[Gizemo33]

Originally Posted by eweissenbach

Not trying to be negative or controversial, but just curious. Does it seem to you that their are far fewer posts that are interesting or entertaining on TOTV than there used to be several years ago? Maybe it is because I have been on here so long that I’ve seen most things that people have questions or interest about. Maybe it is because I’m less interested in what happens in TV than I used to be. Whatever it is I just don’t find as much that interests me on the forum as I once did. Just curious if you find the same or if you disagree.

It could be and probably is that constant censorship over the past couple of years has driven people away from commenting.

I for one have stopped commenting until just now. Way too many articles are removed, Messages are issued by "the company" that your post was reported or that it is too confrontational and you could be denied the privilege of commenting.

It is situations like this that drives people away.

Censorship censorship censorship censorship.

[jojo]

I started posting in 2007. I made friends before we moved here. The forum was "lighter" - more fun and easy-going. It was incredibly helpful to a newbie. Not sure if we can ever return to the non-divisiveness of the most recent years. My hope for the new year is kinder and gentler.

[oldtimes]

Originally Posted by Gizemo33

It could be and probably is that constant censorship over the past couple of years has driven people away from commenting.

I for one have stopped commenting until just now. Way too many articles are removed, Messages are issued by "the company" that your post was reported or that it is too confrontational and you could be denied the privilege of commenting.

It is situations like this that drives people away.

Censorship censorship censorship censorship.

I disagree, I know some who have been driven away by the bullying of some of the posters. It is fine to disagree but to personally attack and belittle people for their opinions turns people away. I have noticed that many of the really witty and interesting people are no longer or rarely posting.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

I thought this thread was talking about the changes in this forum. How come it got changed into a discussion about our country, society and government? That's commonly called a thread hijack..

And therein lies the problem.

[Marywhite630]

Being new to TV, I find TOTV very interesting. It has been very informational and sometimes just quite entertaining! Just an opinion from a newbie.

[KRM0614]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

I'm most interested in politics right now and our voices can not be heard on this forum regarding this subject. I get it....the rules and that sort of thing. I have checked the "Current Events and News" sub-forum each day and there have been as many as four days go by without one single post. That is just ludicrous considering the political climate we are dealing with currently. I go elsewhere for politics discussion and guess what? People can be very civil discussing this most toxic subject.

As far as other subjects and forums on this site, I do find enough to keep me interested so I continue to come back each day. The pandemic is one subject that usually can get by with decent discussion before the treads are closed. I really like to keep up with the pulse of what Villagers are up to.

Why waste your time about politics, it’s all a joke !

[justjim]

OP, You ask an interesting question and one that the Moderators/Owners of this site likely ask themselves from time to time. I still find TOTV interesting and sometimes even entertaining. For example I find information regarding the expansion south of 44 very interesting. That said, I know there is a “search engine” but I find it difficult to get certain information we might want quickly and for it to be current. There are other so called “Neighborhood Sites” that my wife is on and she seems to be able to get the name and phone number of a good Plumber, Electrician, Carpenter or Mechanic faster than I can search or ask for one on TOTV. Sometimes there are many more negative comments than positive when a new Thread is started. Posters are quick to shoot the Messenger if they don’t agree and in subtle ways offend the OP. IMHO it is not “funny” to belittle someone just because you disagree with their comment. Overall we can do better - whether we are “new”or “old” to TOTV. Overall, I think the Moderators do a good job on this site.

[Stu from NYC]

We are just hear almost a year now and was not going to comment but decided to do so.

This place is great for finding vendors of all kinds as well as advise on how to fix a problem. I do not start many threads but two that I did worked very well.

One was on protection from lightning and another finding an appliance repairman.

Also several people reached out to us as having similar backgrounds and have become very good friends.

What I avoid these days are threads on politics and most about the virus. They have become boring and often are disappeared.

As a result a lot less posts from me these days.

For those who like to keep tract of how many posts I do my daily post count is way down.

