Why do you come to Gransnet?

Please keep posting Jaycee55

I talk to myself most of the time, It doesn't put me off.

Helpful chat and opinions. Sharing problems or difficulties. Virtual conversation like the chat that went on during busy working life.

Bluebell I relate entirely to what you said. I like to read about how other people cope with situations I find myself in and when I do occasionally make a comment it is completely ignored. That is fine by me as I do not need a reaction but I am sometimes shocked by the replies some people receive and this has put me off posting. Nobody likes to be judged and I think most people only benefit from positive reactions or none at all.
GN has helped me put my problems in perspective, however, when I read how other people cope with the problems in their lives - that is why I come on here.

I haven't recommended to anyone - I am more 'open' on here than I would be with anyone except a couple of good friends and I value that.

I come here for the company and the advice and opinions on everything and anything. Makes a difference to my life. I agree with kittylester about not recommending to others as you be able to be more open.

Shared responses, helpful discussion, useful tips and above all, support for posters who need it. Sometimes the compassionate responses are amazing.
Competitions, especially for books; comments on tv, radio and films; possibilities for meet ups; online friendships.
Not so keen on childish online fights especially when they derail threads and drive people away. Such a waste of time.

I recommend it to posters getting an online verbal bashing on other boards. I tell them it is generally much calmer waters!

Gosh haven't been on GN for a few days, this is a long and interesting thread. Umpteen reasons, I was a fairly new grandparent at the inception of Gransnet so it seemed an ideal forum, like many I had lurked on MN and still do, but of course that site is far more geared up to parenting as it's name suggests. I enjoy a lot of the general chat. The political threads are often contentious, particularly when they are the same half a dozen or so posters recycling similar arguments ad infinitum, I find the nature of the debates just perpetuates aggression and are imo a self defeating waste of time.

There are many other threads which have been really good sources of information everything from Health, books, films, travel, all good for exchanging views and even getting answers to problems.

The "cut out of their lives" thread is often paintful to read and I feel for those who are in that position. Sometimes interlopers seem to want to stir it up over there, but I don't think anyone who hasn't been through their situations should interject. Clearly they have formed a support group and I think that's what they do "support each other".

I like the "Good Morning" thread, it's typically British to talk about the weather and it's interesting to see how diverse that can be in our relatively small country. Someone else mentioned PRINTMISS, she hasn't posted on there for a while now, so hope all is well with her and her family.

I wonder whether GNHQ could send an email that says something like "Posters have noticed that you haven't posted for a while. Have you decided to leave? We hope not . . . " and so on. They could send it out if they are alerted to the prolonged absence of someone who would be espected to be posting.

I do mention GN to friends in conversation. Not sure if anyone has followed it up yet.

Information for me and making a contribution to others

We have recently downsized to an apartment and have virtually no storage space for archived stuff, as in loft, shed, garage or spare bedroom. I have dozens and dozens of photo albums and loose photos going back over a hundred years. Can't bear to throw them away and haven't got family who could store them. At a loss what to do!

I don't know because I've only once had anyone get back to me.

I enjoy the general chat, household and medical tips and if possible helping others with similar problems to myself and vice versa. Not interested in games,competitions or political posts. One of the posters on this site has mentioned "nasty" posts, I haven't really come across any and if I do I would ignore them. One thing that stands out most of all on Gransnet is that everybody is mature enough not to use profanities, unlike Mumsnet where every other post is littered with them. I unsubscribed from mumsnet because of it, it is totally unnecessary to use such language particularly in writing.

I've mentioned to a couple of friends that I'm on GN but not actually recommended that they join up, perhaps I should.
That's an excellent idea Elegran re GNHQ emailing absent members, just to check if all is well with them.
There seems to be a groundswell of opinions that the majority of posters don't enjoy the conflict that often ensues on some of the political threads and that many of us enjoy the support, humour and general chat.

Start a thread under 'ask a gran' might elicit some answers, netgran

I like the conversations and general subjects I don't always reply to some of the stories especially the ones to do with family, some of those are quite sad that a lot of people have problems with sons and daughters and other members of the family.
I am retired and I love my iPad it's opened up so much of interest on different subjects.

I agree with many who posted on this thread,but I'd like to add what I've gained,quite unexpectedly from GN,and that is confidence. I've seen that so many other GNs have similar approaches to problems as I do. Recently I've noticed that I'm far more assertive and the world hasn't fallen apart with me being like that. Thanks to all who post. Even if you don't get recognition every time,you can be sure you're reaching out to someone. I'm off to put the sick bucket out for someone else to wash out!

Elegran that is a good idea and I hope that GNHQ could perhaps do that. I notice some posters who used to contribute quite regularly are missing or post very rarely indeed. If they had posted about problems or coping with an illness we do wonder if everything is all right with them.

Liked your post, joyfully!

I too use Gransnet to see what other people are thinking, sharing problems and having a laugh.
I agree that it would be nice if it was a bit more interactive, so that you could respond to a post without having to go all the way to the end of the thread by which time the original subject may have gone off at a tangent.
I quite like the political discussions, and it's good to have a bit of debate. I do find it strange tho', that having a different opinion to someone can result in being called unpleasant names. Surely the art of debate is to convince by intellectual strength, not bullying? Or, of course, we can always politely agree to differ!

I found Mumsnet first. I joined them because I wanted an insight into the way young mums thought, to hopefully help me understand my DIL. I still enjoy Mumsnet more than Gransnet and threads such as the recent one on vacuuming the mattress have reduced me to tears of laughter, others have had me checking a thread repeatedly when anxious or over invested about a situation a fellow mumsnetter Is dealing with, and the sad ones where everyone rallies round to support someone in trouble.
I don't get the same feeling from Gransnet and hate when the same few members dominate a thread with nasty bickering. I am not against disagreement, but a few people on here need to pull their heads in. Perhaps Lara we might be allowed to vote for a "time out" for the worst offenders?
A crossover of the best threads from Mumsnet would let Gransnet members see how to inject a bit of humour and vibrancy into topics. (A good start would be the
mattress one!)
If the threads were more interesting then members would be automatically recommending the site to others.

I love reading other posts. I enjoy posting on the good morning threads, and I like the books/competition section, too. I also like the good advice offered by GNs.
Some posts can be a bit unkind (or come across that way but perhaps not meant) but on the whole, GNs are friendly and supportive.

Fun, friendly advice and some interesting discussions. Now and then things get a little heated, or even boring when some posters 'takeover' a thread and bang on about something. But mostly posters are informative, friendly and interesting