What happened to this place?
 

This was once such a vibrant and supportive community. Did everybody just get over of being a foreigner or "the other"?

Re: What happened to this place?
 

Smartphones, innit? Convenient but not ideal for following threads or responding. Luckily there are still a few professional skivers like me who check in on laptops while at work :rofl:

Re: What happened to this place?
 

Forums change over time, people no longer have an interest about the focus of a forum and become inactive, some people sadly have left this planet after popping their clogs, some people have found groups more to their liking on social media sites and some people drop out of being active because of disagreements with other regulars on a forum usually because of politics. I like BE because it is such a diverse community that tolerates free speech.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

It was, but then the moderators, IMVHO, started to get over zealous and, of course, we are not permitted to comment about them.

I check in once a day when I first arrive at work but see little to comment upon these days.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

Still far more life in the Canadian forum than in the Aussie one where the few have driven away the majority!

Re: What happened to this place?
 

:goodpost:

Re: What happened to this place?
 

That must be a different BE from the one I am subscribed to. :rolleyes:
You seem confused - Pollyana's post is diametrically the opposite of your earlier post. :confused:

Re: What happened to this place?
 

We used to have a thread for the over 50s returning to the UK and a few ppl used to keep the banter going there. To be honest too many ppl looking to argue all the time drove me off from being here as much as I used to.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

This, for me. Ten years ago I could follow threads on a iPad, but something happened and it’s impossible to scroll far, on either that, or a phone. Skips about all over the place.

A couple of skirmishes between people I used to like put me off for a bit. Some of the funniest people are hardly ever around anymore (honourable exception for Oink). I miss Siouxie (sp?) and MillieF. And not2old, though I still use his pie recipe.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

You know you can select "Use website version" (or something like that, "full site"? Anyway its a long way down a fairly long menu) from the pull down menu in the top left corner of the wretched "mobile skin" version of the forum, right? :unsure:

Re: What happened to this place?
 

ok now how do I change it back??

Re: What happened to this place?
 

Scroll right down to the footer, a huge green button "View Mobile Site"

Re: What happened to this place?
 

I resigned myself to the fact that I will likely spend the rest of my days here, and the dream of retiring to Soho and meandering between the French and the Coach and Horses may not happen. Not much to discuss.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

I have clashed with the mods on several occasions, but to be fair to them I think their terms of reference are too restrictive, and they are somehow bound by those terms. They are instructed to punish any and all breaches of the rules, and that's their job. Those terms of reference don't permit them to encourage posters, or to "nurture" any promising thread. Any change of the rules would be up to the administrators, whoever they are. We members are left to wonder what the actual purpose of the site is. Does anybody know?

Re: What happened to this place?
 

Good question!

Out of interest it appears that 52 members have joined & posted in this month alone - & I bet 99% of them disappear immediately!

Re: What happened to this place?
 

There is a high percentage of new members who only join to spam the site. I'm going to guess that for that group, they all disappear immediately.

For some new members, they join to get answers to specific question - and may not stick around after that is answered. For others, they join to get information, and are not happy with the answers.

What is the purpose of the site - it was set up to be an online community that could provide info and support to those looking to move to another country on the immigration processes, living in another country, and living away from the UK.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

Fair enough.

So, to go back to the OP, what happened to the vibrant & supportive community?

Re: What happened to this place?
 

https://britishexpats.com/forum/ Judging by the statistics listed on the site's home-page, there has actually been a vibrant and supportive community over the years - and there may indeed still be one. We could do without the political nonsense on the TIO forum, and the frivolity in The Lounge, but I guess they don't do much harm. Going back to the OP's question... Like all sites, this one has just gotten weary and begun to stagnate. Could it be revived? Probably, with a bit of effort.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

As a resource for those emigrating, tackling residency issues or just sharing experiences & life I would suggest that BE is unrivalled (certainly among English language websites).
However, the rest of it (TIO, the Lounge, etc), well...

Re: What happened to this place?
 

At least some of the former regulars still frequent the BE Farcebook page, or so I hear, as I have never been there myself.

I assume there is some value to IB/ BE to having an FB presence, but I can't see any evidence that FB is driving traffic to the BE web forum.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

I see various expat facebook pages and occassionally direct people over here, especially if I know there are good answers to their questions here. What is startling about reading the British expat posts on facebook is the discovery that the posters here are among the most literate and coherent of immigrants.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

