Where is everybody?

[ClassyCo]

While browsing through some of the older threads, and even in some of the newer threads, I click on different users to see when was the last time they were active here on the site. Some of them haven't been seen here in years. Where has everybody gone? Did they loose interest in the forum, have they passed on, does anybody keep contact with anyone?

Where is everybody?

 

[Willie Oleson]

The forum is not like real life in which an older member is going to be replaced with a newborn.
The 1980s prime time soaps fandom is becoming more and more niche therefore it's hard to attract new members. And that's when you start to notice that many longtime site members are no longer active.

I can't leave. Not until I've convinced everybody that Dynasty's RITA was the best part of season 6.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I guess Willie will be here a long, long time.

And we wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

10 Emmys went to this scene alone -- the Television Academy wept until passing out, their ballots smeared with mascara:

 

[Willie Oleson]

Rumour has it that George Hamilton injured his hand when he hit Krystle's shoulder pad. So raw, so realistic.

It would be nice if tellytalk had an official RITA Day, with member names being Ritafied for that special occasion.
So, Rita Avery and Rita Oracle! / Snarky Rita! and ClassyRita. And Barbara Rita Fan, she's going to love that.

 

[Monzo]

To tell a little story: I've always been active in the world of big US soaps, whether on Facebook in groups or pages, or a long time ago on Yahoo! Groups. Over the decades, no one ever pointed me to a great TV series forum (this one) that I should check out; I had to find it myself eventually. So, I got into the habit of mentioning Tellytalk to someone who is actively posting about the big soaps elsewhere and seems to have a good vibe. One of these people turned out to be someone who was dearly missed here. This user checked out around the time I joined, and I noticed that back then some people were worried about that person (who was someone important behind the scenes), but apparently, that person wasn't dead or sick, that person simply had enough of Tellytalk, because that person continued posting actively elsewhere. This experience taught me that the worst fears (death, illness) aren't always correct. Sometimes people just move on and are still doing fine.

I think the fact that the top poster of the month disappears from the list for the rest of the year means that it's less noticeable when someone (big) vanishes completely. I've often thought that a particular person had been top poster of the month, only to find out later that they've been gone for months. It's a shame that January only comes once a year, because right now the top posters of the month list on the front page looks so rich, whereas in December the forum seems deserted.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Yahoo! Groups

We used to have "groups" on soapchat, by invitation only. I was asked to join the Friends Of Dorothy assuming it was a Dorothy Zbornak mini-fanclub.
It felt a bit weird to post in a hidden part of soapchat but all these groups disappeared anyway.
Soapchat also had a "karma" rating which I didn't understand at all.

And then of course there was my introduction to THE Dynasty forum (although I discovered this site via a Knots Landing episode-synopses blog) and if you could have seen how they treated me there then you wouldn't believe I'd still be posting today.
To be fair, I used to be a narrow-minded pompous *ssh*ole whose opinion of Dynasty was based on 20 y/o memories of watching Dynasty on TV.

My profile says "joined September 2016" but that refers to the revival after the devastating forum crash in 2016 - which conveniently erased my most cringeworthy contributions to the forum. But in reality I signed up in 2001-ish.

who is actively posting about the big soaps elsewhere and seems to have a good vibe

The only other one I know of is a forum for UK soaps, if it still exists. Some of those people used to post here on tellytalk but eventually things got a bit nasty so....

this user checked out around the time I joined, and I noticed that some people were worried about that person (who was someone important behind the scenes)

If "behind the scenes" means being part of the moderation team then I'm thinking of Sarah. I liked her but sometimes I was a little worried about her.

I think the fact that the top poster of the month disappears from the list for the rest of the year means that it's less noticeable when someone (big) vanishes completely

Smart thinking. Perhaps we should all have a serial number chip implanted in our bodies so that Daniel Avery can monitor our whereabouts and activities Empire Valley style.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

To tell a little story: I've always been active in the world of big US soaps, whether on Facebook in groups or pages, or a long time ago on Yahoo! Groups. Over the decades, no one ever pointed me to a great TV series forum (this one) that I should check out; I had to find it myself eventually. So, I got into the habit of mentioning Tellytalk to someone who is actively posting about the big soaps elsewhere and seems to have a good vibe. One of these people turned out to be someone who was dearly missed here. This user checked out around the time I joined, and I noticed that back then some people were worried about that person (who was someone important behind the scenes), but apparently, that person wasn't dead or sick, that person simply had enough of Tellytalk, because that person continued posting actively elsewhere. This experience taught me that the worst fears (death, illness) aren't always correct. Sometimes people just move on and are still doing fine.

I think the fact that the top poster of the month disappears from the list for the rest of the year means that it's less noticeable when someone (big) vanishes completely. I've often thought that a particular person had been top poster of the month, only to find out later that they've been gone for months. It's a shame that January only comes once a year, because right now the top posters of the month list on the front page looks so rich, whereas in December the forum seems deserted.

I like to think they just didn't like me.

It used to be when you searched the Internet for the soaps, it inevitably brought you here (at least, prior to 2016). Now, apparently it doesn't. Or, you see a 5" x 7" image of my face pop up -- and, oddly, not everyone responds well to that.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

On the subject of missing members, there's also this thread which name-checks lots of familiar names from the past.

Forum Posters you miss

Are there any Forum Posters that you miss, who came and was never to return? Tatianna MzTexas71 MayorGregory TheLovelySue Ellen

tellytalk.net

Sadly, some who contributed to the above thread have now dropped off the radar themselves.

