Kitty Aldridge, the writter. And some words about MK bike accident

[twm]

As so often with these sorts of disagreements, there is right on both sides.

I have said before that I find these proceedings rather like a conversation between friends in a pub - the conversation goes in all sorts of directions, sometimes at tangents to the main theme, sometimes in anger, sometimes in laughter. It's part of the fun. In this instance, I would never even have thought about that press release, if someone hadn't mentioned Mariella Frostrup's name in this thread.

On the other hand, it can be difficult to follow the main theme of the thread, when some of the postings are  off-topic. I do understand that frustration.

"You're right from your side
And I am right from mine
We're both just one too many mornings
And a thousand miles behind"
A-Dylan-quote-for-every-occasion dot com

Now let me ask a couple of questions.  Was the information I gave about the professional link, in the past, between Mark and Mariella something new to you? And, if so, is it not even the slightest bit interesting that, subsequently, Mark and now Kitty have agreed to be interviewed by her and/or have been on programmes fronted by her? There is no need to post answers here.  I have put these questions not because I seek specific answers  but, more fundamentally, to encourage thought about what the purpose and function of a forum like this is all about.

For me, it is about finding and "talking" to like-minded people, about mutual enthusiasm, about sharing information, about expressing opinions, about agreeing and disagreeing but respecting differences, about learning "new things" and new perspectives on "old things" - probably many others but those are what come to mind at this early hour.

[superval99]

It saddens me to have to say this, but in the last few months or so, this forum has changed almost out of all recognition from how it began in August 2008.   It used to be great fun to post here, with all the friends who moved over from the old forum.  Now it is a mere shadow of it's former self and it is sad to see this happen.   So many of those people are now missing and I noticed recently that Rollergirl is no longer here at all and I know I will miss her witty and humorous posts very much.

Regarding the off-topic problem.  TWM - I know you are well-intentioned, but you do have an uncanny knack of changing threads from whatever they started out as, into a Dylan thread!    I know you are first and foremost a Dylan fan, but this is a KNOPFLER forum and sometimes it can be infuriating!   For example, even your post above has a quote from Dylan!!!!       If I were to go on to ER and divert their threads into Knopfler threads at every opportunity, I would be unceremoniously shown the door! 

Meanwhile I will take a break.   

[Justme]

It saddens me to have to say this, but in the last few months or so, this forum has changed almost out of all recognition from how it began in August 2008.   It used to be great fun to post here, with all the friends who moved over from the old forum.  Now it is a mere shadow of it's former self and it is sad to see this happen.   So many of those people are now missing and I noticed recently that Rollergirl is no longer here at all and I know I will miss her witty and humorous posts very much.

Mark is to blame!  There isn't THAT lot to talk about.

You cannot imagine, how busy AMIT is going to be from September to December, when the new album is out. And then it is time for serious "tour talk". So there will be  a lot to discuss. And maybe some of our old friends will join us again - if they don't, they get a personal message via AMIT  .

TWM, I really do appreciate your knowledge and your posts, would it be a good idea to set up a TWM's corner in this neck of the interwebs?

[Jackal]

Superval,

Why do you think it has changed? I haven't been around very long, but I too have noticed that many of the people that were very active a year or a year and a half ago (Dusty, Rollergirl, goldenheart, Watermelon Man, fieneke, etc.). Do you feel they have left because new people have taken the forum and the discussions in different directions (I don't mean off topic, but in general), or have they just lost interest? (For me, the interest is periodic.)

[superval99]

Superval,

Why do you think it has changed? I haven't been around very long, but I too have noticed that many of the people that were very active a year or a year and a half ago (Dusty, Rollergirl, goldenheart, Watermelon Man, fieneke, etc.). Do you feel they have left because new people have taken the forum and the discussions in different directions (I don't mean off topic, but in general), or have they just lost interest? (For me, the interest is periodic.)

Jackal,  I think it is that the humour and sense of fun has gone out of the forum these days and everything has become deadly serious.  I had been reading the posts on the old forum for a few years before I eventually bought a computer of my own and joined up (I used my husband's previously) and I couldn't wait to share in all the fun everyone was having there!   That was six years ago and I never regretted joining, but now I just feel sad at the changes that have happened.

Perhaps we should have a poll for lapsed members and ask them why they have absconded!    


I also think that the popularity of Facebook has contributed to the fall in active contributors.  I notice the decline in other forums too, btw.

[JF]

Mark is to blame!  Grin There isn't THAT lot to talk about.

+1

[JF]

I have said before that I find these proceedings rather like a conversation between friends in a pub - the conversation goes in all sorts of directions, sometimes at tangents to the main theme, sometimes in anger, sometimes in laughter. It's part of the fun.

