Are the message boards dead?

[itscarin]

Just a casual observation here but it seems like there aren't as many new posts as there used to be.  Is this just me or does it seem that way to other people, too?  Don't get me wrong, I know a lot of the new posts used to be the same topic over and over again, but it seems a little dead around here.  You can tell me if it's just me!  🙂

[greeneyedgirl107]

@pocketvenus Interesting!  How would I know how to delete on the end?

[pocketvenus]

@greeneyedgirl107  I look for .png or .jpg and delete everything that comes after, usually a string of random letters and symbols

[greeneyedgirl107]

@pocketvenus Thanks for the info - just seeing this now as of course I didn't get the tag 🙂

[makeitup305]

I just recently got back on BIC after almost a year of not posting (I think my last big post was the one I like to do at the end of the year for Best, Worst and Most). A big thing for me, like @WinglessOne mentioned, is burnout. I bought a house earlier this year and that + moving + pandemic was one of the most stressful things I’ve ever experienced. I never really struggled with anxiety before but I had a rough time a couple of months ago when I felt like tearing my skin off (a little dramatic but if you’ve felt it you know what I mean). I was still wearing a full face under my mask throughout most of last year but this year it’s been hard to muster up the extra energy. Thankfully things have much improved and I’m feeling much better. Some of my recent purchases have really inspired me to put on loads of eyeshadow again and looking forward to it. I still have work burnout, unfortunately. Since I work with kids I have to be “on” all the time and by the end of the day I don’t want to interact with anyone. BIC is not very conducive to on-the-go posting, at least on an Android, and it makes it a hassle to log on to for me unless I’m on my iPad or a PC. I would love for it to be similar to an Instagram setup, where I could post, tag, link, comment really easily. If anyone does want to start a BIC discord, I would definitely join! I think it would retain the community feel of BIC but make it a little more private and user friendly. Heck, at this point a WhatsApp group would be better. I’ve been on this board for so long now and it’s such a happy corner of the internet, that I definitely want to stay active with the people in it, even if it’s on a different platform.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@makeitup305 I hear you about the being "on" being so draining.  I was actually thankful to wear masks when this all started b/c I realized it gave my face a break from always having to be smiling to everything people said.  It's hard to muster up enthusiasm and cheer for 8 hours a day.

[faeriegirl]

I totally agree about the masks @greeneyedgirl107 !

[eshoe]

@greeneyedgirl107 I feel the same way about masks.

[itscarin]

@makeitup305 @SportyGirly125 I think the IG groups are limited to 50 people or something?  I'm in a BIC IG group, too, and I know at one point it was split into two groups because not everyone could fit in one group.

I check my IG pretty regularly as that's generally how I communicate with most of my friends.  But I don't love IG communication.  Even in a one-on-one conversation, sometimes a friend will heart something i wrote, or I feel obligated to heart something they wrote, but I feel like the hearts add so little value to the conversation.  It's better now that they have different emojis so you can have more expressive responses than a heart.

That being said, it also feels like a lot of pressure when you respond in the group chat because it's like, "Oh my god this is going out to like 20 different people" or whatever.  Maybe I just don't know how to manage the notifications, but I put the group chat on mute because I dislike seeing notifications streaming in when people are active.  Especially when I'm getting a notification that person B hearted person A's message.  I don't need to be notified of that.  

A discord channel would be nice because then you could create different topics.  I just looked into it though and it seems like the longest you could archive messages is 24 hours with the free version and 1 week if you paid (I'm not sure how much).

[makeitup305]

@itscarin I didn't realize you had to pay for Discord, I've mostly seen my bf use it while he's gaming with people online. I haven't been in such a big group on IG before so it's understandable that it would get overwhelming when so many people are posting on a chat.

[itscarin]

@makeitup305 @It’s free

if you just have it archive messages for a day but if you want to save up to a week’s worth of chats it’s a paid service.  I could be wrong but that’s what I saw when I looked. 

[riverbirch1967]

Discord is free. My friends and I have our stuff from ages ago, gaming stuff and "Did you cook that in between gaming" stuff.

[SportyGirly125]

@makeitup305 We have a BIC group on Instagram.

