Why did you join gransnet?

Saw it mentioned as a new site for grandparents several years ago. I moved south in 2007 and left behind some very good friends. Needed to talk to others of a similar(ish) age and with both common interests and diverse opinions.

I have a mental image of many posters, which is probably totally wrong. Both GNetters I've met up with have been very different from my mental image. One who I pictured as a dark haired tall person, was a petite blonde and the other, who I pictured as a tall hippy type was a petite redhead!!!

(Should that be 'whom'?)

Curiosity

I'd been a member of a live chat room (name escapes me) I loved it, all ages, all types and nothing too serious but to my horror it closed down. I was looking for a replacement, and first found not Mumsnet but the other one that sounds similar to this. I hung around for a few weeks but didn't like it. I think I found my way here via Google. I've been a resident a few years now so I guess I like it here

Nosiness! I had come across one lady on several other forums, (who I didn't agree with), and I found she belonged to Gransnet.
So I had a look, and stayed.

I was pretty unwell and a friend sent a link.

Heard about it on the radio.

It is somewhere you can ask questions and have a balanced reply - of all sorts, whether frivolous or not. When I ask my few friends, i have to listen to them droning on and not really answering my question. Sorry, that sounds pompoous, but I'm afarid I'm a bit autistic and have a sense-of-humour by-pass

Since then, I have won several competitons, which m akes it even more attractive!!

I was looking for advice about something (can't remember what)! I did a Google search and Gransnet came up. The advice must have been good because I signed up there and then. This is why my user name is just part of my email address. I was in such a hurry to get started that I couldn't think of a name!

I don't remember how I first came across this site but I like it. Posts have given me several links that have been very useful.

and thought 'wow' a site for grannies! and some non-grannies too Imperfect!

Since then, I have won several competitons lucky you - and that reminds me to enter more!

Well, that didn't come out as expected GrandMattie
Since then, I have won several competitons, etc etc

I saw someone talking about it on bbc breakfast when it first started.

About 18 months ago I was looking for help about an awful situation DD2 was in and Gransnet came up with some very helpful advice. I was still working part time then and also had a very slow laptop so it is only fairly recently, since having a tablet and more time, that I have looked on it regularly. Have never been on a forum before.

I occasionally looked at MumsNet, but found it a bit too strident in tone, for me.I originally saw an article about Gransnet starting up, in a newspaper. We are in our 14th year of minding various GC, and it's lovely to hear about everyone else's experiences.
I, too, have won several prizes, and I love the books selected for review.

Heard a couple of radio/tv discussions leading up to the launch so dived in on first day!
Would really like to look again at those first posts but have never been able to find them.

Same as Rubysong - I happened to find an article about being a long distance grandparent which was on GN. I had never heard of it nor did i ever imagine myself joining in. However, it really helped me to deal with having our only DGD in the US as I realised how others coped perfectly well in similar circumstances.

Though no longer a long distance grandparent, I still enjoy reading some of the threads and have made some lovely friends which was an added, though unexpected, bonus

I joined after me old mate Marelli told me about it.

I had a little lurk, back in 2011, and I thought "Now they look like a polite, sedate, accommodating bunch of people who indulge in measured discussions and wouldn't dream of being abrasive and rude and chucking verbal bricks at each other!" ? I left for a while, but couldn't stay away! I enjoy the diverse nature of the dialogue, and the chance to be a gran amongst grans (and grandads of course!).
I only belong to one other forum and that because it gives me a chance to glean a lot of information about my primary hobby that I wouldn't get elsewhere, but it is male dominated and while they are always generous with their help and advice, and there are interesting and intelligent discussions to participate in, their banter, whilst often hilarious, is not of the sort that i feel comfortable joining in with!

I stumbled on it via Mumsnet, which is been idly browsing when my DD was pregnant. I've been a member close on a year - I'd have joined long before if I'd known of its existence!

I'd been, not is been!

I hoped for an old biddy version of Mumsnet. Sadly it's not.

I was a relatively new grandparent when I heard about The Gransnet start up on the back of Mumsnet, I did lurk there for a while, I still do sometimes, I like their book threads and some of my favourite reads have been from recommendations there. At their worst some of them can be an aggressive lot and think nothing of littering their posts with expletives, probably a bit too frequently, maybe it's the age demographic. At it's best GN is a great site for advice, support, information, swapping experiences, general chat covering an enormous spectrum of subject matter. It's very useful for posting queries about almost anything really, medical matters, travel, cooking I think it's safe to say that there is often someone who will pop up with a useful suggestion or even the answer the poster was looking for. Of course some of the threads can be heartbreaking such as "cut out of their lives" or bereavement threads and I really hope those people get a lot of moral support here when they need it.

I too joined Mumsnet as DDs had been enjoying it and found out that Gransnet was starting up, so gave it a shot. I still get the MN emails (although the new daily one is just too much IMO!) and enjoy some of their threads but feel that GN is more like home - provided I avoid the politics threads...

When we were told we were going to be grandparents - woohoo! - DSIL laughingly said she supposed I'd be joining Gransnet. I'd never heard of it, but came on to have a look, and have stayed. Mumsnet's a bit full on for me these days, and so is the other scary site I used to be addicted to. But I tried this one for size, dear bears, and it was just right

I joined Mumsnet when dd1 was pregnant in New York and kept asking things I suspected might have changed since my day. I then joined Gransnet when it surfaced. I still like the abrasiveness of Mumsnet but don't like it on here. I need zen moments on here and people being lovely to each other.

It's rather sad really. I heard about Gransnet when a member went missing on a mountain walk and I was amazed by the way her online friends rallied around. Had a look at the site and got hooked.