ARCHIVING OF MARPLE COMMUNITY FORUM

[admin]

A quick update - please note that any accounts not used to log in for 100 days or longer have now been deleted.

[Dave]

A bit late to the party here, but I'd like to echo the comments and thanks from other members of this forum, Mark.  Yes, it seems that Facebook has made it redundant, but in its day this was a fine debating chamber, notable for its penetrating punditry on a wide range of matters.   But you kept it (mostly....) civilised, Mark, and it was often an excellent place for good-humoured discussion, which was occasionally even well informed. 

As others have said, Facebook is a very poor substitute. So thanks again for all your good work in running the forum Mark, and long may the website itself continue.   

[amazon]

Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to make kind comments in this thread.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank @Howard for his help and support as moderator throughout the forum's heydays.

Just to give a bit of an update on membership, all registered users who haven't logged in for more than 12 months have now been removed.

That will remain the philosophy for the immediate future, so every now and again I'll have a little purge.

I've also added a new board called News and Announcements this morning and moved a few topics that I think may be worth updating in the future.

Sorry to see the forum go but i think it has served its purpose glad you not closing all of the website down were can i find minutes of your monthly meetings i enjoy reading them .

[admin]

Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to make kind comments in this thread.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank @Howard for his help and support as moderator throughout the forum's heydays.

Just to give a bit of an update on membership, all registered users who haven't logged in for more than 12 months have now been removed.

That will remain the philosophy for the immediate future, so every now and again I'll have a little purge.

I've also added a new board called News and Announcements this morning and moved a few topics that I think may be worth updating in the future.

[WJH]

I am really sorry that the website is coming to an end.  I have used it for information of what is happening in Marple as I do not use Facebook and will not in the future.  I will also miss all the comments and arguments on various topics. 

Thank you Mark for all the time you have spent running the website.  I will miss it very much.

[Howard]

I'm also sad to see the forum wrapping up; it really has been useful on a number of key local topics over the years. Most traffic does seem to have moved to Facebook but I deleted my account years ago and I tend to rely on my wife to provide me with edited highlights from the couple of local groups. From what I've heard they seem to consist of people moaning about the usual, adverts for hair/nails, or yoof-spotting. There really doesn't seem to be any other option either; Nextdoor is even more toxic than Facebook and the other social media platforms aren't suited to local news.

Local newspapers were supposed to have morphed into "hyperlocal" sources but we've all seen that people would rather have "free" than pay for properly sourced local news. On that point, the MEN is now part of the Reach plc group and is identical to all the other former local newspapers...can I recommend people to subscribe to https://manchestermill.co.uk/ which is a quality long-form journalism project replacing much of what the MEN used to do.

Anyway, it has been and still is a pleasure to be involved in the forum. I've mentioned to Mark a couple of places where the content could go (e.g., archive.org and the Wayback Machine). Whatever happens, it's been a super-useful resource.

So long, and thanks for all the fish...

[tonyjones]

Like the previous correspondents I have always found this forum very informative, even if they did wander off topic sometimes !
Facebook and the like are too full of rubbish to be taken seriously. From what I have seen they are frequented by people with nothing better to do than post garbage.
Over the years Mark (&co) have done a wonderful job managing the forum and it will be sadly missed.

[Cyberman]

I'm very sorry to see it go too - many thanks to those who've kept it going. I intensely dislike Facebook - I occasionally look at the Marple Community Hub page but it's too full of ads for full body tans and doggy manicures for my liking. And if you're looking for something specific it's a hopeless task. I like the searchability of this old-fashioned website. I will miss the lively discussions like the College/Supermarket drama, and the thing that happened in 2016 - I forget what. Might even have to revert to IRL discussions at the pub.

[Condate]

Like so many people, I don't use Facebook or the like. This forum has been an invaluable resource and its closure is a major blow to Marple. I am very sorry to see the end of it. Marple is a much poorer place without it. Like other people, I thank you for the work put in to keep it going for so long.

[andy+kirsty]

This is a shame but inevitable.

I've lost many hours on here engaging in good humoured arguments about the local area - Miss Marple and Dan Bank, Duke Fame and traffic / the poor / Brexit, The Railway smoking shelter are more memorable highlights - I know there are many others that I have forgotten about.

I suppose I'll add this to the long list of pubs that we've lost over the past few years, all of which chronicle the changing nature of Marple and the community.

Thanks for all the work Mark and Howard.

Andy

[ROTHERS]

There is nothing stopping anyone from starting a new one ? ProBoards seems to be an easy one to setup.
Personally, i have never used Facewipe, and have no intentions to do so.

[wheels]

I'm with Andrew and not. For so long this was the quick and easy go to place to find out what was going on and for a bit of local controversy.  There is nothing quick and easy about Facebook as it tries to take over our lives.

Who can direct me to the best Facebook group to get my morning  Marple news fix.

Many many thanks Mark. This is a sad day.

[nbt]

Like Andrewm I avoid Facebook wherever possible and it seems s shame that it's so prevalent. I've no intention of goign back there so any businesses who exclusively use it to advertise or promote are missing a potential market - how big that market is, well that's another question

Thanks for everything Mark, this place has been useful over the years but I've definitely seen a change in recent years

[andrewbowden]

This is shame but it's been obvious something wasn't right. At its best this has been a great place to get information, recommendations and more.  As someone who moved to the area six years ago and knew nothing locally, that was invaluable.  It was good whilst it was there

As someone who avoids Facebook like the plague for privacy (and sanity) concerns and who deleted his Facebook account a long time ago, I personally find it rather sad that most local groups end up there, with no facility or even thought for those that don't use it.  It's not a Marple issue - it's everywhere.  I am genuinely amazed at how many businesses will put information about their services on Facebook on pages that can't be seen without an account!  Even when they have their own website!  But what can we do?  Sadly a critical mass of people are over there. 

And on that note, farewell then!  And thanks for the forum!

[admin]

Archiving of Marple Community Forum has begun

This message is to let the few people who still visit know that the process of archiving the Marple Website Community Forum has begun.

I'm not sure how long this will take, I'll do it as and when I have a bit of time, and I'm not completely sure how it will look when it's finished. I may continue to use the Calendar for events and certain sections for announcements about the main web site and the Virtual History Tour. It is clear that the forum in its present form has reached the end of its useful life, loosing its place as the focal point of on-line activity to Facebook Groups and other social media platforms. There is a lot of interesting stuff here, and a lot of dross too. I will be keeping as much of the former as possible but getting rid of the latter.

I will also be progressively deleting most of the registered user accounts on here in order to ensure compliance with GDPR. This process has started with the removal of accounts that haven't been used for the longest and those who have never posted.

Those of you who do still log-in from time-to-time are welcome to reply to this thread with your thoughts and suggestions about this process, or to reminisce if you wish.

Anyone eager to retain their account here, please reply or send me a PM.