One day you click or touch the ILP link. Instead of the familiar board popping up you see a notice which you’ve probably seen before on other websites: “After many years”. . .etc., “Time moves on”. . .etc. ‘Other things to do’…etc., “Thank you to all who participated”. . .and so on. You get the idea, it’s basically telling you that ILP no longer exists.
No more discussions with all those virtual acquaintances known for some time. Didn’t get to finish a particular topic? Fuggedaboutit. Didn’t copy or make a PDF of your favorite discussions? Too late for that. Didn’t get the actual email of some of your favorite forum buddies? They’ve disappeared into the crowd, probably never to be heard from again.
How would you feel? Would you try and find another forum? Would you take a break from forums? And even if you did have the actual emails of some forum friends, how long would the correspondence last before the parties involved acknowledge that, “it’s just not the same”?
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Note to Carleas: This is a hypothetical scenario for discussion purposes. I wish ILP many more years of philosophical engagement. 