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by jojo

I started posting in 2007. I made friends before we moved here. The forum was "lighter" - more fun and easy-going. It was incredibly helpful to a newbie. Not sure if we can ever return to the non-divisiveness of the most recent years. My hope for the new year is kinder and gentler.

Thank you, jojo. I, too, have been around here since 2007.

I don’t know how the moderators stand it. There is a predicable, insidious toxicity that has become a part of TOTV.

There are posters who gang up on anyone who thinks differently and are blatant about it while others are more subtle. Because it is TV, the “Us vs. Them” is uneven. Even that “thank you” feature is often used as a tool of the tribal.

The last time I started a thread, it was to ask for info on the Apple Watch. I got excellent information — and I said, “Thank you.” But I also got a condescending snark which caused me to snark back. (I apologized.)

BUT THEN, another poster showed up to take a political hit. It was a thread about an Apple Watch fer gawd’s sake! Don’t those people ever think about anything else. Why are they always waiting to pounce. (rhetorical questions)

That thread was a classic example of what is good and what is bad about the current TOTV. (Yes. I know it was a tame example when compared to the hateful stuff on other internet sites.)

I have posted for all these years like some people might do crossword puzzles or knit. I have written posts to try to help someone. I have had some fun along the way. And sometimes TOTV is theater.

But for the past few years, too much of this place has devolved, turning into a microcosm of what we are seeing everywhere. A lot of people have been manipulated into turning on each other and that behavior carries over into almost everything. Ugly stuff.

Every room full of people has a feel — a tone. TOTV is a room full of people and the feel of the room has changed, especially for those of us who remember how it once was. It will never be like the early days when the “room” was small, but maybe it can get better — depending on who decides to stick around — and why.

Boomer

[STLRAY]

I have found this message board to be very helpful in my plan to relocate to TV in the near future. I thank all those who have responded to my questions in a positive way. I have also noticed that I could post a pot roast recipe and some would find a way to make it political. I just ignore those posts.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by eweissenbach

Not trying to be negative or controversial, but just curious. Does it seem to you that their are far fewer posts that are interesting or entertaining on TOTV than there used to be several years ago? Maybe it is because I have been on here so long that I’ve seen most things that people have questions or interest about. Maybe it is because I’m less interested in what happens in TV than I used to be. Whatever it is I just don’t find as much that interests me on the forum as I once did. Just curious if you find the same or if you disagree.

There are too many boring and mundane threads started here. It's like a sewing club circle discussion of simplistic gossip. There have been threads like, "what is your favorite candy bar?". Someday soon we will get one like, "who likes the color blue and why?" I could take one or two mundane ones every day? But, sometimes they are all simplistic. We have a "Happy Newspaper" that can handle all the liberal arts- type of subjects and pushes propaganda of "Happy Days".

WE should NOT be AFRAID of hard-hitting, controversial subjects that are part and parcel of current events. It is obvious that it is what the community is BEGGING for. ( by the large numbers of pages when we are ALLOWED to finish). WE are in a CRITICAL period of modern History in America. To try to avoid that is to avoid REALITY. Reality will be discussed among small groups here in TV Land anyway. So, why not have 2 or 3 topics on IMPORTANT stuff right here, in the open air, of a popular community forum. The community here is BEGGING for more REALITY - life-saving changes and alterations of behavior must be contemplated in today's dangerous environment. And information is NEEDED to make appropriate and rational decisions. A balance in all things is desirable! Why NOT encourage it here?

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

I'm most interested in politics right now and our voices can not be heard on this forum regarding this subject. I get it....the rules and that sort of thing. I have checked the "Current Events and News" sub-forum each day and there have been as many as four days go by without one single post. That is just ludicrous considering the political climate we are dealing with currently. I go elsewhere for politics discussion and guess what? People can be very civil discussing this most toxic subject.