[snoflakefaerie]

I'm experiencing a lot of the same things as people have already talked about. I think my biggest reason for stepping away is I needed to stop spending money on things I wasn't going to use. I think I've worn eye makeup 10 times and lipstick maybe 5 (!) since the pandemic started, so it fell REALLY dumb to be spending more on things I wasn't even using. But at the same time, every time I come back to BIC I want to buy stuff. I know that's one of the driving reasons Sephora has this community, but I needed to step away.

I also started playing Animal Crossing when it came out, and found several groups on discord that were focused on that interest, but also had channels and threads where it was really easy to catch up on regular life. I know there was a thread here about that, but honestly the way this forum is set up just isn't conducive to that kind conversion. I find myself frustrated by the user interface, especially after getting used to discord. Haha I would join a BIC discord in a second!

I also found when I did come back to check in, bc I wasn't buying new things, I didn't have much to offer in the way of conversation and seeing lots of the same old questions pop up over and over felt kind of trying to sort through and there are people who are much more eloquent and knowledgeable who answer them anyway. 

That all being said, it still nice to see familiar names and faces here when I do pop back in. And I'm happy to see all the people who have responded to your question. I hope when I do feel like I have something useful to contribute, there will still be some core members around.. It is a really nice community to have.

[makeitup305]

@snoflakefaerie I feel you with trying to step away from buying makeup. I cut back my spending quite a bit this year, at least during the first half. I find myself wanting to share hauls and my thoughts on products with the friends I’ve made on BIC but haven’t really had the time to post over the past couple of months.

[Anastasiya13]

I agree with you @itscarin  I feel like it has died down a lot, and I feel like before it used to be more fun convos, at least that's how it feels to me. No I feel like most of the convos have been a bit dry on here, and I catch myself checking out bic less often.I used to find this as a good escape before, but now I dont feel its been that active to really come on here.I am happy to be participating in the gift exchange that is going on for Christmas, and gives me something to occupy my mind with. I am also happy I was able to make a few friends from here, and am always open to more too.

[itscarin]

@Anastasiya13 @People used to post what was new so often that I skipped going to temptalia because her stuff would just be posted here anyway. Now I guess I’m just not interested in what’s new. I go to Reddit or Instagram to get my makeup fix. 😄

[Anastasiya13]

@itscarin  I feel you on that. I think I used temptalia to check more on the quality aspect. I agree, instagram has been more informative for me, and way easier to navigate and explore to find stuff that I am curious about. An example would be the trend mood account on instagram

[greeneyedgirl107]

@itscarin I've noticed that things have slowed down, and I miss the activity.  I have a couple of theories.  One is that with more people working from home and not stuck as work, people may have less need to take a "break" with going on BIC.  Another that has been mentioned is that people are wearing less makeup.  Finally, it feel like it's a bit of a vicious cycle - less posts equal less posts.

For me personally, it's been hard to get on the computer.  I prefer to use the desktop, and with my husband working from home, he's usually working in the computer room all night and much of the night.  Thus, it's hard to me to be on BIC like I used to like to be.  Also, I'm a frontline worker, and definitely bone tired when I come home.  I just don't have any energy to pursue any interests.  I had three friends text me in the last 24 hours b/c they were slightly concerned that I've been MIA.

Aside from the above, it's been frustrating to have it be hit or miss with e-mails notifying me that I've been tagged or got a PM.  It makes engaging on BIC more difficult.  

[itscarin]

@greeneyedgirl107 Youre 100% right about not needing bic to take a break when teleworking because there are so many other available options!

I hope you’re doing ok at work. I know a ton of people are burnt out, retiring, quitting, or changing fields because of the pandemic. Thanks for all your hardwork!  

[greeneyedgirl107]

@itscarin Thank you for the thank you!  It was another long day.  8.5 paid hours, plus another hour working off the clock.  Plus the possibility of getting pulled to another building tomorrow - after my work is done at my primary building, of course!

[ather]

@greeneyedgirl107  I agree with you. I miss the activity too. I’ve been single parenting for the past 2 months since my hubbys been away so I have less me time lol. 

I can also understand you being exhausted being a frontline worker. Thank you for all you do! I definitely appreciate it!!!