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grannybiker

Tried to reply to CP's post, but even that is a trial.
It keeps telling me they body is 9 characters short.  Please read this as a reply as frankly I CBA to keep trying, retyping, trying to C&P etc...

Really sorry to read this. Will try and remember not to tag you in anything.
Those false promises and lengthy silences have made a difficult situation so much more difficult to stomach.

I fondly remember the days of 2/3 wins a week, easy search, logging into chat first for the camaraderie...
It all seems a bit hard work these days. Gone is the comping on the laptop as I watch the soaps.

Recent events have made me question the pleasure I get from comping against the stress and I confess to only posting a tiny fraction of the comps I once did. Nor do I engage in the chats that aim to improve the comping experience for all. Just feel ignored and unlistened-to without any sign of things improving

Take care and fruitful comping xxx

Blulu

This is going to be a L-O-N-G post - no apology offered.

Now then, you guys know me by now, and I think I also know me. I know my strengths and weaknesses, and that by itself is a strength. Most fair-minded folk would say of me something like, 'heart of gold - shame about the brain'.

Why the long intro? Because I've been mulling over an idea. It's an idea to put to MSE compers and MSE towers.

I'll start with a little justification. MSE comping is in crisis. It's actually been like that for a very, very long time. I suggest from before our lovely Laks moved on.

Not everyone will feel this way, but clearly a lot of us do, and what that is, is that the comping forum is broken. Whether or not it is fixable is irrelevant. The point is that it ISN'T going to be fixed.

I spent the two months leading up to Christmas trying another comping forum. It many ways it was great. It was so easy to navigate, and was so 'fit for purpose'. But it isn't what I'm looking for with comping.

So, I want to put a suggestion 'out there'. It's to MSE and possibly to some comping MSErs too.

Could we not start up another comping forum affiliated to MSE? I know this has been hinted at before, but I am asking it as a direct question, hoping that it might be considered.

I would see it running something like this:

MSE set it up for us or with us (are there MSErs who have that sort of tech ability?) A while ago someone, I'm nearly sure it was our mjm, explained something about how our comping forum is quite profitable for MSE. I didn't understand it - no surprise there. But I got the important bit. That MSE has been great for we compers, and that we compers have also been great for MSE.

Now then, that could still continue if we had an affiliated forum. The funding could still go to MSE, we would still be linked to MSE. It could be a win/win situation, couldn't it?

We could have our own distinct rules and systems, in keeping with MSE ethos, which I'm sure matches the majority of MSE compers ethos anyway.

I would be as much use in setting something like this up as a cotton bud sorting out global warming. But I would very willingly do whatever I could to help. For me, that would probably be mainly about communication. But others may have different skills that they might offer. With that, and with MSE's help. Could it work?

Before others reply quickly to speak about all the reasons why they think it wouldn't work, could we, and MSE, perhaps take a little time to think about it and talk about it. Could MSE take it to Martin Lewis, and/or whoever else runs MSE, for discussion?

We are in crisis. We need something drastic to happen, or this forum may well end up folding. Could this be the best solution available to save it?

Blu XXX (Add on bit below...)

Edit: As if this thread isn't long enough, I'm going say a bit more.

I should have mentioned that I wrote this post in response to what cornishpasty1 said, a few posts up. I wanted to include that, so that MSE understand that I didn't just casually decide to write this thread for no reason.

Also, I think it is relevant to say one more thing. Outside of public natters on this board, I e-chat to four other MSE compers. Out of those four, three of them have said  at some point, that they have been, or are, considering leaving MSE because of the way things are here now.

So, including me, that is four out of five of us that might decide to make the same decision that cornishpasty1 has just made. It's not right for me to mention names, but I will say that all of them would be missed, - perhaps except for moany me - but one in particular would leave behind a HUGE hole in the forum, one that might well remain unfilled. My guess is that this is, at least partly, a reason why they are still here.

Whatever happens, nobody can say I haven't done my bit to try to help - Blu XXX

Blulu

I've just heard from one more long-term member who is now looking around for another comping site 

Blu XXX 

LizB62

Blulu said:

I've just heard from one more long-term member who is now looking around for another comping site 

Blu XXX 

If you find a decent alternative, feel free to share x

stubrown55

cornishpasty1 said:

Blulu said:

I keep telling myself to just give up on this, but I can't do it.

I just don't get how this ridiculous search system can be considered effective for any part of MSE, whether it's 'working properly' or not. I don't remember ever seeing such a complicated search system on any other large organisation's site. The standard everywhere is to make it simple to use. You type the word/s you want to search on in the box, you click enter and at some point in the process you have options to sort and/or filter the results. Doing this works well on so many other popular sites. I know the comping forum is just a part of MSE, but do non-comping users actually like this search system and find it to be effective? I seriously doubt it.

After two years of waiting, or however long it's been, MSE finally acknowledged that they are not going to fundamentally change this complicated system. That was the answer I'd been waiting for. It wasn't the answer I wanted, but I accept it. It allows me to finally make an informed choice as to whether MSE is or isn't going to become a 'fit for purpose' comping forum again.

One-eye's 'get-around' method, along with cornishpasty's bookmarkable link to it, definitely helps, up to it going pear-shaped again anyway. But how will newer members find their way to this get around? And why should we need a 'get around' anyway? We've lost many long-term users, leaving the forum nowhere near the excellent comping resource it used to be. Frankly, I don't see that improving with things staying as they are now.

I'm really sad about this. I still plan to be around for chat and stuff like that. I love the social aspect of the forum, and have made a lot of comping friends here. As for comping from here, however, well, it's definitely not fit for purpose anymore, in my honest opinion.

Blu XXX

I don't make New Year's resolutions, but after much deliberation I have decided to admit defeat and give up on comping all together, not just on this site. 

There have been too many false promises and we're getting nowhere.

Gone are the glory days when we had a friendly community spirit and loads of comps were posted as it was easy to do, and search worked efficiently.

I wish you all the best of luck, and please could someone pick up any comps I would normally have posted?

Very sorry to hear

Suspect the forum's on it's last legs anyway - notice it's down to only 57 pages today

joho

I came to enter some competitions today for the first time in months. It's just too frustrating with pages repeating and competitions appearing randomly the day after you entered (I enter by end date).

I actually came to The Compers Chat to complain about the search function and found this thread. Glad it wasn't me going mad that couldn't only search the competitions for what I wanted!

I'm not sure how many years I've been a member but I'm also completely disillusioned with the whole site, and sad to see familiar (comping) names leaving. I never win anything anymore and would happily sign up to a new site with the functionality that the old MSE had.