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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why some forums sort of ... grind to a halt?

214 replies

mytartanscarf · 30/12/2014 20:47

I used to be a member of a very busy forum. It was pretty nice as although it was busy there was a sense of community as well.

It isn't dead Grin but dying.

Then about 10 years ago when I did a PGCE I was a member of the TES forums and they used to be so busy; I've had a look for the first time in ages and ages and it's really quiet.

Will Mumsnet ever die? And what causes a forum death?

OP posts:
Mrsfrumble · 30/12/2014 22:42

I was a regular in the Bust Lounge (American feminist forum) between 2003 and 2010. It starting dying around 2011 and is completely dead now; still open but just a load of spam posts. A shame because I loved it, but the cat-fights were EPIC!

I still think about some of the posters and wonder how they are getting on.

FatJerseyPostXmasSpud · 30/12/2014 22:42

I met my now DH on a yahoo chat room.

God i miss those days.

LeopardLamp · 30/12/2014 22:43

I used to go on a splinter group that came out of a bath product forum. I haven't been on for ages though and it seems to be dying. Shame as it was ace but it seems to have all moved to facebook now.

FigWig · 30/12/2014 22:43

saucyjack one beginning with a D?

Pipbin · 30/12/2014 22:43

I used to go on b3ta but I got rather fed up with it all.
I love MN for the variety of topics.

Flossyfloof · 30/12/2014 22:44

Another Tesser here! I used to love it but rarely if ever contribute now. It is true that they have made it so complicated that few people post on it nowadays. I feel guilty because it used to be such fun and people on there offered great support. Just can't be bothered to post on there now really.

judydoes · 30/12/2014 22:44

I like forums a lot more than fb and It's sad when they die. Sometimes It's just that the owner of the domain sells up or doesn't renew I guess.

I used to go on a forum for a certain hobby I have and it was busy and thriving with off-topic chat, a lot of meet-ups etc.

Then as I saw it, the owner got annoyed with a lot of people over things that had always been seen to be okay. A lot of the key posters got banned (including me!) over what others saw as trivial, a lot of us began to communicate by group email instead and it just died. It still exists, but if I was to post there now I think I'd be lucky to get a reply within a week. There's just not many on there and even fewer that still use it.

I used to love the AOL message boards, and the chat rooms. I had only just got the internet and it was all exciting and fun.

therockinghorseroll · 30/12/2014 22:44

I wish TES forums were still active :( I'm doing a PGCE and could really do with the help.

ElviraCondomine · 30/12/2014 22:45

I remember when DS1 was tiny (he's 16 now) I used to spend hours on UKParents too - I remember we had dial up and it used to take ages to connect grin but it was so comforting to know that others were in the same boat as me. Now I feel all nostalgic and a bit sad...

Me too when DD1 (15) was little.
I was on the cloth nappy and breastfeeding boards mainly, and made some RL friends there. It was a great place but fell apart over some problems with the ownership of the domain name and lots of wrangling. I can't remember the exact details but know that a substitute board functioned for a couple of years, but that died too.

ilovesooty · 30/12/2014 22:46

hiddenhome I remember him. The Question Troll. He posted on MN as well.

TotallySociallyInep · 30/12/2014 22:48

I was on a very niche forum in 2001/2
It was quite busy but kept having tech probs like bandwidth or something then I think it had to change its name. I lost interest it closed not long after. People moved to fb other similar niche forums. I made rl friends through meet ups still see a couple now and then. This is this is the first forum I have been on since, and ended up here by accident as I actively avoided it, as I thought MN and NM were the same. It was only through Google's continual references to this site when I was searching for stuff, read a few threads and decided liked the style. (by the way I had never heard of penis beaker until I joined)

SaucyJack · 30/12/2014 22:49

Yes!

Were you on there? Gis a clue.

MuscatBouschet · 30/12/2014 22:50

Twitter and Facebook forums meet most of my interests now, except for the two I'd rather not reveal to the world:
1 is for my chronic medical condition and is the only place in the world I can meet people who understand and sympathise.
2 is reading nonsense on mumsnet!

Ps lots of teacher talk on Twitter, if you know where to look...

Picturesinthefirelight · 30/12/2014 22:50

As well as mumsnet I use two other forums, Balletco & notapushymum.

There are several posters I know in real life so it's a different feet, but both are great for information for me & dd.

Lucked · 30/12/2014 22:52

I am now wondering who MrsDiesel and flumpysocks were on the splinter wedding forum. I agree that Facebook can be a problem also not attracting new members.

I don't really have the energy for more than one forum but it is a definite habit now. I am pretty sure I am sticking with mumsnet for now.

thenightsky · 30/12/2014 22:52

I got myself banned from on of the BBC chat rooms for swearing Blush

I used to love the weather one and the Points of View one.

FrancesHB · 30/12/2014 22:52

Another ex wedding forum-er here.

Most of my real life best friends I met through there although only a few of us still post on the break-off forum.

fukkigucci · 30/12/2014 22:52

I was on babyworld. Might try and login later and see if it's all still there.

needaholidaynow · 30/12/2014 22:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FrancesHB · 30/12/2014 22:54

Baby greenhouse was also really lovely. I miss it.

ilovesooty · 30/12/2014 22:55

thenightsky I was reprimanded by the mods in the BBC Strictly Come Dancing chat room because I upset some members by being less than complimentary about the sainted Anton Du Beke Grin

CalamityKate1 · 30/12/2014 22:59

Loved BMC in its heyday.

Theorientcalf · 30/12/2014 23:03

Handbag was great, an alternative forum was set up from it which went on for a long time.

I was a member of a forum that also died, a member then set up another forum from it, but without any traffic no one new joined so everyone stopped posting which was sad as at one point it was great.

Inertia · 30/12/2014 23:10

Another ex-BGHer here- that sprang from a wedding forum, but I can't remember what the wedding forum was called.

BathshebaDarkstone · 30/12/2014 23:12

I used to be on the Lush cosmetics forum but didn't have internet access for a few years and now can't log in! Xmas Sad

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