I've noticed a trend in posting forums and message boards on journals. I've never been on diary-L or journals-L. Do you go to these places? What do you like about them? What do you hate about them?

I put this forum up as a way to create a community on Squishy. Do you think it works? Why do you think that others don't? What makes a forum interesting to you?

-- Anonymous, October 22, 1999

Answers

Squishy is the only forum I visit. I have seen two others, and the topics were boring, as were the posts. I like this one because the answers are intelligent, humorous and good-natured. Pamie has a knack for choosing topics that really make people want to contribute, and they are either fun or really make you think. So, I guess I'm an addict in the respect that I check the Squishy forums every day, but I don't routinely visit any other forums.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 1999

Ditto what Lisa said.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 1999

I love this forum! If I check your site and you haven't yet put up the new posting, I can always check the forum for new reading. Plus, I really enjoy hearing the other readers' stories and sometimes follow links to their journals. Yes, it definitely creates a sense of community.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 1999

Are there people who complain about this forum (or me even)? It wouldn't be hard for me to picture people like that. There are a lot of people that would dismiss something like this, because they carry a preconceived notion of how things are, or how they should be, and anything that challenges that just can't be right. (After all, the Earth is flat, and any photos you see of a round Earth is obviously made from a conspiracy.)

Maybe there are other journalers out there who can't get parents, siblings, or significant others to look at their journals, because they have such a strong idea of who the writer is, that they aggressively ignore any possible point of view to the contrary.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 1999

I've briefly lurked at other forums, but this is the only one I stick with. Squishy is also the only on-line journal I stay current on, without fail. I do believe it's a community. I think this works because, for the most part, everyone respects one another. If anyone gets too out of control, pamie tells us kids to play nice. I've read every forum topic on Squishy, and I can't ever recall a flame war happening. Flame wars make me uncomfortable.

I've also discovered through this forum that I'm not the only one who remembers the things I remember, or feels the way I feel. It's one thing for my circle of friends to be so similar, but I find it truly amazing to have so much in common with people all across the world. People that I just happen to "know" because they love Squishy as much as I do. You've gotta admit, there is something very neat about that.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 1999

this is the only forum i read on a daily basis. i get all bunged up if i cant read it. i have come to know and have a deep admiration for the forum posters with whom i feel a special bonding. though i have never met any of you guys in real life.. i feel as if i know you. .. lets see... what works? well, its a nice place to get tremendous laughs. everyone needs to laugh at least once a day.. i for one require it several times... but there are always very clever posts. damn i dig this place. thanks pamie!

sabrina

-- Anonymous, October 23, 1999

I think Pamie's is the best message board out there directly connected with a journal, tied with Xeney's of BAD HAIR DAYS. (Catherine of Naked Eye's comes up a close third.) I belong to diary- l and Spilled Beans and Scribetribe...I'm a fast reader and typist...and I am notified of any additions to your board, Pamie---as well as to Beth/Xeney's and Catherine's....and of course my own. It's an intersting way to add a FRAY-like thread at the end of my entry, and of course you get an idea of what a few of the readers are like. (A tiny minority, but hey, better than nothing.)--Al

-- Anonymous, October 25, 1999

Right on Lisa E! Pamie has found (it's almost sneaky, but she deserves credit for thinking up good forum questions -- probably she's really interested in our answers) a way of giving her readers twice the good reading matter per entry: she gets the readers to write it! I'm on another e-mail list that has more traffic than I want to read so I'm not on diary-L or journals-L. I'm more interested in reading journals than meta-journal discussion anyway.

What makes this one interesting is the same thing that makes journals interesting: peoples real stories & reactions.

-- Anonymous, October 26, 1999