A sadness that so many OS stalwarts aren't here now isn't it?

Pollycat

JIL said:

Such a shame she has made that decision but we surely have to respect it, and not try to dissect the whys, just accept it and move on.

I agree.
An individual's choice.
Time to move on.

[Deleted User]

Yes it was sold but that didn't seem to make any difference to the threads and all went on as normal.  I think what we're all missing is the fellowship and friendships that had built up over time on various threads that had been running for a good period of time.  Although we don't know each other in real life  it made for camaraderie and a feeling of belonging which has gone 'like the morning dew', just evaporated and left a dry, barren emptiness behind it where before there was warmth, caring and laughter.  So many people have just disappeared overnight and that's what is making us all feel a little abandoned.

singlestep

As a lurker on a daily basis, I can see what you mean. Regular contributers' collective wisdom is still here, even if they aren't (yet, hopefully). What we can do is our bit to make/keep it somewhere people want to come back to. 

unrecordings

singlestep said:

As a lurker on a daily basis, I can see what you mean. Regular contributers' collective wisdom is still here, even if they aren't (yet, hopefully). What we can do is our bit to make/keep it somewhere people want to come back to. 

Exactly

Pollycat

MrsLurcherwalker said:

Yes it was sold but that didn't seem to make any difference to the threads and all went on as normal.  I think what we're all missing is the fellowship and friendships that had built up over time on various threads that had been running for a good period of time.  Although we don't know each other in real life  it made for camaraderie and a feeling of belonging which has gone 'like the morning dew', just evaporated and left a dry, barren emptiness behind it where before there was warmth, caring and laughter.  So many people have just disappeared overnight and that's what is making us all feel a little abandoned.

I think everybody should just view it as a party invitation.

People still posting accepted that invitation.

ETA:

Just seen a post from a long term poster who announced twice over the last couple of weeks that he/she was leaving MSE because the new format just wasn't workable because of visual impairment.

They are back - still not impressed with the new MSE forums but they missed the people.

I wouldn't be surprised if more people feel the same and drift back.

If you miss the camaraderie, they probably will too.

Don't give up hope yet.

pickledonionspaceraider

I agree with Pollycat about the party invitation.

This new board is going to be what we make it.  If all we do is post negative posts, missing how it used to be.....then that is what it will become

Enough of this pity party 

maman

Many apologies, I really didn't mean to cause offence.
The reason I'd assumed that JackieO was 'very elderly' was because she often referred to the war and rationing which seems a long way back.

Nargleblast

I think Jackie O is nearer 80, but she has the kind of busy, active life and broad mind that puts a lot of 50 year olds to shame. Long may she continue, whether here or not.

PipneyJane

Gers said:

Gosh, there’s already some folk talking down the forum, that’s shocking! 

It’s a free to use site offering more than financial / consumer information, it’s a hub for so many people who may otherwise be isolated. Just a dip in the MS Arms can give a window into that. It’s not a place I frequent though it has a massive following. I doubt that will fade. I doubt the site will fade. 

It’s a ‘neighbourhood’. New people move in as the older ones move on. The new people build conservatories, pave over the front gardens for parking, replace beautiful windows with ugly UPVC and generally change the appearance of the neighbourhood. 

How often do you hear of people going back to their childhood / university towns only to find it changed beyond recognition? This is the same!

https://changecycle.com/change-cycle/ - whilst this relate to a business environment the bare bones are relevant. Change is difficult as is standing still. 

Absolutely!  I totally agree.

(Completely off topic, I used to work in a Georgian Mansion.  (It was a head office when I was there.)  Took my BIL to see it last year and discovered that it was being converted into flats!   I felt like the kid who'd been sent away to boarding school, only to come home at the end of term and discover that his parents had moved house without telling him.

- Pip

ETA:  I think that what I miss is the feedback loop effect you got from receiving daily digests to posts to which you had subscribed.  Now, because I turned off individual emails, I don't know if anyone quotes me or tags me, even when I thought I had that setting turned on.

PipneyJane

fozziebeartoo2 said:

Just my thought.....
I prefer Internet Explorer and the whole MSE  forum is useless on that, all scrunched up.
I have to use Edge to access it now......and I hate Edge.
Maybe others feel the same?

It works fine with Chrome.  It's a bit temperamental with Safari, if you're on an iPad or Mac - tends to lose headers for the individual posts (e.g. the dates and times posted).

- Pip