Impersonal

I agree MD. I don't think people would launch in in rl. But maybe they would.

Which part of my posts are you questioning?
What I was trying to say was that some new posters come on and make lot of posts (sometimes lengthy) within hours and wonder why sometimes people don't respond. Read the room and get the flavour of the site first..
Of course that is only my humble opinion and it may not be worth anything

Why? Genuinely, what’s wrong with doing things differently?

I used to tell my pupils that to get a friend, you have to first be a friend.

That is my philosophy. I try my best to be pleasant on GN, but may not always get it right and am a grumpy old woman.😉

I feel people are wary of new posters, who launch right in with multiple posts, best see how things work first and take your time.

Greatnan once rebuked me for saying I felt an outsider. Her point was that it was a matter of fact that some people had been here a longer time and therefore knew each other better.

She said it would be silly for people to pretend they knew nothing about each other.

I get that now but I think I trembled a bit at the time!!

I'm guessing what Knittypamela is referring to is the earburn facility on Ravelry which let's another member know you have responded to something they have posted or are just alerting them to something that may interest them.

Ravelry is imo a brilliantly organised and programmed platform. GN isn't.

Bluebelle I don't think knittypamala meant PMs, I think she meant being able to reply directly to a specific poster from one of their posts within a thread - thus, in the context of this thread, facilitating conversation on the boards.

But I could be quite wrong...

Siope I don’t understand what you are referring to ??? knittypamala said there was no facility to private message people on GN but there IS at the top of every post

I have been a member of GN since the days of the late lamented GreatNan, and have seen it change dramatically. I agree with Kitty about the GM thread. For some it can be a rolling conversation and if that’s what they like, so be it. I try and stick to the original format too, but have been known to stray with an extra post occasionally. I left Soop’s Kitchen because I simply couldn’t keep up, and I no longer felt connected, but I read occasionally. I tend to limit my input now to the more anodyne threads. People can read and pass by or not.
There are many very special people on Gransnet - empathetic, supportive, funny and kind. I have had the privilege of meeting some of them personally and they all restore my faith in human nature. They outnumber the strident, less accommodating members who are only interested in pushing their own agenda. Long May it be so.

BlueBelle Not to speak for others but Mumsnet has a useful function that lets you start typing the name of the person you want to answer, select it from a drop-down list (which shortens as you add letters) so it adds to your message. No need for daft bolding and typing all the flaming time.

Of course, they also have an edit button.

Zealots get on my nerves; especially on the political threads. Also, hounding. Persistent campaigning against politicians(Johnson) is getting a bit boring and a rather dogmatic poster is always 'jumped on' till it looks like borderline bullying. Sometimes a GSOH is lacking.

Marydoll

I no longer post on Soops Kitchen, only because I can't keep up, not because it is a clique.!
Soop started jt as a safe haven at a time when GN was rather fraught.
Having met Soop in person, I can confirm she is as lovely in real life.

Babs I'm sure you will be made very welcome in the Kitchen as well as the GM thread.

Sorry, maybe the word clique is unfair. I just feel that there everybody knows about everybody else historically. Have been on there and was made welcome but couldn’t keep up with what was going on for whom.
Didn’t mean that in a bad way at all.

There is no facility here for a personal reply. I think gransnet could update their site. Mumsnet is better for this.

I m not sure what you mean there is a private message facility on GN knittyPamela
I have made some lovely friends on here through private messaging We have shared emails, photos, phone numbers, and real long distance friendship.
I ve been on here maybe 11 years or so and although it didn’t happen then, over the years I ve made strong long connections
I ve never been on Soops kitchen or Good morning as I felt a bit out of that group and I m not good at make believe situations I mean like bringing a bottle and cake my mind doesn’t work in that way
I ve never understood the idea of cliques perhaps I m naive but it’s never hit me that because two or three people come up with the same thought, idea, or answer it means they are in a clique 🙄
Stick with it Tiley and if you see someone with similar thoughts ideas and reactions send them a pm and see where it goes

Babs Soop's Kitchen isn't at all cliquey. There are people who have posted for years and some who are recent. Some people dip in and out. You would be welcomed by Soop and others if you post

kittylester

Kate is still here, MD. She started a thread not so long ago.

I know, I occasionally hear from her.

Kate is still here, MD. She started a thread not so long ago.

I agree OP. I belong to a knitting forum. If I make a comment I get replies which I can read. There is no facility here for a personal reply. I think gransnet could update their site. Mumsnet is better for this.

