Post your best bits about the old Ryl
 

I miss this place how it used to be.

Post what you miss about the old RYL

meets that actually happened sometimes 3 meets on one day.

This site being so busy!

I actually miss the threads that turning into heavy arguments/debates lol (slow labour thread anyone.)

Easter egg competitions.

How everyone supported each other.

RYL bingo in chat was fun!

The e-zine.

Harley and Tony being about.

The supporters.

The recovery bracelets.

Loads...

Well I think Ruin had things about it that were unique, and they didn't really translate to later versions fully intact. It was a lot more "exploration" oriented and not as muffled. Members were extremely protective of the site, and anyone having a go at it caught hell from mobs (thats mobs and not mods - mods hardly had to do anything to protect site that way). People were really young and could be very searching. They could also be very funny. I read some of the most amazing writing from people. It could be a dark place but it made the light show more. There were even triggering photos kept on site and they actually scared some people so much they got better.

There was a real camaraderie between people there. Many people knew each other in real life and that carried over. There are studies that show people get helped more by some peers than pros and I saw that. I used to see people get better all the time.

I recall one girl who had struggled and wrote about her angst over her parents finding out about her problems. Her father - instead of being mad - went and apologised to her for not being who he should have been. The girl's life changed on the spot - she was free. She wrote about it all really well and it still stays with me. The place had the drama of young people shattering unexpectedly, and then putting the pieces back together in better ways. People can find some dark places unexpectedly but they can find some bright ones even quicker. I saw so many fine people - I never considered most of them as "flawed" etc etc in any way

Of course Harley was very driven and had people volunteering for all sorts of things so people felt engaged. As the place grew and got notice in BBC, C4 etc. people who felt stuck then felt something around them growing positively and dynamically.


I also miss MSN. Having multiple MSN convos open while talking to people around the world was just amazing even though my typing then was really awful lol

Mainly I miss the sense of community and friendship. I could log on and there would be 20 others online at the same time that I knew well and we could chat for hours, spam threads (Esther's Queendom for example) and support each other. Then a few times over the summer we'd meet up in London or Essex and lark about. There was such a sense of belonging. We may all have been struggling but we helped each other too. Not like on Instagram now where most people with MH issues and ED like to post. It's a very toxic community, I see the sorts of things that happens, the awful anonymous messages left on tellonym etc. Such a shame.

Totally agree it's a massive shame about anonymous messages. I wish the younger lot didn't use them but I think it's part of the culture. Just seems as though people should be held accountable for things they say. I try to believe it's only a small number of people who leave the large amount of 'hateful' messages but it seems so dangerous. Just had to comment on that because it's something I feel strongly about!

In terms of RYL, I didn't join until 2008, which is arguably after the 'peak', but I miss it being busy and the diversity of opinions and replies. I hope that people who have left have gone on to have largely more stable lives. It's been nice to see how the regulars who are still here today have developed and grown as well.

These.

I miss someone being there 24/7. If you posted at 2 am UK time asking for support you would get a response. Many a time I felt like harming myself in the early hours in the past and people posting stopped me from doing it. These days if it's past 10 PM UK time you dont tend to get an response and if anyone is online at say 2 am it doesn't guarantee that they will see your thread or know what to say.

I agree

What everyone else said pretty much.

Ah MSN. We had some good old chats on MSN. I miss it. Facebook etc isn't the same.

This. Instagram and the like seem so public and open. I know any one can read these posts too but it feels different.
I miss the little group of Esther's Queendom regulars. It was such a good distraction help at any time of day.

I miss the shop and the busyness and the meets

Both of these.

I miss the sense of community, the giving and receiving of support and how active and vibrant it was, even if it was dark/heartbreaking/stressful too. I went to loads of meet ups and made a lot of friends here, some I still have. I racked up over 20,000 posts and spent christ knows how many hours of my life on these forums and talking to members on MSN. I'm still pretty gutted that I felt like I had to give it up when it became a less safe space for me. I practically grew up here - this place made up a huge amount of my life when I was younger, and it'll always be an important part of my history.

