META: Number of annual messages on rctn.

lucretia borgia wrote:

On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:37:07 -0500, Cheryl Isaak
opined:

Well I have to admit to finding texting with my youngest grandson very
useful but we were merely saying "be there 4pm" "Ok" sort of thing.

Oh - texting has it's use. But not for telling the guy next to you, "did you
see her"


C

Then again, if I was next to you and a guy went past would you rather
I said out loud to you "Cute bum" or would you rather I texted it to
you ??? RDH


Have you never heard of nudging and nodding in the appropriate direction?


--
Karen C - California
Editor/Proofreader www.IntlProofingConsortium.com

http://my2.tupperware.com/KMCampbell

"On his tombstone, Benjamin Franklin wanted it said not that he had been
rich
but rather that he had been useful."

Finished 12/14/08 - GMTA/Great Minds Think Alike (Bucilla)

WIP: Nativity from "Countdown to Christmas" book, Oriental Kimono
(Janlynn),
MLI The Teacher (gift to the library), Bethany Angel (Marbek)
Retrieved from UFO pile: Marbek's Snow Angel, MLI Farmers Market

www.CFSfacts.org -- where we give you the facts and dispel the myths
Myths, with research cites: http://www.aacfs.org/images/pdfs/myths.pdf
Newest research blog: http://cfs-facts.blogspot.com/

"Felice" wrote in message
...

"anne" wrote in message
g...
says...
It's that time of year. In 2008 there were about 19,400 messages on
rctn.
Going backwards, the numbers for previous years were 13,100, 21,200,
26,600, 37,500, 47,500, 54,000, 69,600, 82,100, 79,800, 83,000, and
78,000.

Thanks, Jim.

I've been here through several mayonaise/salad dressing wars but don't
remember
exactly when I 'joined' the group. Do any of you long term posters
(notice I
didn't say old) recall if the higher numbers in years' past were due to
more
stitching discussions or has there always been a lot of threads that
diverged
into 'chit chat'?
--
another anne, add ingers to reply

May a former active member, now an occasional dropper-in, offer a thought?
Of the 43 messages when I checked in just now:

3 were about needlework
12 were about knitting
7 were about the number of messages

21 were about volunteering, chickens, dogs, the cost of living and Mirjam

I was a faithful rctn-er for years (and even took part in, and survived,
the Firehouse Angel) but I dropped out when needlework became almost
secondary to general chat. I enjoyed many of the off-topic posts, but
eventually lost interest in the group because of the paucity of real
needlework conversations.

This is NOT meant as any sort of criticism, since a newsgroup should be
what its members want it to be, but rctn is no longer what I want.

I do miss some of you fellow stitchers, though!

Felice

That`s the whole point - it should be what the majority WANT it to be.
After all, if you join a craft club, you discuss all manner of subjects
besides the crafts. That`s how you get to know people! I`ve made some
really good friends here, which I might never have got to know had we all
discussed needlework and nothing else. We don`t always agree - but that`s
life, and we move on.

Pat

Hello Jim,

Thanks for doing this. I do find the numbers interesting.

Rosemary



On 31 Dec 2008 11:27:31 GMT, (F.James
Cripwell) wrote:

It's that time of year. In 2008 there were about 19,400 messages on rctn.
Going backwards, the numbers for previous years were 13,100, 21,200,
26,600, 37,500, 47,500, 54,000, 69,600, 82,100, 79,800, 83,000, and 78,000.
Jim.

lewmew wrote:


Our kids don't have cell phones and I am working hard to keep it that
way. I want to have an idea of who is calling them and how often
(among other things).

Any other parents of adolescents feel the same way?

Linda

I hate the filthy things! If I am available for you to contact, then I
am available via the phone which is rooted in my wall. If I am shopping,
in church, in the dunny or basically otherwise engaged, then you gotta
wait and try again. How hard is that?

I understand there are some professions (eg. real estate salesmen) in
which a mobile phone can be useful, but for private citizens I think
they've only introduced yet another spectrum of ways in which one can be
rude. Leaving aside the horrific clanger of mobile phones ringing at
funerals or in meetings or at the ballet, the merry clangour of this or
that phunky ringtone in *any* conversation puts immediately paid to the
train of thought. Rude, *rude*, *RUDE*!!!

