to ask why several prominent members seem to have vanished?!?

OK then, not bordering on fraudulent - just humanly dishonest.

Which is why it is abundantly clear in the Forum Rules and Etiquette:

*Username-changing

We don’t allow members to change their usernames because we want everyone to be able to trust the relationships they build up with others on Gransnet.*

Maybe they've gone on holiday together.

that was my thought too, Baggs.

Just saw that when I actually read the thread, jal

Have I already suggested that? Oh dear!

jura, did you know about the new temporary name-changing facility that HQ have 'installed'? I think it's so that if someone has a delicate subject to discuss or wants advice they can become temporarily anonymous. I can see that appealing to people, especially if one knows one is a well known GN persona already.

Not that I'm suggesting the three you mention have done this. I just thought you might like to know about it.

Several years ago I did change my user name because someone had discovered my pen name, but I did post that I was changing it, although not my new name as that would have been counter productive. I did not post again for several weeks. Several people PMed me to ask if I had recently been known under a different name and I freely admitted it. They mainly did this because they recognised my style and attitudes.

I don't know Merlot - why I am asking.

Private messaging each other I suspect, because they find some GNs tedious .

But why would you engage with posters you find tedious?


Very strange.

I miss Ana and Anya too, I was only wondering last weekend where they are. Seems ages since I saw them posting (may well be wrong, often am!)

There must be loads of people over the years who have name changed, for quite innocent reasons. I did it a long time ago, for family security reasons.

Yes, some people have been missing for a long time, then some come back again.

It may be a bit soon to be concerned about posters who were posting only a few days ago.
However, you never know if something has happened to them - how would we ever know?

If they all disappeared together one could speculate about that ??

I think they've all gone off on a gransnet beano.
Probably on a coach, on their way to Margate, singing "One man and his dog, and a bottle of pop, and a sausage roll!! Went to mow a meadow!"

I was in touch with Anya about 5 months ago and she said she wanted to take a break from GN. I got the feeling she didn’t want to explain her actions further, so I just left it.

Now I may have got this wrong but I seem to remember someone saying Printmiss was no longer with us, which I took to mean she had died. Was she the one who lived on the coast in a mobile home ?

Baggs, I agree the temporary name change can be a really good idea in exceptional circumstances - very very different. Some members have come back perhaps a dozen or more times under different names - as the clear etiquette says, it does create trust issues.

I'd noticed those three regular posters on the political threads aren't posting. Am I imagining they hinted they may set up a separate discussion group because they were irritated by the repeated circular discussions here.

Why does it matter if someone leaves and comes back with a new name? Surely one trusts them just the same as any other unknown new poster: one reads their posts, chats, argues, blethers, gets to know them a bit, or not as the case may be....

What's the problem?

"irritated by the repeated circular discussions"

??????????????????

Sorry!

Except I'm not really.

But yes, I get that, iam. I had noticed that often the threads they posted on most seemed to turn into what I thought of as echo chambers. I guess that's what some people like.

Sorry about Anya. I think we all enjoyed meeting her in Edinburgh last year. Oh dear. Hope she's OK.