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Interestingly enough visitor numbers haven't dropped that much but as I'm sure you're all aware posting has dropped off precipitously in recent times.
I have to admit I'm not really interested in how or why or long drawn out post mortems as to why this is happening. I've been around the net long enough to see it happen to the largest of sites (MySpace anyone?). People move on/grow up and times and tastes change.
Nappy Addicts (and it's various incarnations before that) served it's purpose at the time and rather than some long slow painful death I'm a firm believer in being able to end it and go out when and how you want to holding onto the happy memories rather than ruing what has become of things.
As such I've come up with a preliminary plan for how things will go with NA.
As I've said before many times, the site will be here as long as people want to use it and I'll stand by that (to a point).
So here's what's going to happen.
Sometime soon (probably around the end of the month) the ability to register a new user account on NA will be turned off. I've already gone through and removed nearly all the extraneous features (mainly for security) and when account registration is turned off any other features will be removed as well so it'll just be the standard forums (and possibly chat). Just to be clear this will only be turning off registration, you'll still be able to post and use the forums as you currently do if you have an account.
TBH from that point on it's up to you really.
I'll be going through and consolidating the forums and sections and archiving a lot of old stuff making it basically read only. If people continue to stay and post the forums will continue to remain open.
This is being done as a gesture to the loyal users of NA who still come along and post and take part. As I said the forum will be here as long as there's people using it (to a point). However things will be scaled back dramatically.
Memberships will be turned off shortly and any recurring PayPal payments will be cancelled.
Same will go for banner advertisements (the Google ads will remain however).
If it gets to the point that posting and activity has dropped off too far then the forums WILL close. I'll give everyone plenty of notice but as I said previously what happens after registrations close is up to you guys. You can keep the site open if you wish or you can let it wither and die. The choice is yours.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank those few of you who are still here and have been with us since the beginning. I'd also like to take the opportunity to give a big hearty fuck you to all those catty bitches who did their very best to drive me from "their turf". You know who you are.
I'd also like to take the chance to thank those who kept the dream alive, as it were. Plenty of mistakes were made, by pretty much everyone and anyone who says the "mummy forum sector" is anything less than a live grenade with the pin pulled is either on some serious medication or has a very fucked up view of human interaction.
I've learned a lot, often times about stuff I really truly wish I hadn't and I've even made some good friends. But overall I'd say the NA "experiment" was a success, that's not to say I wouldn't do things a little differently the next time around, cause after all hindsight is an insightful motherfucker, but on the whole it went as it should have, people coming together to share information and promote ideals they believed in without being muzzled just cause they liked to say shit, fuck and cunt and had opinions that didn't necessarily mesh with the mainstream or certain commercial interests.
Would I do it again... yes
In fact I'm going to, but more about that another time.
But NA was what was required at the time and the sad truth of the matter is it's no longer required. The internet has moved on and people with it. They consume and exchange information in different ways now and "new generation" coming through rely on different sources and respect different masters.
It's not better or worse, although I do personally believe it comes at the cost of community, but it is what it is and there's no changing that now.
So rather than fight a valiant last stand against the inevitable winds of change, we'll do as NA has always done.
Go with the flow.
LOL
Yeah right who am I kidding... doing what we've always done would mean we'd go out kicking and screaming and fighting to the bitter end.
However, as sad as it may be and as much as we might like to try and deny it, like all of us, and our kids too, NA has eventually grown up.
So we'll politely bow and make a graceful exit...
...while in true NA style flipping everyone the bird.
Thanks guys, it's been a hell of a ride.
Dan.
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. I fucking loved it LOL.
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