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Ten years of BCF memories...


Michelle

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So amazingly, we've managed to keep going through 10 years - 10 glorious years of chatting about books, authors, films, music, cooking, and anything else you can think of!

 

Can you remember how you first came across BCF, and why you joined? Do you have any particular memories? And have you managed to meet any of the other members?

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Yes, Oct 2012, I was telling my wife that my love of books needs sharing with others online, I searched for book forum and hey, there was BCF!!

Never met anyone yet from the forum, but I do harbour a hope of meeting someone from here at some time.

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I joined in December 2008, which is still a time of very fond memories for me. I clearly remember the forum when I joined, creating my first book log for 2009, befriending a load of members, some of whom have wandered away but many others who are still here and who I consider genuine friends (though sadly I've not yet had the opportunity to meet any of them). I have far too many memories of this place to list.

 

I came across the forum when I was searching for book forums in general - I joined another at the same time, the name of which I don't recall, and I really didn't like the other one, and quickly drifted away from it. This one just became an online home immediately, and honestly, before I joined my reading consisted of a couple of books a year because I had no idea where to find out about books. The absolute wealth of reading suggestions and new directions I have taken from this place over the years is immense. Though life still gets in the way sometimes, I'm more in love with reading than I had been for most of my life before finding the BCF and this forum is always going to be the heart of that.

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I've been a member of this forum for so long, I can't even remember a time when I wasn't able to log in and be a part of this wonderful community.  I'm reliably informed by my profile that I have been a member since 05 Apr 2006!  I have no idea how all this time has passed!

 

I do remember searching the web for somewhere to get reading ideas and luckily for me, this was one of the top search results.  I signed up and dove straight in to introduce myself and get to know the other lovely members.  I was made to feel so welcome and although I haven't met any of the other members in person, I feel like I know you all anyway!

 

The only downside to joining the forum is the dent it has made in my finances.  My wishlist and to read list has grown substantially in this time but it's nice to know I'm not alone :)

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I've been a member since Jan 2010 and although I can't remember exactly how I found the site, I suspect that I just wanted somewhere to discuss books. There are other forums but they are a disappointment in comparison to this one. The wide range in geography and reading tastes has lead me to read so much stuff that I previously wouldn't have.

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I've been here since Aug 2009. I was really getting into reading but had no-one to chat to about it so did an internet search and happily stumbled upon this place  :blush2: I think I lurked for a while but couldn't resist posting on Claire's thread about Mari Strachan's The Earth Hums in B Flat as I'd recently read and loved it! I didn't go to Introductions as I wanted to chat about books and not me (I'm very sorry about the reversal in that philosophy since  :blush2: ) 

This forum provides food for the soul for book lovers/readers. Yes, it definitely has made me buy more books but the money would have been ill spent otherwise.

 

Happily I meet up with both Claire (chesilbeach) and Janet regularly  :smile:  :wub: and it's wonderful. I'd like to meet up with more members .. and have not and will not ever allow myself to think that certain Finnish and Australian members won't come visit one day or that I might turn intrepid explorer and start gallivanting around to their parts of the world to post all the books I've threatened them with through their door :D It would be fantastic but as Kat has said .. it matters not really as you really get to know people just by chatting here .. it's the icing on top of an already gorgeous cake! 

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I joined in January 2009.  I'd been blogging book reviews for a little while, but I was finding it was a bit lacking in interaction, so I had a look around for UK book forums and this one came up top in the search engine.  I had a mooch around for a couple of days before signing up, and I've never looked back.

 

When I first joined, I initially thought it was a bit clique-y but soon realised that I just needed to jump in and chat with people, and quickly realised it was a very friendly, inclusive forum.  I loved that there was a request that everyone wrote in full, not abbreviations and text speak, and also not to just post in a thread unless you had something to add, rather than just replies with emoticons or pointless replies.  It makes it much easier to stay interested in a thread if posts actually have a point, and I'd been on another forum (not a book one) where you'd just get endless replies with a smiley face or a single word response that it felt pointless reading the threads.

 

One of the first books I recommended was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows and it was great to see so many people pick it up after my review, and it seemed to prove popular.

