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Ten years of BCF memories...


Michelle

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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.
 

 

This is exactly how I feel Andria. Nastiness is not tolerated here and it's just such a lovely warm place to be.

 

I really miss some people here too, particularly the lovely Bree, Purple Poppy, Charm and Icecream. I can stay in touch with Purple Poppy but I often wonder how the others are doing. I especially miss Bree :(

Edited by poppy
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I joined this forum in the beginning of 2013, so I haven't been here as long as most of you. I had previously used Google to find a book forum. I wanted to find some new friends and people to talk with, about books and other things. I first found one forum, but I didn't enjoy it so much, then another, which I didn't enjoy that much either (I did also find a forum not related to books but to autism, but I didn't like it that much either). I thought third time lucky so I used Google yet again and this time it came up with this forum. I registered immediately and haven't regretted it since. I joined on the 9th of January 2013.

 

I love reading the forum and I think pretty quickly I started to visit this place usually on a daily basis. I love the diversity of books read on the forum. I love the book blogs, I think this is a feature that not many book forums have, and I really like reading them.

 

I 'met' some wonderful people here through this forum and found new friends. The people here were so welcoming and friendly to me when I joined. I felt comfortable enough to talk about some deep issues and usually people were quite supportive. I've not met up with anyone in real life, though that will change soon as Anna and I will be meeting each other in a couple of weeks. Out of people whom I miss, that would be Devi, though we do stay in touch through Facebook.

 

I've been a moderator since last July. I'm one of the more 'newer' members I guess, but this place feels very much like home, if that makes sense :friends0:.

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In fairness, this forum does an amazing job of being a welcoming, chilled-out place. I have been on so many forums over the years (a Buffy one, an Irish one, some weird gothic type one, a music one, a MLP collectors one, some others) and none of them have held my interest anywhere near 6 years. None of them lasted past 2 years, I wouldn't think. Dunno what it is about this place, but tis good. :)

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I've inevitably thought of a few more people now. At the risk of turning this into a 'name the ex-member' thread, I'll just mention one whose name I cannot for the life of me remember.

 

She was french I think, and she had an exotic, pretty sounding name like Roberta or Sofia (It wasn't Roberta or Sofia) and she had a lovely way with words and seemed a very warm and kind person. I think she may have had ME or some kind of health issue that kept her from the forum sometimes. Does anyone know who I mean?

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I've inevitably thought of a few more people now. At the risk of turning this into a 'name the ex-member' thread, I'll just mention one whose name I cannot for the life of me remember.

 

She was french I think, and she had an exotic, pretty sounding name like Roberta or Sofia (It wasn't Roberta or Sofia) and she had a lovely way with words and seemed a very warm and kind person. I think she may have had ME or some kind of health issue that kept her from the forum sometimes. Does anyone know who I mean?

Yes! I remember her too, she was a lovely, gentle soul. Genevieve ....is that who you mean?

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I only have five months of memories in this forum, and I have barely written about books in four. In five and something years of internet, I have changed immensely as a person; my views have broaded and I only have to thank this incredible tool. One thing I've noticed is that this kind of specifically small forum is disappearing in detriment of massive social websites and massive forums; and I find more and more websites where interesting things are discussed, but I start noticing even more patterns of thought and opinion building. I also find, and that's the relevant bit, my opinions are losing value. It's in this status quo I find this forum, because, in a place more welcoming than any other I wrote in, I feel I have nothing to add. Even about little things I enjoy, I can't find any words from which I can take more pleasure than simply drifting away in my mind with the delight of what I experienced. When before I'd have tons of artificial words to elaborate a fancy, I find now that I only have to say "I liked it". It's a progressive feeling and not definitive, but I'm coming to the realisation that I don't need to have an opinion about everything, nor do I need to mold my personality to fit into the same slots as everyone else. It's liberating, but it's also very lonely.

 

I want to continue writing here, I'll eventually have something to write in my book blog and I'll certainly find things to say throughout the forum, as I have these last months. I want to, because in this short time some users have unintentionally opened my mind to something new. They appear to be simple people, and what they wrote was simple, and it clicked. It's easy to become lost in our mindset, our close relatives' mindset, our country's mindset. In this small but worldwide forum exists a balance between community and individuality that helps me learn there are better ways to think, act and be, regarding small things. I hope this doesn't happen only in this forum, nor only to me, but that there are other people here and in other forums that feel the same way.

Edited by Sousa
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Yes! I remember her too, she was a lovely, gentle soul. Genevieve ....is that who you mean?

 

Yes! That's her! Thank you :)

 

Oh yes!! Didn't she post really charming photos every so often?

 

Ooh - hmm - I don't remember. Quite possibly.

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This is exactly how I feel Andria. Nastiness is not tolerated here and it's just such a lovely warm place to be. I've just withdrawn from a poetry forum which seems to thrive on confrontation and harsh criticism, it's left me so down-hearted, it's just so nice to come back here and feel safe from it all. It's like a port in a storm.

That's right, but it's not only that it's warm and friendly, but that it's actually somewhere with sensible discussions with differing points of view that doesn't descend into angry or mean argument.

 

It's part of my daily life now, and would struggle to do without it. :)

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Oh Gosh, that long already?!

