Our Old IHTM Threads

[IamSundog]

Good thought - I agree the new ability to acess the net from anywhere anytime is probably a huge factor. But I dont think it has suppressed stories - it feels to me like it has resulted in much more exchanged information of much lower quality. First there's the texting culture mentioned before by someone, with people spending less time bothering to write clearly or putting much thought behind it. And spending less effort engaging in real dialogue or exchange of actual ideas. And the proliferation of cheap-thrill kinds of paranormal sites. A site like FT probably seems staid to these young net noodlers.

Why when I was their age....

 

[Cochise]

Someone tells you a story of high strangeness and it can be quickly dismissed and cases found to back it up.

Or put another way someone can find on the internet an 'explanation' which makes less sense than the original incident, or fails to take into account all the reported facts. I think I'm going to call these 'shutup solutions'. As in 'shut up, I've got my fingers in my ears and I'm humming loudly...'

Some things, of course, have been found to have rational explanations or have been successfully eliminated by debunking, but actually there are wholly credible explanations for only a tiny number of Fortean phenomena. I refer to types of event, I'm not talking specific incidents. I don't believe all thse things are supernatural or extranatural, but I do believe that the investigation of rare and strange occurances could lead to scientifc breakthroughs, and indeed the possible discovery that some 'facts' and axioms of conventional science are themselves not as relaible as we like to think.

 

[nogoodnik]

I remember when I first joined there was a thread titled "The Mystery of the Missing Cow-orker" (yes, spelled like that) which just fascinated me.

It's funny the things that stay with you, isn't it? One thread title I always remember is "brown paper ken barlow". Not that interesting a thread, as I recall, but my brain has for some reason decided to file that title as important information, never to be forgotten. :?

 

[AngelAlice]

I remember when I first joined there was a thread titled "The Mystery of the Missing Cow-orker" (yes, spelled like that) which just fascinated me.

It's funny the things that stay with you, isn't it? One thread title I always remember is "brown paper ken barlow". Not that interesting a thread, as I recall, but my brain has for some reason decided to file that title as important information, never to be forgotten. :?

What's ken barlow? or is it who?

 

[escargot]

Ken Barlow is a character in the British soap 'Coronation Street'. The actor who plays him successfully sued someone who called him 'boring' a few years ago.

 

[CuriousIdent]

I think that we lost a LOT of members when the boards were upgraded. A lot of glitches accessing accounts, and even in trying to re-register. Which was a great shame.

The bosrds themselves are arguably much better laid out now, but a lot of old threads have slid into oblivion.

Certainly not as many active posters across the day as there used to be, either. I only drop in a couple of times a week these days, so I guess I'm just as much to blame. :lol:

 

[catseye]

Coming back across this thread - I wonder if there's any way of highlighting threads when they reach their decade anniversary, and shoving them to the forefront? It may be that they are still current and therefore not in need of thrusting, but it might be nice to see some old favourites that have fallen by the wayside getting a rejuvinating push...

 

[escargot]

I'm always bumping old threads.

Like this -

 

[Paul_Exeter]

I think that we lost a LOT of members when the boards were upgraded. A lot of glitches accessing accounts, and even in trying to re-register. Which was a great shame.

The bosrds themselves are arguably much better laid out now, but a lot of old threads have slid into oblivion.

Certainly not as many active posters across the day as there used to be, either. I only drop in a couple of times a week these days, so I guess I'm just as much to blame. :lol:

No longer a direct link to Fortean Times which is in itself up against the general decline in magazine sales. There is also arguably a lot more IHTM competition from the likes of Reddit, Facebook, Mumsnet and other forms of social media. Huge amount of chatter about Uncanny on these other sites complete with some fascinating IHTM threads, so is the name 'Forteana Forums' too obscure, too niche, too academic? This place is still busy and new members find us because of active threads (eg tye Eyeworth and Rainford threads) but we haven't had a large influx of new members on the back of the popularity of Uncanny and the Broad Haven UFO 'revival' etc.

 

[Cochise]

No longer a direct link to Fortean Times which is in itself up against the general decline in magazine sales. There is also arguably a lot more IHTM competition from the likes of Reddit, Facebook, Mumsnet and other forms of social media. Huge amount of chatter about Uncanny on these other sites complete with some fascinating IHTM threads, so is the name 'Forteana Forums' too obscure, too niche, too academic? This place is still busy and new members find us because of active threads (eg tye Eyeworth and Rainford threads) but we haven't had a large influx of new members on the back of the popularity of Uncanny and the Broad Haven UFO 'revival' etc.

