Where has the Off-Topic community gone?

I remember when users would remember other users' names and would form a type of friendship with each other. The thread activity would be much more active and the most recent post would only be 2-3 minutes ago, not like now, where the most recent post is like 20 minutes ago and the one before that was 1-2 hours ago.

I guess people came together during the lockdown period and socialised on Lichess but now as restrictions have been released people are starting to return to OTB and coming back every few weeks or even months to see how things are going.
It's pretty hard to explain because when I was at the peak of playing online chess the community would be buzzing with people.
New topics would be receiving replies and comments within seconds or minutes. When Lichess posted a new blog and it said "Comment in the forum" The place would be flooded with comments and reactions, users would rush there just to get the "first" comment and then get backlashed which was pretty funny haha.

Oh yes, and we cannot forget those times when @MrPushwood posted something hilarious and kids would be spamming his post with the laughing emoji

Thanks for the good times people :)

Gone to chess com everyone, oh when will they ever learn?

Expect MrPushwood to type any time soon.

Well I agree. Before MrPushwood literally use to be the comedian of all posts

@Rainbow_Pink_Lover said in #4:
> Well I agree. Before MrPushwood literally use to be the comedian of all posts
Yeah.
He's so funny it's not even real

It's just sad that many active forum members were chatbanned. I want to remember those times again...

Yeah those olden days were golden now those days can't even come back , those days have now become the memory

I guess I am one of the new guys, how were the 'old' ?
Is it a matter people like us can tackle? ...

@AaronNZ said in #1:
> I remember when users would remember other users' names and would form a type of friendship with each other. The thread activity would be much more active and the most recent post would only be 2-3 minutes ago, not like now, where the most recent post is like 20 minutes ago and the one before that was 1-2 hours ago.
>
> I guess people came together during the lockdown period and socialised on Lichess but now as restrictions have been released people are starting to return to OTB and coming back every few weeks or even months to see how things are going.
> It's pretty hard to explain because when I was at the peak of playing online chess the community would be buzzing with people.
> New topics would be receiving replies and comments within seconds or minutes. When Lichess posted a new blog and it said "Comment in the forum" The place would be flooded with comments and reactions, users would rush there just to get the "first" comment and then get backlashed which was pretty funny haha.
>
> Oh yes, and we cannot forget those times when @MrPushwood posted something hilarious and kids would be spamming his post with the laughing emoji
>
> Thanks for the good times people :)

I think it is still vibrant. Off Topic 'celebs' are gone and back. Different stages and challenges of life are a factor as well.

I wasn't there for the Golden Age of Lichess Off-Topics, but it seemed like the forum was more interesting even a couple of months ago. Is it because a couple of forum policemen were chatbanned? They would gently remind some overzealous posters to cut back a little on the inanities. At the time I thought these policemen could occasionally be over the top, but maybe we needed them. Oh well, as the Beatles sing:

Ob-la-di, ob-la-da
Life goes on, brah