Quote from: GordonG on September 16, 2018, 02:43:55 PM
As a relative newcomer to Susans, I'd like to chime in. Please don't take offense at what I'm about to say. It just my personal way.
I've mostly stayed away from "personal threads" because the few that I've looked at are rather boring to me as I read the latest posts. I just happened to click on this one. There is just too much to read if I want to start at the beginning. 28 pages just for this one. I'm mainly on the forum for information that is pertinent to me and my situation. Granted that there maybe good information for me in some of these personal multi-page threads. But I have neither the time nor the inclination to read all of it to glean a few "good ones."
Sorry for this interruption. Please continue on.
HANG ON, MY REPLY IS LONG, but please read how some other members such as myself may feel about personal threads.@GordonG Absolutely no problem with you stating your thoughts and please know that your comment is
NOT an
"interruption' but instead it is a rather a good point for discussion ... then please, if you will,
allow me to chime in with my own thoughts regarding
personal threads.
Many longer personal threads that are authored by longer term members are of great interest to other members that have followed them back when the thread was started and the earlier comments were first posted. Many of the followers of those longer threads have developed Forums friendships with the authors over time and enjoy the give and take of comments... and they are genuinely interested in the author's transition and life progress and in almost all cases both the
author and the
follower consider the
personal threads to be educational, instructional, inspiring and encouraging.... and fun to follow and read.
The big advantage of all of this is that when the
author is going through difficult times, it is then an opportunity for the readers and followers to provide encouraging words, a virtual hug and a shoulder to lean on for the author....
....
as was exactly the case with the recent happenings here on this "Jess's Mess" thread authored by @Jessica.For many newcomers, but certainly not all, I suppose that the longer threads could perhaps be considered
"boring" as you stated, because there is a lot of history stated on those longer threads that the longer term followers can most appreciate....
...I can see where a newbie might be not inclined to start at the beginning and that is certainly their choice.
In my case, my personal thread "
"I am the HUNTED PREY : Danielle's Chronicles""
is of now 68 pages of 1368 posts/comments. Yes it is long, but hopefully
not boring as is evidenced by the fact that I still get comments and PMs from new followers that tell me that they took the time to go back to the very beginning of my thread, and are now all caught up with my transition journey, and are now making salient comments on my thread, and are enjoying following my life events....
I regularly seek out, follow and read the latest thread comments on my many friends/members longer threads every time I log into the Forums. On my good friends personal threads such as "Jess's Mess" I make a point of seeking it out when I first login to the Forums.
Obviously not all new-comers with feel this way. That is why it is important that as members here, new or old, that we consider having the mindset of developing friends on the Forums as we exchange give and take comments on other's threads. A new-comer making a friend with another like-minded fairly new member will then have personal interest in following their new friend's transition and life journey and that goes both ways.
Certainly it is your decision as to how you want to be involved in the forums, and if you only wish as you stated...
"I'm mainly on the forum for information that is pertinent to me and my situation." ...then you will certainly find what you are looking for.
The Susan's Place Forums is a treasure trove of salient and pertinent information of interest to all of the members here.
Again, thank you
@GordonG for expressing your thoughts on all of this and I hope that my resultant thoughts helped you to understand how some of the longer term members feel about their own personal threads and the personal threads of their Forums friends.
Wishing you well, and please enjoy your time here on the Forums.
Danielle