SF disappears, for a bit.

treeguy64

treeguy64

Hari Om, y'all!
Location
Austin, TX.
Yesterday, I tried to get on our site, several times, only to find that was not possible. I went to a "Is this site down?" site, and confirmed that SF was not online. I then did a search for other senior sites, and found one I could join. Against unbelievably high odds, I found Holly on the site. She told me that she couldn't access SF, either. She went on to tell me that she had experienced a site disappearance in the past, and that site never came back.

This got me thinking: What does SF mean to me? I realized that I actually value, greatly, some of my online friends, here. There are about five people whom I would miss, profoundly, if SF didn't get back online. I even plan to visit one of these folks in the next year, or so.

It's amazing how technology has effected us all, in this modern age. I suppose I could go to a Senior Center, in Austin, and try to make a few friends, but the kinda/sorta anonymity element would be missing, and I feel that very quality of online interactions actually helps us all express our thoughts and feelings, here. Things work well, on SF, for me.

As it turned out, Matrix confirmed that his server had gone down. I'm thankful that it's now back up.

I have to say that the site I visited had a bunch of former SF posters on it, and many were people I had seriously disliked, in here. Predictably, they were still spewing the same offensive nonsense they had, in here, previously. The topics on that site were also not of the same quality they are in here. I was glad to get off that site, quickly.

So, what does SF mean, to you? Do you think you might be seriously impacted if it disappeared, for good?
 

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This is the BEST forum I've ever been a member of. Since I'm a loner and deaf and semi-recluse, this is my 'social place' to get my daily ''human interaction''. I like it because I can socialize when I feel like or none at all, it's completely at my convenience. It also stimulates my gray matter by reading others's opinions about issues, get a few laughs, and get advise about any problems. Matrix and SeaBreeze do a good job of moderating the forum and I'm glad they forbid politics.
 

LOL @treeguy64 , I hope none of those posters you refer to in the other forum include me ( btw some of those posters still post here... ).... and just for the record I like many of those people too ... but I'm very pleased you found me last night, even if I did make you worry we might have lost SF... :D

In answer to your question, I've been here at SF for 6 years , and to me it's like a family , more than any other forum of comparative size or larger which tend to have factions of people and cliques, where I feel this whole forum hasn't got any cliques at all ...
I enjoy the company of most people on here and feel I know some very well indeed.. I have the private phone numbers and home adresses, and emails of many.. so to me it means a lot to me as a place to come and chat freely
 
People sometimes dismiss cyber relationships as being somehow less valid than other connections. To me, the only differences between this forum and the old practice of pen pal relationships are the size of the group and the instantaneous communication.

During this life I've had friends from at least a dozen categories: neighborhood friends, school friends, church friends, work friends, etc. SF brings a whole new group: forum friends.

SF members offer terrific advice, plenty of great laughs, excellent recipes, interesting opinions on news events, and relatable in-depth discussions of the joys, challenges and difficulties of life as seniors. We know each other well enough to poke gentle fun, occasionally call BS, and offer apologies when we've hurt someone's feelings or stepped over the line. Real relationships.

I enjoy the wide range of topics, and appreciate this being a safe haven from the divisive political rhetoric that invades nearly every other facet of modern interaction. This is the only forum I participate in and I'd be gloomy indeed if it disappeared.
 
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treeguy64 said:
So, what does SF mean, to you? Do you think you might be seriously impacted if it disappeared, for good?
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I belong to several forums/sites
I'm still active in a handful

This one is simply the best thing goin', geezers or not.

Barring anything political is huge

StarSong said:
SF members offer terrific advice, plenty of great laughs, excellent recipes, interesting opinions on news events, and relatable in-depth discussions of the joys, challenges and difficulties of life as seniors. We know each other well enough to poke gentle fun, occasionally call BS, and offer apologies when we've hurt someone's feelings or stepped over the line. Real relationships.
I enjoy the wide range of topics, and appreciate this being a safe haven from the divisive political rhetoric that invades nearly every other facet of modern interaction.
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Well, that saved me some keystrokes
 
StarSong said:
People sometimes dismiss cyber relationships as being somehow less valid than other connections. To me, the only differences between this forum and the old practice of pen pal relationships are the size of the group and the instantaneous communication.