I do think the link to Forteana is important. It's a particular way of regarding unusual events with an open but not unduly credulous mind.

Yes, we cover lots of subjects that are sometimes only nebulously connected with the kind of occurrences Fort himself discussed, but of course new phenomena come up all the time, albeit with perhaps less frequency than say 50 years ago.

 

[catseye]

I'm always bumping old threads.

Like this -

You do! That's partly what led me to post the comment - it would be nice if we could somehow have an 'old thread of the week/month' whereby an archival thread gets its 'moment in the sun' again.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

I do think the link to Forteana is important. It's a particular way of regarding unusual events with an open but not unduly credulous mind.

Yes, we cover lobs of subjects that are sometimes only nebulously connected with the kind of occurrences Fort himself discussed, but of course new phenomena come up all the time, albeit with perhaps less frequency than say 50 years ago.

Less Forteana happening out there or the way we share information has changed? I think the success of Uncanny and the reported deluge of listener experiences Danny has stated he receives suggest the latter.

50 years ago people spent a lot more time in pubs without screens to distract them and (from my experience of starting to drink in pubs forty years ago) tales of local Fortean goings-on were especially popular topics of conversation (admittedly often a friend of friend). Then typically the local rag would pick on the haunting/UFO/cat-like beast and that is how these things got shared beyond local communities. This is exactly how it played out with the Rainford humanoid:

• young lads out late at night because they had been to the pub
• a tiny article appears in the local rag (Police and local newspaper sharing information)
• local paper convinces witnesses to talk and whips up a humanoid hysteria
• local Ufologist alerted to the case via local paper and then the case is being written up in UFO journals

Now we as a nation we are more likely to sit in front of our widescreen TVs binge-watching Netflix dramas whilst logged into social media, drinking supermarket grog and briefly pressing pause to quickly post about our ghost/UFO/cat-like beast experience,.

 

[catseye]

Less Forteana happening out there or the way we share information has changed? I think the success of Uncanny and the reported deluge of listener experiences Danny has stated he receives suggest the latter.

50 years ago people spent a lot more time in pubs without screens to distract them and (from my experience of starting to drink in pubs forty years ago) tales of local Fortean goings-on were especially popular topics of conversation (admittedly often a friend of friend). Then typically the local rag would pick on the haunting/UFO/cat-like beast and that is how these things got shared beyond local communities. This is exactly how it played out with the Rainford humanoid:

• young lads out late at night because they had been to the pub
• a tiny article appears in the local rag (Police and local newspaper sharing information)
• local paper convinces witnesses to talk and whips up a humanoid hysteria
• local Ufologist alerted to the case via local paper and then the case is being written up in UFO journals

Now we as a nation we are more likely to sit in front of a widescreen TVs binge-watching Netflix dramas whilst logged into social media, drinking supermarket grog and briefly pressing pause to quickly post about our ghost/UFO/cat-like beast experience,.

Which is why fora like this are so vital - it's a collecting point for tales of the uncanny. Like a sort of pub only without the unpleasant guy in the corner, scratching himself...oh, hello Swifty...

 

[escargot]

Like a sort of pub only without the unpleasant guy in the corner, scratching himself...oh, hello Swifty...

It's worse when he's scratching YOU.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

Which is why fora like this are so vital - it's a collecting point for tales of the uncanny. Like a sort of pub only without the unpleasant guy in the corner, scratching himself...oh, hello Swifty...

Maybe we should rename the Chat forum as The Fortean Arms (for example) and turn it into our local for sharing minor strangeness and IHTM tales plus the usual chat? I know some of forums have a virtual pub.

 

[gordonrutter]

Maybe we should rename the Chat forum as The Fortean Arms (for example) and turn it into our local for sharing minor strangeness and IHTM tales plus the usual chat? I know some of forums have a virtual pub.

We already have The Trolls Head.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

We already have The Trolls Head.

Oh yeah, how did I miss that...?

Off for a quick pint....

 

[escargot]

I ask people whenever possible about their spooky experiences.

 

[catseye]

This is more about OLD cases, things that are already on the board but which have sunk into the Realms of The Past... old threads which were fascinating at the time but which got overtaken and forgotten. Look at the fun (?!) we've had over on the Rag Thread (otherwise known as the Stone Girl of Eyworth), a very old case which we still argue over, and the Gnomes in Cars or the Cumberland Spacemum.

There must be thousands of other threads archived away that could do with a dust off and a new breath of life.

 

[Steev(still)]

I can't find the relevant thread(s), if indeed there are any, but I recently bought three volumes of the FT's old 'It Happened to Me' book(azine)s from Ebay. Three of them only, because the other three are ridiculously expensive (hang on to your number twos, theyre worth a fortune! he says, scatalogically).

