Break from forums

[Deleted member 49125]

Did you ever take a break from forums? Either put yours on a hiatus or stop visiting others? If so, what were the reasons & how long did you do it for?
It was a good decade between my first one many years ago to my recent one, HOST, 2 years ago. I did browse some forums & message boards but wasn’t active. Just ones for health, birdwatching, or astronomy.
I haven’t had to take a break since. I make sure to pace myself to avoid burn-out.

 

[Deleted member 4320]

Yep I get burned out from forums a lot because they take so much effort to run and generally give back very little reward.

I prefer to spend a couple weeks or months on forums and then leave and maybe come back later if I get the itch but in that time lots and lots of forums crop up and disappear again.

I really do think forums have passed their prime. It’s so difficult to get active members that are interested when social media provides an instant dopamine hit that forums just can’t provide.

 

[Page]

I take too many breaks from my own forum and go to other forumsand post a lot and become active 😛

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I do take a few days off from forums when I've had enough of them. I usually at least visit just to check on things but don't post. It happens. We're human and we have our lives.

Better to take a break than burn yourself out.

 

[fords8]

I took about 3 years off from forums. Now I am enjoying alot more than before.

 

[zappaDPJ]

I agree with @Shawn. I'll take a few days off, once or twice a year to keep things healthy, just as you would in a full time job.

 

[Ravenfreak]

I just recently got back into forums again in April after mainly just lurking on the ones I visit daily for about a year or two. I think it's a good thing to take a break when you feel burnout coming along.

 

[Nomad]

I started posting on forums in 2010 (through a hubpages forum) and since then I have not taken a break. However, this does not mean I post every day on forums.

 

[Katrina]

I've taken breaks from forums...not all forums, just some select few. If I'm on staff and I get burned out then it's time for a break and even a couple days can make a big difference in attitude.

 

[Kale]

Yep I get burned out from forums a lot because they take so much effort to run and generally give back very little reward.

This is even more true nowadays. Yes, I too have taken breaks from forums as an owner or user.

 

[Linzii]

I tend to take a break not just from forums but from the computer in general every now and then. Before today, I hadn't really used my computer much for several months. I think it's good for mental health to avoid becoming too dependent on the computer.

 

[MrDawn]

I take breaks all of the time. I've had to cut down on joining so many places because I felt like I was spread thin.

 

[AJH]

Sometimes having a break from forums is needed. Might be because of a physical or mental health condition, which both should be treated with equal seriousness. Your health comes first over anything, as we only get one life. One thing that you can get, if you spend too much time typing, is RSI which is repetitive strain injury.

Usually it’s wise to not visit online communities when you’re on vacation abroad, as being on vacation is to actually relax and not stress about things. Plus, if it’s sunny and warm, I know I’d rather be down the beach than sat in the Hotel Room posting.

I have taken up to two weeks and left my other staff to handle the administrative and moderation duties. And vise vursa, if they need a break, they’re more than welcome to take one as they are volunteers.

Same here! Well said!

 

[Nebulous]

I took a 6 year break from forums. Glad I was able to come back (in June) and find a bunch of old friends still around!

 

[Shortie_]

Yes, I ended up taking a break back in 2017 not long after I had to let my general chat forum go due to the hosting costs becoming way too expensive for me. I closed my forum and then took my focus to other things and took a huge break from forums until around October 2022 when I decided to come back after trying out other things. Since I have come back I have found so many people who I used to talk with and hang out with in different communities so that has been nice, especially after over a 5-year break.