Folks, I gotta admit, my most involved efforts were on my hometown forum until about two years ago, when it somehow disappeared. I know forums generally frown upon competition, so I'll say no names. Last night, I got a cryptive-sounding email from an old friend I hung out with 45+ years ago. Haven't heard from him since another friend, Charlie, informed me the guy had gotten meningitis, was in a bad way, this being about two years ago. The email last night was from our mutual friend, informing me our old hometown forum was back and running. Both he and I had been heavy contributors, since we had both been born there, and remember all those old good times. Berwyn, Illinois was the place. I left there at 30. My friend remained, as did Charlie. We attended high school together. My newest imponderable? How to devote time to two beloved forums! Maybe it's time to become a "night-owl"! Wonder how my wife will take to it. Frank
Well you know I'm going to miss you. That's one nice thing about being single...nobody to bug me about being online all day. That was a point of contention with my ex....he was the jealous type and thought I was talking to men.
Are you making a career of the forums? I don't think that is a good idea. However, you can devote time even to 10 forums if you will manage your time properly. How about 30 minutes for each forum? You have 2 so that would be 1 hour each day. And maybe you wanted to drop by in the morning and also in the afternoon so that would be 2 hours. And if that isn't enough then probably your wife has to say something to you.
Forums aren't worth spending your life on, but they can be interesting. I like to hear what people have to say. I only participate in forums that I like, or am interested in to a degree, because otherwise it seems too much like work. Even if you get along with the people, feeling compelled to post on topics you are not that interested in is more like a chore. Of course this forum is great, but there are others that are not so much so. I don't post on them if it seems too much like work.
I only post on this forum...I read others. Edit: I forgot about my tiny private forum where I'm global moderator. Also a member of two huge forums and have been before I joined here but only have 7-8 posts total on them....too impersonal.
@Corie Henson Ah, if only so easy! There's the Ranchero Forum, Explorer Forum, Science forum, Ford Trucks Forum, Mississippi Gun Owners Forum, Sex....er... lots of forums! Frank
Same here, I only participate in forums that are interesting to me. It is a tedious task to post on something that is a blah. I have been in some forums where some members were obviously posting and commenting for the sake of posting and commenting. As I have been saying from time to time, I have joined forums to enhance my writing skills in English. That is why I am very selective in forums that I join. And I only join when I feel that I can contribute something.
I post for one reason only...fun and to connect with seniors. I don't join forums for information unless I've come to know that person and trust their views. Even though that's not why I join it is nice to have a place to ask a question for a widow like myself that doesn't know much about handyman things. It's all fun but sometimes I get hurt because I'm too honest and I seldom hold back my feelings. I try not to be mean spirited but some people can push my buttons....others I could care less about. When I can't take it anymore, I go quiet everywhere and then I have people concerned about me so if I go missing it means something upset me and I need a breather....I'm also ok but probably depressed. I wasn't taking about this forum having people looking for me but a very small private forum I'm global moderator on and I was getting emails, and even phone calls. It's nice to know people care though. I did go back to posting a good morning every day on there though so everybody is happy. I was going to quit forums but I'm too addicted...need at least one place to vent and rant and this is the perfect place. @Ken Anderson is the most tolerant admin. that I've come across and I know I probably got on his nerves sometimes. I wish some of my friends would come back and post on here...then it would be perfect!
I have run a few forums in the past, including a local forum that was widely busy until it crashed one day, and I was unable to recover. Another forum that I started about reactive attachment disorder while we were raising a boy who suffered from it is still going strong, many years after I left it in someone else's hands, and that makes me feel good. I have also participated in several forums that I don't run and, perhaps it's because men don't multitask as well as women do, I have also had trouble being heavily involved in more than one forum at a time. Just a day or two ago, I heard from someone who I had known on a homesteading forum that I'm a member of, and I realized that I hadn't been there in a while, although I enjoyed the forum, even some of the annoying liberals who were there. I logged back into it that night, and learned that I hadn't been there since 2012. At least two of the people I had enjoyed the most have died during that time. Time flies. I will probably try to check in with that forum every now and then, but I'll never spend hours there every day as I once did.
In my 10 years on forums I can honestly say that at least 40 people have died. Just lost a few recently. This first forum was very big so that's probably one reason for so many...just the numbers. That forum is what lead to many other forums but we all ordinate from wired seniors. That's where I first met Gary and Mickey and John Falcon as he's known on here. We do have a private group on Facebook with wired seniors alumni and that's usually where I hear of a death. It was a mixed forum of liberals and conservatives and that's when I learned and was shocked to find How nasty and ugly seniors can get. I would invite some of the lovely ladies here but most on the FB forum are liberal and I don't think they would fit. It's hard enough for a moderate on here sometimes.