Thank you all so much for the kind words.
As Diest rightly points out, the wwcog was smaller potatoes than the Watchtower. We thought it was something when attendance at the Feast of Tabernacles (8 day mandatory get together similar to your District Conventions) got to around 144,000 (yeah, there's that number again).
OTWO, There was one individual who tried to start a forum for exiters, but I think there was too many exiters at once due to all of the changes the organization made. So many people acting out in their pain. It ended up with being constant shouting matches over whose opinion was the most right. I think it was because we had been so steeped in black and white, my way or the highway, thinking that most of us hadn't yet learned to be tolerant or accepting of others differences.
Rip, you are so right. If the JWs were to collapse like worldwide, there would be plenty of groups that would welcome them with open arms. But for all the pain involved, I'm so glad that worldwide did eventually fall. For all those who went to other groups, or formed their own little "splinter" groups, many more were set free. I hope the Watchtower will implode one day as well.
One thing I don't think I was clear about. My Uncle and Aunt were never part of worldwide. They went into the JWs and Mormons as their first choice. Mom's family was hugely dysfunctional. She and her brothers and sisters tried to deal with an abusive father by going into odd religions, serial marriages, or alcoholism.