Thank You, Abuzz

Agree fully!
Hi, all.

It's definitely still the first place I go, MA. The rainforest group is there, I could never leave Abuzz while that was still ongoing.

Merry Andrew: Well said. I feel the same way. I will stay until the end, however, there's very little that interests me anymore except the fine people I have met and some who are still there. Abuzz has been a great learning experience for me, and I am very glad we experienced all that we did because my life is so much richer for it.

Thank you for a wonderful post.

Oh, most definitely. That's part of where I was coming from with my "Abuzz Guilt" thread.

I do think, though, that some differentiation can be made -- Abuzz when there were plenty of staff, and Abuzz since. Abuzz in its prime was a wonderful, wonderful place. Abuzz now is less wonderful. That doesn't make it entirely un-wonderful, just, I find that the enjoyment factor is sometimes outweighed by the frustration/ annoyance factor.

But no, I don't intend to desert it. I have a system of opening windows every morning, and Abuzz still occupies the place of honor, right after email.

Abuzz was my favorite site (my brother offered condolences when Abuzz started going down the drain because he knew how much it meant to me) and I have been sulking for a long time at how it has turned out. I still love Abuzz for the people I met there, it's always been the people because the site was never anything special without them. I never used a forum till I found Abuzz.

I will keep my Abuzz account till they close. I just wish it was the fun place it used to be, I don't think I'll ever find a site that will be as fun as the pridian Abuzz. I liked it sooo much that I spent about 2 months without visiting another site when I first joined.

When the members I like started leaving I did all I could to get them back. But I couldn't stem the tide and despite the efforts of many of us it turned out the way it did.

If I ever bash Abuzz it's only because I am angry that they let it turn out the way it did. And there's no good reason for it (I mean that, NO good reason, not lack of money or anything).

Agreed MA. I've probably been a member of 30 or 40 different discussion type boards over the years, USENET before that and old dial-up Bulletin Boards going back as far as 1985 or so.

Abuzz was the absolute best of breed and I have fond memories of people that I've "met" and discussions I've had on there that I'll probably carry with me forever. My first year (June 2000-2001) was probably the most fun I've ever had on-line and that was 100% due to Abuzz and the wonderful people that were on there.

My disappointment with Abuzz is really a pretty recent thing and I decided I had to leave before all the good memories were over-written with what has been happening over the last few months.

Long live the MEMORIES of Abuzz past...

MA
I couldn't agree with you more. I have met so many terrific people on abuzz.

It's painful though to see the results of the New york Times decision to starve it of resources and let it deteriorate.

Most painful is to see imposters and flamers harrassing abuzzers like Temper, reacting to her distress as though it were catnip for them.

MA,
I'd like to add my love of the "old" abuzz to the list!

I had sooo much fun there, met so many great people!

I still wish it could be like it was!!

I could nor agree with you more, MA and others.

I "happened" into Abuzz shortly after I bought my computer - without it I do not think I would ever have spent more than a few minutes online every couple of days, since I have not - until now - come across another site which could become such a part of my life.

Craven is so right that it was the people - but there must have been something about the site set-up, and it having originated with the NYT, and the staff, that enabled such a community to form and to forge strong enough bonds to persist for so long.

I shall miss it - and I, too, will continue to check in there.

Schnifffffff!

Abuzz was the FIRST group that I had ever joined. For nearly three years I have received so much pleasure from its existence. I too, intend to hang around there until it is no more, but certainly not with the intensity that I had exhibited in the past.

It might have been the Abuzz software that originally brought us together, but it is the PEOPLE who are keeping us together!

This added 8/28/2004- Ohmygawd. I forgot that I originally I posted in blue!

It's mainly a people vs. software thing. Agreed that the people are the reason you stay, but the software (which at the time was really cool!) was a part of why I initially joined. I remember asking my first question (about Boston-area diners) and getting responses in my email! That completely excited me, and I started exploring and, and, and....

