I wonder how many ?

Your post summarizing gransnet describes it very well grannyactivist.
Hope this has encouraged you to join in more Jomarie. ?

muffinthe moo I absolutely agree with you, which is why I am on them far less than in the past.

Oh thats good to know Urmstongran and Jalima1108. Thanks.

M0nica it's the lack of moderation. I understand GN is deliberately lightly moderated, but there is an awful lot of personal stuff and basically needle in the politics threads that is pretty nippy.

Oh Lord above Maw you may well be right . In that case, i will amend my post to:

I'm sure that there isn't a list of names on GN that has a red line through them.

There!

Can you even say “blacklist” these days Chewbacca ?

Some of us drift in and out of posting, probably because for some of us, real life gets in the way. I sometimes don't post for a couple of weeks and then only read the posts that interest me and move on. But GN isn't cliquey, nor does it, to my knowledge, have a blacklist. Everyone's post/opinion is as valid and worthy of posting as the next. And on the whole, GN has a lot of very kind, supportive and friendly people on board.

You're definitely part of the Gransnet community annep1!

I think you’re fitting in nicely annepl as I’ve started to recognise your name recently on some threads ??

annep1 I agree with DanniRae - you are here and posting, so you are part of the GN community.

Thanks DanniRae .

You ask how you can belong to Gransnet annepl well in my mind you belong to Gransnet as much as the next poster. You joined, you posted........it's as simple as that! I hope you continue to post as I enjoyed what you had to say

I enjoy Gransnet. But I don't feel I belong. How do you do that?
I have built up images of certain contributors whose names crop up often. Their characters seem to come through.....I find myself wondering what xxxx will say about this subject. I enjoy reading the comments even the not so nice ones. I don't want everyone to just be polite to each other and always agree. I like the fact that we are all different personalities. It makes discussions more interesting and real..
I am very hesitant about expressing views on political issues as I don't know a lot and some people seem to know so much! And I don't want to appear stupid. But I'm learning to be brave.
I have learned so much and realised that we all have hopes, fears, varied ideas on spending, families etc. All so useful and sometimes reassuring..
I have learned to listen to others viewpoints.
I have laughed too. Some people have such a great sense of humour.
I have offered advice and received some for whuch I am grateful.
I have a condition which means I can't get out and socialise as much as I would like so Gransnet is invaluable to me.
But even if I was in perfect health I would still get so much from Gransnet. So much more than facebook.

muffinthemoo the Politics board here is one of the most fractious and hostile ones I have ever encountered

Possibly because politics at the moment is more fractious and hostile than it has ever been.

I am surprised you think the GN political threads are so bad. I find the politics threads on GN more civilised and reasonable than any others, not that is saying much. Most politics boards outside GN are just a continual flow of foul language and hate, with no discussion at all.

As virtually a founder member I remember the politics threads when they were very reasonable and we had really good discussions with knowledgeable posters, but since Brexit and the 2017 election, the standard of discussion has plummeted, now it is just people shouting slogans and being nasty to each other. I do join in on some topics, like the discussions about Shamima Begum, but rarely stay long and otherwise no longer bother with them.

I am on the blacklist where those who cannot deal with a different point of view try to banish me to the politics board, even though I was quite on topic and not discussing politics.

Thats how bad it has got. That was here on chat.

I have taken no notice. I suggest the OP does the same. On every social forum like this there are some who cannot deal with difference.

Gransnet's like any other community really, a mix of people from all walks of life with a range of opinions and experiences. In my opinion, the more people add to the mix the more interesting Gransnet becomes.

Having said that, I do remember my first posting as I'd never joined an online forum previously and I was very nervous. It was right at the beginning of GN, so we were only a few posters and we got to 'know' each other quite quickly. Nowadays there are far too many posters for me to easily remember who's who, but I'm glad that GN is doing what it set out to do; provide a place where we (mostly women) can 'virtually' meet up to be challenged and entertained, offer support and exchange ideas. It's great to be a part of something that alleviates the problems that can come with ageing and that helps to combat loneliness and isolation.

Like others, I avoid the politics threads because of the slanging matches and abusive comments.

We all hold different opinions, not right or wrong, just different, informed perhaps by our upbringing, training, field of work, where we lived, etc. If someone holds a different opinion, I'd like to know why, what has contributed to that.

Alas I know just what would happen - abuse because I didn't instantly toe their line.

A loss of information which could have enlarged viewpoints and maybe even changed opinions.

Why can't these people behave like rational intelligent adults instead of hurling abuse and sticking their fingers in their ears while shouting "not listening, not listening"?

I know just what you mean jomarie. I braved a post on another thread a couple of days ago and was thrilled to get a thumbs up from Urmanstongran. Thank you Urmanstongran, you made my day and I'd send you flowers if it had worked.

Granmafia

That's interesting about the politics threads muffin

I love the Granmafia but the Politics board here is one of the most fractious and hostile ones I have ever encountered, and I hang out in those bits of the internet you don't want your grandchildren to go to.

Not a good place for a new poster to start.

Oh yes; ignore the slapper downers.
Most people are friendly and inclusive.

I've just had a ticking off Jomarie for a passing comment I made! I don't know the person and it does not worry me now although it may have done when I first joined.

Keep posting

At the end of the day we are a cross section of the population and reflect the huge range of backgrounds, views, attitudes, personalities present in the ordinary population.

I find the most invaluable part of GN is that, through it, I am in contact with people from a far wider range of backgrounds than I can ever meet in everyday life and can discuss a wide variety of subjects and views, that again I cannot possibly meet in ordinary life.

How nice to see such positive, encouraging comments, does make participating seem more worthwhile for those less brave. I tend to browse rather than contribute quite often and prefer to stay away from the more contentious subjects (politics & brexit ). Like you Jomarie I got slapped down early on and backed off from posting for quite a while but now see that there are always a few who like to be argumentative or even nasty just for the hell of it so it is easy to avoid those. There is also a lot of genuine kindness & consideration shown to many of those seeking help with problems. Worth coming back for and joining in

Jomarie you're not the only one. There's a lot of holier-than-thou postings and 'just get on with it' postings but not a lot of sensitivity for those who find posting difficult and controversy gone wrong impossible. Some subject areas/threads are worse than others. Some threads become verbally violent, often in an underhand way so that it becomes bullying and the person being bullied has no recourse, just as in life, where 'it was just a joke' or 'man up' or 'I didn't really mean' get said or dictionary definitions of bullying get bandied about.

Telling someone to just be brave flies in the face of all the current understanding and methodology in mental health care. Some posters are endlessly helpful, sensitive and caring but the ones who think there are no problems or who tell others what they 'should' think are the reason lots read the posts but don't post themselves.