Originally Posted By iamsally I have found this thread to be very insightful. I personally have refused to give up on LP. I have made too many lasting friendships here. I remember once when things were really active; (a few years ago) I was called a *minimal* poster. Well, a lot of those maximal posters are gone but I am still hanging on.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I used to post around to different sites, but have settled here for a long time. I'm weird though. I like the members who have strong opinions, and miss reading jonvn, fabulous Disney babe, Mr X, Spirit of 74, and so many others. I would really look forward to reading their posts. Now, I've really enjoyed the insights of leemac, mawnck, manfried, Hans Reinhart and my good friend off the boards Kar2oonMan. Like oc_dean mentioned, I know very few people here personally, and that's okay with me really. . Years ago, I was at an LP Meet and met Luku, Dr fruitloop, Candice, davewasbaloo, The Witches!! <-- yes I have met them! and some others from long ago. I still enjoy reading some topics -- the one about TL '67 has been super fun. Post on!
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb The biggest reason I stopped posting is I moved offices and lost the Wi-Fi and the 3G and 4G connection is so sporadic that surfing almost any web site on my smart phone is painfully slow. But, I have a feeling I would have limited my LP visits even with a good connection. Some of the posters have just gotten so toxic it sucked all the fun out of reading, that and my favorite sections get very little new play. I miss it sometimes, but I usually only end up here when I get really bored and my other web sites haven't posted anything new.
Originally Posted By WDWdreamin I still check up on things from time to time. I first came here when I started becoming a real Disney fanatic. It was a needed escape for me. Now that I've been to WDW twice, I have some other things on my mind. Also, I didn't enjoy the negativity. I still enjoy Disney a lot, and some things this page has to offer a lot. The best are the people, for me. I also agree about the not just positive messages about princesses part especially. And I hate the giant signatures with all the pictures and moving parts.
Originally Posted By oc_dean >>Years ago, I was at an LP Meet and met Luku, Dr fruitloop, << LUKU ?? ;0) LOL I'm sure you meant Lulu. I've been posting here for 13 years. Did I just say THIRTEEN years??? :O I still see plenty people posting. If I want the latest news .. or latest rumors ... LP is right on the beat! Posters come and go. That's the nature of them all. They all try other places - From Micechat (I've seen westsider, the witches, Aladdin) over there ... cstephens at mouseplanet. Others surely migrated to WDWMagic or Mouseinfo .... And there are posters who I miss. Anyone remember Galaxy500? Full of insider info. But in 13 years ... people have come and gone. I still see the boards pretty active. I don't know what it means for it to "still be viable". It's just one of many pit-stops. And in 13 years .... people have more choices to pick from ... than they did when LP started in 2000.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I certainly miss certain posters, especially Mr X. He was a good man. He self-destructed during a very bad time in his life (which I certainly understand) and was banned. I'm sure he could currently post here but for whatever reason has chosen not to. I miss him. But I also really appreciate the people who still post here, and the former LP'ers that I still stay in contact with though Facebook. This is still a place I visit daily. I can't imagine it being otherwise.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***I certainly miss certain posters, especially Mr X. He was a good man. He self-destructed during a very bad time in his life (which I certainly understand) and was banned. I'm sure he could currently post here but for whatever reason has chosen not to. I miss him*** Miss you too, man. If it wasn't for facebook, we'd hardly talk anymore!
Originally Posted By u k fan I do consider myself lucky that despite my location I have managed to meet (in person) quite a few LPers. I won't name names as I'm bound to forget someone, but without this website I wouldn't have met one of my closest friends!!!
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<I thought Mr. X was banned??>> At one point he was. As has happened with other LP'ers, he was allowed to return after awhile.
Originally Posted By disneylandfan8 This is what bugs me. Somebody can very blatantly abuse the Community Standards, be banned, then allowed back. But other people who were banned for a much less infraction cannot. Talk about a clique. Maybe Admin can come here and explain why fivebearrugs cannot return???? I realize this post will probably be shot down, but really, why the double standard here?
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Typically, managers of LP.com do not provide explanations for why people are banned from the boards.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I had no idea that fivebbearugs was banned so I certainly don't know why she/he has not come back. I think one thing the admins look at is whether the person has repeatedly violated the rules over time or if it was just a one-time thing. Of course the person also has to WANT to come back and make the request to be allowed again.
Originally Posted By DlandDug I have been lurking on this thread for a while, not sure if I should comment. Since I am a regular contributor, many assume I have some sort of insider status when it comes to the Boards. Truth to tell, I am on the same level as everyone else when it comes to posting. It did seem to me that there used to be a core group of "insiders" who dominated much discussion here. And that there were too many in-jokes that excluded newcomers. I felt that I was originally one of the excluded. But in time I came to realize it was more like a soap opera-- you have to invest a little time and effort to catch on fully to what was going on. And, it was also possible to even join in. What went wrong, in my opinion, is something endemic in our society in general. Conversation and debate have been coarsened in a way that many people don't want to deal with. It's not so much that we (I include myself) don't want to hear anything that disagrees with our world view. We don't enjoy conversation that goes no further than the level of, "You're wrong. You're stupid. You suck." Another aspect that has been alluded to here is the evolving nature of the internet. The old Disney fan sites (LP, MousePlanet, MiceAge, etc.) are like the big, old media companies that tried to be all things to all people. New media is more focused and more nimble in reaching a specific audience. Many people today (I'm looking at you, kids!) don't want to navigate large sites to find content. They want content to come to them. Hence the rise of apps, mobile devices, Twitter, etc. I am still here for a variety of reasons. I am also in touch with many of the old guard through Facebook and even (gasp!) in the real world. And I still believe that LaughingPlace is a good community, dedicated to connecting Disney fans around the world...
Originally Posted By hopemax Another thing to consider, I'm calling it "Jim in Merced's Why Disney Stores lost their cache" syndrome is that people just evolve. A lot of people originally come for some travel tips, you start out the learner asking the questions, evolve to the person answering the questions. Then one day, you stop caring about the travel and the discussion turns to deeper discussions about direction, philosophy, etc. But given enough time and covering the same topics over and over and over, does it become just as unsatisfying as the continual stream of travel questions? So maybe it's just like the coffee cup at the Disney Store, you already have so many do you really want to expend the energy on another one? Plus, for me, in the past there was hope that perhaps Disney would change direction. Now, I think it's obvious that if Disney is changing, it's not a place I want them to go. So it becomes even harder to work up the energy to devote to the voluminous posting that I engaged in 10-15 years ago.
Originally Posted By CrouchingTigger Hi gang. Been lurking here for a few days. Wow, it's quiet here. o8
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <Another thing to consider, I'm calling it "Jim in Merced's Why Disney Stores lost their cache" syndrome is that people just evolve.> I have my own syndrome. : )
Originally Posted By ShivaThDestroyer >I'm weird though. I like the members who have strong opinions, and miss reading jonvn...< Jim. I don't think that's so weird. Even though I seldom lurk and post even less, I still find myself missing Jon. True, he was a man of strong opinions, but they could be changed when someone provided sufficient proof, Some posters may only remember the outbursts that he was capable of when his buttons were being pushed but I remember his intelligence, wealth of knowledge, willingness to help and compassion. They were all there to see if anyone took the time to try to know him. Sadly, I think few ever did. If you were looking for the bad side of jon, you could usually find it but if you treated him with respect, he gave it right back and was someone well worth knowing. His many positives far outweighed any negatives to me...Yeah, I miss him. Mr X, good to see you, sir