But now it seems to be just, well, tired. I guess that's a nice way of putting it. Worn out. Ill-used. I could go on.

The thing with Anon has really soured me, although in all honesty I was slowly backing away for months. Abuzz, for me, has become a place to post AARON issues and look for TFH stuff. And little else. I will answer threads people send to me. But yesterday I got into the Anon thing, and it just repulsed me - all of the good, bad, weird, paranoid of Abuzz, all at the same time. And it's just too much.

Before Abuzz, I was in a chat room for three years. It was great in the beginning, but then we all got too comfortable and it became dull. Before that, I did some Usenet (too loony even for me). Before that I didn't have a dialup. Go way, way back, to when I was in college, and I was able to use a mainframe email account (from the computer lab). That was mainly an occasion for flirting (hey, we were all young and dumb then! :-D).

Up until now, Abuzz was the greatest thing on the 'Net. Now, knowing what I know, I'm even more saddened by Abuzz's demise, as it didn't have to happen.

I do thank them for bringing us all together, and for giving us all a real community. Forget the Boston diners (we didn't go to any of them, truth be told); it's the laughter and the community that I take with me.

I had to look-up <pridian>, as used in Cravan's post.
My Babylon Translator said it's from <Cravan De Kere's English>
Far Out!

Lots of words that I use are only found in my dictionary (really just a collection of vocab I like) on Babylon. I haven't updated that one in ages but publish a few others there.

I probably use those words just because I get a kick out of others stumbling onto that dictionary that way (last time was "orgulous" on an abuzz thread about the atomic bomb).

Eventually I'll upload the newer versions. I've been lazy.

Incidentally those words aren't made up. The only non English entries in my Babylon dictionaries are "Craven de Kere" and "quaffage" (might not be added yet).

If I can get help we can work together on an Able2Know.com dictionary but I have no time for lexical activity right now.

I, too, miss Abuzz. It's been a source of great fun and amusement, and time wasting.

I miss the fun and the people, especially the people. So many expressed concern / interest when I was knee knobbled - I was just amazed. Lately, the fun has gone. Even Gus' crazy questions aren't inspiring me.

What does concern me is that the site appears to have deteriotrated from the time I joined. (They say that about my old neighbourhood, too!). Am I the black finger of doom???

Jeez - Craven = perhaps you should have me banned now - and avoid the rush!





























even Gus' crazy questions aren't inspiring these days.

What concerns me is that the site apparently deteriorated from the time I joined. (That's what they said about my last neighbourhood, too!)

Abuzz was great not only because of the great people, but because of the good software and of the possibility of evergrowing membership.

When I arrived, almost two years ago, some abuzzers were complaining about the gone good old days. But there was turnover with new vigorous blood.

As Abuzz closed into itself, with no external windows and very few newbies, decadence arrived and the extremists took over.
Isn't it something that happens to many closed communities?

I'll keep on abuzzing, and I thank the site for having met many nice persons, but my interest has decayed.

fbaezer, I really don't think it's the closed-ness in and of itself -- the Yahoo article ("Top 50 Most Useful Sites") and the AskMe referral (AskMe is closing, and listed Abuzz as a place its erstwhile members could go) are just two examples of sources of newbies. I really think the central issue is just lack of staff, with the corollaries of lack of technological advances and lack of updating equipment.

And the faulty email invites. That's the only innovative thing about abuzz, the targeted email invites. It's what separated Abuzz from an everyday forum. If any feature should be preserved at all costs it's the way it picks relevant people to invite to interactions.

They should also have used the wordmatch algorithm to serve targeted email banners. That was some fantastic software that could have been better utilized.

It might be the only thing, but it is a BIG thing. I'm working on something similar but it will be a huge project.

Anybody tries to ban Margo has got the Latvian Legion to reckon with!

Deb would hit me too!

In any case I won't be doing any banning (hopefully) I passed that buck. ;-)