Dan Murphy, what are you doing???

[Zippa D Doodah]

OMG! I just read the "church" comparison! That is so good. I wish I had a nickel for every time I (I'm a pastor) have had to listen to people vent about how things change.

 

[auntpolly]

I think this used to be a very small community with a couple of boards -- there are so many people here now, of course it is going to change.

 

[Bbgrizzle]

Zippa D- I always thought you were a girl! Maybe it's because you're so. . .sensitive.

 

[Bbgrizzle]

I don't mind some chit chat or just plain goofy threads, but I do get tired of topical threads being taken over and off topic by jokesters and chit-chatters.

I agree, to a certain extent, as I have seen my own threads (and others) become hijacked by the silliness. At times, it has annoyed me.

But I have also participated in thread hijacking. I started a thread yesterday about something I felt was a serious topic, it was a topic that bothered me. The thread turned sooo silly, but because I was there when it started and I understood everything, it was a great time. I met a lot of new posters that I had never seen before and it turned out to be the FUNNIEST thread I have ever been a part of. I've never laughed that hard on the DIS before. But I do understand how if you jumped in a few pages into it, you might feel left out.

I have learned that when that happens, it is not intentional. People aren't trying to be clicky and leave other people out on purpose. I received several PMs from people asking about that thread and I was more than happy to fill them in.

Please don't fault people for the silliness. They are just having fun. And when there are that many people participating, PMs just aren't going to cut it.

 

[SwedishMeatball]

I agree, to a certain extent, as I have seen my own threads (and others) become hijacked by the silliness. At times, it has annoyed me.

But I have also participated in thread hijacking. I started a thread yesterday about something I felt was a serious topic, it was a topic that bothered me. The thread turned sooo silly, but because I was there when it started and I understood everything, it was a great time. I met a lot of new posters that I had never seen before and it turned out to be the FUNNIEST thread I have ever been a part of. I've never laughed that hard on the DIS before. But I do understand how if you jumped in a few pages into it, you might feel left out.

I have learned that when that happens, it is not intentional. People aren't trying to be clicky and leave other people out on purpose. I received several PMs from people asking about that thread and I was more than happy to fill them in.

Please don't fault people for the silliness. They are just having fun. And when there are that many people participating, PMs just aren't going to cut it.

Excellent points. Some will always be annoyed though with certain groups and find fault with them. Oh well, they'll get over it. If not, they have places to discuss it.

 

[disykat]

Excellent points. Some will always be annoyed though with certain groups and find fault with them. Oh well, they'll get over it. If not, they have places to discuss it.

Well, no. I'm sure there are many of us here as annoyed as heck with certain groups who have no other place to discuss it. If there's a board where we can get away from certain groups, I want in. However, apparently the group I'd be trying to get away from knows about it and I don't!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I would just like to say that even the word "clique" gives me bad flashbacks of all the people who made high school terrible -- people that really want to be part of a clique need to grow up. Sorry.

Let's just say that I have horrible memories of high school and leave it at that (moved to a small town in high school where everyone knew each other and to say that they were not accepting to newcomers would be an understatement). When I say clique I don't mean anything even close to what high school was. Maybe we should call them club threads? I'm all for inclusive clubs--no tryouts necessary!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

HOWEVER, more than the minor inconveniences of threads getting lost or taken over, I get even more tired of hearing people complain about how things just aren't the same as they used to be on the CB, on the DIS, in chat, etc. I've been around for quite a while, and I have probably met a hundred or more DISers. I'm real life friends with many from around the country, I'm friendly acquaintances with dozens of others, and I plan our local DIS meets. But when that kind of talk about the "glory days" of the DIS comes up, it just makes me roll my eyes . Talk about making a huge # of people (including me) feel like unwanted outsiders.

BINGO! That's exactly how I feel and I'm even more afraid of making newcomers feel this way. I'm a stubborn, hardheaded peri-menopausal woman who can take a lot of what is dished at me. After all, I have 3 teenage children and a moody 6yo! But if I were more thin-skinned, just arrived on the DIS and came across this, I'd back off and go somewhere else. I know that I don't want to offend others. Just like I'm inclusive on all the threads I post on, I'm inclusive on the boards. I do have my doubts about some of you who are complaining about how it "used to be". Seems that some of you (not all, by any means, but some) are wanting many people to just go away and for you to be able to pick and chose who posts and what they post. Doesn't seem very inclusive to me. Sounds downright cliquish, as a matter of fact.

 

[YourMajesty]

BINGO! That's exactly how I feel and I'm even more afraid of making newcomers feel this way. I'm a stubborn, hardheaded peri-menopausal woman who can take a lot of what is dished at me. After all, I have 3 teenage children and a moody 6yo! But if I were more thin-skinned, just arrived on the DIS and came across this, I'd back off and go somewhere else. I know that I don't want to offend others. Just like I'm inclusive on all the threads I post on, I'm inclusive on the boards. I do have my doubts about some of you who are complaining about how it "used to be". Seems that some of you (not all, by any means, but some) are wanting many people to just go away and for you to be able to pick and chose who posts and what they post. Doesn't seem very inclusive to me. Sounds downright cliquish, as a matter of fact.

I think the threads were locked that caused this thread so I don't think there is much to worry about. I've seen posts moved about Dan or even ones he's started so it's not like he's is getting special treatment. I don't think the "cliquish" threads are in danger...but people complain about anything.

 

[disneymom3]

I have some opinions on different things being said in this thread, but I'm too lazy to quto. So, i'll just give my opinion.

First of all, I do, once in a while, post on one of those game threads, and I did participate in two exchanges. Although it's fun, it also takes up a lot of the space on the CB. Sometimes, a whole page doesn't consist of anything more than games and exchanges. But, if the whole first page consists of games and exchanges, it implies that many people post on those, and thus they stay on page one. A separate board wouldn't be bad

The clique threads. Well, many threads say: we welcome everyone, but that isn't always the case. I have mentioned a couple of times a secret handshake and password, and I always get the "there is no secret handshake" answer. But I don't feel it's true. There are "clique" threads that go way further than the DIS, and if you don't know on what blogs and other chats things get discussed further on, no way to join in. Also, if they never ever mention you in their morning shouts, just forget about it.
But you know what? Life doesn't stop there. Even if you are not part of one of those cliques, you can still have a nice life. Or at least, that's what I tell myself!

And yes, discussion boards change. people come and people go, and with them, discussions come and go. If you don't like the topics that are discussed now, why don't you start a new thread, about a topic that you like?

One thing I did notice, today, is that many people have "long toes", as we say over here. You say something, you give your opinion, without any secret agenda, and because it's not the opinion of someone else, you're being "disrespectful". Que? Oh well, that's life, I guess

Sandra--you just saved me a lot of typing!! I was sitting here wondering what all the fuss is about. If the majority of posters didn't like the fluff threads, they would die away. Personally, I would post to a fluff thread DAYS and weeks before I would post to a political thread and yet you don't have all kinds of threads griping about those. As far as scaring newbies away if all they see is fluff and games, if I came and saw only political or debating kinds of threads, I would be out of here so fast it would make your head spin. The CB is what it is because the posters MAKE it what it is.

Instead of starting a bunch of threads to prove a point, why not start some on topics you actually want to talk about. If people answer you, you'll know that others want to talk about the same thing.

And I am one who recently joined a "clique" thread and let me tell you, that is the furthest description from the truth!