People who post a lot and then suddenly stop

I'm still kind of new here and don't know pretty much anyone personally, but I think some of you know each other.

I'm sure you've dealt, sent packages to them, with Christmas Santa or when trading. So you have their addresses.

If I were to post here for years and have something bad happen, I would sure like to receive a letter asking how I'd been, and that the people with whom I shared thoughts in thousands of messages still remember me.

This is not about me, I am merely a newbie here compared to others.

I once knew someone whose online presence suddenly stopped. I e-mailed him and his wife replied saying he had died. I was devastated even if I never met the guy.

So, what's the point of all this?

Well, would it be somehow possible to send a letter to people who post messages here for years and then stop? Just to show them that we're not just forum members, but friends, even though online only?

For example, cpm9ball, if someone sold/bought from him and has the address, or from Secret Santa, can you use the address and send a letter?

What are your thoughts?

 

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I really miss Chris.. Last I heard he had computer problems. But I'm sure someone here on CoinTalk has been in touch with him.

 

I worry about Chris. We have been friends for many years on several coin forums. We used to meet at the Fun Show each year. We never needed an address, PMs kept us in touch.
With that said, posting your address on any coin forum is a really bad idea. Actually it's stupid.

 

Sending a letter is a good idea but it is unfortunately not a guaranteed way of getting a response or finding out what happened. Let's take Bonniview for example. We've had a solid trading relationship for years. I could count on this member to come onto the forum and respond to our conversation messages within a day or two like clockwork. However, he's not been on since the middle of May. It is not like this member to just disappear like this. Thinking something was up, I put his name in on google to see if anything turned up with the local obituaries in his area of Washington state.

Nothing was found so I sent a kind letter explaining our background, asked if he was alright and if something had happened to let me know. I left several different ways that I could be reached in the letter but it's been several weeks now and nothing. So, perhaps he's been dealing with a life crisis (medical or otherwise, for example) with either himself or someone in the family. Or perhaps he just doesn't want to participate on the forum or do trades anymore. Sometimes members disappear without knowing why and unfortunately, the reasons are not always known.

 

Of course it’s stupid to post addresses here, don't do that. I said it, if you're friends with them and already have it, or trust someone enough to give it to them.

 

It's hard to believe that Chris hasn't fixed his computer he spent alot of time on here so I thought something else might be wrong his last post I believe was March 15.
Dave

 

Phones get lost, passwords get forgotten or accounts hacked, best way to keep in touch are landline calls and letters.

 

Ahh, someone misses their friend.

 

Yes, that's a danger that people who have friends are exposed to.

 

Yes, and I found it sad that a couple years ago, I could not get contact with Koen's brother to see how Koen's kids and wife were doing. But all being said, it was great that the brother did let us know.

I appreciate the few times people have reached out to me to see what was up that I was not on here as usual.

 

People still have landlines?

But seriously, how are you a newbie? You're basically an old fart in forum terms

 

Thank you for the compliment, but there are members here who signed up in 2002. And others who posted many thousands of messages.

 

Never had a cellphone. I have a landline.
Hate the phone and I don't want to carry around an electronic leash that's just an interruption more than any kind of convenience. Let's say there is an emergency.
(Once every 10 years?) Everyone has a cellphone and will let you borrow it for such an emergency call.
Cellphones are unnecessary. But it is ingrained in people's brains that they have to have one. "I have to get in touch with my kids." Blah blah blah.
When they first came out they were expensive and it was just for jet setting business people. Then as they became more mainstream it was just for business and emergencies. Now it's just a toy.

 

I still miss our 1st cell phone - Moto Bag Phone which came with a whopping 12 minutes of "free" time per MONTH.

My wife used to call me on the land line to have me check the traffic on that new fangled Internet for her commute (I was -special- there were an entire 2 class Cs for the entire firm, one at HQ in NJ and one on my credenza for our project).

The phone was for calls IF she ever broke down on the highway.

 

On the flip side D) I haven't had a landline in almost 10 years.

Left it behind in 2009 when we moved to Japan...and didn't bother with a landline there. Got to Spain afterwards, nope, no land line. Well, technically there was one in the on-base house but I don't think we bothered hooking into the service. Once we moved back here 5 years ago, just didn't bother. At first we had a line with an extra flip phone to call the 'house phone' but dropped that one when we switched providers.

That said, my DH has strict instructions and a short list of online places that 'need' to be updated. In case anyone were to notice, or more importantly, to make sure I didn't keel over mid transaction and owe someone a check or a coin.

I always worry about people who have drifted away...especially if they are older. I haven't heard from Roy (@satootoko) in several years. I used to communicate with him a bunch over on the PCGS boards, he was the one who gave me a rather large bit of guidance in the beginning of my Japanese collecting. I even met him (and another PCGS/CU board person) in Japan once the first time I lived there. Had some great noodles, went to a Japanese coin shop (one that I STILL have interactions with a decade and half later), and nice conversation. Sigh. I wish I'd kept track better, but life/work kept me busy enough it kind of snuck up on me that I hadn't heard from him.

 

Never took you for the sentimental type Doug

 

My wife and I each have a smart phone. They are incredibly useful for navigation (maps, traffic, locations of companies, etc.). They're GSM phones, so have been useful in Europe and Australia. However, for trips of any length, we take a Garmin satellite-based GPS too. Have occasionally used mine for coin auctions when I couldn't get to a computer. My wife uses hers for general net browsing. I prefer a computer ... I like a big screen, and touch-screens don't like my fingers ... gimme a keyboard and mouse any day.

Cal