post and that's the title, specifically the "vs." element. It should be bored and irritated.

that I haven't been as intrigued by the messageboard of late as I usually am. Very happy for people to post whatever they wish but I feel it's lost something recently.
Can't put my finger on it, maybe you have.

Still smile at the Raffertyisms though.

It's an internal meme, much like The HJH, or TMFTL, or the Gerry Rafferty joke. It'll either die as people lose interest, or carry on because enough people people like it and enjoy the debates. It's the way all communities work, including those in the real world. I don't particularly like such bandwagons either, but it's inevitable, unavoidable, and certainly not worth getting worked up about. No-one is required to read everything.

Blog-break?
:)

Sorry

An early favourite, still loved by English lawyers.

This has also become the trendy term for musical guest appearances hasn't it? Previously it was 'feat.' and before that 'with special guest star'.

If anything doesn't interest or amuse me (sports for example), I just skip to the next thread.

...is that bit in Stephen Fry's first volume of autobiography, in which the older boys at Uppingham send young Fry to deliver insulting messages to their tremendously hip mates down the corridors, along the lines of "The Incredible String Band are better than Jethro Tull."

"Oh yeah? Well you tell Jocelyn that the Edgar Broughton Band are better than Steeleye Span."

In fact, I might just start using that as my stock response to the vs. threads. ;-)

I've done more scrolling than reading of late. I never want to read another thread about Stewart Lee vs Michael McIntyre etc. and the football threads are often so cryptic I often read them by mistake thinking it's perhaps about some obscure Prog band I've never heard of. A lot of assumed knowledge with those. .

I don't mind the vs thing if it starts an interesting discussion, and in-jokes wear themselves out eventually (harmless enough too, although I suppose I did find them a bit off putting when I was a newbie )

They interviewed the husband of the lady who was beheaded in Tenerife. Understandably he was still very upset but consoled himself with the fact that at least he had a shoulder to cry on.

What I like to do when I'm idly scrolling through various threads
is to see how long it takes for someone to mention the bloody Smiths!!

(damn)

––

I think Rachel has the edge

taken over Countdown?
How is Rachel not all over the celeb magazines and the Daily Mail home page? Or have I missed something?

F@~K SH&T AR*E....!!! It's Peterborough for us next season...

(well we do have some long car journeys)

Crisps vs chocolate (you have to give up one for life)

For me, although I love the sheer pleasure of a fridge cold snickers or a twix dipped in tea, I just can't imagine drinking a beer indoors without a bowl of pretzels, dorritos etc. Nearby and a cheese sandwich is nothing without a packet of salt and vinegar crisps as an accompaniment.

My Mud v Showaddywaddy was just a ruse to sneakily get people to write about Mud AND Showaddywaddy. Otherwise I would have had to have a "I like Mud, do you?" thread followed by a "I like Showaddywaddy, do you?" one.
Anyway, in respect to one of my favourite posters there'll be no more of that ilk from me.

I think there's a natural cycle to one's involvement in communities like this. You start as an observer on the periphery, then make a few tentative posts and no one shouts at you, so you start to get confident and just a little bit obsessed with it. If you're lucky you become one of the 'household name' posters.

But after a while you see the same topics coming round for the third, fourth, fifth time and you've already told all your stories, so you shift off to the back benches (or to Twitter) and let the young chargers through. Eventually you stop checking in so often and limit your involvement to the rare stuff that interests you. In time you're the equivalent of Waldorf and Stadler in The Muppets, watching from stalls and occasionally muttering about how it's all gone stale.

This is normal and natural and it would be a much worse environment if new people couldn't get a word in because of all the all old fogeys sharing in-jokes and discussing meet ups.

I guess how long this cycle takes to complete varies from person to person - in my case, it's taken about two years. But like musicians, I don't think bloggers ever retire: they can't resist one more tour to recapture a little of the old thrill.

She's better at sums than Vorderman and
she plays football!

boredom and irritation is so popular.

I guess people just like to moan, gossip and shoot the sh*t. Is that what this website is all about? Dunno. Up to us, I guess. Nothing wrong with any of that, in moderate doses.

Thread about music here: http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/in-praise-good-old-fashioned-freak...

in the magazine the other month. I think this could be added to his list.

...to the kind of friendly clique that exists on this website is that you can end up communicating in a local shorthand that may not be overtly threatening, but can give off an air of exclusivity.

A bigger problem, I think, is that as friendships develop and people become more comfortable and put down roots, the focus shifts towards social communication and away from breakdowns of obscure Go West EPs; the creative spark can dim and the quality can go down. That’s not a good thing in my opinion, because good original content is what keeps a website from degenerating into a stew of catchphrases and in-jokes.

I offer these comments as observations rather than criticisms. I’m probably a part of the clique, although I would much rather be lurking on the periphery.

Like most people here I read the posts that interest me and ignore the ones that don’t. Anyone who dislikes the tone of the blog is free to post something that redresses the balance or takes things in a new direction.

I seem to have done a lot of apologising of late, & before that, a lot of 'opening up', I cant help but think you are right about the content / sentiment thing Skipper.

Perhaps this isnt the right place for that sort of thing, & I will try to reign that side of me in.

As my squaddy son would say, "its time to man up".

ignore what I don't like or understand, comment on stuff I do like and start threads when something pops into my head that I think might work or sometimes not. It's a public forum and yes there is a clique but it does no harm and I find them friendly, kind and interesting. They enjoy their mingles but the mingles are not for me for my own reasons, I can find no reason to even raise it as an issue. I have enjoyed my time on this blog more than you can imagine, I found it a very strange time in my life and it filled some massive holes even though my early posts probably alienated me a bit. I have been entertained, embarrassed, thrilled and made ridiculously happy when something I have said meets with approval. There is much more good here than not and I intend hanging around for a while if that's ok or even if it's not actually I might even start another vs thread if the mood takes me, please feel free to ignore it.

ignore all the personal sentiment and blubbing, the saying sorry for this and that, the arguing and complaining and droning on about "cliques" and just bang on constantly about The Soundtrack of Our Lives for years...

Have I ever mentioned that I love Slade ?