The Ugly Sister comes to visit me and spends approximately half her time
grafted to the Sacred Phone of Great Mobility. If it's not one of the
kids, then it's her DH or her boss or her friend or... Yes, she ought to
turn *off* the stupid thing, but if she did that, she might have to wait
for a period before hearing what someone's having for dinner or when
someone might come over or what someone's horse did today or
blahblahblah. Horrendous! Unconscionable!

I reluctantly gave my DS a mobile phone after he was virtually assaulted
one day at work. While no-one laid a finger on him, he was assailed by a
group of yobbos who thought it funny to surround the weird-looking bloke
in the hat and jeer at him. DS was severely distressed, especially when
it happened a few more times in a short period. His phone has two
numbers programmed on buttons which will alert either his boss or the
receptionist at the other end of his courier run that he needs help in
the mall. So...

With DD, I allowed myself to be persuaded that a Sacred Phone of Great
Mobility is a necessary adjunct to teenage life, just as blue jeans with
a front fly were in my own teen age. Without one, she could not take
part in the afternoon blue-toothing sessions that go on in the bus and
nor could she share her music, videos and funny ringtones. Since her
school is on the other side of town from home, I also allowed myself to
be persuaded that it's necessary for her to be able to alert us when she
misses her bus.

I have to say, DD uses her phone quite responsibly and is sensible about
preferring to use the (cheaper) landline instead. She rarely uses text
messaging, since she and her friends hate and despise the abbreviated
lingo, preferring to spell the words out in entirety. This makes for
very sore thumbs and so the texting is kept to a minimum. The main uses
she has for the thing are to take photos of friends and events at school
and to listen to her mp3s during art class (which is permitted).

Sigh.

Yeah, I really feel as if I've been hoodwinked into this by my
technophile family, but there's only one of me and there's three of
them. And as DH rightly pointed out, my computer use is much heavier
than anyone else's SPofGM use. That shut me up quickfast and left me
without a leg to stand on. DD was lucky in that my DSS was working for a
phone company at the time and got her a you-beaut-mega-fantastic
superseded model for chickenfeed. Otherwise, she'd have been reduced to
the most basic tin-can with a bit of string model!

I'm recently becoming aware of how *hard* it is for me to accept the
peccadilloes of the younger generations. This highlights the fact that
it's me getting older and less flexible and them simply evolving as they
should. Since I don't think it's my right to deny my daughter the
accoutrements of her peers 'just because *we* never had them and *I*
have no use for them', I gave in. Grudgingly.

!!!

Oh. And it was PB useful the day we found Tawny Frogmouths nesting in
Mum's tree and wanted to take a pic of them. Good ol' DD was there with
her SPofGM and got great shots of the family, including two fluffy and
adorable nestlings.

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

lewmew wrote:
Facebook, myspace - yikes. Only thing worse is Iming and texting.....

C

I was just thinking about that last night. A major disadvantage for
parents is you really have no idea how many people your kids are
contacting/are contacting them. For example, the party invitations
come via email and/or Facebook, not the mail or the phone. My ds went
to the movies with several friends - not a call among them to set it
up. I wanted my dd to contact someone about a ride - she was going to
do it on Facebook as opposed to picking up the phone.

Our kids don't have cell phones and I am working hard to keep it that
way. I want to have an idea of who is calling them and how often
(among other things).

Any other parents of adolescents feel the same way?

Linda

Oh geez! Sorry to add after such a long post. Just wanted to say that
DD's computer is right next to mine and I know most of what goes on in
her online life. All her buddies have me in their Friends list on My
Space and I'm part of the community too. DD's had intensive lessons on
not revealing identifying info and in knowing that anyone not personally
known to her might be a dirty old man trawling for victims. Electronic
communication is here to stay, so the best way of protecting your kids
is to train them in its judicious use. 'kay... I'll shuddup now. ;-D

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Trish Brown wrote:
lewmew wrote:


Our kids don't have cell phones and I am working hard to keep it that
way. I want to have an idea of who is calling them and how often
(among other things).

Any other parents of adolescents feel the same way?

Linda

I hate the filthy things! If I am available for you to contact, then I
am available via the phone which is rooted in my wall. If I am shopping,
in church, in the dunny or basically otherwise engaged, then you gotta
wait and try again. How hard is that?

