New Discussion Board Issues

For those questions and discussions on the McDougall program that don’t seem to fit in any other forum.

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, John McDougall, carolve, Heather McDougall

Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby Daydream » Thu Mar 17, 2022 6:48 am

KillSwitch wrote:Just an observation:

This forum use to be super active.


No one talks to each other anymore. You post a question and seldom get replies now.

What in the world has happened to this once vibrant online community? It is like everyone has left, and the forum has been abandoned.


I miss the posts of long-standing forum members that used to post regularly in this forum.
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Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby deweyswakms » Sat Mar 19, 2022 9:46 am

KillSwitch wrote:Just an observation:

This forum use to be super active.


I have been around for years; I use MWL and post on my journal at least monthly. I wonder if people stop posting when they achieve their goal weight. Or perhaps people are just 'tired'; covid has changed us, now this depressing war.

But I agree; overall, participation is down.

Take care, Marsha
start weight 210 on 7/25/14; MWL recommit 7/2019 weight 197. 6/11/2022 weight 165.0. Height 5'8".
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Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby JeffN » Sat Mar 19, 2022 9:58 am

The board has been here since around 2005 and there was one before that at the old Vegsource website.

https://web.archive.org/web/20000815070 ... mcdougall/

There were two main things that happened that changed the activity level here.

First, the addition of a forum on politics and one on religion. Like with most political and religious discussions, there were some vicious posts and many fights broke out even among long term members, especially during the last 2 elections. Many wanted to leave the forums up but eventually we shut them down. Sadly, we lost many regulars, old timers and star McDougallers during that period.

Second, a similar thing happened around the time of the WFPB diet wars (which Dr McDougall wrote a newsletter about) and again, huge long threads and fights over the various PB doctors.

Also, over time, with the advent of social media, and especially FB and FB groups, people drifted from here to there. Many of the regulars are now posting in (and/or running) FB groups where they get to be the "expert," However, as you may know, there are issues with the advice and recommendations that are given out there and the way the groups are run. We receive many complaints. They even come here and post for us to settle their debates/disputes.

Truth is, discussion boards like these are like dinosaurs but still exist. Many of us (like me) prefer this format instead of the never ending scrolling timeline (FB), or unsearchable videos, where everything seems to disappear into history. Some one called it “pages” vs “feed.” I prefer organized pages vs an endless feed. You can't really have ongoing thorough discussions with ongoing follow ups on a topic with those (or watching you tube videos) as you do here. I remember in the 70’s there was a big push against commercial TV due to the relentless adds. Well, what goes on at YouTube (and others video sites) is so overwhelming with ads, way more then commercial tv could ever dream of.

I am on (and moderate) a few other discussion boards which have gone through similar changes over time. Several were more active than this one and now get a few posts a week too. Some closed up shop.

And yes, people just get burned out and stop showing up.

And, when new people look for info, there used to be a few choices, now there are 1000's (though not all credible).

There are also poachers, those who visit other sites to draw people to their sites to build their own following

You might be surprised at how many still come here each day to search topics (even other WFBP docs), link to them and use this as a resource, without ever logging in or posting. This is an incredible resource.

Here is a former discussion on this issue
https://www.drmcdougallforums.com/viewt ... 14&t=57657

There is an old saying, if you want a friend, be a friend. Well, if you want to see the board be more active, then be more active on the board.

In Health
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Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby Daydream » Sat Mar 19, 2022 11:48 am

I am thankful for this forum and I'm happy this forum is available. Part of what makes this forum great is that Jeff Novick is active here. Jeff, thank you so much for all you do!

I've seen religion and politics destroy other forums so I think it's good that those 2 subjects are not allowed here.
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Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby JeffN » Sun Mar 20, 2022 10:05 am

Daydream wrote:I am thankful for this forum and I'm happy this forum is available. Part of what makes this forum great is that Jeff Novick is active here. Jeff, thank you so much for all you do!


Thank you!
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Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby KillSwitch » Tue Mar 22, 2022 8:55 pm

Thanks for the history. I do have a question for you personally. You were never really active on any of the other boards, only on your board. Jim use to do most of the moderating and he posted a lot. Now, it seems like you do and Jim barely posts anymore. What happened there? I suspect some kind of a rift but IDK.

