i'm really confused by the recent rash of members deleting their accounts and leaving the site.

makes me more than a little sad. this is a great place.

[DocJohn]

I'm not sure what you mean...? We haven't had any rash of members looking to leave the community...

Best,
John

[Gus1234U]

sometimes people get better and find the reminders of their suffering to be depressing... so they leave.

sometimes people are so sensitive that they find the suffering of others to be overwhelming... so they leave.

sometimes they come back.... (ht)

[lizardlady]

Originally Posted by DocJohn

I'm not sure what you mean...? We haven't had any rash of members looking to leave the community...

Best,
John

Doc John, several people left recently who had the same circle of friends here at PC. For some of us it feels like a rash of people leaving. While there might not have been a rash of requests to close accounts it feels that way to some.

[DocJohn]

Oh, I see... sorry, I didn't realize that.

I can't speak to specific members for privacy reasons, but I can say that each individual usually has a set of personal reasons for such a decision. It's not usually anything related specifically to the community... It's usually other things going on in their life.

It is disconcerting when a long-time friend leaves the site, I completely understand that. Sorry I couldn't shed any more light on things than that...

i like to think when people leave the site, it's for a good reason.. they've got better, or they are busy with their lives.

maybe the friend thing is part of it.. for someone shy, for example, friends can be hard to make (even on sites like this)

maybe some people delete because they might be read by guests, and others who they don't want to see it- i've seen a couple of threads where the original poster has said something about privacy

and like was said, maybe some will come back under diffrent names

[Pikku Myy]

I am hoping they are moving on to bigger and better things, like life

thanks everyone for offering some insight. i really do hope that those who have decided to leave the site have done so because they are getting better. my fear was that so many people have been deleting their accounts because they feel unwelcome/like they don't belong here for whatever reason.

[BeaFlower]

Yes I saw that some people left...I'm sorry for their friends...when one of mine leaves I get really upset and sad

I wonder if it has to do with being summer and people are getting out more getting sunshine which always puts you in a better mood, Alot of people vacation in the summer and school is out, I think they will be back in the fall and winter, I think people are more busy this time of year

[Pikku Myy]

I see no sun shine... feel like leaving again...

[Takeshi]

We can never answer the why.

The time afford us and there's the life, which we try our best to afford.

I may be rather pessimistic on the view of this matter, so I try to settle with the simple how, which some of us who's left found that it was right for them.

To keep fighting on with their suffering, I could hope that they didn't leave or forget us!

At the end of the day, it's everybody's work for each of their own, we try to challenge each obstacles in life.

To the new folks, please don't get the wrong impression of us. We do good here, stay as long as you like, take a break if you need it, just stick around and see. Surprise us! Perseverance is the hard work, as long as one is the member of this community, we do it together.

[Takeshi]

sometimes people get better and find the reminders of their suffering to be depressing... so they leave.

Well, that's depressing, and this might go on and on. I would leave all of this to ignorant folks, because there's enough sufferings remaining, it that were true, that's turning back on life, nobody can afford that.

[Tsukiko]

Surely they wouldn't delete their accounts simply because it's Summer and they have other things to do. At least I'd hope not.

Originally Posted by Rainne

I wonder if it has to do with being summer and people are getting out more getting sunshine which always puts you in a better mood, Alot of people vacation in the summer and school is out, I think they will be back in the fall and winter, I think people are more busy this time of year

I understand leaving because of the memories and emotions associated with posting here in the forums. For many months in the middle and end of 2015, visiting the site reminded me of the dark times I experienced earlier in the year and it was too much to handle.

[Fuzzybear]

[QUOTE=Tsukiko]Surely they wouldn't delete their accounts simply because it's Summer and they have other things to do. At least I'd hope not.

[amandalouise]

I do know some member of many websites who have in fact closed out their online accounts just because its summer and they want to focus on their life rather than their computer connections, problems and what have you. Deleting the account was a way for them to achieve the closure and discipline needed to let go of the internet for the summer.

some people have such a hard time letting go of computer time that they have to go cold turkey, just as a person with a problem with smoking, drugs or alcohol does.

for still others I know keeping an account active on the internet is too much of a temptation to look at the time and think, great I have a few minutes I can get on such and such website just for a few minutes, then because of the way the internet works they fall into the trap of not watching the time and just one more video, read just one more post, reply to just one more post turns out to be they have sat at their computer for hours on end with out even realizing it.

I can fully understand when people need to tell me that they are taking a break or are deleting their account for the summer or any other reason. yes I miss them but I dont fall into depression because they leave, I take their leaving as they are taking care of their self and doing what they need to do for their own physical and mental well being.

I also remember closing ones account doesnt always mean that friend has died and will never come back. I know many members who have let me know they were deleting their accounts, then some time later I get a note saying who they were, that when they had deleted their accounts they were in a bad situation online and wanted to leave that situation behind by deleting \closing their account and then starting over fresh.

my point we can guess and guess all we want about why people delete/ close their accounts but only they can tell us why they have left..for me its best not to read too much into why someone has left and trust that they did so for their own well being, then I move on. I mean this is online, online is only a small portion of my life, not saying I dont get to know those online and dont miss them when they go, I just keep it all in perspective that this is how the internet groups work , people join, people spend internet time together, and people move on to other things.

[DocJohn]

Hi folks,

We're going to close this thread, because as you can see, there are as many reasons for people leaving a community or closing out their account as there are people. There is no single reason, and we can't speak for members who are no longer active in the community (nor is it, I suspect, wise to guess at their various personal reasons).

Thanks,
DocJohn