'Unspoken' forum rules?

Don't need to do that. That's what Tom is for.

Then leave him to do his job.

Sigh. You see Tom... Anyone care to get back to the OP ? Not accusing anyone of being childish mind you and l am not 'horrified,' 'devastated' or 'gobsmacked' by a thread that changes tack. Just wondering if anyone remembered the OP ...

Original post done to death.

Read your first sentence, Imperfect.

The problem is Imperfect that some posters are only interested in politics and rarely look at other threads, so they have even turned this one into a political arena.?

What is your definition of political, lemongrove?

lemongrove It was people who had a cheap shot at left wingers who turned this thread into a political one.

No it can't be that Eleothan it is, as always, us left wingers who are responsible for it all.
lemongrove if you bother to look I post about lots of things, only tackle politics if it happens to come up, but certainly not going to avoid the subject because others don't like it.

I rest my case!
Move on from politics if you are actually able to.

Your case lemongrove what case? Are you going on holiday?

Back to the OP
Does anybody think, that when they themselves were a newbie on GN, they felt, marginalised, ignored, or unable to join in, or even be a critic? Because I never felt this way.

Never felt that way and I was a 'newbie' once. But then I never considered how long someone else had been on GN or if they had posted lots. I still don't know who has been here longest and who hasn't.

Yes lemongrove I felt a bit the same way when I first joined and there were cliques then. It's not so evident now.

Lemongrove must be one of the longest.

I may well be one of the shortest? unless I wear my 6 inch heels.

I never felt there were cliques. There were people who were regulars and seemed to know each other but you find that when joining any group. Bide your time. Draw your own conclusions and get on with it in the way you feel most comfortable. I certainly wouldn't have dreamt of telling other posters how they should behave.

As Jane said, it would be strange if those of us who had been here a while didn't appear clique ish as we have grown to know each other and some of each other's history over time.

I still think it would be polite for newbies not to weigh in straight away.

It is also polite for members of longer standing (lemongrove ) to be welcoming.

Unfortunately, we can't ensure that.

This image popped up on Twitter this morning and straight away made me think of Gransnet

I don’t feel there is nearly so much cliquiness now as when I joined .As someone from the middle ( in joining times) about 3 or 4 years ago it seemed very evident then cliquiness isn’t about knowing a persons history (that is totally normal) but is felt when people have in jokes or conversations with each other about things only they or a few know about within a thread about something completely different once or twice is normal and newbies need to accept this but when it keeps happening it gets uncomfortable It was like that for a while when I first joined and I kept quiet for about a year but it did seem to die out or maybe my skin got thicker who knows but I do know some people are still scared to voice their opinions on GN

Kittylester: I do think it would be polite for newbies not to wade in straight away. Sorry! Am a newbie and waded right in with at least two (frivolous) threads that had a long following. Didn't mean to be impolite.

I was very interested in AC&GC, as my own problems are along this line but reading it made me feel I had started a book three quarters of the way through: everyone knows everyone else's stories already.

I enjoy Pedants' Corner and loved the recent thread on malapropisms, which made me laugh out loud. I also very much enjoyed the British dry humour that was inspired about a thread asking if we knew the world was ending. I like GN for the humour that transpires so often (miss this a I live abroad). I just choose to ignore the snappy asides that I have seen.

I would like to claim ‘long standing’ but really only ‘middley’ ?( coined new word there.) I agree Kitty about being welcoming to new posters.
Nobody need feel ignored if their posts aren’t answered, other posters still read their comments, and threads move on quickly.

I haven't minded the 'cliquiness' on GN as I think that is a natural part of established friendships and there always will be 'in' jokes. It is also easy to misread things and react without thinking or say something that in hindsight came out wrong. none of us is immune to that. However, 'Newbie' or not, if someone is being actively 'disrespectful' or 'unkind' to someone who evidently may be in distress / in need, then I won't stay silent. And if cliquiness turns into endorsing / supporting such behaviour I will also comment. If that makes me someone who 'weighs in' as 'Little Miss I'mPrefect / Perfect' in other people's eyes I can live with that - and my conscience.

Clearly some posters are saying they have found some elements of GN intimidating, have noticed that sometimes people have been met with harshness that seems inappropriate and some have tended to 'lurk' rather than voice their opinions because they fear being 'derided' or 'shot down in flames.' All I have done is say 'This could be why.'

I wasn't thinking about starting threads guilia as I think you know, I was referring to people taking offence.

We've all been newbies and felt ignored, stopped threads dead (that was my speciality for a while) or felt offended but we need to to get over it.

If we're talking being polite (old, new or inbetweeners): "Do not chastise newbies" is a general and sensible rule on many forums.

A meeting I was in a while ago started with the timewasting and tedious announcement by the Chair "Let's set some ground rules" and someone piped up with "Let's just have one: Act normal." And lo and behold we could get on with the meeting.