I used to have them all- but when the kids were young, I "let them borrow them"- and so they disappeared, no doubt stuffed under beds/ taken to school/ swopped for dirty mags or something. I do remember that both my children absolutely loved them to death, and that last time I saw them, they could barely still be called "books", or even "azines".

Anyway, the kids and their stuff now live miles away, and so I nabbed some off Ebay. WHY ISN'T THE FT STILL DOING THESE?!? These are seminal volumes of mind-expanding nightmare fuel, of the kind that the Usborne Book of Ghosts was to us.

I've been reading Volumes One and Three these last two nights, and I am a gibbering ten year old hiding under the covers all over again.

Do more, FT, do more.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

I can't find the relevant thread(s), if indeed there are any, but I recently bought three volumes of the FT's old 'It Happened to Me' book(azine)s from Ebay. Three of them only, because the other three are ridiculously expensive (hang on to your number twos, theyre worth a fortune! he says, scatalogically).

I used to have them all- but when the kids were young, I "let them borrow them"- and so they disappeared, no doubt stuffed under beds/ taken to school/ swopped for dirty mags or something. I do remember that both my children absolutely loved them to death, and that last time I saw them, they could barely still be called "books", or even "azines".

Anyway, the kids and their stuff now live miles away, and so I nabbed some off Ebay. WHY ISN'T THE FT STILL DOING THESE?!? These are seminal volumes of mind-expanding nightmare fuel, of the kind that the Usborne Book of Ghosts was to us.

I've been reading Volumes One and Three these last two nights, and I am a gibbering ten year old hiding under the covers all over again.

Do more, FT, do more.

Could not agree more, I have a fond memory from 2010 (?) of finding one of the volumes in WHS and then rushing home to sit in the garden with wine and nibbles as I devoured every page. Surely these sold well...? Fortunately these can now be bought on Kindle:

(shows five images but one is duplicated) So after mine having all become mislaid/dogeared I have the full set online and they are currently £14 for all four:


https://www.amazon.co.uk/It-Happened-to-Me-4-book-series/dp/B074CFV8GC

 

[SimonBurchell]

Could not agree more, I have a fond memory from 2010 (?) of finding one of the volumes in WHS and then rushing home to sit in the garden with wine and nibbles as I devoured every page. Surely these sold well...? Fortunately these can now be bought on Kindle:

View attachment 90940

(shows five images but one is duplicated) So after mine having all become mislaid/dogeared I have the full set online and they are currently £14 for all four:


https://www.amazon.co.uk/It-Happened-to-Me-4-book-series/dp/B074CFV8GC

I didn't buy them at the time because my thinking was "Well, I have all the magazine issues, why would I buy something twice." But my magazine issues aren't particularly browsable, and now I'm very tempted to pick these up on my Kindle.

 

[MorningAngel]

I can't find the relevant thread(s), if indeed there are any, but I recently bought three volumes of the FT's old 'It Happened to Me' book(azine)s from Ebay. Three of them only, because the other three are ridiculously expensive (hang on to your number twos, theyre worth a fortune! he says, scatalogically).

I used to have them all- but when the kids were young, I "let them borrow them"- and so they disappeared, no doubt stuffed under beds/ taken to school/ swopped for dirty mags or something. I do remember that both my children absolutely loved them to death, and that last time I saw them, they could barely still be called "books", or even "azines".

Anyway, the kids and their stuff now live miles away, and so I nabbed some off Ebay. WHY ISN'T THE FT STILL DOING THESE?!? These are seminal volumes of mind-expanding nightmare fuel, of the kind that the Usborne Book of Ghosts was to us.

I've been reading Volumes One and Three these last two nights, and I am a gibbering ten year old hiding under the covers all over again.

Do more, FT, do more.

I loved them. I too wish they’d do more. But then the IHTM section of the magazine isn’t up to much these days. It’s always my favourite part (and sometimes the only part I read -I get a library e copy) but it’s so often disappointing these days.

 

[MorningAngel]

Could not agree more, I have a fond memory from 2010 (?) of finding one of the volumes in WHS and then rushing home to sit in the garden with wine and nibbles as I devoured every page. Surely these sold well...? Fortunately these can now be bought on Kindle:

View attachment 90940

(shows five images but one is duplicated) So after mine having all become mislaid/dogeared I have the full set online and they are currently £14 for all four:


https://www.amazon.co.uk/It-Happened-to-Me-4-book-series/dp/B074CFV8GC

There is a fifth book but I don’t think it is available in an ebook.

Edit: And sixth.