Also, hi lovely humans. I've not been here in a bloody while. I hope you're all getting by.

Hi Lucy. :-) How are you getting on?

That's really good about the therapist, I hope things work out for you.

I'm not really doing much at all. A couple of groups, and looking after my cats.

old chat

Memories!

I miss the community! I miss being young and having time to be on here at all hours of the day!

I miss the sheer randomness of this place!

All of the above!

But most of all - you guys. The quality of members on RYL was something I've never seen bettered, even all these years later

:)

Hello Harley! :-)

Omg!!!! Harley came back!!!! :D

A wild Harley appeared, it ran off.


I miss the way you could log on and there would be loads of people online. I guess I miss the friends I made here, but even the ones I'm out of touch with have moved on which is positive.


To be totally honest, I guess I miss being younger and not having a proper job etc.

I miss my friends from here. I can't believe how many hours I would spend online chatting with people. I can't believe how different the internet was back then.

I first joined when I was 14/15 and now I'm 30, that blows my mind. Occasionally I'll get curious and pop back on (like today), maybe read some old posts - so many memories.

I hope anyone who recognises me (and anyone who doesnt) is doing OK.

God I feel so nostalgic, its TOO MUCH.

Yes, there would be many people on at any time and you would recognise them all, haha.

I'm feeling super nostalgic for just simpler times online. This place is like an antique now.

Omg sorry for the triple post but my subtitle says "in an ocean that is churning" and now a gajillion years later I am literally a marine biologist and literally spend time in oceans that are churning. UGH THE FEELS.

I am far from home and struggling a little, I absolutely needed this thread <3

Oh I also miss chat big time. Chat was brilliant and awful in equal measure.

Hi Fi. :-) *sends hugs*

.......

I found a lot of music from this place. I ended-up at Morrissey, Placebo, Cure and Dev Hynes gigs because of RYL (where is DizTurbed when you need her?). There were the goth and emo waves. Only recent people I've liked is Tash Sultana (if you like electric guitar dont miss her). Seems that a lot of music is now drum tracks and nursery rhymes lol

I cant believe I'm the first to mention *glomps* we made up a word and even had an emoticon.

Totally forgot about *glomps*!

I miss it how it used to be ryl was my life as a teen back then i had a different username but i forgot the password . Here i am years later under a new username literally twice the age i was things have changed alot in some ways. Ive grown exponentially like more than i ever thought possible not height wise but mentally and emotionally. I am proud of how far ive come and very glad of this place.

I don't really remember much from the old days I was on here. But I met my ex on here and even though we broke up badly I will always be grateful to of known her. We had some fun times together

I don’t remember much about ryl prior to 2012

Just popped on to say hi *waves*
It's always reassuring to come on every now and then and see posts from old timers like Jack.
Harley was going to reset my password on my original Blindspot account but that never happened. I really want to read some old PM's for the nostalgia!

Hope everyone is well in this pandemic world oddness.

Who you callin and old timer? Just because I'm well into in double digit RYL years lol? Its mildly alarming that people who I knew from here when they were 16 now have careers and broods of children. I can't even keep house plants alive ( I even lost a cactus and that's saying something). Nice to see you around

Not sure if it counts as "old" RYL but I always thought the first aid section was a really good idea. I've never seen that on any other forum. And the fact that there always used to be people about (but I guess it's a cultural thing that people don't really use forums any more and it's mostly just the old timers sticking around; same happened to the other forum I used to use, which has sadly now shut down)

Haha I'm an old timer too ;)
I don't have any children but have been successful in keeping a couple of plants alive so that's something!

I hope you're doing well Jack

Thanks - well enough I think. The old curse declares "may you live in intertesting times" - I could add "or New York" lol.

I miss the days of planning something most weekends around this site.

Also the train journeys across the country. I miss it! But I've grown up and now work full time lol

I miss all of the above :) my online RYL family, looking forward to finishing school so I could go online and see what messages awaited! Feeling loved and like I belonged. There was some really good craic, both on here/chat and MSN. Glad I got to meet so many wonderful people IRL too.