Millionth Forum Post

[missF]

How about a bit of forum swag??


We could get some leather watch rolls made up with a suitable monogram to mark the occasion?

[Bix]

A million posts is quite the milestone especially considering the downturn of forums in general thanks to ‘social’ media and the many apps that exist nowadays!

I used to be really active on other forums for hobbies that I’ve now given up and it was quite sad to watch those forums die out over time.

Facebook groups and Reddit have kind of filled the void forums left behind, but as others have mentioned on this thread they don’t have anywhere near as much actual meaningful discussion and end up mainly consisting of being posts for ‘likes’ which is all a bit pointless to my eyes.

Dont get me wrong there is great discussions to be had if you look in the right places, WatchCrunch for example has a great community and very much reminds me of a forum environment. But I’d say WatchCrunch is the exception amongst all the other apps I’ve used.

With all this being said i joined the forum last year and have lurked ever since, checking in every now and then. But just in the last few weeks I’ve started making posts and engaging more on here. It’s reminded me why I used to like forums so much and I intend to stay active on here and hope the forum can have a resurgence of sorts as more people come to the same realisation as me, that forums still very much have a place and can be infinitely more enjoyable than social media.

That’s my 2 pence on the subject anyways

[gannet]

What a great analogy regarding a pub I'm the quiet guy sat in the corner watching and occasionally contributing when the mood takes me.

Which is in a nutshell why I like the forum. I have a Facebook (FB) account, and just never use it - as someone once said to me 'I understand it, I just don't get it'. Ultimately FB exists to make money by sending you adverts and news and click bait.... I got to a point where all it would show me is news from areas it thought would interest me - mostly accurate but nothing I hadn't already read somewhere else. You also can't think 'that looks interesting but I haven't time to read it just yet, I'll come back to it', as in FB's algorithm I've seen it, why do you need to see it again so I can never find it easily again.

I can do all the above here easily - I just did with this very thread.

Long may the forum continue and thrive

[missF]

I have a Facebook (FB) account, and just never use

I have a FB account that I hardly ever posted on. But they keep trying to draw me back in. The other day I got a lovely letter saying 'hey, we have a memory for you - a post you made ten years ago.' I certainly haven't posted anything since then. Before then not very much either.
My post said 'Can't sleep'

I wonder when Kip will monetise the forum and start posting ads??? ( )

[missF]

What a great analogy regarding a pub I'm the quiet guy sat in the corner watching and occasionally contributing when the mood takes me.

It's vital to have quiet people in the room. Social media promotes loud voices and strong emotions because that's what makes people click. And that's fine as far as it goes. But it's only a small part of the conversation.

[tikkathree]

What a great analogy regarding a pub I'm the quiet guy sat in the corner watching and occasionally contributing when the mood takes me.

It's vital to have quiet people in the room. Social media promotes loud voices and strong emotions because that's what makes people click. And that's fine as far as it goes. But it's only a small part of the conversation.

The pub analogy: in the pub it's easier (as far as I remember ) to gauge the moment, reactions, heat, mirth, body language and so on. I've long tried to think before writing. That comment I made last night in the bar just after she said..... thank goodness it didn't cause a big reaction. That comment I made here is recorded in print unless I remember to go back and delete it. I like to think it makes us more careful.

[RichM]

Congratulations @missF! Like the others I'm very happy you have the claim to the millionth post

I've been here for 15 years - before marriage and children in my case! - and this is my 906th post. I look at the forum daily (that's normal, right?) and always enjoy the discussions whilst contributing to some and "liking" more.

I also very much appreciate that folk use it as a source of help and support for all sorts of topics not watch related and always impressed at how excellent the advice is across the board.

[missF]

... That comment I made here is recorded in print unless I remember to go back and delete it. I like to think it makes us more careful...

Agree! But in actual fact I think that the 'more careful' way of talking on a forum is just the normal way of talking that we all do when we're face to face with normal people IRL. Like you say - taking into account the feelings of other people and being more ready to find out 'where they're coming from' and being slower to jump to quick conclusions or quick opinions. It's 'chat' on social media that's abnormal

(Though alcohol in pub settings can certainly turn a regular conversation into a social-media-style pile-on and flame - with possibility of physical violence )

[missF]

I've been here for 15 years - before marriage and children in my case!

That's pretty excellent
Your commitment to the forum needs rewarded!

I look at the forum daily (that's normal, right?)

Yes

[Amor Vincit Omnia]

It's vital to have quiet people in the room. Social media promotes loud voices and strong emotions because that's what makes people click.

To extend the analogy…I went for a meal with my cousin and her husband last week. We were talking quietly. The table of braying, staccato-laughing millennials nearby were not.

[RichM]

^^^ Thank you! And, phew!

[gannet]

It's definitely easier to write things, that can be taken by some the wrong way - just as it is in a pub with speech. Rectification can be easier in the pub because it's more visible that you may have offended someone.

I've done similar on here, the other party called me on it and we resolved via PM cordially

[missF]

It's vital to have quiet people in the room. Social media promotes loud voices and strong emotions because that's what makes people click.

To extend the analogy…I went for a meal with my cousin and her husband last week. We were talking quietly. The table of braying, staccato-laughing millennials nearby were not.

For anyone concerned about the decline of Forums as a way of chatting online, I don't think it'll be too long before the pushback starts - maybe on TikTok - and young people start 'getting interested' in forums. They'll post things like 'hey, there's this new way of communicating online and it's like soooo cool; TikTok''s like soooooo yesterday's vibe' ......

[gannet]

It's vital to have quiet people in the room. Social media promotes loud voices and strong emotions because that's what makes people click.

To extend the analogy…I went for a meal with my cousin and her husband last week. We were talking quietly. The table of braying, staccato-laughing millennials nearby were not.

That's always a pain when some groups assume everyone wants to hear their 'discussions'.... I'm always tempted to start saying snippets of their conversations back to them, or start answering their questions. Fortunately mrs gannet usually pulls me back from doing so....

[missF]

It's definitely easier to write things, that can be taken by some the wrong way - just as it is in a pub with speech. Rectification can be easier in the pub because it's more visible that you may have offended someone.

I've done similar on here, the other party called me on it and we resolved via PM cordially

Some people really dislike emojies / smilies, but I think they can help (a little bit ) in forum-speak, to make ambiguous sentences a bit clearer about what your intention is. There's a thing about sarcasm or very dry wit or drollness or even just taking the **** out of people that is quite a British thing. If you've grown up with it that's one thing, but I think it can be misconstrued by people in other parts of the world who might take the sentence more literally. Emojies can help let someone know that your intentions are friendly I think