Everyday Systems

Hello dear loyal Everyday Systems bulletin board members!

I'm sad to have to be thinking of doing this, but I don't have the bandwidth any more (and truthfully haven't really for a while now) to keep up with the technical upkeep of this phpBB bulletin board system and I feel bad at how run-down it's become. The little time I have available for everyday systems I really want to focus on the systems themselves, writing about them, podcasting about them, etc. vs. diddling with technology.

But I know that some of you still use and value these boards, so I'm reluctant to simply pull the plug.

Anyone have any ideas how we should move forward with this, balancing all concerns?

Some thoughts I've had:

1. I'll disable new comments on this bulletin board but keep it in read only mode as an archive so we don't lose all the good wisdom here.
2. Everyone who is still active here move over to the the Facebook groups (nosdiet and shovelglove, possibly setting up a third everyday systems facebook group for discussing other systems). Maybe we create some branch groups in facebook for people who want to do a daily checking like we did here in a way that it doesn't feel overwhelming for more casual group members.
3. If people HATE HATE HATE Facebook (I sympathize to a degree) is there a reasonable alternative for this kind of discussion group? Something simple enough for ordinary people to use? Something that doesn't require me to do extensive system administration? Disqus? Reddit? There are so many options for community discussion online today that I'm not sure where to begin. But I'd prefer to pick one or a small number (that doesn't require much maintenance) and stick with it.

The original habitcal may also have to go. But I hope my podcast on using a spreadsheet to create a better version of that might that not such a bitter pill.

Thank you again -- and please let me know what you think.

Thank you, Rheinhard, for keeping these boards and the HabitCal up and running all these years. I still visit daily to fill in my Habit Cal and while I would miss it tremendously if it all disappeared, I do understand your reasons for not wanting to continue to invest your time and energy into it. I have been very grateful to learn so much from you, your book, and this community the past decade and I think it would be great if the information on the boards could remain on the web in some way. And I will listen to the podcast and learn how to make my own spreadsheet to continue tracking my habits - sometimes unexpected change pushes us out of our comfort zone, but makes us grow and learn. All the best to you and to everyone on these boards going forward!

I much prefer forums to Facebook for discussion but the board is practically dead these days.

It's a shame as it has been a useful way to learn from each other.

Jx

I am fairly new here and am also a member of the FB group, but hugely prefer the forum especially for check ins. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate though!

Dear Reinhard - I will be very sorry to see this go, and I will miss it, as I have found it and the whole No S concept of tremendous benefit. Its not just permanent weight loss, it is breaking the bad habit of disordered eating. Just for the record, although I have had ups and downs over several years, I am now over 10 lbs down from my starting weight with No S and the siren call of excess food is at last starting to fade. My all time high, some 25 lbs above my present weight is a distant memory and I feel it is very unlikely that I will go back there.

However, I can understand that the forum takes up your time and resources, and alas use has been dropping off sadly over the last year or so.

I am not particularly interested in using facebook, and hoped to go on without signing up to it. I will have to see how I go without the support and accountability from the forum.

If you could keep the podcasts about how you use your systems and descriptions of the systems themselves online for a while, that would be useful.

I want to thank you again for all the effort you have put in to keep this forum going.

I think some current and past members that only visit occasionally might appreciate you keeping the boards as read only for a while at least.

Jx

reinhard wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 14, 2021 3:53 pm

Some thoughts I've had:

1. I'll disable new comments on this bulletin board but keep it in read only mode as an archive so we don't lose all the good wisdom here.
2. Everyone who is still active here move over to the the Facebook groups (nosdiet and shovelglove, possibly setting up a third everyday systems facebook group for discussing other systems). Maybe we create some branch groups in facebook for people who want to do a daily checking like we did here in a way that it doesn't feel overwhelming for more casual group members.
3. If people HATE HATE HATE Facebook (I sympathize to a degree) is there a reasonable alternative for this kind of discussion group? Something simple enough for ordinary people to use? Something that doesn't require me to do extensive system administration? Disqus? Reddit? There are so many options for community discussion online today that I'm not sure where to begin. But I'd prefer to pick one or a small number (that doesn't require much maintenance) and stick with it.

The original habitcal may also have to go. But I hope my podcast on using a spreadsheet to create a better version of that might that not such a bitter pill.

Thank you again -- and please let me know what you think.

Thank you for keeping this site going for so long!

I think FB would be a good thing, although I didn't even know there were FB groups for No S! I will head over and join them all later tonight.

An alternative to FB might be Mighty Networks, although I don't know how everyone would get on with it, as some people disliked it when a different group I'm in tried to move their stuff over to it in place of being on FB.

