Should the forum (still) be closed on Mondays (2026 repoll)

[Jammies]

Just got here, and my first Monday was a total bummer when I realized the forums were down. But then I started wandering around the site, poking into the other communities, and checking out the surf club. Honestly, it turned things around for me. Instead of just sitting around, I ended up exploring other stuff and getting motivated to work on my own things. I'm definitely on board with keeping Mondays closed. The server puts in the work, so it should get a break!
  

[axolotls_]

The main annoyance I have about the forum being closed on Mondays is that due to time zones it often is closed at times that are not Monday for me. But, that's probably an unavoidable issue and I could resolve it by having a better understanding of time 

[fsr]

Yeah but like, are Mondays even REAL though? Because someone told me it was Monday once and I was like "Really? It sounds so made up, I'm like- 'MONday...'" I'm sceptical, but it's all good though. Like if it was Monday today but my phone says it's Wednesday and I don't believe that either because the phone says Wed Nes Day and everyone ELSE says it's "WENDSday" so obviously one of these is wrong.

[pepper]

I voted yar! I think its good for a web forum to let the mods have a day off each week, and to let the users get a reminder that a forum is not the most important thing around! When I come here on a Monday and see it's closed its a reminder to exist in the real world for a little, maybe go for a walk or something. I tend to get stuck in habits so it's nice to have that reminder.

I also think its just fun and cute! When I introduced the site to a friend once I mentioned the site closes on Mondays and they were like "oh thats so charming omg!". And I agree, it is charming! 

BUT that said I wouldn't mind if it opened, or if it was read only, or whatever. I just like hanging around here from time to time 

(also how do people access the chat on Mondays what sort of hackery is that? <.<)

[Dan Q]

"Closing" a website on a schedule seems weird and quirky, but it's not without precedent.

Companies House is the part of the British government that deals with company registration: using their website, for example, you can look up the registered details of any company or director in the United Kingdom. (Look, here's me for example!)

I remember the first time I used that website, back in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Back then, it exhibited an interesting feature: the Companies House website would only work during business hours: like 9am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday!

That always used to blow my mind. What's happening? Are the database searches being carried out by hand or something? Like: you'd type something into the website and somebody in an office somewhere would look up the information you asked for and type the answer back to you? That'd be absurd!

It probably wasn't that. It was probably just about having lots of scheduled time for maintenance. Or that they thought it would be more-likely to be successfully misused outside of office hours. Or maybe, just maybe, they were ahead of the curve: a cutting-edge website that had a scheduled close period, long before the Melonland Forum brought it back and made it cool!

Anyway: I was reminded of that weird quirk by this discussion.

[TheFrugalGamer]

@DanQ, I currently work with a vendor who periodically closes down for Jewish holidays. Their website is still open, but they make it very clear that you cannot place orders during that time, as they will not be working! I've always thought it was kind of neat, mostly because I enjoy seeing cultural differences like that, and I admire when companies fit their businesses to fit the people, rather than the other way around.

I also like the Monday break like others, and I'm kind of reticent whether or not there should be a read only mode. I do think that if the forums go read only that day, though, it would be neat to make a special theme for it that makes it look like all the lights are out!

[boreal cryptid]

i actually like it. it creates some kind of "routine", and i love having a routine. (<- they're autistic)

and, maybe it sounds silly, but sometimes it helps with my time blindness, lol...

[shaggy]

Whatever, we're all in honor mode here anyway, since you still can post on Mondays regardless [as proven by this post].

I voted "No" but I think "Yes" (do I have bipolar disorder or what lol?). It's quirky. But there are good reasons, like admins need a break too. And we human need a break too. Can't change my vote now, but I can still break honor mode and post my reply xd. I promise it's one time thing only!

[ABlueRose]

I like the forum being closed on Mondays. It's quirky, but I think it's really interesting to imagine a web that isn't accessible  24/7. Not because of disasters, but to just give everyone a break and a reminder to work on, or go to other areas. MelonLand being closed on Mondays has also inspired me! I've been doing "No Youtube Mondays" and it's cool seeing the impact it's had

[Horsey Chobunso]

I don't love the monday closure. It doesn't really push me to get anything done on my site or other creative projects because I have my own schedule and system for that, all it does is bar me from using this site on my main free day. Like others said, it also actually starts sunday afternoon for me which never feels good.

However, its not really a major problem. I'm still here and posting on the other days and I understand the reasoning behind it. Its just a small annoyance for me personally

[Yoylecake420]

I don't mind the Monday closure, given that I rarely go on this forum, but I think it's an interesting gimmick for this forum, and hey, there are other sites I like to check out.

[Limette]

That's kinda what I had in mind. If we wanted to keep it open on weekends since those days are open for many people, we could also have it cycle through the weekdays -- close the site on Thursday one week, Friday the next week, then Monday the next week or something like that.

There would then arise the issue of people forgetting which day the forum is closed, as it would shift every week. Unsure how that would weigh against potentially welcoming new people who can't make it on Mondays.

I really like this idea, even if it could be a bit confusing to keep track of. Maybe the site can have a header somewhere that displays the week's closing day. "This week, the forum closes on Wednesday!" - something like that.


The only time the Monday closure truly bothered me was when I needed to access a tutorial that was posted here, so that I could implement something on my website. I looked around a bit and realized I could still access the page by using the internet archive, so it was only frustrating until I figured that out, and now I've made it a habit to archive topics that I know I might need on a Monday.

Mondays are also nice for checking in on the e-site, especially the evil forum. I boot up a stream so I can show it to my friends and have them throw ideas at me, so that perhaps I can put something on the everyone site myself. They're not members of the forum, but I am, and this has become a fun ritual for us.

I really appreciate the Monday breaks for introducing some much needed friction into my online activities. It may be a bit annoying sometimes, but that annoyance is ultimately a good thing.

[candycanearter07]

The only time the Monday closure truly bothered me was when I needed to access a tutorial that was posted here, so that I could implement something on my website. I looked around a bit and realized I could still access the page by using the internet archive, so it was only frustrating until I figured that out, and now I've made it a habit to archive topics that I know I might need on a Monday.

I'll also point out that the "print" pages aren't blocked on Mondays, either. I have a bunch of print pages archived in my notes page on my site to get around the Monday thing.

[CrabbyJade]

here's my two cents as an extremely lonely internet denizen!

pros:
 -the monday closure is a good mechanism for making sure we don't get too lost in the internet, and makes sure that we either touch grass or do a project that we have been putting of instead of constantly chattering on the web! although discord and games are still a distraction :/
 -whimsical!
 -i think bypassing the monday closure would be a fun challenge for future me

cons:
 -i don't have a job, and don't have a means of transport on weekdays when my mom works. this means that i get lonely during the day, so i try to supplement it with talking on forums and discord channels. but then again, this is a skill issue on my part, and shouldn't dictate the forum's operations
 -the closure of the entire forum/chat makes the help thread and everyone site planning inaccessible on monday, which is inconvenient for website building/planning. if there is some way to have those open and everything else closed, i think it would be better than closing everything on monday. but then again, a slight inconvenience might be helpful in reminding us that not everything needs to be done right this second. and isn't that why we are using a forum instead of a discord?