 

I've also really enjoyed the discussion we had to come up with the list of books for our own English Counties Challenge, and it's been great to have group reads of some of the books too.

 

As Kay as already mentioned, we've met up regularly over the last few years, and it's been lovely to meet up with a fellow bookworm in real life, and I'm hoping to meet up with some other members in the future … just have to overcome that shyness and pluck up the courage … as well as trying to find the time to make the trip! :D

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I'd been on a Finnish book forum for a few years but they only had a half a dozen semi regular members and that wasn't enough for me. And they didn't seem to read the kind of books I read... I guess I wanted to find a place where I could talk more about books originally written in English, and google gave me this address. I think I lurked for a week or so but then wanted to start posting :D I didn't do an introduction (like poppyshake, I wanted to start talking about books straight away and didn't want to draw attention to myself...), I just went for the book convos. I love it that I coincidentally joined the forum on 8.8.2008 :smile2:

 

As most of you know, I've met Kylie :smile2: And she's just as awesome as you would think and hope her to be in real life!! And she was courageous, crazy and kind enough to let me fly over and shack up with her for two whole months! It's one of the bravest things I think I've done in my life, flying over to the other side of the world to live with a person I'd only talked to online... But she made it so easy, we got along great right from the start :)

 

If I lived in the countries where other members of the forum lived, I'm 100% sure I would've already met at least a few of my fellow national BCF members buddies. But Finland is Finland... I'm definitely going to fly over to the UK some day, though, to meet some of you awesome people!! :smile2: It's going to be a blast!  :yahoo:    (I can't not meet the toast lady who writes down toast quotes... :lol:  :friends3:  For example!)

 

If any of you ever finds oneself in Helsinki, just holler and let's meet for coffee or something! Let's talk book talk! :)

 

Edit: Not only am I happy to have been able to talk about books with you guys for so many years, but I'm also really happy to have been so active on here because it makes me use the English language on a daily basis. I've learned a lot of words and expressions from you guys, and I've been able to maintain my language skills. If it wasn't for this forum, I don't know how awful I'd be :D And this is not me fishing for compliments, please! It's just that I don't get to speak or write in English that much otherwise, and so this place is a heaven sent. :yes: I think only the non-native English speakers can fully understand how important this forum is for us in that respect :) 

Edited by frankie
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When I first joined, I initially thought it was a bit clique-y but soon realised that I just needed to jump in and chat with people, and quickly realised it was a very friendly, inclusive forum. 

 

I can imagine it might seem clique'y in a way because the regular posters on here know each other so well that they have their inside jokes and stuff. But like you said, it's an inclusive forum and if one just joins the forum and hops in on the convos, one will soon be in on the stuff :yes:

 

One thing I've noticed lately, for the past 2 years or so maybe, is that we don't have as much spammers as we used to. Sometimes they'd come in packs and it would be a daily chore to tell them to bugger off :D 

Edited by frankie
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I already love this thread!  :D

Let me see if I can fix that. :)

 

A little story. When the forum was first started Michelle had a thing called "Member of the Month" and the moderators would decide among themselves each month on who was deserving of the title "member of the month". They also had a thread where only Michelle and the moderators had access. I was fairly new to the forum and liked it here and recommended the Forum to a bunch of others that did also join. My memory is slipping but I think some may have been pontalba, paul, sofia, and maybe poppy. There were also maybe 4+ others who are no longer here.

 

Back to the story. I was not aware that only Michelle and the moderators had access to the private thread and I clicked on it and woe and behold I was able to read all the posts. I started reading the posts and thought to myself......whoa some of this stuff is kinda personal. Especially when they were talking about me. They were considering me for "member of the month" and were discussing the pros and cons of my deserving it. I do remember that Maureen was pushing for me to get the title for bringing in new members and because I was posting a lot. I did not know that I was not supposed to have access to the thread and I sent a PM to Michelle and asked her if I was supposed to be able to read all those posts. LOL, You can imagine Michelle's reaction. :giggle2:  I tried to convince Michelle that it wasn't my fault and  that all I did was just click on the thread and I was able to read the posts.

