It's the Singles Forum Oldies/Newbies Mingle! (How can we best blend the old user/new user crowd?)

I have something in me that shy people away, immediately I say ''hello'' they are gone

Thanks for all the great input!

I usually try to start getting to know people by liking/giving reactions to their posts.

I think one of the toughest challenges for a medium like this is trying to blend different personalities, since some like to post more, and others like to say less or nothing at all, which is fine! Everyone has their own style.

The most difficult barrier (in my own mind) that I find myself wanting to try to break is a classic forum Catch 22 -- people will say there aren't any interesting threads or discussions, and then understandably fade away. However, I know that it can also seem to many that it's the same people posting or putting up threads over and over again, which doesn't go over very well either.

My purpose in putting out threads is to try to give people something to talk about, and I try to include a personal story because I don't want it to seem like I'm asking things I wouldn't answer myself. But what I'm really hoping is that it will inspire more people to start their own threads as well, so we can get a whole mish-mash of ideas and conversations going.

I might be wrong about this (or maybe I'm just thinking out loud too much), but I guess I have a vision for the forum as being full of variety and interaction.

That’s a good idea. I enjoy interacting with people myself, but as you say, or maybe I got that wrong, too many people want to pick a fight when they find something to disagree with. Sometimes I’ve posted things that have been twisted into, I don’t know what, really, and some jerk has gone off the handle to make some sort of point lol.

I ran away, but I came back. Maybe if you said hi, instead of hello?

Hey Everyone!

Something I've been thinking about lately is that we have a lot of new faces (well, avatars ) on the forum and I've been wondering... What is the best way to blend our CC Singles Forum crowd?

* How can we introduce ourselves to each other and get everyone talking back and forth?

* How can we help make people more comfortable sharing posts and replying to/joking with other users?

* If you're someone who's been here for a while, what helped you make the leap from silent observer to active forum participant?

* If you're someone new, welcome! What things would make you feel like diving into the discussions?

I always see a lot of great people I'd love to try to banter and joke with in the forum, but if someone is new or I don't know them that well, I tend to refrain because I don't want them to feel like they're being picked on. What are your thoughts on how we can bridge the gap?

I admit that I'm slower than a tortoise when it comes to meeting people here. I'll generally become familiar with their posts over several months, then maybe have the chance to drop them a PM and get to know them, but that can take several more weeks or months. Usually when I'm here, I have a limited amount of time, so I will often choose to use it to write a post I've been thinking about and have to write out before I lose the thought. Unfortunately, I'm only able to get to know one or two people at a time this way.

How can we change this, and for everyone here, so that we're all meeting new people and talking?

What ideas do you have for helping our CC Singles crowd get to know each other better, or even at all?

Seoul and I have a joke, mostly about having trouble connecting with people while being single in church, that we're just counting down the years until we're eligible for all the senior citizens social activities since that seems to be when you get back to your age being a more primary determiner of your demographic.

How was I supposed to know that 'hi' would work?
No way I will try hi anyway, lol.
I fear being ignored the second time.

Actually, it was you who really made me feel at home. What I try to do for our new members is to find at least on positive thing to comment on in their posts. This is not always easy as you know quite well. My CC time is limited too as I don't write very many posts during my work schedule but try to catch up in my couple days off each week. Sometimes the pace is frantic here and I can miss a lot of stuff in a couple days.

How was I supposed to know that 'hi' would work?
No way I will try hi anyway, lol.
I fear being ignored the second time.

Hey, Josie!!!

How was I supposed to know that 'hi' would work?
No way I will try hi anyway, lol.
I fear being ignored the second time.

You're the Josie that we used to talk to on that really long thread, right?

You're the Josie that we used to talk to on that really long thread, right?

Is there more than one Josie from Cameroon?

I didn't recognize you with your actual face on!!

Hi Josie!

Welcome to CC and glad to have you here.

How could anyone ignore such a friendly "Hi"?

someone said pizza, and now i'm here.

i'm not one of the popular kids. i rarely get PMs or chats. the random times i've received a message with the new chat system, once the guy knows i'm married, they disappear. i can understand that tho. lol.