Coming To A New Site And Finding Old Friends
By M.-L.
@MALUSE (69373)
Germany
September 22, 2015 11:06am CST
This November it'll be 15 years that I joined the British sibling of the opinionating site Dooyoo. I had started on the German one but got bored there. I also didn't like the community spirit of my country people. So I decided to try my luck in English and with the Brits - a good idea as it soon turned out. Dooyoo is a site mainly for reviewing products with (badly paid) niches for book reviews and travel reports. I concentrated on these and enjoyed my time there for many years.
Dooyoo is a small competitor of the site Ciao (both belong to the same company now). Cross-posting is allowed on both sides. So it's not surprising that many members post here and there to flush some more pennies into their coffers. When I joined Ciao a bit later, I recognised many user names and avatars and I didn't feel lost. I also acquired some new buddies who I then met on other sites I frequented for some time. One of these was Helium. The same happened there. Hello @BelleStarr! Hello @katerina!
Then Dooyoo developed in a negative way I won't dwell on here. The end had come for me. Someone mentioned bubblews. You'll already know what I'm going to write now. Lots of Dooyoo/Ciao/Helium members I recognised created a kind of homey feeling for me.
I'm basically a one-site-person and don't enjoy hopping from site to site. I remained a faithful bubbler even after having my account deleted for no reason at all (no explanation was ever given), the big crash at the beginning of the year and the loss of a considerable amount of money. Yet, when bubblews became nearly stagnant in the recent past, my enthusiasm began to dwindle to zero. I started looking across the fence.
Following other bubblers I arrived at myLot. When I opened the site for the first time, I only saw user names and avatars I already knew. Another case of homey feeling. No stranger anxiety for me! I was welcomed by many friendly members like the lost daughter.
Conclusion: No matter how many registered members a site has I can't but assume that there's only a relatively small, surveyable group of active writers who meander through the internet looking for the best conditions. They aren't selfish. When they've found a good place to stay, they spread the word.
Will the trek go on interminably or one day find its destination for good?
20 people like this
19 responses
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
22 Sep 15
I can't answer your question, but I only know that I was pleased to find so many friends here. This is only the second site I've ever been on, but I'm not going to desert the other one, it's given me so much pleasure in the 2 years I've been there.
4 people like this
@garymarsh6 (23404)
• United Kingdom
22 Sep 15
Dooyoo treated their British members with such contempt I no longer write for them. It was brilliant when I first started. Then we had bubblews and after losing a couple of 100 dollars that did it for many people. Hopefully mylot will be much nicer. It has some good features from what I can see so far.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470822)
• Switzerland
23 Sep 15
I agree, I have joined a total of 6 writing sites in the last 5 years. Every time that there has been a problem, most of us have moved to another. The rumors are easy to spread and unhappy people immediately migrate where they can find better conditions.
1 person likes this
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@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
23 Sep 15
I didn't do most of the sites you mention, except Helium and Bubblews. I have done others that you didn't mention, though. It seems like there are millions of writers on the internet, yet you see the same people everywhere you go. I guess there may be fewer of us than we think.
@suziecat7 (3350)
• Asheville, North Carolina
23 Sep 15
I'm glad you're here too. It's always great to see familiar faces. As with Bubblews, I'm in and out.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
26 Sep 15
I tend to only use one site so Helium replaced Mylot, Bubbs replaced Hel, and now I've come full circle back here - and only because I knew old friends were coming here. I'd been hoping to run into Koalemos as couldn't find him after Bubbs and he is on here and was originally but we didn't know each other first time around on Mylot. We met on Helium with Belle, perhaps Mary and Linda will turn up here too.
@valmnz (17097)
• New Zealand
23 Sep 15
I was pleased to see you arrive here, as you were one of the few remaining that I'd left behind in bubblews. This online thing does seem to be a small world. I've decided that when this site fails to produce eventually, as they all seem to do, this will be my last.
@whiteream (8567)
• United States
5 Dec 15
I have been on many sites over the years. One thing that I have notices is that most writer are very friendly and helpful to other writers.
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
22 Sep 15
welcome! yepperz, its a comfort to find others that we've grown so fond 'f other places, aint it? 's fer the longevity 'f any 'f these places? i've great doubts with my limited 'xperience 'f such. 'course, i've still blind faith that the powers that be 't the 'b' site 'll get their act together one day. treat folks 's they ought to be treated 'n not jest 's cash cows fer 'emselves. i aint deserted 'em, but 'twas most fortunate ms. @jaboUK told me 'f this place. seems its mighty slow'n both places though 'n i grow restless to jest stop it all.
@Dragonairy1 (1722)
• Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
22 Sep 15
An interesting point, like you I really prefer one good site to concentrate on, it's just finding it that's proving hard. Although hopefully this one will be it.
