Gransnet in 2024 - have your say!

What we really, really want, is for GN to really really listen, take note of the most requested changes and really, really do at least some of those things rather than ask (as has happened many times before) and do nothing. We know we are the poor relation, invisible mature, opinionated but not worth listening to long in the tooth (less), irritating not so golden but still relevant oldies who would still like a website where we can feel at home. Perhaps Gransnet still has the echo of Ena Sharples and hairnets for some, maybe Grandparents.com would be a a better fit, more inclusive which is what everyone seems to want nowaday

Must it be age related and gendered?

BTW thanks for everyone's patience with typos!

Age-related and gendered are fast becoming out of date and may well be as unpopular as racist next year.

The most useful thing that gransnet could have is moderators who are in the same age bracket as the average GN member, and who are specifically working for Gransnet not moonlighting from Mumsnet. Sometimes it seems as though the moderators are on a different wavelength from the posters, and inclined to assess reported posts, bannings, complaints about unpleasant posters and so on from a different point of view.

We are probably a lot of fossils in their eyes, but we have been living in the world and observing human behaviour for a long time.

I'll second that, Elegran.

If the name is changed from Gransnet it would lose about 12 years of its personality in the public eye. Any change would have to be to something near enough to the old name "Gransnet".

Grandparents of both sexes, and people with no grandchildren or even children are welcome - it is NOT just for grandmothers.

Elegran

The most useful thing that gransnet could have is moderators who are in the same age bracket as the average GN member, and who are specifically working for Gransnet not moonlighting from Mumsnet. Sometimes it seems as though the moderators are on a different wavelength from the posters, and inclined to assess reported posts, bannings, complaints about unpleasant posters and so on from a different point of view.

We are probably a lot of fossils in their eyes, but we have been living in the world and observing human behaviour for a long time.

I agree. When I joined the moderators used to join in some of the discussions.

People have been moaning about the name mumsnet for years.
Not everyone over there is a mum, or female etc etc.
they’ll never change the name because it is 80% mums.
Same as GN is predominantly women with grandchildren.

I think the title shows what the site is about. It is aimed at over 50s, and predominantly aimed at women. People say that others are welcome, but who is made welcome depends on who is posting, really. Also, we don't know who is posting. As we are anonymous, we could all be anyone. Personally, I don't mind in the least if men post, so long as they don't announce their maleness in every post and expect that it means that they should have the last word , but others may feel differently.

The fact that we are predominantly women over 50 means that we can usually expect others to understand when we refer to things from our youth, and not expect people to write us off just because of our age, as definitely happens on MN. We are not all of the same mind, and have as many differences as similarities, but we share, on the whole, the fact that we are women and that we are over 50 (although that doesn't apply to all, and in any case takes in decades, as we have at least one centenarian in our number).

I'm not a gran, although I may be one day, and I don't think that matters. I have lots of friends with grandchildren, and brought up two children of my own, so they are not an alien concept. By no means all threads are about grandchildren anyway.

Given that Mumsnet is the main site, calling us Gransnet shows the link, and that we are, on the whole, older than the average MN poster.

Kandinsky, the management of Gnet know which demographic to aim for . If Gnet has a good enough readers /advertisers balance then Gransnet will continue with the traditional name.

However Gnet would be more democratic and thus better investment for advertisers if Gnet did not have the image of old ladies doing old lady activities so does need a better name without disrupting the current readership.

OH DEAR NANNA Dont you understand that Scotland is a seperate country the "UK" IS MADE UP OF 4 seperate nations all with differences as pointed out above ,We have our own systems of law,education a National Health service that is and has been run seperately from the rest of the UK's since its inception in 1948 and many other things that make us what we are ...including a population that hasn't voted for a TORY government since 1955 YES that is nineteen ffty five .We are not a "region" of England and never have been

More competitions you used to have some good ones. Also what about favourite books to be read referrals. Also money saving tips and help with finance during our new time of life.

