We're fortunate that this message board is so vibrant, since many others I'm on (for different topics) are dying. One of the reasons is that many move over to facebook (which I loathe) and other "social media" sites. Another board I'm on use to have dozens of posts a day; now if one a week happens, it's a miracle. They all went over to "fazebook." Ironically, since many of those other sites are under little moderation, members who switched to them have complained how "nasty" people are; yet, they remain.
And, sadly, there are undoubtedly members or former members here who succumb to poor health, drastic life changes, and even passing on. There was one here, several years ago, who was a friend of mine and posted under "Barnabas Collins." He was quite active. He and I attended, for one day, the 2003 festival in Brooklyn. He was highly active in child AIDS causes and when we met Marie Wallace, she said she was involved in the same cause and, oh, we all talked, talked, talked. Such a marvelous lady. Unfortunately, he passed away from kidney failure. I posted the news and so many cousins sent their sympathies and then MB and/or Midnite was able to remove his profile. RIP, after these years.
Gerard