Is it just me?

Hi Juliette, you can always go off piste in a thread, you can send them a private message or start a new thread.

Juliette, you could always PM someone to ask a question like that if it is likely to get lost.

No pedants are allowed in soop's either.

I forgot to mention people that we meet at get togethers with whom I've certainly gelled more.

I agree with Nellie, who put what I was trying to say much, much better.

Nellie and I share a somewhat embarrassing problem, nina and I have son in law problems, lots of us have 'funny' mothers so we connect that way etc etc.

I like people who post a lot because them I get a 'feel' for them.

We did Juliette and had a lovely meal but the weather was flipping awful! We love Ashbourne and have a holiday lodge there.

Join in in soops kitchen, it was started just as GK said because all hell was breaking loose all over the place and, I think, soop thought about leaving but then started a 'gentle' thread. It's a bit silly, very supportive, a bit chunter-y and full of things one would say to a friend but are not (probably) worthy of a thread of their own. IYSWIM

I dont worry about killing threads - i just assume i have had the last word and so must be very wise!

I think joining any new group can be a bit difficult. Friendships have been formed and mutual interests have been established. I haven't been here very long but am slowly gaining in confidence, though I have realised that my grammar and punctuation are a bit suspect and me with an 'O level in English language. I live in fear of pedants corner at the moment. In soops kitchen I'm the one sitting in the corner saying nothing but enjoying the conversation. I want to ask kittylester if she went to Ashbourne the day before her birthday. The thread had moved on before I had chance. Is it acceptable to ask a random question of somebody that isn't relevant to the discussion, or would everyone wonder what I was doing? It's little things like that. Protocol I suppose you'd call it. Just learning really.

Re soops kitchen evolution... as I recall it, it was established for more or less the reasons loopylou mentions, because there was one helluva a barney going on in at least half a dozen threads at once! So soop established the kitchen as a haven of peace and calm.

I don't think there's a clique. Or if there is one, I haven't noticed. I'm too busy burbling around, bumping into things, and sometimes having something to say about them.

I think there are some people that have been around for longer than others. Which means that you would recognise who has started a thread from their style. I'm very pleased that lots of people start threads, because I'm basically lazy. And easily distracted.

But I do like the forums.

I wish those who think there is a clique would list the people they think are in the said clique. I'd love to know if I am!

I don't think there are "cliques". Just a group of posters who post more regularly than others.

There are bound to be those who are drawn together as they share the same interests and outlook on life.

There are a number of people who have been in nursing, or social work, or teaching or other such jobs who have been able to offer more informed comment on the appropriate threads.

In any social gathering you tend to find you get on the same "wavelength" with some posters and not with others. This is real life!

It might just be that you discover in repeated postings that you share the same sense of humour, or have similar family issues with someone so it is likely that you will be chatting with that "group" more than others.

Anyone in here can post on any thread. Whatever interests you most.

Maybe I'm particularly unobservant (No, I KNOW I am) but I had never noticed a clique. If anything I just thought that some bothered to post more than others, who were more content to lurk. Maybe it's more about shyness or lack of confidence? Which could easily lead to feeling excluded.

There is definitely a clique. But who I perceive to be in the clique would be different to others peoples.

Or an 'agree' and a 'not agree' button? I often see posts I want to agree or disagree with and haven't got time to do an answer. People who feel a bit under attack might be given some reassurance that way? Or have their worst fears confirmed!

Me too!

wheniwasyourage See - it's not you!!

If there was a 'like' button, I'd like your post pompa

Not sure how a forum like this can be cliquey. Anyone can join any thread and I'm sure will be read.
As far as an inner circle, perhaps, as the same people tend to like similar subjects and post on those threads. There are some that I regularly find posting content that is interesting to me, or have views that I find interesting. But, it is mostly the subject of a thread that attracts me, not the contributors. WE do also get to know the on-line persona of each other and as in real life, bond with some, not with others.

I am here kitty, another one of those early mornings for me.

I don't think there is an inner circle but those of us who have been here a while get to know a bit about each other which could appear cliquey. And, of course, some of us have met up. People who have had similar experiences maybe seem cliquey sometimes.

For those of you who are confused by 'soop's kitchen', please come in and linger. It's a place to offload minor irritations, eat calorie free cake, drink wine and listen to the tinkling of the piano. It's very gentle and welcoming!

Bet I've killed this thread now!

This is a test; I'm another one who thinks she kills threads.

I check the active page several times a day on my phone. It amazes me when I come accross a thread four pages long like this one that I haven't seen before.

I wouldn't usually post on one this long on the premise that it's probably all been said but I would and have read the whole thread.

When I come on to GN I automatically go to 'Active' and catch up with as many threads as I can in the time I have and I read ALL the posts on the thread - even if, by the time I get to them, the threads are several pages long. It would never occur to me to discriminate about whose posts I read. My major problem is that with being away so often or being busy for days at a time there are some threads that I miss, or that I've joined too late to have anything useful to say. There are some names that I know well because they've been here from the start and others that appear often enough that I recognize them now, but there are so many newish Grans (I'm glad to say) that I find it harder to get a sense of personalities - although I think that might have more to do with my lack of memory than anything else.

Well, it's all very interesting. I haven't thought about it much. I like getting thoughts down and things off my chest, then I tend to forget about it, although I do find myself worrying about people's problems on here as I do my work. I come on once or twice a day and read the Last Hour, but realise that I have probably missed quite a few threads, I don't read them all by any means although it's tempting to stay longer.

So do yours, jings! There are a few other I usually get right too. Not many though.

No. Never thought of doing that. Bags' do usually jump out at you though.

I think I'm pretty adept at spotting yours, bags !

Yes.

Does anyone else look at a thread title and then try to guess who the OP is?