RWD Ceasing Operations in January

[TwoBitBandit]

I started a new thread since commenting isn't allowed in the Announcements section.

Thank you, Dan, for running this site for so long.  (Or whoever is running the site now, if it's not Dan)  It's a kind of a thankless task with not much upside.

I remember when this site became the main site on this topic after Planet Love shut down.  I've had my account since 2005 and I registered not too long after it started. Twenty years is a very long run for something like this.

The decision to shut down makes sense.  These types of fora have been losing ground to other sites like Reddit for a long time.  And the whole game has changed a lot: back in the early 2000s going abroad to meet women was much more difficult.  Now there's lots of information everywhere: you can find all the information you need on the Internet.  There's no longer the need to rely on sketchy sites and people and agencies.

Certainly, the war has put a damper on things.  Twenty years ago, there was hope that Russia would become more free, but it's gone in the opposite direction.  It's become more similar to North Korea every year.  Ukraine is trying to escape their orbit which has made it into a war zone.

There have been some awesome participants here over the years, and it was a pleasure to meet them in real life.  I still keep loose touch with Jooky.  I had the pleasure to meet 2tallbill, perhaps I will again.  And I knew several other people from the SF Bay Area who no longer post here.

Everything in life is transient.  I'm sad that the board is closing, but I haven't really participated in a long time.

Going to Russia and marrying an RW changed my life.  I want to thank everyone here that traveled with me along the way and exchanged so much information, stories and feedback.

[Trenchcoat]

I agree with everything you say Two Bit Bandit except that I think there is still a need for forums such as this. I think it is very sad that this forum is closing as I think it has helped many people such as yourself and myself on our journey to find a long term fulfilling relationship in the FSU. Indeed there is a large part of many forum members lives told her. I have enjoyed discussing all sorts of matters with forum members her and many I am fond of even though I have not met.

I state here that forums such as these are still of much use as they are if a depth that none of the social media platforms can replicate. On no social media platform can topics and threads be created in such a specific manner. Even on Reddit it is a general forum site and while some people have some decent knowledge on there I don't think that they often plumb the depths of the expertise of forum members on this site particularly the very experienced ones. Reddit is just not cohesive enough in comparison to this forum site. I took think Dan should be thanked for running this site for so long, it is probably more of a thankless task than I would know about and it's great that it's been here as a resource for twenty years.

The coronavirus and then the war in Ukraine have dampened a lot of interest here although I think the war in Ukraine will probably finish next year so there may be a revival. There has been talk of an uplift of WM wanting to get with Ukrainian Women of late as WM come to be seen as desirable given the situation out there. I think that done members passing and others no longer posting here probably has dampened this site a lot than it would otherwise be. I myself haven't been here always quite as much as in the past as being in a relationship with a Ukrainian girl has diverted a lot of my attention as it tends to do that. I do think though that there is still potential for this forum to be revived in some form or another. It would be a shame to see it go completely.

[Trenchcoat]

Dan, just out of interest, why did you decide to close the forum?