I've joined a couple of the expat facebook groups because friends have asked me to answer visa queries etc, and leaving aside the standard of basic English in some posts, the most scary thing is the ignorance. On forums such as this the serious visa questions are answered with authoritative links and correct info and anyone posting incorrect or outdated information is soon corrected. On facebook rumours and wrong info abound and its worrying to see how many people take the word of one random stranger above that of several posting the official links. Most of the stuff I see is to do with Australian visas, and is frighteningly wrong with people getting classes of visas mixed up, people being told they can get a visa as long as someone (anyone!) offers them a job, one I saw the other week was told if her child arrived as on a 3 month tourist visa and went to primary school then that instantly gave the parents permanent residence. And people believe this rubbish "because facebook said so". People are reluctant to move into "forum-land" for some reason, even when pointed quite clearly to a reliable source of info.
One noticeable thing missing from facebook groups is the posting by registered agents. Aussie visas aren't simple, and in many cases an agent's assistance is vital. Yet they rarely post in these groups (probably cos it would be like banging their heads on a brick wall) and so the expertise that is shared by them for free on forums like this is lost to many people.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

I think it's fascinating. What did George Carlin say "never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups"? Facebook, especially, has made the groups larger and the people stupider. Visa issues, belief in the international driving permit conferring all manner of authority, these are examples where the mob is clearly wrong without guidance. Trump and vaccinations are examples where the smallest effort leads the large groups of stupid people in frightening directions. Facebook may have got Zuckerberg laid but at no small cost to the world.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

Fascinating is a good word for it at times! You wonder how people manage their lives if they really are like this in real life. One of this week's classics was someone looking to move UK to Aus, family of 4, wanting to know what the price of air fares would be for the next few summers so they could work out if they could afford to fly back, and which airlines would be the cheapest at various times of year. Then there was the one who always books through Skyscanner and told everyone "Skyscanner are the only good airline, with the best crew and meals and really pretty planes" - cue lots of comments from sheeple saying "ooh I'll fly with them next time" "I hope they serve better meals than Flight Center" and "Skyscanner are a much better airline than BA/Qantas/Emirates etc" :banghead:
How do these people manage to navigate the whole process of moving across the word?!

Re: What happened to this place?
 

The misinformation astounds me as well. I'd be fascinated to know how the people to whom the bad advice was given fared afterwards. You never see follow up posts saying "Thanks a lot, because of the bad advice we got on here, we now have no chance of emigrating."

I try to offer more reasoned advice in those groups when I can, but it's like swimming against the tide.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

It is. I try and give correct advice to those who are being told total rubbish, but as the majority come out with the easy - and usually wrong - option, the correct stuff just gets lost in the fog.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

I guess it's all walks of life and doesn't need social media (although that helps spread it).

Anyone remember how you "could get grants from the DHSS for a TV if it came in a cabinet with doors because it counted as furniture"? :rofl:

Re: What happened to this place?
 

I do similar to you, except I check in early in the evening most days, but often there is nothing that catches my interest now.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

19 years or so after moving here, I find the urge to share advice and experience is less than it was. Also, my experiences from an immigration perspective are rather out of date these days.

I guess also, as the number of posters I used to interact with diminishes and/or their frequency of posting, there's less incentive to post. Bit of a shame as some of the virtual friendships made here were important to me & I miss some posters wit and erudition. Facebook holds less of an appeal as of course, one has to be the real person rather than hiding behind a handle!

Re: What happened to this place?
 

It can still be done in the general part - the lounge. TIO can be a bit weary sometimes but the lounge is fun. I'm not sure why frivolity is a bad thing as Gordon seems to think.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

Facebook groups now seem to allow people to post as "Änonymous Member" - in one group I'm in this is now just daft, today we had 20 different questions, all about migrating to Australia, and all by "Änonymous Member" - no clues as to whether they are all the same member or all individuals, and it makes it even harder to be correct with info, as it removes something we always used on here, there is no history, no back story..

Re: What happened to this place?
 

Only so many topics.

I think in around 2012 I felt like we were seeing the same topics recycled here.

People only have so many views.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

34 years ago, the founder of a family company here in Cayman - a man of very strong opinions and manners - hired me as a consultant. He wanted someone who would not be afraid to challenge him, and his children were only in their early twenties. He embraced the axiom that says "if you have to have a yes-man around, one of you is redundant."

One can't help but notice, that some of the posts in this thread - while absolutely polite and uncritical - seem to suggest the possibility - however remote - of a surfeit of yes-men in BE's top-floor offices. However unlikely, that might conceivably answer the question of "what happened to this place?".

Re: What happened to this place?
 

I'm a bit disappointed, I'm still waiting for someone to give me my opinion on this topic.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

If you are aiming that comment at IB, that may be true but I doubt it - they don't deal with content much.

As for moderators - majority yes-women :lol:

Re: What happened to this place?
 

I think the critical error in the management of the Canada forum was banning ultrarunner. Yes, his, possibly her, content was stolen and/or lies and his personal claims were ludicrous, who actually likes running? He, or she, was, however, entertaining and a generator of a great volume of controversial posts.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

Novocastrin moved on as well.

JSmith gone who was a big contributor.

It was a good run. The look and feel has barely changed since my first ever post.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

I do hope JSmith is alright. He was a fragile soul of late.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

He is.
I remain in touch.

Re: What happened to this place?
 

And, ironically, Oink :rofl: