I was more involved 20 years ago, life intervened, but now I’ve retired and am back. But I’ve noticed the emphasis on “facts” has gone away, it’s just a bunch of mostly older folks shooting the breeze. That’s fine, but I do miss the caution folks used to use when posting stuff “they heard.”
The number of times someone who has never left their state claims something about what’s true in the USA kinda bums me out.
One thing I’ve noticed, in recent years, is that the Factual Questions subforum (the old General Questions) is now maybe the least-frequently used of all of the subforums, other than the administrative About This Message Board and Site Feedback.
People used to come to the Dope for answers to questions (and that was, after all, what the old newspaper column was about), but there are tons of other sources for that now.
I’ve left and returned at least a half dozen times over the past, well, decade at least. I haven’t any real idea of when I found the Dope, that used to be easy to see and now, I can’t discover how to find out.
Early on, I would leave when my half-assed unsubstantiated posts got my knuckles rapped and I slunk off to nurse my wounds. Later I sharpened up some.
Later I left over misogyny, which was quite flagrant at one time. That did get cleaned up, after quite a few women left. That was a long vacation But eventually I oozed back. The anti-religion fests, I have learned to avoid.
There isn’t anything else comparable on the internet right now, and may never be.
You joined in Oct.2011
Just click on your avatar; it’ll tell you your join date.
no it doesn’t.
Well, no idea how you found that out (if I click on my avatar it gives me a menu of replies to posts I’ve made).
2011 is a long time ago though …
I joined in 2007 and lurked for a little while before going on to other things. I started posting in 2010, I think.
I’ve never felt unwelcome, or looked down on, or picked on. There are certainly snide and testy folk here, just like everywhere. I take it as read that there will be posters I’m drawn to and posters who irritate the ever lovin’ hell out of me. The latter I mute or skim over.
If I annoy you, reader, my apologies and by all means mute me or skim on by. Or say mean shit, I don’t care. I come here to challenge my brain and my perceptions of my world. Works pretty well!
donno - to me you sound like a Crazy Cat Lady!
/s
IIRC my beginnings in the SD were somewhat bumpy, as (like many of you) began lurking for quite some time - and so the regulars became “acquaintances/friends” to me … - just like you get to know the quirks of friends, family or cow-orkers - but of course that feeling/sensation was unilateral.
The inverse is NOT true … so there were situations where I made some smart and clever (think: well meant ribbing) comments, that made sense from my POV (amongst “friends”) … but did not make sense from the other people’s pov (who prob. read my funnies more as snark or out-of-place comments) …
but hey, I am a fast learner …
Not that avatar, the one that appears on the left of one of your posts…
(although you can probably get to it from that other avatar…)
Eg, if you click on my “Meave the cat” avatar over there 
, you can
see when i joined.
Ah. Just like always. “not that one, THAT one.”
Indeed, why I’ve found the best move w/trolls is no move…don’t comment or respond to their shite & those hateful fires don’t get started, all they can do is hang there, re-read it & remember that they’re the source of that venomous verbiage. Not helpful to getting them out of that swamp they’re in but… sometimes the sick person has to make the 1st move towards getting healed.
Yes, indeed, the way the word itself is generally defined, interpreted… one sure doesn’t lurk before a friend’s birthday party or any type of joyful occasion. As 4a new term how about being “that quiet angel on the sidelines?” I’m sure fellow 'Dopers here will come up with more so…let’s go! 
I take regular sabbaticals from this forum.
Holy krap! I’VE been here since 2011 
Yes; a few years ago I was out for at least a year, maybe two.
I had got into a few endless back and forths and felt logging on here was a toxic habit for me. And there must have been something that tipped me over, like a mod instruction or being piled on in the Pit, but I don’t remember now.
And, in all fairness, I think a lot of it was on me ultimately. When I read back my posts, the tone is much more aggressive than I appreciated, and naturally put people on the defensive. It’s probably still true now, but less so…I’m working on it.
I joined in 2006 and posted pretty regularly for ten years. I abruptly quit all social media (and the Internet in general) after the 2016 election for my mental health (not so much because of the result, depressing as it was; just needed to focus on the positive things in my life, which political commentary was not helping with). I eventually wandered back to most things (although I’ve rage quit Facebook at least twice since), but didn’t make it back here until, I think, late last year. Still don’t post much.
Joined in 2002. For the past 15 or so years I think I’ve been in and out several times for various reasons, mostly lack of interest or things going on in my personal life that affected my online social activity.
A number of people I used to like to interact with are no longer here, which also may have had something to do with my interest in reading/posting here.
Congratulations 
, and holy crap that’s a long time, especially if you didn’t realize it. Time truly flies!
Yeah, I had a 30 day suspension.