Is it just me,,, ?

[mrsgee]

Or have others totally lost interest in this site? So sorry Soner, but I think a few people are just taking it over, and no longer is there much input or interest from other sources. I dare say I will receive an attack from the folks who take enjoyment in what they think is banter.. I dare say I will be told to leave if I don’t like it.... but was this not set up to be informative... I truly think the plot has been lost, no disrespect to Soner who has done a fab job, but the pathetic banter as some might call it, and the constant sarcasm is of no use to anyone. And before anyone jumps on the bandwagon and says it.... yes, it is my choice.... sadly this is no longer my choice, there are far better sources of useful information. Yep.... tin hat on...

[Mowgli597]

Yes.

[Hector]

I am sad to say it, I understand where mrsgee is coming from. I too am losing interest.

[Brinsley]

It was a shame that a bilingual person did not setup a 'Rules & Regulations / Does & Don'ts' post, updated daily as things changed from the start of the lock-down back in March. The TRNC Government news site was/is totally useless and outdated.
This, I'm sure, would have brought in many new and old viewers and participants.

[Maisiemoo]

I am afraid I agree. I have also lost interest in the FB groups concerning NC, the same few sniping and putting people down, the 'I'm alright Jack.blow everyone else' people. Sadly, in the end people won't post because of the abuse they receive.

[jofra]

It may well be that people are "losing interest" in the site - that can only be answered by individuals.
So far, I am not - I joined in 2014, and from that time I have gained (and been grateful for) an immense and helpful amount of information (I might even have provided something now and then?). I've read and enjoyed the humour and banter between members of the forum, and I've learned interesting information and facts about the TRNC and living here.
When I first considered purchasing property here, I googled the location I had in mind and found immeasurably useful information on the old Cyprus44 site - and so I bought!
That site no longer exists, due to (I believe) the owner's distaste for the increasing wrangling, disputations, arguments and etc.
Sadly, this site now appears to have a (very) few members whose main purpose in life is to endlessly wrangle and argue between themselves, attempting to score points over each other, but also occasionally sniping on/at other members (to provoke more argument and dissension?), and in doing so, taking over (and off-topic) many threads.
Could this be why people may be "losing interest"?

[snd1966]

I think lockdown changed people therefore those reporting on matters important to them and others found not to their interest or started a niggle.

I do enjoy the site, the information, the help i receive when i ask a question, maybe we are all knowledgeable now so less questions

[Soner]

Thanks Jofra, will be good to pinpoint the exact issue.
Members should know by now that if they are not happy with any post then they should simply report it and it will be removed.
With regards to the banter, I think it has increased over the Covid period due to people being isolated and not meeting up with friends to socialise.
The forum is still maintaining a very high level of traffic and acquiring on average 3 new members per day, so the interest is still there.
With regards to facebook, I am also fine with members linking to it from the forum, it does not bother me at all, although it use to.
Should I feel that the forum is of no value to members in the future, then I could simply pull the plug, which is the easy way out.
I try my best to keep the forum going, on it everyday, just had it recently redeveloped and managed to bring costs down on the hosting side, but should I believe the time has really come to let go, then that is what I will have to do. If that was to happen, then no problem, another 7 would pop up from nowhere fighting for members, just as I did back in 2012. It is not easy and would take a lot of time, money and effort to get the formula right to succeed. I would not want to go there again.
So, in the meantime, it would be good to iron out any problems, and work together as members to keep the forum on the right track.
It may be that the rules may need revisiting and if anyone feels something is missing, then please do let me know.

[Groucho]

To put my four pennyworth into the discussion, I do think members who repeatedly request the same information over and over and don't at least use the search facility are a pain.... then there those who get annoyed when no joins in a thread and proceed to berate the membership on the basis if we don't post we must be uncaring, sometimes it just seems like petulance.

This site is if anything dedicated to the idea that all people with a connection to the TRNC have a network of friends they can call on to discuss things little and large... you'll never get 100% to hold the same view, why would you think you could.

Some people are not suited to life here and its 'warts and all' nature and are constantly wound-up about other people's ability to still love their life here... it takes all sorts...

Thank you Soner.

[13roman58]

Hì to all, firstly, Soner please don't take it personally as I for one enjoy the usually useful info posted here. I have gained a lot from contributors and hopefully given information to others.
Unfortunately a small group seem to enjoy hijacking threads for their own inane pleasure, attempting to belittle others and ultimately taking the thread off topic whilst having a 'chat' amongst themselves. It's self evident who they are.
I for one will continue to enjoy the board, taking what I can and contributing when possible whilst ignoring those that seem to feel the need to endlessly add some irrelevant comment. Stay safe everyone.

[Laura B]

Like Jofra I joined about six years ago and have found the site immensely helpful. I do try to give answers to others, if I think I know the answer. I find it a very friendly site and although I don't agree with everyone on it that is irrelevant. I don't agree with everyone I meet in life either!

I do think things have changed a bit in the last few months but can't see anything wrong with a bit of banter anyway.

All in all would be very sorry to see the forum go. Many thanks Soner.

[Chriswright03]

I read this when it was first posted by mrsgee a month ago and hadn't thought a lot about it up until that point. Since that time I certainly haven't been on here as often as I have in the past and certainly haven't posted anything like as much as I have in the past.

Two reasons for that.

First and foremost I have consciously tried to spend less time on line and certainly on social media.

Secondly we have been having work done at the house and having time or opportunity to get on line had been far less.

