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Times change – faster than you think

(131 Posts)
absent Wed 07-Oct-20 07:56:08

I joined Gransnet almost as soon as it began. Like everything in life, it has changed. Lots of members that I tended to find interesting are no longer posting and, indeed, it is rare for me to post. A few posters whose comments and posts I valued have been barred. I wonder exactly how all that happened.

Callistemon Wed 07-Oct-20 10:37:13

suziewoozie

By oldies I meant long term posters - apologies for any misunderstanding.

Oh, I thought you meant old crones which was a term being bandied around on another couple of threads.

?‍♀️

Gwyneth Wed 07-Oct-20 10:38:31

Suziewoozie I agree that when you post on here you must expect that people may have a different opinion to your own otherwise it makes for a boring discussion. However, there is a difference between mature discussion, fact based evidence and simply ‘having a go’ at someone just to cause trouble.

Ellianne Wed 07-Oct-20 10:38:41

I joined GN a little while ago to share stories and ideas, and to have a bit of fun. Some posts are very interesting and valuable, others get my goat, but that is what social media is. The only bits which upset me are the personal comments relating to ones intelligence or ones integrity when posters are only trying to express a different viewpoint. For me the whole thread becomes nasty once the person is attacked (eg. YOU don't know what you're talking about, YOU can't be very good at ..... , YOU this, YOU that),
rather than their ideas.
I see many posters just stick to one or two discussions to comment, would that better in the interests of harmony? Personally, like some other dippers, I like to be a Jack of all conversations and do venture into unchartered waters, but maybe that is not appreciated?
I am trying to ask serious questions here! grin

Callistemon Wed 07-Oct-20 10:41:18

Because I posted what DH said, not my opinion.

Is that not allowed?

Ellianne Wed 07-Oct-20 10:42:26

Crossed posts Gwyneth. I echo what you said in both yours.

dragonfly46 Wed 07-Oct-20 10:43:43

suziewoozie I sense an underlying aggression in all your posts. I have found as I have got older I am much more easygoing.
Did it really matter whether it was Callistemon's opinion or her DH's?

glammanana Wed 07-Oct-20 10:47:02

Its so good to see your name absent your comments & posts have been missed I to joined when you did at the time coming on to GN was one of the first things I did every day to catch up but not now,very few threads interest me to be honest.
Bikergran we had some good posts when off on our trips to Pendle Hill etc it added some light entertainment to the conversations something that a lot of people would not find amusing now I think.

Jayt Wed 07-Oct-20 10:47:45

Oh dear, I’m quite new to GN and I do hope I’m not one of the lunatics

merlotgran Wed 07-Oct-20 10:47:51

In the early days of Gransnet, some of the deleted posts were so scattergun they could make a thread look like bomb craters on a battlefield.

Nowadays you can predict which posts will hit the deck as soon as they appear just as you can predict the posse posters who will ride to the defence.

It's just because we've been around for a long time now. Many of the original members are no longer with us for various reasons and newer members tend to hit the ground running which can ruffle feathers.

Just like real life.

NotSpaghetti Wed 07-Oct-20 10:51:17

Well I hope I’m not part of the problem as although I’m not new I certainly wasn’t here at the beginning.

I took Gransnet to be a mixed bag, as life is, of people I agree with on the whole, and people I don’t, of kind people and nasty ones, of givers and takers.

I just hope, that although I generally know my own mind, that I am not part of the problem.

If I am, apologies.

Doodledog Wed 07-Oct-20 10:54:13

Jayt

Oh dear, I’m quite new to GN and I do hope I’m not one of the lunatics

This is what happens when threads like this hint darkly at 'some people' but never get to the point. It is really off-putting for those who aren't sure if they are the ones being talked about, and those who probably are in the line of fire either don't realise or don't care.

It reminds me a bit of my local FB group, in which every so often there are posts complaining about how Hometown is not how it used to be back in the day, and how 'newcomers' are changing things, and implying that this is for the worse.

What invariably follows is that some of the 'newcomers' object, saying that Hometown would be dead on its feet without them, that XYZ shops and ABC entertainment venues are only there because of the rise in population, or that it is their children and grandchildren who are ensuring that Hometown has a future. Others point out that some of the 'oldies' have only been here for three generations, so have no business complaining about newcomers, and huffs ensue.

Then, of course, people who have only lived here for a few years but have contributed to the town by doing voluntary work or whatever are miffed, and start complaining about indigenous residents who give nothing back, and round and round it goes.

There is often a flounce or two, a lot of snide comments, passive aggression, and people get involved by posting that they never get involved in things like this, and then it all settles down until the next time.

Smileless2012 Wed 07-Oct-20 10:55:12

When did GN begin? I've been here since 2012 and like others, no longer feel it's the site it used to be.

I agree GrannyGravy there are some posters who seem unable to express their point of view or give an opinion without being "aggressive or sweary".

I don't agree that you can't tell someone in your opinion, that they're behaviour maybe causing problems or to tell them what you perceive to be the truth. It's all about the delivery of the message.