I no longer post on Soops Kitchen, only because I can't keep up, not because it is a clique.!
Soop started jt as a safe haven at a time when GN was rather fraught.
Having met Soop in person, I can confirm she is as lovely in real life.

Babs I'm sure you will be made very welcome in the Kitchen as well as the GM thread.

It just takes one person to start a Meet Up thread and a bit of nagging persistence to organise

I think that is what is different to other forums I’ve used. Meetings arising from posting on those tend to be more organic, based on something happening that posters would be doing and which come up during a conversation (someone mentions they are running the Great North Run, others say they will come and cheer, shall we grab dinner later?) or because there’s an event or activity that previous conversations have shown are a shared interest (so a casual invitation is offered (anyone fancy getting tickets for X gig? And that grows into enough interest for a few folk to make a weekend of it). I’ve met people in Las Vegas based on an original interest in scrambling/hiking, people in Paris because someone was in a show there, so on. Mostly no arranging beyond ‘I’ll be at X at such a time Hopefully see some of you there’ and no persistence needed. Sometimes there are two or three people, once 40 of us ( which did take a bit of planning for a restaurant, but not for the rest of the time), usually somewhere in between. Sometimes it’s a quick coffee, sometimes a few days, and often subsets of us do different things or overlapping dates or times. From there, I’ve forged long and deep friendships, with people local and from all round the world, whom I meet up with in addition to forum based stuff.

I have joined recently and found some nice people already. Wouldn’t say friends but kind and friendly posters. There are however some well established cliques on some threads where posters do have friendship groups and have done so for years, I think Soops kitchen is one, but that’s absolutely fine, are lots of others threads to choose from.
Like just dipping my toe and joining in whatever takes my fancy. Get ignored a lot of the time but at least have had my say.

kittylester

Marydoll

I think the GM thread's dynamics have changed from when I first started posting many years ago.
There are quite a few posters, who are missing. I always enjoyed their posts.

The GM thread has changed immeasurably from the time Michael joined GN and suggested he start one.

In the early days it was very factual - good morning, a weather report from the poster's location and a brief over view of their upcoming day.

My memory can't cope with all the info now and I would hate to miss anyone out so I stick to the original format.

From that you may assume I have been here for ages and don't like change!

My penchant for novellas may be partly to blae.
Kitty, you and Maw were the first people who interracted with me on GN and it was on the GM thread.
Very few of the original posters still remain.
NanKate was another lovely member.

As this thread is about not getting replies and threads not being conversations, I'm surprised that people are using it to ask for 'like' and 'agree' buttons. Surely they would make things worse on that score?

If people have nothing new to add, instead of repeating what others have said they could just click 'like' and there would be no conversation at all . I know someone doesn't like it, but at least posting 'this' or 'I agree' shows that posts have been read, and people usually add at least a sentence or two to that.

Marydoll

I think the GM thread's dynamics have changed from when I first started posting many years ago.
There are quite a few posters, who are missing. I always enjoyed their posts.

The GM thread has changed immeasurably from the time Michael joined GN and suggested he start one.

In the early days it was very factual - good morning, a weather report from the poster's location and a brief over view of their upcoming day.

My memory can't cope with all the info now and I would hate to miss anyone out so I stick to the original format.

From that you may assume I have been here for ages and don't like change!

Ziplok We’ve been asked by GNHQ or more than one occasion, for suggestions, and these same suggestions keep being raised, but nothing ever comes of it - so frustrating. Why bother asking for our opinions in the first place if there is never going to be any intention of listening to them and acting on them (where possible)?

I think the problem is a democratic one. Half the people want a few bells and whistles and the other half don't. So for example, every time a 'like' button is mentioned there are some who get really annoyed at the thought! Personally I think an 'agree' button would be more acceptable to all if a 'like' button causes so much anger.

I think the only way it can be resolved is to have a voting system so GN can count the boxes ticked for each thing.

I would also like the country of each poster to appear near their name. It would be really helpful towards understanding their post, and avoid confusion (which has happened).

Chestnut

JaneJudge

It's difficult if you start a thread asking for advice, take on board that advice, post thanking for advice and clarifying your position and people still keep posting telling you how awful you are and a whole matter of fictitious scenarios

So true. And those threads can go on and on for pages with people making things up and repeating the same advice. That's why I think the OP should be able to end the discussion when they feel their thread has run its course and the question has been answered.

I didn’t actually join Gransnet to make friends, but to connect with people and exchange views, offer suggestions/advice/support sometimes to those going through difficult times, similar to my own past experiences. I find most gransnetters kind and caring, with the odd few quite insensitive.