of horror. There’s nothing that can be said for that. I’ve seen a similar bit of mental gymnastics attempted in abused people going back to their abusers. It’s too dark a thought. That is where corruption of the soul starts. Is that the trend? I have no idea. None at all. But then, that’s not the point. Whatever else, I am a human being, not a statistic. With every other red flag, I cannot excuse that sense of horror and be a good person. This place is a place to chat, not a warzone. As has been said again and again, by all sorts of people. Including myself. It shouldn’t have happened… But I can't ignore that it did. So – for me – it’s time to leave. Now, to those left behind, look after this place. These circumstances are unusual, I wouldn’t have stayed for five years if they had been ordinary. It wouldn’t have been worth it. There is something good in the foundation work here, so take what you’ve got and build something good from it. I’ve met people who have pulled others out of metaphorical fires with only the health of the other in mind. But, nothing will happen without respect and respect should come naturally. Respect for others, but also respect for yourself. There is no indignity in being afraid to fail at something, but there’s a terrible shame in being afraid to succeed. Try. You might surprise yourself. And remember: “Courage is not a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.” Just as I did. ~ WolfieGreat guy who has given me a lot of emotional support during a very bad year, I'm absolutely gutted he's left the forum.
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Post by TinDogPodcast on Oct 20, 2021 11:06:39 GMT
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Post by TinDogPodcast on Oct 20, 2021 11:08:36 GMT
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Oct 20, 2021 15:16:10 GMT
Just got my Covid-19 booster! And a flu shot for good measure. Trust the data folks. Get your shots.
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Post by tuigirl on Oct 20, 2021 18:15:44 GMT
Beside the fact I am still having a hard time at the male cattle poo throwing competition aka. my workplace, there are a few good news from me.
Today, I got a letter that my tax returns finally are through. It has taken forever. I had not expected any news anymore. But, today, I got a nice chunk of tax money back (several hundred Euros). Best news I had in months.
I am also very much looking forward to my days off next week. Right now, I am like a thirsty person in the desert, crawling towards an oasis in that regard!
Oh, and a good friend made it back to this forum. Yay!
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shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
Likes: 5,677
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Post by shutupbanks on Oct 20, 2021 22:42:05 GMT
In complete dismissal of all OSH rules I climbed on top of a table to put up a display in a classroom and promptly managed to fall off. I was sent d for X-rays of my wrist, elbow and shoulder because they were what I landed on. And I’ve managed to continue my nearly 52-year streak of not breaking a bone.
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Post by Timelord007 on Oct 21, 2021 7:26:27 GMT
In complete dismissal of all OSH rules I climbed on top of a table to put up a display in a classroom and promptly managed to fall off. I was sent d for X-rays of my wrist, elbow and shoulder because they were what I landed on. And I’ve managed to continue my nearly 52-year streak of not breaking a bone. "Stone the flaming crows Ya flamin' galah". Hope your ok mate.
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Post by Timelord007 on Oct 21, 2021 7:28:33 GMT
Just got my Covid-19 booster! And a flu shot for good measure. Trust the data folks. Get your shots. I wish more people had your common sense, i had covid in January & i never felt so bad. Had my 2 jabs & i will have my booster when it's due.
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shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
Likes: 5,677
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Post by shutupbanks on Oct 21, 2021 9:15:44 GMT
In complete dismissal of all OSH rules I climbed on top of a table to put up a display in a classroom and promptly managed to fall off. I was sent d for X-rays of my wrist, elbow and shoulder because they were what I landed on. And I’ve managed to continue my nearly 52-year streak of not breaking a bone. "Stone the flaming crows Ya flamin' galah". Hope your ok mate. Bruises to my hand, elbow, shoulder, backside and dignity. Healing well, thank you.
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Oct 21, 2021 13:15:47 GMT
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