If I go back to my decision as to why I decided to spend less time on line it was simply because I was tired of the constant bickering and circular arguments both on here and on a couple of local facebook groups. Add to that the problem that there is very little actual fact in relation to current issues on here or other groups and that a lot of is unsubstantiated rumour at best then I find a quick flick through the 'Active topics' list is enough for me.

I joined before we decided to move out here and found it to be a great help in many matters. I still use the search function if I want to know anything and read old threads to get an idea of what I need to do or find out. In that respect it is still well worth being a member and I often do recommend it to others who are not members. I think Soner and the Admin team do a great job in keeping it all calm and smooth running but that has to be helped by us as members in reporting anything that is either against the rules or what we believe to be inappropriate.

I think that during the lock down things were a bit fractious at times but I put that down to people being frustrated with being cooped up. Also because there will be many members who are not here at the moment their input will likely be less than it is normally. I agree with the OP and others that a lot of threads are too full of so called banter or argument and my solution for that is I stop reading them. That in itself is a shame because I may miss out on something useful but as much time as we have on our hands here I don't feel the need to waste precious time reading stuff that is of no interest and as such I accept the risk that I may miss the one bit that is interesting.

Any group or forum is only as good as the quality of input from members. If that quality drops too far it will deter others from posting, reading or even joining. I don't think Kibkom is there yet but I think it valid of mrsgee to raise the point.

So I shall continue to read daily even if I am not tempted to post. I find it irritating that people continue to speculate and post rumour, speculation and sometimes complete rubbish without any facts at all but that happens on Social Media as a whole and sadly will remain the same because people have access to keyboards!

I have stopped using some of the FB groups including the BRS because the content in my opinion is only controlled if it suits the Admin. This site remains on my daily visits but I go straight past any thread that is a circular argument between the usual suspects or where people reply in an aggressive manner.

[wanderer]

At times of change Kibkom its a daily or hourly read .

An example would be visa and residency changes

When real people were sharing their experiences at the borders or immigration offices

For those who live outside the island

I don't use facebook I read some of the TC papers google translated

Oh I've bought a few letters to Cyprus and posted a few back in the UK

[Up the Reds.]

Having been a member of Cyprus 44 and later The Northern Cyprus Board I left both because of the 'trolls' and 'keyboard warriors' who insisted on abusing anyone that deemed to have an opinion different to theirs. I've only recently joined Kibkom but have been a 'voyeur' for many a day. I have to admire Soner for 'hanging in there' and hope that the board continues.
Most of the members are undoubtedly OAP's and so the board becomes a 'must read' every day to catch up with local news and problems that occur here on a day to day basis. One of the things about 'nom de plumes' is that most are unknown quantities and so it is unwise to assume that the readership is either an Ex-Leader of Industry, a Professor or a 'Tesco' shelf filler and in fact your opinion is worth exactly the same as anyone else's. I love the jovial banter but must admit some of the posts have been a bit like 'War and Peace' and perhaps should have been discussed over a pint in the local bar....saying it once is OK but repeating again and again won't make the point any stronger.

[Hedge-fund]

Is it that posters that used to be old gits are getting older and gittier?

[Up the Reds.]

Unless you retire very early those of us who've been here for 15 years or more are definetely 'old gits' and in my case a very contented 'grumpy old man' i

[PoshinDevon]

Don’t think there is any easy answer to the question.

Lockdown and isolation has probably meant that things people would chat/banter about in a bar or cafe has spilled onto the forum. Some will see some topics as a bit banal or would not be happy with the level of “banter”. Dare I mention that sat at home with a glass or four of red wine sometimes influenced the posts!

I am a member of forum following my local football club but after being a regular poster, I gave up posting almost a year ago. The reason was because as some have mentioned any post I put up was ripped apart by a small number of others. It was like a pack of hyenas and circling vultures just waiting to pounce. Unfortunately the worst offenders were those who were moderating or those who shouted loudest and made sure everyone heard! I did try and report but never really got any sensible reply. Many others like me have given up over the years so much so that it is now more like a large WhatsApp group!
If anyone feels this is happening to them then they should report it.

As for Kibkom for me I know that I find it useful when looking for guidance, recommendations etc.... the wealth of knowledge has been more than helpful over the years. I also enjoy following and occasionally commenting on a topic being debated. I do understand that for some this can be a bit of a bore. However; it’s good to debate especially if you cannot just meet up and discuss over a beer.

Overall I believe the forum is still a very useful tool for so many different reasons.

[mrsgee]

I am very glad that I have, it seems, encouraged some interesting and healthy debate and maybe we can get people back on that track.... the site is extremely valuable as long as it gives value rather than sarcasm , bitching, attempting to have the last say, and worthless banter between two or three people. And so I rest my case here and thank Soner for running the site, I know iris not easy, and time and dedication is involved. X

[jofra]

Just as an addendum (noting that all languages are constantly evolving) -
a dictionary definition -
noun: banter
the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks.
verb: banter
exchange remarks in a good-humoured teasing way.
- perhaps the above definition is now out of date? I would have wished otherwise....

[sophie]

Jofra, thank you so much for explaining "banter" in both forms. I certainly hope that banter is mot to be barred from the Forum, just occasionally it does help some people to refrain from taking themselves too seriously. Long may "banter" continue on the forum and not become out of date.

[IPA]

I have always enjoyed reading the messages in Kibkom. But it seems now there is more `activity' on the various Facebook groups about ongoing news and updates. Maybe a factor is the ease of posting messages on FB.