For me, it is about finding and "talking" to like-minded people, about mutual enthusiasm, about sharing information, about expressing opinions, about agreeing and disagreeing but respecting differences, about learning "new things" and new perspectives on "old things" - probably many others but those are what come to mind at this early hour.

+10

[JF]

It saddens me to have to say this, but in the last few months or so, this forum has changed almost out of all recognition from how it began in August 2008.   It used to be great fun to post here, with all the friends who moved over from the old forum.  Now it is a mere shadow of it's former self and it is sad to see this happen.   So many of those people are now missing and I noticed recently that Rollergirl is no longer here at all and I know I will miss her witty and humorous posts very much.

Superval,

Why do you think it has changed? I haven't been around very long, but I too have noticed that many of the people that were very active a year or a year and a half ago (Dusty, Rollergirl, goldenheart, Watermelon Man, fieneke, etc.). Do you feel they have left because new people have taken the forum and the discussions in different directions (I don't mean off topic, but in general), or have they just lost interest? (For me, the interest is periodic.)

I'm new on this forum (since end august 2011), but I read it since his first days, and I have the same feeling.
The mood has changed, and many historic forumers are absent since many months ; I hope it is not related with me...

I like humour, I would love to put more in my posts, but my english is so bad that I'm afraid it will not be always correctly understood 

[superval99]

JF,  Your English is fine - much better than my French!       Just keep posting!   

[Jackal]

I think there are number of reasons.

1) I think people "move on". With all the offerings on the Internet these days, people try out new stuff all the time. Facebook is of course very hot, but I think people are starting to lose interest there as well. The same goes for Guy's forum. Can't believe how dead it is there compared with eight years ago. Even Guy seems slightly tired of it.

2) New people join that bring new impulses that might change the current structure. Some of the old members like it, some like it less. In that way a forum is continuously evolving.

3) These days there are very few stones that have not been turned in connection with Mark and Dire Straits. Everything and anything is available on the Internet, so the demand for information has kind of flattened or even taken a dive. This means there's not so much to talk about.


I personally like it here, even though there's not much Mark related to discuss now. There are intelligent, fun people here, many of whom share my interest in guitar playing and music, so even though the primary topic has kind of reached a hiatus, this is still a great meeting place, much nicer than Facebook, where it's very far between anything interesting to read. Sadly the older members don't feel it that way.

As for the humor part, that's true. There were more of the shorter, funny comments being made before. It seems now we, yes, myself included, tend to write discourses and long anecdotes. I guess those of us that do could curb that part a bit. I even feel guilty now writing this post ...

[superval99]

Thanks Jackal, I think you have hit upon quite a few reasons for the decline and I do think Facebook is one of the main reasons.  I read somewhere that it is now considered "uncool" for young people to be members, since their grandparents are also on FB!

We did have some great moments on MK News Forum, with a great bunch of people - Gbobmi, Jacki, Rollergirl, Goldenheart and, of course, Fieneke and her ever-increasing smilies!   She was reprimanded many times about the size and number, but she was not to be put off.  Eventually the smilies covered half a page and the mods were most certainly not amused!        We moved over here soon after that!   

[superval99]

this is still a great meeting place, much nicer than Facebook, where it's very far between anything interesting to read. Sadly the older members don't feel it that way.

I agree with you.  I joined FB a couple of years ago and was a member for about a year.  I think I posted only once in that time and then disentangled myself!   I found it to be likened to watching paint dry!   So boring!   

[Jackal]

FB is mostly a necessary evil. I'd be happy to ditch it today, but because of family and friends being far away and the fact that I need to check up on a few youngsters who are not behaving well, I need to hang in there. I also have couple of professional reasons to be there, but I could easily to without.

I don't think it will become what Zuckerberg hopes it will be.

[jbaent]

Everything pass for different stages, thats life. I remember years ago about a mail talking about the different phases of a mailing list, and it was hilarious, but very realistic as well.

I find there is still a lot of humour and fan here, thats why I

[Pottel]

now all of you have continued talkng about other topics, so stop the moaning.
  (going fieneke)
the goal of this forum was to be free of any restrictions and mods playing god, i think we do a reaaaaaaaallllly good job at that.
so pls let's move on and not cause unnecesarry friction.
yes fb is to blame, yes mark ain't too active (still, there are those bits and pieces that happen and that we do talk about) but i think a very good reason, as brought forward by jackal is, people move on, i know this myself, i am on quite a few different forums, some more then others, and you just can't focus on all of them all of the time.
on the record, i have not read and will not read any of Kitty's works, except if it somehow is mark related.