Perhaps you could start a separate forum altogether, then?
ScotsGransunited? The first step to independence.

The Scots number barely a few more than the Welsh and Northern Irish, far fewer than those living in England, but, by golly, we hear a lot more about them from some Gransnetters.

Harris27

More competitions you used to have some good ones. Also what about favourite books to be read referrals. Also money saving tips and help with finance during our new time of life.

We used to have a book club where you could win book of the month in a "lucky dip" but no longer.

What we have now are recommendations of books to read if we are self-isolating during the pandemic.

GNHQ - Gransnet needs decluttering!! There is stuff in cupboards no longer needed, out of date and just forgotten.

paddyann Four nations indeed - that is why Wales and Northern Ireland were mentioned. You can't talk about four nations and then rant on as though Scotland is the only non-English one. I moved from southern England to Scotland so I am very aware of the differences between England and Scotland, and the many areas where Scotland does things better (though not in everything!) . However, I am aware that it would set people against Scotland if I banged the drum unbearably loudly in their ears with my every post. Less is more.

Reading the OP again, I would suggest keeping AI well out of any discussion on making changes. We might end up giving Nova Scotia a section to keep Paddyann quiet happy..

I think a “like button” would be taking this site down the wrong road.
The games should be separate.
Yes to distinctive colour for the OPs and subsequent posts.
yuk! 🤢 to Nananook

Elegran

paddyann Four nations indeed - that is why Wales and Northern Ireland were mentioned. You can't talk about four nations and then rant on as though Scotland is the only non-English one. I moved from southern England to Scotland so I am very aware of the differences between England and Scotland, and the many areas where Scotland does things better (though not in everything!) . However, I am aware that it would set people against Scotland if I banged the drum unbearably loudly in their ears with my every post. Less is more.

Thanks Elegran, sorry I my post offended you.

The drum beats do become tedious.
And the Welsh never get a mention (except for the new 20mph limits!!).
As for Northern Ireland, I think they've been forgotten altogether.

if not I

BlueBelle

1 EDIT BUTTON (even if for 5 minutes)
2 GAMES SEPARATED (not on active newsfeed it’s a nightmare getting rid of them daily)
3 ORIGINAL POSTERS POST to show in different colour all the way through the thread

I put it in capitals as we ve sugessted hundreds of times when asked for suggestions and always been ignored

Agree with Bluebelle.
I have just gone over to the mobile site and deleted 25 games threads and I’m sure some of them were ones I deleted a few days ago. Once deleted they should be gone for good.

I do get the original posters post highlighted throughout already. It would be nice if all the OP following comments were also highlighted. I don’t care about the games, I just skip them if I want to, it doesn’t bother me.

Callistemon You haven't. I too get a little tired of being bombarded with relentless Scotophilia. Yes, it is a great country, and there are some excellent Scottish institutions, traditions and attitudes. No, it is not suffering continuous discrimination from the English, most of whom are too sublimely unaware of any details of the differences in Scottish history and lifestyles to do any discriminating. However, any nation can get irritated if they are complained about often enough - that goes for the English as well as the Scots, and some of the rhetoric on both sides of the independence question can be quite aggressive. It gets forgotten that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

I regard Scotland as part of our nation, the United Kingdom.
Scotland is wonderful, but so is Wales. I haven't been to Northern Ireland but it is an equal partner in our nation.
We are all one.

I would like to see the relentless adverts, those which are on the right hand side low down, to be reduced in size so that they do not cover the corner of the messages, nor cover my typing.

Elegran I was with several Scottish friends yesterday who live in England and Wales. Perhaps because of that the have all said they prefer to have a united country and hold no truck with an independent Scotland or the rhetoric of those who fight for independence. They rarely speak of it but, if asked, say they believe it would be a disaster for Scotland.
They're all educated, thoughtful people.

It would be wrong and divisive to have a separate section exclusively for Scottish Gransnetters on here.