RCTN Posts

Definitely seen big migration. Plus, I think a lot of us are trying to not be spending oodles of time with their groups - but who knows. I like to chat here a bit 'cause I feel like I've known our group for such a long time. With my yahoo groups, I belong to the guild groups for EGA & ANG, Sampler life, another Npt group, and one designers group, and the Natnl Embroidery Teachers Asso (but we only talk when there's some announcement or questions) - that's plenty for me. Oh, plus a local stitching group. For the most part I browse the digests quickly, and don't post much (hard to believe). But do if there's something interesting, questions to discuss - on topic. For me, this is the only place I do Off Topic chats.

I think we lament the lowered participation here, but so it goes - sometimes it comes back up, or not.

Ellice

It's the same on all usenet groups and is due mostly to FB and also to the younger generation who have never heard of usenet - they tend to do forums - the FB part is a general consensus on most groups, I don't do FB but that's what they say.

Probably very true. I do participate in Facebook, as do many of the rctners. We frequently send little personal messages to each other; also I enjoy the fact that many of the designers, shops and other similar (kreinik, Hoffman, DMC etc) businesses are there. You get immediate information from them, rather than wait for it to travel down the grapevine.

Lucille is hell on wheels at the version of Scrabble which we play!

Gillian

It's the other aspects of FB I do not like. I believe a lot of people are going to be very sorry about a lot of the stuff they posted there and once up it's extremely difficult to truly delete it.

I'm in Shining Needle, though I am currently unlikely to ever take any of the classes. I'm in two New England based groups, neither of which is very active.

I have a small group on Facebook and do the monthly stitch a longs with a larger group.

I also read a couple of BBS that still exist and that's about it.

I do read several blogs also.

Cheryl

And beats us soundly. I play two different "Scrabble" games - I should introduce Gillian and Lucille to it. But maybe not, as one option (random rules) can result in 1000+ point words.

Cheryl

One of those days when Sheena & I agree. We've resisted joining FB, and while I know that we sort of miss out on some connection possibilities, are concerned with other aspects. Just too much with the handling of privacy material. I too think that many people, particularly in the teens thru twenties, have not grasped the concept of discretion, judgment, and the fact that so much put on facebook ends up quite widespread, with the potential of coming back to bite you in the butt. We all know how easy it is to hit "send" or "Reply to all" and an e-mail that you intended for 1 person, or to edit somehow has hit an unintended readership. The same with FB, although as I understand, due to legal pressures they've made the privacy settings more easily usable.

In the work world, people have been bitten by things they've posted on FB, and for me, going thru the background stuff getting my clearances back again, we were specifically advised to stay off FB. Oh, well.

But, guess I do miss getting to play Scrabble with the crew ;^)

Ellice

Do you find any really young people on the remaining BBSs ? I don't know, but I don't think these Ipads etc. allow for them. I almost think the era of PCs as we know them is passing - it will all be cloud computing on tablet type systems. Pity, but just my opinion.

Gotta agree about FB. I've stayed away and expect will continue to do so. I check in here, (been on newsgroups since the early 90s, hard to break the habit) and a few blogs.

Police in a local county have been investigating a truly despicable FB page made from pages of girls in their teens, using their pictures, etc. As soon as it was "taken down", the instigators put it back up with a "comment for the police. Not nice at all. If one isn't judicious in one's use of FB a lot of trouble can ensue.

Nancy

So now you've got me tempted. Come on Cheryl, share!!!

Lucille

She forgot to tell you how I'm always on the bottom at Bejeweled Blitz

We've had a couple of undesirable things, similar, with the kids here too. It's a worry with young kids.

Ellice,

My husband is like you and your DH. He has no intention of putting anything about himself out into the big wide world. I suspect a lot of this "guarded privacy" comes back from both military and working years, and being cautious is far better than the alternative.

On the other hand, I have been a good kid, and very rarely post anything personal. I use it for entertainment, and also keeping tabs on kids and grandkids. I have to admit, some of the things the teenagers, and preteens post, would have been VERY unacceptable, when I was the active Mom! No TV punishment at the very minimum! LOL

The only way we knew about my stepdaughter's separation, and quick divorce from her husband, was that she was posting everyday to all her friends, and I could read the posts. She is almost 40, and SHOULD know better!

Gill

I think that has a lot to do with it - the work thing. Although, DH knows I'll chat about pretty personal things here, but even though it seems illogical - knowing usenet is so open - I'm not too concerned. Some of the work habits just stay with you 'cause of the not talking about certain aspects all in real life, so not talking about them on line isn't that hard. Though, sometimes it's hard to resist. DH had a very formal upbringing in some respects, although those who know him and his crazy sisters figure some of his reticence is due to them. So, early in our relationship, and at times even now, he'll look askance when we're talking about something with our friends - close friends. The kind of things of life that close friends/family share - what's happening, which he'll think is private - but to me is something that's just a factoid of life (no, not the intimate details). He's finally gotten used to us being able to knock and go in to our best friends house - or to actually drop in - with knocking -without formal appointments.

LOL - I can see that. You're definitely a good kid!

Sometimes it's hard to know what people think. I know other adults - older than me - who use FB (from what I've heard - from them and others)and the entire electronic social networking much as teens or college kids would. What can I say. OTOH, the god daughter graduating from MIT this term is sooooo careful with it that I think her friends make fun of her. She's seen some of the bad repercussions and doesn't want that to happen to her.

Hard to ever know better....

ellice

Ok - watch for the invite!

I saw in yesterday's paper that Disney has acquired a company that does a FB for the under-10 set with parental safeguards, etc. But I ask you, do under-10s NEED a FB experience?

sue

LOL - you should see the weekly NL flash from our HOA. Today's featured a huge article on arranging playgroups, playgroup ettiquette, ways to keep socially connected with the playgroups, and so on and so on .... I guess they do.

I guess they are there though - last weekend I was quizzing my g-granddaughter about her usage and she complained that her mother was so strict and she felt hard done by, so I relaxed lol She'll be ten next month.

There was a study recently that showed children should be doing more writing, cursive style as well. Apparently what is written down (rather than keyboarded) is received into memory cells in the brain far more permanently. I know I always accepted that if I really had to remember something, I was best off writing it down, even if I don't look at it again. There is something about the writing down that works, course I do much more of it nowadays lol

Interesting. I've also seen some of these studies about writing and memory

- for me, as well, I found that taking notes in class really helped, and made studying much less arduous. WRT the cursive, when I took the judging class last year at ANG seminar, the instructor (a really brilliant, exciting, older woman) insisted on writing on the boards in cursive. She stated that it upset her to find that cursive writing was becoming a lost art, and that with so much work being done with keyboards. So, we also had to do some things and write in cursive - her handwriting, much more elegant than most of the students. I hadn't seen anything about cursive writing helping with memory, but surely with some dexterity or pattern recognition.

Thanks, ellice