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

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 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 ?

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!"

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

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?

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.

But why would you engage with posters you find tedious?


Very strange.

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

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

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.

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.

Have I already suggested that? Oh dear!

Just saw that when I actually read the thread, jal

that was my thought too, Baggs.

Maybe they've gone on holiday together.

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.*

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

I'm a bit out of touch as last week was really busy.

They didn't all leave, surely?

Prominent as in frequent posters- with strong opinions- and yes, we are all equal.

There have been no new political threads recently and several of those posted missing, post mainly on those threads.

I think it would be good to be able to see a list of usernames with the date of last posting. Why not? It does not disclose their identities in RL.

coming back under a different name is bordering on fraudulent

Fraudulent? Good grief, that's a bit of an over reaction isn't it? . This is only a forum for Pete's sake; I don't think anyone changing their name is doing so in order to defraud someone

Too many 'in my mind'!

several prominent members etc
Indeed an interesting description.

Surely, we are all equal - those posters are not prominent in my mind - nothing personal but I could come up with more prominent ones in my mind!

Yes Elegran 'This has been the Easter holiday week. A lot of people are doing more interesting things than posting on GN.' been busy with visitors myself- so probably missed what happened- which is why I asked.

situpstraight- yes, of course. But as Jalima says- you can choose a name that makes it clear who you are. Coming back as if you'd never existed here, as it were - seems all wrong to me- as you don't know who you might have interacted with in the past, on GN and in Pms.