There is an old saying, if you want a friend, be a friend. Well, if you want to see the board be more active, then be more active on the board.


True, but this does you no good if you are the only one active (LOL). I also post on other msg boards and QandA websites like Quora.
I hate all the FB groups. Reddit is sometimes ok, but I don't particularly like the discussion board format. That whole reddit website could use a major facelift.

I also wonder how many ppl simply fall off the wagon. IOW, they simply grow tired of eating like this (despite the health improvements) and have reverted to old eating habits. I am by no means a saint. There is much good advice and info here but personally, I eat more of a Pritikin type diet. I actually tried a strict Esselstyln type diet and I simply could not sustain it long-term. I think I could be 100% if I could cook and make the food taste really good like Mary McDougall does for example. I hate cooking btw and do not want to learn how.
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Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby JeffN » Wed Mar 23, 2022 5:54 am

KillSwitch wrote:Thanks for the history. I do have a question for you personally. You were never really active on any of the other boards, only on your board.



I joined the boards in 2/08 and while I had my own forum where I did most of my posting, I also was a moderator for the full board.

KillSwitch wrote: Jim use to do most of the moderating and he posted a lot. Now, it seems like you do and Jim barely posts anymore. What happened there? I suspect some kind of a rift but IDK.



https://www.drmcdougallforums.com/viewt ... 8&#p627064
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Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby KillSwitch » Fri Apr 29, 2022 8:13 am

Why can't we be notified by email when we have a PM to read? I miss this feature. Also, you used to be able to subscribe to threads and be notified via email of any new replies to that thread when they were posted. I do not see a way to do that either anymore.
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Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby vman » Sun Mar 05, 2023 4:58 pm

I wonder if some of the drop off over the years has to do with the fact that the world has by and large gone keto/paleo/protein obsessed, or whatever you want to call it, and those of us long timers have simply burrowed back into our holes, largely abandoning any attempt to promote this way of eating. A lot of the earlier discussions were either about new people coming into this, or helping to bring others in, or various conflicts with the keto world, or other plant based approaches. I don’t know about everyone else, but after the excitement of Whole Foods promoting health starts here, lots of traveling seminars, new books etc., even all the new movies, it seems to me the steam has gone low in the engine, and the mass market has largely moved on. I know there are more vegans now, and that frankenburgers have had their day, but even these grossly unhealthy fake plant foods are flagging now. I’m always the weird one wherever I go, asking for no oil vegan, and virtually none of my doctors are remotely interested. I almost died from a tumor in my heart and some of my friends figured it must be my diet, even though many others who have had it the same kind of tumor are carnivores, and there is that small matter of how I ate for the first forty years of my life. Just was another marker in how alone most of us our in eating this way. I know there are groups here and there, and even programs like the Ornish program at some hospitals, but even these are disappearing, and our doctors are all getting pretty old and retiring. Seems like the movement, if that’s what it is, needs some new life if it is to reach beyond the core.

Anyway, I have nothing but respect for the doctors behind this woe, and for people like Jeff who stand out as a voice of evidenced based reason in a world of charlatans, but I just feel like the big battle has passed and everyone has retreated back to their corners for now. Maybe that’s for the best, but it’s just awfully quiet and lonely out there sometimes.
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Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby Wendy Jane » Sat May 27, 2023 4:38 pm

THE DISCUSSION BOARD IS BACK!!!! Yes, I'm screaming now, but pardon me for doing so. I surely missed this board a lot. I found it because I received a testimony via email that was wonderful. At the bottom I saw a link to "forum." And I thought would the discussion board be back? And yes, it is.
I'll come back and take a better look around when I have more time. But thanks for putting it back up again. And yes, it there's any "bugs" you'll work it out.
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Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby VeggieSue » Sun May 28, 2023 5:39 am

I hate to be the one to tell you, but it's always been here. The URL changed when the main site was updated, and the link to the forums was buried so far down on the main page that you had to be an archeologist to find it, but it was never gone.
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Re: New Discussion Board Issues

Postby Faith in VA » Thu Aug 17, 2023 11:51 am

Sue it is good to see you. I lost the forum for a while and since I am on facebook, just never bothered trying to find it. I have been Trying to find your email.
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