As far as other subjects and forums on this site, I do find enough to keep me interested so I continue to come back each day. The pandemic is one subject that usually can get by with decent discussion before the treads are closed. I really like to keep up with the pulse of what Villagers are up to.

if my opinion matters, i would like to discuss current events, but it always brings some kind of resentment. if we could manage to be polite & stick to topics, it might help. but this situation is very divided & brings many raw feelings

[oldtimes]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

There are too many boring and mundane threads started here. It's like a sewing club circle discussion of simplistic gossip. There have been threads like, "what is your favorite candy bar?". Someday soon we will get one like, "who likes the color blue and why?" I could take one or two mundane ones every day? But, sometimes they are all simplistic. We have a "Happy Newspaper" that can handle all the liberal arts- type of subjects and pushes propaganda of "Happy Days".

WE should NOT be AFRAID of hard-hitting, controversial subjects that are part and parcel of current events. It is obvious that it is what the community is BEGGING for. ( by the large numbers of pages when we are ALLOWED to finish). WE are in a CRITICAL period of modern History in America. To try to avoid that is to avoid REALITY. Reality will be discussed among small groups here in TV Land anyway. So, why not have 2 or 3 topics on IMPORTANT stuff right here, in the open air, of a popular community forum. The community here is BEGGING for more REALITY - life-saving changes and alterations of behavior must be contemplated in today's dangerous environment. And information is NEEDED to make appropriate and rational decisions. A balance in all things is desirable! Why NOT encourage it here?

Is that a FACT? Do you have a LINK to support it? In my observations these discussions do nothing to change anyone’s mind and are just an opportunity for posturing from users who think their knowledge is superior to everyone else’s.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

There are too many boring and mundane threads started here. It's like a sewing club circle discussion of simplistic gossip. There have been threads like, "what is your favorite candy bar?". Someday soon we will get one like, "who likes the color blue and why?" I could take one or two mundane ones every day? But, sometimes they are all simplistic. We have a "Happy Newspaper" that can handle all the liberal arts- type of subjects and pushes propaganda of "Happy Days".

WE should NOT be AFRAID of hard-hitting, controversial subjects that are part and parcel of current events. It is obvious that it is what the community is BEGGING for. ( by the large numbers of pages when we are ALLOWED to finish). WE are in a CRITICAL period of modern History in America. To try to avoid that is to avoid REALITY. Reality will be discussed among small groups here in TV Land anyway. So, why not have 2 or 3 topics on IMPORTANT stuff right here, in the open air, of a popular community forum. The community here is BEGGING for more REALITY - life-saving changes and alterations of behavior must be contemplated in today's dangerous environment. And information is NEEDED to make appropriate and rational decisions. A balance in all things is desirable! Why NOT encourage it here?

Since you asked....
No WE don’t want those controversial subjects like the board experienced last summer.
I don’t think the community is begging for reality.....only a few, and they almost destroyed the board last summer.
Like I said if you want controversy go elsewhere to find it.

[Pairadocs]

Originally Posted by eweissenbach

Not trying to be negative or controversial, but just curious. Does it seem to you that their are far fewer posts that are interesting or entertaining on TOTV than there used to be several years ago? Maybe it is because I have been on here so long that I’ve seen most things that people have questions or interest about. Maybe it is because I’m less interested in what happens in TV than I used to be. Whatever it is I just don’t find as much that interests me on the forum as I once did. Just curious if you find the same or if you disagree.

You are absolutely right ! This was NOTHING like this when it first began. People "chatted" about things going on (like the progress on Sumter Landing; what was to be our "new" town !), shared and asked for recommendations on various projects. This near "domination" by some folks, always with some kind of insult or put down to people who ask innocent questions. Can the "virus" be effecting people's minds ? Actually fear can be a powerful change agent and we have some very fearful people which, unfortunately, are only made more so by the selected way statistics are presented to them daily. It's a sad commentary, but fortunately, some people have continued to not allow such circumstances to change their personality or character. Thoughts=Character ! May all have a happier holiday season free of fear and vitriol.