Reddit is probably a good option, too, as it's free and simple for people to use without having to have groups to join and maintain... People could add a flair to their post to indicate what everyday system they're on about as the OP...?

Thank you for your responses! I am glad to hear it's still of some value to some of you.

I think for now I'll continue to let it kick along.

Maybe I can persuade one of my increasingly tech-savvy children to resurrect it in a worthier form some day soon...

I'll continue to investigate other options and won't do anything rash without consulting with you.

Reinhard

Wow, Reinhard, thank you so much! I have to admit I have been kind of sad this week, contemplating letting go of my daily habit of filling in the Habit Cal and following along on how other folks are doing with No-S, both of which have been so helpful to help me keep things on track all these years. I credit the good habit energy I learned here to having helped me keep to a stable weight, and giving me the tools I need to intervene when things start to get out of hand, as they tend to do from time to time, and helping me modify for my own needs (I struggled for a while with Glass Ceiling and have recently modified it for myself to "No Weeknight Wine", which seems to work better for me).

I wish I could help alleviate the technical burden in some way, but am by no means tech savvy like your kids! I haven't actively posted on the bulletin boards in a long time (I had a very active thread for my own check in when I first started out) but I had been contemplating starting one back up for a while. Your decision to let it continue on for the time being feels like a wake up call to step up and be a more active participant, in support of the boards, you and my fellow No-S'ers!

Regardless of what the future may bring, thank you again for developing No-S and sharing it so generously with all of us for as long as you already have; it has made a big positive difference in my life.

Thank you, thank you! I know my input doesn't count for much but I am really grateful for the opportunity to keep my check in thread going here.

Thanks Reinhard.

That's good to hear

I totally understand your need to retire the discussion board; I'd be perfectly OK with a read-only or, if I want to, I can easily join the Facebook group. I have your book, which is really all I need! Go have fun with your family and get on with new adventures! We all deeply appreciate your dedication all these years.

OMgosh, I just saw this and, not to guilt you, but my blood ran cold. The other site I had used since 2007, Sparkpeople, went off-line in the middle of August this year. I managed to save some blogs, but all posts are gone. It's a weird feeling. I feel like I need to tell someone but there is no other place to tell!

I do participate on the No S Facebook group, but I have always preferred this site with its forums; I just didn't come as much because it had slowed down and I didn't get alerts anymore, not that that would have made the difference. (My laziness not being willing to just come on and check threads.) I have always been extremely grateful that this has been here. I would be also extremely grateful if there were a way to have access to what has been done, including my check-in thread, though I guess I could start re-reading and copying and pasting. Or maybe it would cure me of my attachment just trying.

The Sparkpeople groups have tried to carry on other places and apparently some of them are keeping up with each other but I have not figured any of it out besides a few individuals who have profiles on Facebook. I do sometimes look at stuff on reddit, but don't know how to navigate it much. I'd be willing to try learn how, esp. if someone would be willing to communicate with me and give me some guidance. (Asking a lot, I know but just in case.) email is oolala53 at yahoo.

It's been a privilege to be part of this and I do hope, Reinhard, you are able to keep developing the concepts in a satisfying way for yourself and there can be an efficient way to share them.

I won't say good-bye yet, though! I hope I'll know when the time comes.

I love this forum, though I have only been really active here in the past year. I am active in the Facebook group, but I like...shall we say...the more CHILL vibe here a lot. I love this space for daily checkins and I love being able to support each other in longer form. Do what you feel is best, but that you for the warning (and more) if we need to move off here completely someday. Thank you for all that you do!

This makes me sad. I belong to the Facebook group, but it isn't the same. Podcasting is the "new" thing now. I even listen to podcasts, usually Sasquatch encounters, Masonic lodge info, baseball, good stuff. Well if this is truly, and unfortunately the end, it has been a pleasure posting to you all.

Reinhard, thank you for the book, this web page, and all that you did to keep it running for all of these years, and to top it all off: a diet system that even I could follow, when I did.

Jon

Thank you for all you do Reinhard! You can see I have been a member of these boards for quite a while. I do value the forum aspect but I know they are becoming dinosaurs these days, and most forums are dying off. At the very least leaving it read-only would be very valuable as I do frequently search old posts or read mine or others' old check-ins for wisdom.

Thank you for giving us a warning as well when you do decide to do something with it, and once again, I appreciate all that you do to keep this board going.

I really prefer forums. I have tried to join some Facebook groups, but it is hard to have a discussion with that format.

I've never joined facebook. I do like the way this forum allows us to interact in a polite and caring fashion.

