General Chat

There was a cartoon in a national newspaper not long ago which depicted a woman talking to a priest at the funeral of her beloved husband in a Church where a couple of hundred chairs were provided for the service but only a handful of mourners attended. “It’s strange,” she confided. “I expected a bigger turnout –he had hundreds of friends on his Facebook page.”

And therein lies the problem. Friends are only friends if you can turn to them in times of joy or trouble – or, at the very least, if you've actually met them. But Facebook encourages some sort of a Parallel Universe where you can be friends with people you've never met and – if the truth were known – perhaps you'd never want to.

Happy soul - aren't I! :-S

Years ago, I rarely used to look in on this board. It always seemed that everyone knew each other and I didn't know where to begin. I made a few tentative steps on any subject which caught my eye, but spent most time on the old 'Trying to Find' board.

As the requests for help in research became less, I moved onto this board a little more and had some rare old times with Janey, Eldrick and a couple of others. :-D

Nowadays, the position has complete reversed.....whilst I still message newbies who haven't replied to their posts (there are less and less of them), I mainly come on here for a looksee........ ;-)

FaceBook tends to have more of my attention - great fun and great communication.


I think this site now resembles the Marie Celeste unfortunately :-(

Further to Lynda~'s comment.

After logging in I usually click immediately to either the boards or my tree. But this morning I scrolled down the home screen just to see what might be there:-

Ask An Expert
Our resident genealogist, Anthony Adolph, is on call to help you with your family history in a live web chat.
Log in on Monday 31 of August at 12AM GMT +1 and click here to see if Anthony can help you.

Hmmmm. 2016?
Or maybe 'they' are all on holiday?
(Bread is the staff of life. The life of the staff is one long loaf.)

Thankyou Andy :-) Always a pleasure to work with you on FA etc :-)

Another Rambling Rose fan here :-)

Andy

Neglect/ed was the word I was looking for Guinevere, thank you :-D

I agree about FB.

I'm back on again and this time I am enjoying it :-D

I agree with Rose, no change there.

A decade ago GR was like a village, everyone knew everyone else who posted, even if they didn't like them particularly. it moved very quickly and there was a lot going on.

Now it's like a big anonymous city on a Sunday afternoon. I agree with Lynda that it has an air of neglect about it.

Facebook is much more fun and there are other forums with more going on.

You have a lot of good points there Rose, lots I agree with to :-D

I realise things have changed so much online since the site first opened, there wasn't much variety back in 2002 to choose from.

What I notice about the site now, is how it isn't kept up to date by "the owners" for an instance, the sticked threads, they advise of deaths and funerals, that's fine, but they have been there for months and months, very inappropriate, it makes the contents not cared for, like they have just been left and forgotten about, which they have, and every time a new member may look in they see the site as a a memorial site. In the time they have been there I have had a bereavement, and I would't expect that to be on any site and not be taken off by now. I liken it to seeing something advertised long after the day it happened, it's tacky, for want of a better word.

As for your "watcher in the woods" they must really be an admirer to be so interested in you :-D

aww thank you Rollo :-) I like your posts too...I find it very interesting to read your informative posts on the Middle East, which I know far too little about...like so many things! Still learning :-)

I learned something new about Brazil nut trees, wasps and agoutis yesterday :-D

Sadly so Rose but you have a lot of followers just like me. :-)

and Rollo likes you :-)

So no excuses :-D :-D

I like Rambling Rose' posts ... if GRU has a "like" button I'm sure she would have lots. Come to that we can post "likes" anyway

like :-) Rambling Rose

lol Emma thankyou :-D

Oh there's one more personal reason...the 'Watcher in the Woods' as I call her ( sometimes I call her something rather different!) I know she's out there looking in, and I tend now to avoid posting even the most basic posts on what I or my family are doing, because I know that it has been spread around and distorted in the past.

I'm naturally open, I used to keep no secrets.... so it was a hard lesson learned that you can't be that online. :-)

Rubbish Rose I find you interesting, always read
your posts, so stop spoiling my enjoyment, stop
sitting on your hands and get stuck in :-D <3

you can always have a laugh with me - I just love a good laugh :-D :-D :-D

I will go first ( edit 2nd lol) .... rushing in where angels fear to tread lol ;-)

Reasons why I don't post as often as I did ( I don't, honest lol) :

I have very little 'new' or interesting to say, and believe I have bored some of you long enough :-) There is nothing worse than hearing yourself repeat yourself:-)

Some people choose not to read what I have actually written...but respond to what I absolutely HAVEN'T written.

I don't want to get involved in old battles ( unless they're mine!) which come on the boards, I'm too old, too tired, too depressed to want to read them .

I find that these days I can't repeat the platitudes.... I grieve for people who are hurting but I can't trot out the glib phrases about hoping things improve, especially in circumstances where I know they won't.

Sadly some of the members who I used to enjoy talking to are no longer here, that doesn't mean there aren't lovely people here, just that some who were on my wavelength aren't here now.

Often other people have already said what I would say, but better, with more brevity, or less emotionally. I tend to delete a lot unposted, because i do have a quick temper and realise I could be quite cutting if I chose...and as I'm not really unkind I try to rein it in and say nothing.


Other people have mentioned the following as reasons they don't post:

They feel that they don't have the expertise to post on a topic, but like to read.
They don't like sniping.
They don't have time to get into the long running threads.
Too few people here to have a laugh with.
FB and other sites are more attractive ( you can add photos, videos etc).



:-)

Answers to your comments...

1. Never be afraid to air your views, as long as they are decent ones :-)

2. You do get a response, see :-D

I rarely post because:- 1. I live in fear of being RRd and

2. When I do post I seldom get a response!!!

If you are a member and you just look in on the general board, and never or rarely post, why is that? I have my views as to why it could be, but it would be good to hear others views, especially those who very rarely or never post.


:-D