 

I joined in April 2006. I was a lickle ten year old still at primary school then, and my mother (user Angel) used to use the site, and that's how I came to know of the forum. Yet, finally, I felt at that tender age I could talk about books to people who didn't think I was a nerd or whatever just for wanting to read. Here were like-minded, kind people who wanted to talk about books! Perfect! It's nice to be part of a forum that doesn't strive to be controversial or have heaps of aggressive forums like others that I've used. This really is the friendliest forum you could ever find

 

Admittedly, I started to use the forum a lot less when I turned fourteen or fifteen, as I became busy with GCSEs, A levels, volunteering, and just generally being a teenager. I still read a fair amount, but only found myself logging in very occasionally. Now I'm at uni (that same little Tiger from all those years ago, now just weeks away from her twentieth birthday), and rarely find time to read for pleasure. However, I have returned to the forum due to the friendly vibe of the forum, and to pick up inspiration for summer reading, when I can at last sit down and read something that's not about the genetics of bumblebees (as genuinely interesting as it is, I just want to escape from it for four months!)

Edited by Tiger
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One thing I've noticed is that when disagreements occur, we are all adult enough to agree to differ rather than bicker.

One feature I never could understand, is this number of people who join yet never post, and then the ones who stay a few weeks or even up to a year, and then disappear.Why,'s that?

Edited by itsmeagain
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I guess life gets in the way sometimes. There have been periods where I've hardly been around at all (for example, around the time my kids were born and for months afterwards). I'm only just now starting to get back up to speed again after having Josh and he's 19 months old now - LOL!

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I miss Charm too, I was deleted too on facebook.

 

I found the forum looking for book discussion and I have been here since, made some great friends. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's interesting reading everyone's stories. I started here around January 2010. I honestly don't remember how I found it but I do remember it was the SECOND book forum I registered on, I started the other one at about the same time. Out of the two I preferred this place so I stayed and forgot about the other one. The first two years it was very much a place to escape to as my life was right then being turned upside down as my marriage failed and the whole time was awful.

Books were a source of comfort and being able to talk about them nicely to nice people a safety valve. I don't get on here half as much as I want to now but I am grateful for the support, fun and plain friendliness people have shown.  I have always wanted to meet a few people I have talked to a lot over the years  but so far have only managed to meet Karsa Orlong. I don't remember anybody ever being banned but perhaps that was before my time....the only topic I remember that flared up into a heated argument was the one about Shades Of Grey a couple of years back which got deleted .

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Not sure if you read my story vodkafan but I did the same, registered on two forums and preferred this one! The stats don't lie, BCF is bettter! :lol:

 

Yep I sure did Nollaig! I still remember when you used to come out with a Nollism now and then, too..

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I only have five months of memories in this forum, and I have barely written about books in four. In five and something years of internet, I have changed immensely as a person; my views have broaded and I only have to thank this incredible tool. One thing I've noticed is that this kind of specifically small forum is disappearing in detriment of massive social websites and massive forums; and I find more and more websites where interesting things are discussed, but I start noticing even more patterns of thought and opinion building. I also find, and that's the relevant bit, my opinions are losing value. It's in this status quo I find this forum, because, in a place more welcoming than any other I wrote in, I feel I have nothing to add. Even about little things I enjoy, I can't find any words from which I can take more pleasure than simply drifting away in my mind with the delight of what I experienced. When before I'd have tons of artificial words to elaborate a fancy, I find now that I only have to say "I liked it". It's a progressive feeling and not definitive, but I'm coming to the realisation that I don't need to have an opinion about everything, nor do I need to mold my personality to fit into the same slots as everyone else. It's liberating, but it's also very lonely.

 

I want to continue writing here, I'll eventually have something to write in my book blog and I'll certainly find things to say throughout the forum, as I have these last months. I want to, because in this short time some users have unintentionally opened my mind to something new. They appear to be simple people, and what they wrote was simple, and it clicked. It's easy to become lost in our mindset, our close relatives' mindset, our country's mindset. In this small but worldwide forum exists a balance between community and individuality that helps me learn there are better ways to think, act and be, regarding small things. I hope this doesn't happen only in this forum, nor only to me, but that there are other people here and in other forums that feel the same way.

 Hi Sousa, I think I understand what you are trying to convey.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I came across a link to the forum in 2007. I joined BCF and another forum on the same day. I quickly dropped the other forum in favor of this one (the people here are so much nicer!), and BCF soon became my second home. I was even a moderator for a while (which I loved), until life got in the way and I wasn't able to log on as much as I'd been able to before. I still keep in touch with many of the good friends I've made on here, though!

 

I can't believe it's been 10 years already! I want to give a big congratulations to Michelle and the rest of the team who all work hard to keep this place going!! I'm looking forward to another 10 years!

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I love reading all of your stories. :)

 

I want to add (if that's ok), BCF helped me a lot when I lost my parents, thank you all for being there.  I have not been around as much due to various things, I do pop in :)

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  • 1 month later...
  • 9 months later...

2009. I had a broken leg so the internet was my only real link to the outside world. Searched for a book forum and here it was. Strangely never actually talked that much about books! Not around so much now, but occasionally popping my head in.

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  • 7 years later...

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