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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:
CalleighDoodle · 30/12/2014 23:13

Bounty was very entertaining! I frequented baby expert until they changed it and risked a lot of people's privacy by changing user names. I also used confetti all the time when planning my wedding.

Anyone old enough to remember hotel chat?!

MrsDiesel · 30/12/2014 23:23

Thanks Lumpy I managed to figure it out by googling one of the ex members who I think turned out to be a troll just as I left, letter pants. But now I can't remember my login name so still can't log on.

raltheraffe · 30/12/2014 23:25

Twitter killed off a lot of forums.

MrsDiesel · 30/12/2014 23:28

SorryFlumpy not Lumpy

Frances I am wondering who I was too!

WineWineWine · 30/12/2014 23:28

Uk mums, that changed to Uk parents that combined with Parents Lounge to form to Uk parents lounge.
And various spin offs, Behind the bike sheds, The Priory.

therockinghorseroll · 30/12/2014 23:34

ilovesooty who was the question troll on MN, not gobbyloggon?

Quiero · 30/12/2014 23:36

I used to go in chat rooms when the internet was new but the first forum I got into was pig2twig. It was a diet book by India Knight where we all constantly spouted shit about it definitely not being a "diet" it was a "way of eating". It was supposedly really healthy yet you had to take about 10 different supplements and vitamins every day just to function. There were some lovely people there though.

TracyBarlow · 30/12/2014 23:38

Flumpy MrsDiesel Frances are you talking about DW? Lots of crossover between here and there!

ilovesooty · 30/12/2014 23:39

therockinghorseroll I can't remember the username but not him. He was definitely here for a bit though - I spotted him.

BreconBeBuggered · 30/12/2014 23:57

I was a very active user of a really friendly forum that's now all but dead. Posters were drifting off to write unmoderated stuff on FB and Twitter, and mods got a bit heavyhanded and started banning some of the more controversial members, leaving the rest of us with nobody to bounce off. I only post there now to piss off the moderators by giving them drivel to censor. Some days, if it wasn't for me, there would be literally no posts. I am such a twat.

FamiliesShareGerms · 31/12/2014 00:03

I used to be on some odd site that was a general knowledge quiz (first to get the right answer got lots of points) that also allowed players to chat at the same time. Was a great way to while away the time when I should have been studying, but suspect it went the way of Ceefax and was too low tech to survive

MrsDiesel · 31/12/2014 00:05

Tracy I think the one I am on about is just called Awedding forum.

McSqueezy · 31/12/2014 00:12

I was on 2 forums during my previous pregnancies that were very busy.

The first was Pregnancyinfo.net (I think it was then). It was a very busy site during it's time (2005-2006). I think it went off to Internet Heaven, as it seems to have disappeared. It was very basic though, I don't think it really kept up with it's competitors. Just faded away instead.

Four years later I returned to Babyandbump.com. That was an extremely active forum in 2009-2010. I found the single parent section especially helpful, but there were many sections and lots to talk about. Mainly women from the UK, they were all very nice and sensible. When I returned for the 3rd time 18 months ago, they'd changed the format and it had slowed down considerably. I personally think it is also dying a slow death.

knackered69 · 31/12/2014 00:18

Another ex -bmc-er here - I went on some awesome meets! BWM

judydoes · 31/12/2014 00:42

Did anybody use Javajane (the ladies cafe or TLC or something like that)? think it was known by all of those names.

cherubimandseraphim · 31/12/2014 00:48

I also still miss BGH - I still wonder about some of the posters on there and how they're all doing. I'm sure a few must be here (in fact I know of at least a couple ;) ), but people on there shared more personal info and were quite open about their RL lives which I miss.

cherubimandseraphim · 31/12/2014 00:49

(And I was taking an Internet forum break - new job, v busy - when BGH died, so I never even knew why it had gone or what happened! :( )

Tobeemoree · 31/12/2014 01:05

Also a (recent) DW crossover, from way back when H'd was yellow.....

YonicSleighdriver · 31/12/2014 01:37

I miss Television Without Pity.

judydoes · 31/12/2014 02:18

What was BGH, please?

Quitethewoodsman · 31/12/2014 02:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

zoemaguire · 31/12/2014 03:15

The bliss premature baby charity forum used to be a busy thriving community. They did an upgrade that pretty much killed it off.I just had a look and the main board has about a post a week on it. I still get cross that by prettying it up they basically killed it off, and still wonder if anyone there ever thinks 'hmm, we fucked up there'. I doubt it. Sadly some charities know sod all about the web. Some company comes along and says 'shall we charge you £££ to make your website all snazzy?' And they board of trustees go 'oooh yes please', but with no actual clue about the difference between snazzy and usable:(

fatowl · 31/12/2014 04:17

I used to go on Parentslounge, it was great back in 2004/5, not been on there for years now.
I'm a member of a Guiding forum that is very quiet now, it used to have tons of great resources and the forum was very busy. I think FB has killed it really.

Ohnonotagain2 · 31/12/2014 06:07

I used to love TES forums but the new look completely ruined them. I'm also sick and tired of a certain expert poster on there shooting down anybody's ideas or questions, particularly those about interviews.

echt · 31/12/2014 06:26

I used to post pretty regularly on the TES site until its frankly bewildering re-jig.

There were some ace posters there, as well as some total ringpieces.

I liked the film/word/literary games.

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