I understand your decision, Reinhard. I hope you can keep it read only. I haven't been super active on here lately but I have enjoyed popping in from time to time to see what everyone is up to. I am in the no s Facebook group and like it. Hope everyone here goes over there. Thanks for everything you've done for us all these years, Reinhard!

Hi Reinhard. Thank you for all,of your work on the boards.
I'd hate to see the boards go, but you must do whatever works for you.
I really hope the boards can be retained, even if simply as a read-only archive.

I hate facebook and refuse to use it. Can I suggest Reddit?

So sad to hear this but totally understand. Thank you for maintaining it for so long. It has meant so much to me over the years. It’s one of the few places where I can be totally honest and know that I’ll still receive acceptance from this wonderful community.

Please just give us some heads up before it closes down completely.

Thanks for everything!

I am also so grateful you started and have kept this forum going for so long Reinhard. Like some others, I don't come here often, but when I do it feels like a visit with a treasured old friend.

Same with your book, which I read once or twice a year. I count it as one of the books I will always keep. It even easily survived a full throated round of KonMari in my house!

All that being said, I also understand where you're coming from in considering closing it down.
If I had the tech-savviness I would offer to help keep it up! Sadly I don't.
But, I vote for keeping the old posts up if you can. I like reading the old posts.
I'll also check the FB groups. I don't go to FB very often anymore, but I would for No S.

Thanks,
Kathryn

Thank you for keeping it going this long. I wish there was an app! On the app, you could have the rules and explanation, a habitcaI, a journal, and a link to buy the book. Also maybe a link to the Facebook group (I found two, which is correct?). I’d be all over an app!

Glad to hear people are still finding this useful -- I'll see if I can conscript my children to help at some point. A race between human maturity and bitrot

The "right" facebook group (at least the one I'm aware of/involved with!) is

https://www.facebook.com/groups/nosdiet

I'll try to link to it a little more prominently.

I'd be curious what two FB No S accounts you found. I've been on the one Reinhard linked for years.

This has been such a helpful space. Whether you retire it or not, Thank You for all these yeas!!

Hopped on tonight to glean some strength and wisdom from other No S-ers. Was sad and shocked to see that this may all shut down. Understandably there may be reasons why, but I love this website even though I rarely if ever post. I am much more of a lurker which sounds terrible, but I love reading what others post here. This website and your book Reinhard have been impactful on and a tremendous help to me. And to many others I would venture to say. May I say thank you to you for all your work in maintaining this all these years. I am happy to see it will continue for now. I am also a FB follower, but even less willing to speak on that forum. It's Facebook. This feels like a close knit community with people who I feel like I know even though we have never met. I am grateful to be a part of it even if just a shadow. Thanks everyone for all your posts. You have been immensely helpful and uplifting and motivational to me through the years. I have learned so much here. I will stay here as long as Reinhard is willing to keep it going! Thank you again everyone. HotIce

I’d be really sad to see this go. So much of our lives is here. So many journeys. It’s also a testament to how people can be really decent and supportive on the internet. I’ve never found anything like it in that respect.

Totally understand Reinhard’s dilemma though. Surely he could bribe his kids to do it!

Actually I feel a sitcom idea coming on. Author bribes kids to run internet forum….with hilarious consequences…(humorous music plays here)

I'm happy to see this continuing evidence that the boards are used and appreciated!

I certainly won't shut anything down as long as I can keep them kicking along, and who knows, maybe some hitherto untapped additional resource (child labor? early retirement?) will make it possible to fuller attention on them at some point.

Thanks Reinhard! The boards are used and appreciated. At some point we look forward to getting to know the kids and hearing about your retirement.

Thanks Reinhard - this forum may seem old fashioned to some, but it is easy to use, uncluttered with extraneous visuals and is focused on the the people who use it, which all suits me fine.

Thank you for keeping it alive!! For those of us who don't use Facebook, this is a lifeline. I am reading your book for the fifth time, Reinhard, and every time, I get something new out of it. I hope these discussion boards live on for years to come.

Reinhard, you should consider making an Everyday Systems book with all the amazing systems you have created! With habit topics booming right now, I'm sure it would do really well in the market.

There is a subreddit already, by the way: https://old.reddit.com/r/nosdiet/

It's pretty quiet but I hope it will grow. Since so many people are on Reddit already the friction for joining is much lower than here.

Happy this forum is still available too, though!

I'm so glad you didn't retire the boards here Reinhard!!
And glad to be back!!
Hope you're having a good year, and hope we'll see you here more often!!🥰

I was wondering if it would help if you charged a small fee for access to the boards? I pay for podcasts , news subscriptions, etc so i wouldn’t mind paying for this as well.

Just a thought as i feel like you’ve put so much into this board without compensation.

L