You don't have to be a "sweet little old lady", you just need to be polite.

The term "bun fight" does seem to be a favourite of GNHQ but in my experience, threads only get deleted after several requests from GNHQ that the tone be more respectful and/or understanding, and those requests are ignored.

There was a post yesterday from a new poster, summarising her first impression of GN and TBH it wasn't exactly complementary so you can see why new members can be and sometimes are discouraged, and don't come back.

Callistemon Wed 07-Oct-20 10:57:47

I think the point is that posters haven't flounced, Doodledog but have been banned for unknown transgressions.
They've been put outside the city walls of Hometown and the drawbridge has been pulled up!

Maggiemaybe Wed 07-Oct-20 11:04:58

As usual I’ve missed some excitement smile, but it seems from some threads that a few regulars have been suspended and their friends are outraged. I’d expect HQ to act without fear or favour. I’ve noticed some mean comments recently directed towards newcomers, and sniggering about “a certain person” or “certain posters”. It’s uncalled for. It’s easy enough to scroll past threads or posts by people we don’t care for or find boring, or think are posting just to attract attention, rather than stirring the pot.

It’s no biggie. It’s not as if they won’t all be back in a week or so, with or without new names.

Apart from Jingl/*Gonegirl*. smile

dragonfly46 Wed 07-Oct-20 11:05:27

I am feeling sorry to hear some posters asking if they are the cause of the problems.
Of course you are not - if you are asking you are concerned and people who are concerned are never a problem.

It only takes one to completely change the whole tone of a post and I think they know who they are as it is deliberate.
It comes from attention seeking which is very sad, if a little irritating.

dragonfly46 Wed 07-Oct-20 11:09:36

I must have missed something too Maggiemaybe as I have not seen any sniggering or mean comments. It is all in the eyes of the beholder I expect and maybe some people are more sensitive than others.

My first post on here was answered with criticism of my behaviour and a complete lack of sympathy but I could see where posters were coming from and opened my eyes to another point of view.
Some posters recently, however, seem intent on derailing posts.

I just have learned to ignore certain posts if I feel they are there to incite.

baubles Wed 07-Oct-20 11:09:51

Riverwalk

From the early days there were spats/heated arguments; suspensions; and flouncings off - it's nothing new!

And over the years there have always been 'disrupters' - often with little-girl personas, who start seemingly innocuous threads that somehow, cleverly, entice people to take the bait.

Then follows the usual deletions and uproar.

I agree Riverwalk. I’m another show has been around since the early days and I certainly remember furious disagreements. I do think though that the moderators generally had a lighter, more personal touch.

Nice to see you on here again absent.

Gwyneth Wed 07-Oct-20 11:10:45

Absolutely Smileless it is about how you ‘deliver your message’. That is the key. You can, or should be able to get your point across without being aggressive.

hazel93 Wed 07-Oct-20 11:12:58

I came to GN a couple of years ago - strangely enough as I became a first time grandparent - who'd have thought !
At first I found it helpful, invariably kind and thoughtful even although my posts were no doubt naive to many.
Two years on and I only check in once in a while, rarely post as I find it no longer any of the above in the most part.

Callistemon Wed 07-Oct-20 11:13:15

Apart from Jingl/*Gonegirl*. smile
Yes, it looks as if she's been banished by the GN Gulag permanently.

Oops, that could be me next.

Doodledog Wed 07-Oct-20 11:26:00

Callistemon

I think the point is that posters haven't flounced, Doodledog but have been banned for unknown transgressions.
They've been put outside the city walls of Hometown and the drawbridge has been pulled up!

Oh, I didn't know that. I wasn't drawing a parallel with a particular situation on here, but with the gist of the thread itself.

If the thread is about banning or witch-hunts, then I suppose that is another example of some being 'in the know' and others not, so potentially feeling left out.

I'm often a bit behind the times with what goes on on here - if it's not appropriate to say on here what happened re banning, my inbox is working if anyone would like to fill me in grin.

Maggiemaybe Wed 07-Oct-20 11:53:54

I must have missed something too Maggiemaybe as I have not seen any sniggering or mean comments.

Well, I could copy and paste several, dragonfly, but I can’t, iyswim.

I’ve no intention of being the next to go, for making this a thread about other threads. I’ve lasted 8 years now without a name change, and don’t want to have to think of another now. smile

Maggiemaybe Wed 07-Oct-20 11:56:29

Gosh, it’s actually been 9 years. How time flies when you’re having fun.

Illte Wed 07-Oct-20 11:58:59

Oh, I'm relatively new and I do feel a bit left out on some threads where friends exchange long running banter.

I wouldn't dare go to the Kitchen or the Argy bargy and sometimes interesting threads get derailed by in jokes that have been running for a long time.

But hey, just move on.

Illte Wed 07-Oct-20 12:00:45

And because I don't have any "friends" I like to think I can be fairly impartial when it comes to some of the debates.