During this life I've had friends from at least a dozen categories: neighborhood friends, school friends, church friends, work friends, etc. SF brings a whole new group: forum friends.
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hmmm. this just isn't our day StarSong.

Perhaps "dismiss" is too strong a term.

I agree that cyber relationships can be compared to pen pals.

BUT -
neighborhood friends, school friends, church friends, work friends, <<--those friendships are with people you have met in person and spent time with.
That's not the case with SF and (all) forum friends.
 
Catlady said:
This is the BEST forum I've ever been a member of. Since I'm a loner and deaf and semi-recluse, this is my 'social place' to get my daily ''human interaction''. I like it because I can socialize when I feel like or none at all, it's completely at my convenience. It also stimulates my gray matter by reading others's opinions about issues, get a few laughs, and get advise about any problems. Matrix and SeaBreeze do a good job of moderating the forum and I'm glad they forbid politics.
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I agree.. they do a wonderful job!!!!!
 
yes the forum here is better than most I know of - people are more laid back and not quick to judge
but we do get the odd individuals that takes humbridge -but in all its a pleasant site ' especially the non
political issue ---is a v/good point made' as I have seen WW3 take off on a certain site
to name calling and nasty accusations flying around

GLAD a friend told me about it ….!
 
I tried several times to log on as well. SF is a great site. When I could not log on, I was a bit disappointed but figured the site was down. That's the down side of interacting with wonderful people.. the site may go down or worst, is not available any longer. I figured I would give it a try today and TIME TO CELEBRATE🍾🍸 Glad to see the site back up. I learn a lot from hanging with the young at heart folks here on the site.

In my humble opinion, Facebook has nothing on this Forum. I am on this site more than I am on FB.
 
applecruncher said:
hmmm. this just isn't our day StarSong.

Perhaps "dismiss" is too strong a term.

I agree that cyber relationships can be compared to pen pals.

BUT -
neighborhood friends, school friends, church friends, work friends, <<--those friendships are with people you have met in person and spent time with.
That's not the case with SF and (all) forum friends.
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Didn't say the friendships were equivalent, just that they are indeed friendships.
 
pleinmont said:
I have posted on many forums over the years some are better than others, they usually bite the dust in the end.
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I'm pretty sure that happens when the moderator(s) slacken. Like allowing politics, verbally abusive posters, posters that talk smut, posters that could be kids taunting the posters. I was in one a long time ago and quit because you could not have a decent and mature conversation in it.
 
Gardenlover said:
I'm one of the newer people here, but would truly already miss interacting with everyone if the site seized to exist.
Had to look the word hebephrenic up @treeguy64, so it's educational as well. :)
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Thanks for the reminder, wanted to look it up and forgot. Thanks to TreeGuy for adding to my gray matter.

"Definition of hebephrenia. : a form of schizophrenia characterized especially by incoherence, delusions lacking an underlying theme, and affect that is usually flat, inappropriate, or silly. "
 
Catlady said:
I'm pretty sure that happens when the moderator(s) slacken. Like allowing politics, verbally abusive posters, posters that talk smut, posters that could be kids taunting the posters. I was in one a long time ago and quit because you could not have a decent and mature conversation in it.
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When we had politics it got real ugly and you couldn't have a decent conversation about it. Glad politics are gone!
 
treeguy64 said:
So, what does SF mean, to you? Do you think you might be seriously impacted if it disappeared, for good?
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This site has become a pleasant habit for me to visit. Many caring, kind individuals. I must say I think it has evolved to being even better than when I first joined. People now are more open, tolerant, and caring. So now I am loving it here! I think we all appreciate the admins for all they do..for our enjoyment! I would miss it a lot if it closed but don't think I'd die from it. Closing is something many forums have done and if it happened I'd go on but would be sad none the less.
 

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