I understand there are some professions (eg. real estate salesmen) in
which a mobile phone can be useful, but for private citizens I think
they've only introduced yet another spectrum of ways in which one can be
rude. Leaving aside the horrific clanger of mobile phones ringing at
funerals or in meetings or at the ballet, the merry clangour of this or
that phunky ringtone in *any* conversation puts immediately paid to the
train of thought. Rude, *rude*, *RUDE*!!!

I have a PAYG mobile phone but the only time it is switched on is when I
go on the ferry to Kirkwall so that I can let Maureen know that I've
arrived safely. When I bought the phone a couple of years ago I put 20
GBP on it and there's still 17 GBP left on it. I do have to use it every
90 days to keep the account alive but that's no great problem.
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney UK
http://claremont.island-blogging.co.uk

"Trish Brown" wrote in message
...
lewmew wrote:


Our kids don't have cell phones and I am working hard to keep it that
way. I want to have an idea of who is calling them and how often
(among other things).

Any other parents of adolescents feel the same way?

Linda

I hate the filthy things! If I am available for you to contact, then I am
available via the phone which is rooted in my wall. If I am shopping, in
church, in the dunny or basically otherwise engaged, then you gotta wait
and try again. How hard is that?

We only have them in case of accident or emergency when out. They`re never
switched on, unless we`re expecting some really urgent or important info but
HAVE to go out. Very few people are so important that they need to be
available at all times! What really rattles my chains is seeing people in
supermarkets phoning home to ask an opinion "Shall we have Ready-brek or
Wheaties, dear!" How the hell did they actually manage to do the shopping
before mobile phones???

Pat (definitely in GOW mode)

On 12/31/08 9:17 AM, in article
, "lewmew"
wrote:



Facebook, myspace - yikes. Only thing worse is Iming and texting.....

C

I was just thinking about that last night. A major disadvantage for
parents is you really have no idea how many people your kids are
contacting/are contacting them. For example, the party invitations
come via email and/or Facebook, not the mail or the phone. My ds went
to the movies with several friends - not a call among them to set it
up. I wanted my dd to contact someone about a ride - she was going to
do it on Facebook as opposed to picking up the phone.

Our kids don't have cell phones and I am working hard to keep it that
way. I want to have an idea of who is calling them and how often
(among other things).

Any other parents of adolescents feel the same way?

Linda


My first thought is at least they are communicating with someone. We try
and peer into DS's Facebook and MySpace activity (he rarely logs off his
computer) every few months. His cousins, his hockey buddies and some school
related stuff.


But I do understand the "who are they talking to" part.


Cheryl

Cheryl Isaak wrote:

But I do understand the "who are they talking to" part.


Cheryl


On the other side of that, as we move to cell phones and call waiting
that identifies the caller, I *miss* having serendipitous little chats
with other family members - the husbands or children of friends. I
wouldn't necessarily call the family members directly, but I truly enjoy
spending a few minutes catching up with the young adult son/daughter who
happens to pick up the phone, for example. That's one aspect of the
"personalization" of communication that we're losing.

Sue


--
Susan Hartman/Dirty Linen
The Magazine of Folk and World Music
www.dirtylinen.com

On Dec 31 2008, 12:48*pm, lucretia borgia
wrote:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:28:33 -0800 (PST), Sharon
opined:



We went to a show the other night and two young fellows right in front
of us kept texting and texting some of their important friends no
doubt. *If my DH hadn't been with me, I would've kicked their seat and
told them to turn the stupid things off - they're so bright and it was
very distracting. *They always tell you to turn off cell phones at the
theatre and they should do the same with those things. *If you're that
important that you can't miss a text, maybe you shouldn't go to a
show.

Sharon (N.B.)

I dunno, I don't go to shows because I can't stand the eating. *The
popcorn stinks and now they are crunching on nachos and heaven knows
what, I wait for the DVD. * I think I could handle the texting better,
at least it doesn't smell.

You do have a point - the crunching and rattling of chip bags is
really annoying. A young fellow a few seats over from us must've had
the biggest bag of chips on earth - it lasted the whole show. I find
usually people are very good at trying to make as least noise as
possible, but the other night, I think all the morons were in that
theatre.

Sharon (N.B.)