Has this forum jumped the shark?

[Havalina]

I feel quite sad thinking this, it used to be so busy and enlightening. It just feels so crap and irrelevant now.

A mix of completely banal questions, troll fodder and behind the curve discourse 😬

These 'MN isn't what it used to be' threads always come up. It's true it has changed, but not necessarily for the worse.

I do agree that it was a lot wittier and funnier back in the day but it was also a lot cliquier (sorry but MN royalty was totally a thing!). It was nice to see the same names over and over but then again I was quite shocked at how much info people put out there about themselves when they were totally recognisable to anyone who knew them in RL.

I don't think the calibre of discussion on the main boards is a good these days, and I don't get 'challenged' on my thinking as much as I used to.

However the FWR board has totally taken off hasn't it! It's not longer just a place for a few staunchly academic feminists who intimidate anyone who dare pop their head in, everyone is over there!

For you Google Refuseniks
Jumped the Shark: "It's a pop-culture reference to when Happy Days went downhill as a sitcom and writers began using cheap tricks and bad gimmicks to keep the show relevant, i.e. when The Fonz jumped the shark. Look it up on YouTube. It's one of TV's saddest moments. It's basically when you have to start flogging a dead horse to breathe some sort of life into something gone stale.
Jumped the Shark is a generational and cultural thing.
It's a very American phrase (so at home in the States, we say it a lot) and also, it's used by people in their 40s and 50s mostly because Happy Days was our childhood show.
I'm almost 50, so it could explain why I'm a bit, "How could you guys not know this???" grin I forget that most people on MN are way younger than me!"

Totally off-topic, but did anyone else think that the Fonz was an arsehole? Was he meant to be self-satisfied, show off prick? Because that's how I saw. I loathed Happy Days.

jumped the shark is used a LOT by TV and film reviewers. In recent Guardian reviews, I saw the phrase much used for both Bodyguard and Line of Duty, for example.

Well I for one am pleased, I’ve learnt a new phrase (and I used to love Happy Days).

Obviously not Flounders corner!!

Is that for people who haven't worked up the confidence to attempt jumping the shark?

I definitely think people are quicker to jump on an OP in a nasty way or deliberately misunderstand/nitpick these days, whereas previously there would have been a lot more humour - nowadays you have to literally signpost 'lighthearted' in an attempt to avoid a pile on.

I'm guilty of not looking much beyond AIBU (and FWR) simply because it's where the most traffic is now, which then becomes a vicious circle - and sometimes vicious is the word!

Generally though, I think most forums go through cycles of "I remember when all this was fields (and it was so much better then)". I also used to post on one of the old BBC message boards and that was a frequent refrain down the years, right up until it closed.

This is the most evenly split vote on AIBU I've seen for some time!

@Sobeyondthehills

Me too! I am very over invested in his and Nala's travels!

I've been on MN just shy of two years and I still really enjoy it. It's heaven compared to the cesspools of Craig's List and reddit.

What's funny is the 200 odd posters saying they think the forum has jumped the shark, but are STILL here and STILL using it.

You have to say, it can't be that bad if they haven't left!

Forums always do this though. People get bored and new people join. The turnover of people is a natural part of them.

Better than jumping the dyson surely.

Jumped the Shark is a generational and cultural thing.

It's also a nerd culture thing in the younger generations - I'm 26 and most if not all of my friends would understand "jumping the shark"' as it's used a lot in discussions of various media

DD met Henry Winkler when he visited her school about 10 years ago. Apparently he was lovely. The teachers said he was really humble - nice to the teachers and great with the children.

Tapas what...? This happened? Oh my days. Can we be like, best friends please?

It's true. HW is dyslexic, and visited several schools in the UK to promote dyslexia awareness. The PTA paid for his books, and he wrote a personal message and signed one each for every pupil.

When can I come over? To do bff things? You tease.

I don't think I'm making it up when I say became on mn and did a chat, possibly about the book you mentioned. He was lovely is my memory of it.

What's funny is the 200 odd posters saying they think the forum has jumped the shark, but are STILL here and STILL using it.

Well there are still useable parts. The political discussion and feminism can be excellent. That doesn't alter the fact that much of the rest of it has deteriorated and that one is much less likely now to wander away from those boards, and become engaged by an interesting thread elsewhere. I find if I do browse I'm usually quite quickly shocked by either unnecessary vitriol or the utter banality.

You can still use things and be irritated by them. You can even still make the same mistakes like offering heartfelt advice knowing the OP is going to whinge to MNHQ that the thread no one forced them to post is "identifying"

I'm in my 50's and I've never heard of that phrase, and I used to watch Happy Days too.

See, you learn something new everyday on MN!

Anyway, to answer your question, yes it has changed over the last few years. As someone else has said, the demographics have changed entirely. Women now have greater access to the internet so there's more variety in the types of women posting and answering. Years ago it was more the middle class women who could afford a desktop and internet, now everyone can access it relatively cheaply.

That's A good thing though, the support I see on relationships is second to none and it's great that any women who needs advice can access it.

I do use the active or last hour buttons though so I can see a wider variety of things.