Sad...missing cousins

[Patti Feinberg]

I just went on the Members List; I always look at Date Registered.

With the exception of 2, there were at least 12 people who used to be on here alot, who, least length was two YEARS, there were one or two that it's been OVER ten years.

I really, really miss these cousins.

Patti

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, just like people come and go in real life, the same thing happens on the forum. But something that's not so secret because we've mentioned it many times before is that more members (and former members) than you might think visit the forum without logging in. I'm not quite sure why some members prefer to visit as guests - perhaps to remain anonymous to other members - but the admins can often tell that they've been here, especially if we bother to look at the forum's private stats, which is something we don't always do.

So trust me - a lot of the people you may be missing are still around. It's just that they're lurking in the shadows...

[Uncle Roger]

This is true. Several people at the festival spoke to me about stuff that has been posted here, even though they haven't posted anything in some time.

[KMR]

And there could also be some people whose devices have been blocked from the forum. My tablet has been "banned" from the forum for quite a while, for a reason that is totally unknown. Thankfully my computers and phone still can get through. But some people might not have ready access to alternative devices.

[Gerard]

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

[Uncle Roger]

Some cousins posted from work. When the workplace cut back on unsupervised internet usage, that curtailed a lot of postings.

And you are right about the Facebook groups, Gerard. Some are well moderated and a lot of fun. Others are simply not. The so-called Official group (which is anything but official) is overrun with nastiness and cyber bullying.

I have been wondering about Magnus. I know that he has been having health issues and other problems for some time now. I hope that he finds his way back here.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

We've heard from a lot of people who've said they can no longer post because they can no longer visit Internet sites at work and they don't own a computer.

And Magnus has been in my thoughts, too...

[Uncle Roger]

Magnus has posted a couple of things on his Facebook page (we aren't Facebook friends so I am not able to comment on them). The posts were very vague and conveyed no real information but at least he's still out there.

[Patti Feinberg]

I hear from Magnus alot.

He's not doing great, but, at least he's still doing.

Glad to know some people 'lurk'.

CAUSE WE MISS YOU.

Patti

[Josette]

Thanks Uncle Roger and Patti - I've been meaning to ask about Magnus.  A while back he posted about his problems and then I realized that he hasn't been here for a couple of months. 

[michael c]

unless i'm mistaken registration has been shut down for several years...


so as older members drift away they are not being replaced by new ones. it's simple attrition.


and as i recall when the Sci-Fi channel used to air the show there was much more daily chatter.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Yes, the Sci-Fi showings prompted a lot of discussions. And we've actually heard from other members who say they're not really interested in talking about DS unless/until it's running on another channel, mostly because they don't own the VHS or DVD sets.

As for registration, despite SMF supposedly putting in safeguards to block them from doing so, way too many bots were registering, and that was a nightmare to wade through. Perhaps once we upgrade to SMF 2.1 they'll have a more effective way to block them and registration can begin again...

[Gerard]

Hey, MB, what's wrong with bots?  Some of us here might be interested in purchasing aluminum siding or a Russian bride.

They are the bane of any message board or group.  They've, along with other factors, ruined all the yahoo groups with their spam-and-run.  They create profiles, load in a lotta spam, then cancel their profiles and create new ones to do it all over again.

I wonder what Collinwood would've looked like if Elizabeth decided to cover it in aluminum siding.  Or, after his debacle with "Cassangelique," Roger decided to get himself a Russian bride.

Gerard

[Patti Feinberg]

Or, after his debacle with "Cassangelique," Roger decided to get himself a Russian bride.

Roger could NOT handle a Ruskie bride...Barnabas couldn't either. We'd need Julia to keep those 'women' in line (sick Adam on 'em).

[Bob_the_Bartender]

Hey, Patti,

Heck, Quentin couldn't even handle having a Romanian (?) gypsy bride/wife in 1897!  And, let's not even get into Carl Collins' disastrous (as it turned out) romantic relationship with a British/cockney singer/medium!   

Bob