Site history

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I posted something similar to the below in the WP Addicts Anonymous thread but everyone ignored it, so I have created a new thread in the hope it will bring me better results.

I am interested in the history of this site: when it started, why, and who of the original users is still around, where people have gone to when they have left the site. That sort of micro history, if that makes sense?

I find these kind of things fascinating, and I have seen a couple of forum users that created their accounts back in 2005 I think (wow!) so that must mean the site has been around at least that long. I also noticed when going to the start of some threads a lot of users are no longer active that had been back in, say, 2009. So I am just curious as to where those types of people have 'gone', or where people think they have gone. Have they found another forum, have they given up on online forums, are they just getting on with their lives. I actually got a little sad thinking about all these people that had contributed to the site and its history and are no longer using it, I was just thinking about all of those lives out there.

Anyway, if anyone has any insights on the history of Wrong Planet I would love to hear about it. Thank you.

Here are a couple of links you may find helpful:

viewtopic.php?t=170932

memberlist.php?mode=group&g=17

Thank you!

This may be of interest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrong_Planet

You could also ask Alex for further information, since he founded the site. His contact information is at the foot of every page.

Finding out why members no longer visit WP might be tricky because... they no longer visit WP.
Please also (anyone) don't branch into discussing banned members and why they were banned. hic sunt dracones

There could be many reasons why people don’t visit WP……most of which have nothing to do with WP itself.

^ true, but that's not the question I'm asking.

Sometimes, people get into arguments with other people on the Site.....and then they don't feel good on the Site. So they leave.

Sometimes, people are "triggered" by something that they see within the Site......and they're traumatized......and they don't want to experience the trauma.....so they leave the Site.

Sometimes, there are trolls who want to impose their agenda upon the Site. Or just want to have fun at our expense. When they find that they can't impose their agenda upon us, or they stop having fun, they leave the Site. Sometimes in a huff. And I say to them, "C'est La Vie!"

He asked 'where', Kortie, not 'why'.



Some who have left have joined other websites with "Autism" in their titles (assuming they use the same names).

Some have tried to re-join under different names, usually because they forgot their passwords.

The rest seem to have 'evaporated' into the webosphere, with no way of tracing where they have gone.

He was asking "why," too, in a way......

He asked why this website was started, not why people have left.

Read.  The.  Original.  Post.

thanks, i find this an interesting insight. i think i am also interested in the why, not just the where that i put in my original post. on that basis, i am particularly interested in the history because this is an ND community and so many of us only find social connections online... so if so many users are no longer on here it just makes me wonder where they are finding their connection and communication because this must be one of the biggest platforms out there. My guess is that the big commercial platforms are far more triggering and harmful (and less useful too). So it is a bit of a puzzle. I do realise that many people don't like any kind of 'conflict' and as soon as you are on a user generated content platform you are exposed to that. But I am still then puzzled as to what so many eg. aspies do with their social time allotment during a day. Maybe they just don't and are busy reading, researching and doing their special interests, gaming, doing some sport/exercise etc. I don't spend a huge amount of time here but I have the need to do online interactions regularly - if not here then it would have been another forum i used regularly for c. 5 years (a niche cycling forum) etc.

sorry i feel a bit rambley today so may not be making sense. a bit worn down from the week.

It's okay to be "rambley." We are autistic, after all! And we are people, too. We're not writing academic papers here.

Yep....something like Facebook or Reddit can be much more triggering than WrongPlanet----for sure!

Like you say, people are indulging in their special interests, gaming, exercising, etc. And they might enjoy these pursuits more than they like being on a forum.

WrongPlanet, for "online interactions," is probably better for us than social media entities like Facebook or Reddit.

Very well, then.

• There have been people who seemed more interested in having their problems acknowledged by multiple people in multiple threads.  They would post the same complaints in irrelevant sub-fora, and even derail unrelated threads with their tales of woe.  Then they would either ignore or reject any helpful advice, especially when such advice included suggestions on self-improvement from people who had successfully followed their own advice.  Eventually, they would either leave WP to get away from their "detractors", or they would be consigned to the "Realm of Those Who Shall Not Be Named" after repeatedly breaking one or more of The Rules.

• Another "Why" might be that when trolling for attention, people get tired of being ignored or proven wrong over and over again and simply leave -- there used to be several avid Trump fans who are no longer with us due to this, as well as some who have also been consigned to the "Realm of Those Who Shall Not Be Named" after having become incensed that others would dare to disagree with them.

• And some people simply seem to feel that they have grown past their need to socialize with the WP community.

Most people have moved on with life or they have moved to Facebook or Twitter. This forum was founded in June 2004. I can remember when it first opened and I didn't join then because I had enough places I was visiting already.

Thanks ^ and ^^, that's again helpful insight.

I'd like to comment on some of those observations but don't want to derail this thread. May try and pick them up elsewhere on the forum.