Posted by mist on April 24, 2002, at 1:17:05
In reply to Re: Gee whiz » Anyuser, posted by allisonm on April 23, 2002, at 23:51:17
> but just happens to have the opinion that it's a nice addition because SHE has felt excluded from the regular boards for some time.
>
> >>Who on earth would want to belong to such a club?<<
>
> I would because I once knew these people, but, like me, they have been pretty much swept aside by the tidalwave of new members (my perception, Anyuser).
I don't entirely understand this. I started posting in 2000 (and read many of the archives before I posted) and am therefore technically an old-timer too. It seems like a lot of the old-timers feel they were somehow pushed out by newer people but I don't recall what ocurred or when.The description of newcomers as a tidal wave that pushed out old posters particularly puzzles me. Again, I didn't see signs of anyone being "pushed" out or anything I'd describe as a tidal wave—just new people joining. Even though I've been on the boards for awhile, either reading or posting, I find that new people have something of equal, if sometimes different, value to offer as the old timers. They only further enrich the boards. In fact, I wish more new people would join.
My impression is there might have been some problem posters along the way but they were a tiny minority and they were dealt with. In fact, I remember almost nothing about them because they didn't seem to have a huge impact. I never noticed that they interfered with others' ability to post.
I don't see any difference between the old timers who were posting when I started and the newer ones. We're all people. People facing difficult problems. Everyone is here looking for basically the same thing—support. And no one is trying to stop anyone else from posting—except on the 2000 board.
I understand that some posters became friends and were part of a close circle. That's great, but this site is still about the larger community. To me it's obvious that setting up a board with a "keep out" sign on it will have ramifications in a support community like this. That it will cause rifts. It's human nature. I believe it's important to be sensitive to that.
-mist
poster:mist
thread:4303
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020420/msgs/4493.html