 

I'm not sure if Michelle has forgiven me yet. :o  :smile:

Edited by muggle not
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 I was fairly new to the forum and liked it here and recommended the Forum to a bunch of others that did also join. My memory is slipping but I think some may have been pontalba, paul, sofia, and maybe poppy. There were also maybe 4+ others who are no longer here.

 

 

You are correct, as far as that goes, muggle.  But I must admit that part of the reason I came over here was that I was curious to see the forum of that lovely person that had told off and banned a /ahem/ certain person. :D   That was in September of 2006, and I've been here on and off ever since.  The last several years a lot more "on". :readingtwo:   I'm happy to have found this forum.  It is the only one that I've stuck with, as it's  only one of two that doesn't allow rude nonsense as I've seen everywhere else.

Edited by pontalba
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Let me see if I can fix that. :)

. My memory is slipping but I think some may have been pontalba, paul, sofia, and maybe poppy. There were also maybe 4+ others who are no longer here.

 

 

 

Well your memory is absolutely correct as far as inviting me is concerned. I remember it quite clearly Muggles.  We were on another book forum and you pestered me to join here. Best thing I ever did :D So thank you for your persistence. I, in turn, invited Stiggy, an on and off member who has shared some of his wonderful poetry with us over the time.  I've been here since September 2006 and this is the only forum I've stuck with. A lovely bunch of people, I've made some wonderful friends here. Thanks to Michelle and the gang for running such a great place :friends0:

 

I'm not sure if Michelle has forgiven me yet. :o  :smile:

 

 

Such a funny story Muggle  :giggle2:  I'm sure she's forgiven you long ago! :D

Edited by poppy
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You are correct, as far as that goes, muggle.  But I must admit that part of the reason I came over here was that I was curious to see the forum of that lovely person that had told off and banned a /ahem/ certain person. :D   That was in September of 2006, and I've been here on and off ever since.  The last several years a lot more "on". :readingtwo:   I'm happy to have found this forum.  It is the only one that I've stuck with, as it's  only one of two that doesn't allow rude nonsense as I've seen everywhere else.

Which reminds me of another story that I have to tell....but later for that story. :)

Well your memory is absolutely correct as far as inviting me is concerned. I remember it quite clearly Muggles.  We were on another book forum and you pestered me to join here. Best thing I ever did :D So thank you for your persistence. I, in turn, invited Stiggy, an on and off member who has shared some of his wonderful poetry with us over the time.  I've been here since September 2006 and this is the only forum I've stuck with. A lovely bunch of people, I've made some wonderful friends here. Thanks to Michelle and the gang for running such a great place :friends0:

 

 

 

Such a funny story Muggle  :giggle2:  I'm sure she's forgiven you long ago! :D

That also reminds me of a story that I may tell of a poem that I posted with the understanding that Michelle would delete it after a specific time as I don't believe there was an edit thingie back then.

I just remembered of another person that I recommended and she was here for a while before she gave up forums and she moved to Bangor, Maine.. Remember dogmatix.

Edited by muggle not
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I can't honestly say I've ever recommended to anyone to join this forum... mostly because most of my friends are unruly mad people who would not be dedicated anyway (I went looking for a book forum because most of my friends don't read). They'd probably just be loud, embarrass me and themselves, and leave.

 

No, I don't know why I'm friends with them either. :roll:

 

I want to know who that banned person was! :o I probably wouldn't know them as it was before my time though.

 

In terms of old members, I miss Chimera, Bookbee and Charm. I really miss Charm, I considered her a friend, and she left here and deleted me off Facebook. Don't think it was personal, think she was just moving on. Still have Bookbee on Facebook, though we never talk. And god only knows what happened to Chimera!

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I miss dogmatix. She was a veterinarian who had a thread on here where she would post newspaper articles that she wrote and would also answer questions by forum members regarding animals. She was a delightful person. I am sure some of the old timers remember her.

 

Dogmatix doesn't post on forums now. She became pregnant, had "twins", and she and her husband moved from North Carolina to Bangor, Maine (home of Stephen King). She did pop in about a year ago and wrote me a PM saying that she lost all desire for posting on forums when a forum friend of hers died.

