As you all probably already know, we would love to get Gransnet on everyone's radar. We think it's amazing (
) and would love to reach more people to share it with them too... And from a business, we-need-to-keep-the-site-going point of view, we need to keep growing. So, we wanted to ask your opinion. How should we spread the word? How do we reach people who don't already know about Gransnet but who would really enjoy it if they did?
RosieLeah why ever would you want to avoid the word lonely? That makes it sound as if there is a stigma attached to loneliness and possibly a fault. Surely nobody becomes lonely by choice. Whilst I agree that some are alone by choice there are some who are not and in any case you can feel very alone in a crowd. Inevitably as we age it can become increasingly difficult to get out at all never mind get involved other than in virtual reality which is one of the reasons GN can be a real blessing. People find themselves in many different situations for very many reasons and those are not necessarily of their own making. 
The Mumsnet Gransnet is this one, surely, the sites are already linked, and plenty of us do get involved on threads over there (when we’re feeling brave ).
I like the logo - it’s retro rather than old-fashioned, imho, quite a strong image. It reminds me of those Russian posters us 70s students had on our walls. And acronyms are there to use or not, as you wish. I for one find them useful.
Back to the topic... The suggestion re getting a mention on the Archers is inspired. Corrie too. How about a whole storyline involving a new dodgy partner for Gail, starting with a foray into Grandad’s Shed for advice on her herb garden/that marijuana she’s nurturing in her back yard? 
As someone else has already said get it on to The Archers - and I would add that preferably one of the male characters could be a member. Double message that way.
I guard my privacy so am not keen to talk to friends about it and wouldn't be 'liking' on any social media either. There does seem to be a vulnerability issue for some in this respect.
As regards possible improvements it would be less confusing if there was a facility to reply to a particular post so that it could be seen as what it is rather than being taken out of context.. That might even save some of the 'umbrage' being taken.
As for there being a cliquey feel I think that is more about the balance between the anonymity afforded by the pen name and the length of time many have been on here. It is possible to feel you 'know' some of the members who have been on here for a long time - or at least it used to be until all the name changing took place. You do often cotton on when you start to get the flavour of a 'newbie' because people can't easily change their true persona but I do take it as a hint that they want to be private and therefore try to leave them alone even though I find that a bit sad. I can understand that necessity when privacy has been compromised.
I find the mentioned 'perceived stereotyping ' hilarious and cannot relate to that at all. We are all totally unique and have such different lives and experiences so I can only think it must be a knee-jerk/snap judgement.
I joined in the first few days but have not often posted very much and there can be quite lengthy periods when I am not able to do so. For me this site is a lifeline and gives me a feeling of community when I am not able to be 'in the community' in real life. I certainly try to be careful which threads I post on as it can be very draining for me and I cannot participate in some of the more 'robust' threads, those with health issues will more easily understand this.
On the whole I would like GN to stay as it is because "it ain't broke so there's no need to fix it".
Just wanted to pop on and say a huge thank you for all the brilliant suggestions and input so far. Though please keep them coming! It's incredibly useful to hear how you, the users, see it all.
Also to answer a few queries:
1) We do restrict thread length to 1000 posts. It rarely happens that we get anywhere near that though.
2) Someone asked 'How big do we want it to be?'
The answer is big enough to stay commercially sustainable but also big enough that it loses that clique feeling and has even more variety in posters and opinions.
3) Inclusivity is obviously an issue and one we need to look at. Thanks for raising that.
4) Someone asked about GN meet-ups? You can look on Meet ups to find out if there's one being planned - or start your own. Or you could see if there's anything planned on your local forums.
5) Regarding press, yes, we do release all our research to all press agencies and we're sometimes in the nationals, occasionally on TV and frequently on local radio. It's usually about particular issues though and maybe we'd be better placed trying to work on a piece about Gransnet itself... Definitely food for thought.
And yes, we are on Facebook. If you are too and want to Like our page, go here: Gransnet Facebook.
For tomorrow, if you could forward your newsletter to one or more friends who you think might be interested in Gransnet, that would be much appreciated.
Thanks again 
.
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