We used to have "groups" on soapchat, by invitation only.

Oh yes. I remember those. Kind of like "special interest" groups. I'm pretty sure I turned down my one and only invitation.

Soapchat also had a "karma" rating which I didn't understand at all.

That's going back a bit. I suppose it was similar to the current Reactions ("Like", "Thank You', etc.) except it was sent privately and you could add a message. Possibly you could also choose to send negative karma as well as positive. There was a visual somewhere, like the level bar that we have today.

It used to be when you searched the Internet for the soaps, it inevitably brought you here (at least, prior to 2016). Now, apparently it doesn't.

That's a shame. I just tried it with Knots and got nothing with just the name, but when I added "discussion" or "forum" we were the top hit.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

When I joined here in September 2000, it was less than a decade these shows had been over. And they were still getting major re-play at the time. So this forum was really hoppin' during the 2000s.

It all got so sassy! The dialogue was sassy!

It slowed down a bit during the 2010s, and then some people didn't come back after the crash of 2016 (some of them didn't like the way it happened).

But it's now been 35 years since those old shows ended. So membership participation is just going to drop off inevitably.

Also, some people left last summer because they apparently didn't like the UK's new PM (private messages, not prime minister) constraints.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Also, some people left last summer because they apparently didn't like the UK's new PM (private messages, not prime minister) constraints.

Gosh, it's never occured to me that could be a reason (because it wouldn't be reason enough for me to leave).
Ironically, it does tie in with the "are you still in contact with" question. Unless you've exchanged email you will NEVER hear from that person again. And maybe they don't want to, maybe they are in the Witness Protection System.

I really miss Richard Channing, I know he has a history of health problems and I hope that is not the reason he stopped posting.
Or maybe it's my Scorpio Rising that tricks me into thinking I'm someone's best friend when in reality that person wants nothing to do with me.
After all, it's only a few weeks ago when someone here told me we're not-so-chummy as I thought we were, which literally drove me to the edge of a rooftop.
Granted, it was the roof of a one-story bungalow but the sentiment remains.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I really miss Richard Channing,

I miss him as well. Alexis went to the Du Cap in Antibes and then dumped us cold! (He must've met some upper-crust friends while he was there, and now he is living in that triplex penthouse for real!)

Or maybe it's my Scorpio Rising that tricks me into thinking I'm someone's best friend when in reality that person wants nothing to do with me.

Probably not. Do they have one, too?

 

[Crimson]

The 1980s prime time soaps fandom is becoming more and more niche therefore it's hard to attract new members.

This kind of forum is also out of fashion. People are more likely to have these kinds of discussions on social media now. Personally I don't find the structure of Facebook/X/reddit to be conducive to in depth conversation, but that's where the engagement is now. Someone new seeking out discussion about an 80s soap is more likely to end up on the FB/reddit groups than finding a dedicated forum.

 

[Willie Oleson]

This kind of forum is also out of fashion. People are more likely to have these kinds of discussions on social media now

There may be more active discussion forums then we think, but I agree with you that many people are more inclined to randomly post comments that require zero commitment or responsibility e.g. youtube comments.

Not that anyone here on tellytalk is obliged to do anything (apart from respecting the relatively loose forum guidelines) but it's also not "anything goes" e.g. spam posting random/nonsensical threads like a certain forum member used to do.
I think, certainly after 25+ years, a level of maturity is expected when someone decides to post in these forums.

 

[Angela Channing]

This was originally a forum to discuss Dallas. A lot of people, including myself, would have watched the show when it was originally broadcast and now will be getting on in years. I'm not that far from my 60th birthday but I would guess some other forum members would be older because I was a very young viewer when Dallas first aired. So, sad though it may be, some early forum members will have died and others will be too decrepit to post on here any more.

 

[Crimson]

There may be more active discussion forums then we think

Not extinct, but far less plentiful than they were in the past. Video game communities still favor the forum format, but every other TV/pop culture forum I was aware of died out long ago.

No one else has mentioned a major reason for TT's decline: the decline itself. The fewer active participants there are, the less reason there is to come back. At some point one has to wonder why bother, if the most you'll get for the effort is a like or two and maybe one semi-relevant reply. I've mostly transitioned to reddit, which has its quirks but a lack of activity isn't one of them.

 

[Willie Oleson]

if the most you'll get for the effort is a like or two

Just gave you the second like.

What I like about tellytalk is the quality management. More "noise" doesn't always make it more attractive, imo.
It's candlelight supper vs. KFC, and that's a choice.

 

[Frank Underwood]

To be honest, I'm often surprised I stuck around this long myself. I joined here in 1999, two months before my *gulp* 16th birthday! I'm turning 43 in a few months, and I once got detention for viewing these forums for crying out loud! The last ten years haven't been as enjoyable as the pre-forum crash years, but what the hell else am I going to do?

I get that other people have eventually moved on, and of course we all inevitably croak someday. And not to say other people aren't great, but I'm glad Snarky in particular is still around because he makes me feel sane. I often feel misunderstood, and I feel he gets me the most. And that alone has been enough to keep me interested and posting.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

It's candlelight supper vs. KFC, and that's a choice.

 

[Monzo]

I was just browsing the Posters of the Month list at the end of this month and was pleased to see that Tommie seems to be posting again, as he appears with one post this month. I was curious what (and in which forum) he posted, but when I click on his latest messages, the last archived message is from June 2025. How is that possible? Are his messages no longer being archived, or is he appearing on the Posters of the Month list due to a system error?