Edited by muggle not
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I miss Charm, too. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one she deleted off her FB friends, because now I know that it wasn't anything personal... 

 

I'd been wondering about that, too. I had both her and her daughter and one day they were just both gone. 

 

Gosh, has it already been 6 years since I've joined? I was nervous at first because the forum I was on previously was a tv related one that was HUGE. But it was also very impersonal and no one replied to your comments so much as just talked over you. BCF is personal and full of welcoming and friendship. Right away I knew BCF was different because the people here are not just nicknames out on the web. You guys have my home address, some of you have my phone number, email, etc... You're as much a friend as anyone I see in person here in Fargo. Its amazing how much life has changed for all of us in the past 10 years. I'm so thankful to have this place. In many ways its a sanctuary of bookish love.  :friends3:

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I miss dogmatix. She was a veterinarian who had a thread on here where she would post newspaper articles that she wrote and would also answer questions by forum members regarding animals. She was a delightful person. I am sure some of the old timers remember her.

 

Dogmatix doesn't post on forums now. She became pregnant, had "twins", and she and her husband moved from North Carolina to Bangor, Maine (home of Stephen King). She did pop in about a year ago and wrote me a PM saying that she lost all desire for posting on forums when a forum friend of hers died.

 

I miss her too, muggle.  She was an interesting person. 

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I joined in 2008, and although it felt as if everyone knew each other, the forum didn't feel too cliquey. For a time I was a Moderator on the forum, something I thoroughly enjoyed. It was and indeed is, lovely to watch everyone interact and to get to know the other members, and not just through their reading choices. I can go for quite long periods without posting much, but I visit most days and try hard to keep up with everyone by reading their book list and personal threads.

 

Meeting in person wise, I have met Michelle and Janet, and also the former member/moderator Nici. It was lovely to do so, and they were (are) exactly as I had imagined. I sadly missed out on meeting up with former moderator Maureen when she visited the UK, buy I do hope to get over to Malta one day and surprise her. 

 

Poppy befriended me early on (she knows a pitiable stray when she sees one!), and has gone on to become a close friend. If I ever make it to New Zealand we will absolutely definitely meet up, but until then we will have to ‘make do’ with our present forms of communication.

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Poppy befriended me early on (she knows a pitiable stray when she sees one!), and has gone on to become a close friend. If I ever make it to New Zealand we will absolutely definitely meet up, but until then we will have to ‘make do’ with our present forms of communication.

 

Oh sweet cheeks, pitiful stray indeed!! Never!! You and me are soulmates :friends3: 

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I've been on the forum since 2006. I found it through a google search because I was trying to read more and thought a book forum would encourage me to do so (which it certainly has and I've discovered/tried many wonderful books and authors because of this place).

 

I immediately loved it here because it was so friendly and uncontroversial; there are some really confrontational and unpleasant forums out there on t'internet! This however is a lovely happy troll-free place, which I realize isn't just a lucky coincidence but the result of a lot of hard work by Michelle and the team. It's also really supportive and I know I'm not the only one who has benefited from the support and friendship of the community here. Although I have a tendency to come and go a little bit it's always a lovely refuge to come back to when I need it.

 

I've seen a lot of faces come and go over the years. I always think it's a shame when a regular poster leaves and then you never hear from them again and don't know what happened to them. I mean if someone died you might not know. They would just drop off the radar, (sorry that's a bit morbid!) although I guess with facebook etc now you might find out. I miss some of the members who no longer post, Purple Poppy, Ice-cream, Renniemist, HappyAndDandy to name a few. But there are always new faces showing up and it's great to get to know new people as well as all the regulars and chit-chat about books, life and all that.

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I joined in October of 2005, so this year is my tenth anniversary here too. I actually originally joined the Yahoo group but I joined just as it was about to change over to a proper forum format and moved over to it.

 

A few months down the line, I was helping to organise the monthly reading circle, and not long after that I became a member of the Mod Squad.

 

I'm not online as much as I used to be, as during that time I've moved several times and had two kids who take up, well, my whole life - LOL! But I'm still here and I still love this old place so much. I've made some fabulous friends here over the years and I wouldn't be without them!

 

Viva The Book Club Forum! <3

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