Total lack of interest - putting an end to!

[Owlswing]

Could we please have a serious campaign to recover some of the posters that have been lost, not too many, I hope, from the activities of the Grim Reaper, to this Forum or to attract new ones.

I say this with the greatest possible regret, having looked back over the year or so while I had no computer access, the number of 'active' threads has dwindled almost to extinction, but the only words to describe the vast majority of threads are "terminally boring" and, in many cases, nothing more than a playground for certain posters to demonstrate their questionable wit, their manipulation of insults to keep them from being modded, and even more questionable English.

The vast majority of the few remaining posters seem to be coralled into never-ending dicussions on the pro's and con's on the rights and wrongs of Christian doctrine in all its incarnations. This is blindingly obvious from te fact that the "Searching for God" thread seems to account for 90+% of posts in the entire history of the Forum!

The only emotion I feel reading the Forum is sadness at what has been lost from when I first joined it.

Sorry if this offends anyone, or, possibly, everyone, but I feel it needs to be said, if only to stop me tearing my hair out!

 

[Nearly Sane]

The message board format has been dying since before this one started. We are effectively the radiogram of social media. Seaching for God while a phenomenon is actually about 5% of the posts we have had.

That we have lasted this long has surprised me, and in terms of posting, we are actually up on this period last year.

[Roses]

The forum is quite a bit lively now than it some months ago when it looked as if it was on its last legs.

[Owlswing]

The message board format has been dying since before this one started. We are effectively the radiogram of social media. Seaching for God while a phenomenon is actually about 5% of the posts we have had.

That we have lasted this long has surprised me, and in terms of posting, we are actually up on this period last year.

My apologies for the misquote regarding Searching - I mixed up "Views" and "Posts"!

Regarding the rest, there was far more diversity of discussion at the time of my banishment (my own fault, as you said, I almost invited it!) which was extended by the loss of my computer.

The number of views far exceeds the number of posters and this would suggest that what is being posted is not sufficiently interesting to attract new posters, as I said, - Quoite . . . the only words to describe the vast majority of threads are "terminally boring" and, in many cases, nothing more than a playground for certain posters to demonstrate their questionable wit, their manipulation of insults to keep them from being modded, and even more questionable English. . . Unquote which result in long threads full of nothing more than those, such as your erudite and educated self, trying to hammer some sort of intelligent responses from certain others.

Just because the genre is in decline does not mean that we on this Forum have to commit suicide!

 

[Owlswing]

The forum is quite a bit lively now than it some months ago when it looked as if it was on its last legs.

I'm sorry that even now it is a pale shadow of what it was when the Beeb shut down!

A time that I remember with great affection!

[Gordon]

As NS says, this format is in decline: but even so this place rumbles on with a small cohort and that, presumably, is due to a mix of affection and familiarity (and possibly even addiction), but for as long as these regulars feel inclined to turn up regularly then it will remain active.

Eventually it will expire, but then again we all will in the end.

[Aruntraveller]

Owl - you could always start some interesting threads if the ones already posted really are "terminally boring".

[Nearly Sane]

My apologies for the misquote regarding Searching - I mixed up "Views" and "Posts"!

Regarding the rest, there was far more diversity of discussion at the time of my banishment (my own fault, as you said, I almost invited it!) which was extended by the loss of my computer.

The number of views far exceeds the number of posters and this would suggest that what is being posted is not sufficiently interesting to attract new posters, as I said, - Quoite . . . the only words to describe the vast majority of threads are "terminally boring" and, in many cases, nothing more than a playground for certain posters to demonstrate their questionable wit, their manipulation of insults to keep them from being modded, and even more questionable English. . . Unquote which result in long threads full of nothing more than those, such as your erudite and educated self, trying to hammer some sort of intelligent responses from certain others.

Just because the genre is in decline does not mean that we on this Forum have to commit suicide!

I think you are looking back with some rose tinted specs here. But if you want to see different subjects then why not start them.

We are not the BBC and so new traffic was always going to drop off. Accepting that is not committing suicide it's just common sense. Having spent a lot of effort to raise different topics on here over the years, as the numbers of topics started stat will show, people tend not to post on the vast majority of diverse topics, so I have taken to posting less new topics as it doesn't appear to have that much effect. 

If people have stopped posting, I don't really see it as something we should challenge. We have as mods discussed this on a number of occasions but felt that a blanket attempt to do so is inappropriate. That said when we notice regular posters not posting, we will send notes to check they are ok.


There is no chance of a grand campaign to attract new members because that isn't really within our remit, or time. It's also as I have already noted doomed to failure because we would be in the position of Canute showing his subjects that the tide does not obey instructions.

[Stranger]

The message board format has been dying since before this one started.

I'm not entirely sure that's the case. I mean, of course there are many more formats available now so there's bound to be a decline, but I'm a member of other forums that seem to be very lively and with more diverse users (not all old gits). There is one that covers the same subjects - it's fairly North America centric but there's plenty of users from other countries. They do allow direct embedding of image and video content which makes the place look more lively and attractive.

Of course it also doesn't suffer the problem of disappearing from time to time and needed to be accessed via a proxy or tor. I haven't been able to get on here directly for about a month now. That really can't be helping, even if somebody does come across us a find it interesting, the site may not be there when they come back.

[SteveH]

The message board format has been dying since before this one started. We are effectively the radiogram of social media. Seaching for God while a phenomenon is actually about 5% of the posts we have had.

That we have lasted this long has surprised me, and in terms of posting, we are actually up on this period last year.

LPs, film cameras, steam locomotives, mechanical clocks and watches, and many more things are theoretically obsolete, but still have enthusiastic followings. Ditto stand-alone forums like this for many years to come, i suspect.

[Owlswing]

Owl - you could always start some interesting threads if the ones already posted really are "terminally boring".

Therein lies the major problem from my point of view, TV,

I come here to get away from the very interests that I have away from this Forum!

I have been advised, by both friends and family, that my interests are well established members of the lunatic fringe:

     - YuGiOh cards (Collecting)

     - Dolls - Manga, Monster High, Anime related (Collecting)

     - Stamps - QEII mint (Collecting)

     - WarHammer 40,000 - Sisters of Battle and Space Marine models (Building, Painting)

If you can see anything there that is likely to interest anyone but me, please let me know!

I am under no illusions that the most used expression to deacribe me. usually out of my hearing but reported to me nevertheless, is "boring old fart", hence my attachment to the more interesting posters upon this Forum!

Sorry, TV, to disappoint , but, hey ho, I ain't gonna lie to you - I always get found out PDQ when I lie!

[Nearly Sane]

LPs, film cameras, steam locomotives, mechanical clocks and watches, and many more things are theoretically obsolete, but still have enthusiastic followings. Ditto stand-alone forums like this for many years to come, i suspect.

And all of those are niche activities where lots of groups that have existed have folded. We've had close a million posts on here which astounds me in many ways. 

[Nearly Sane]

Fair point from Stranger about attachments and pictures though which we will see what we can do about it. On other social media I share a lot of pictures.

[Udayana]

I've always preferred the newsgroup/usenet format - everything has been downhill after that- apart from it being easier to add attachments and post media.


 

[Stranger]

Fair point from Stranger about attachments and pictures though which we will see what we can do about it. On other social media I share a lot of pictures.

Just wondering if you guys ever got around to looking at this?

[Nearly Sane]

Just wondering if you guys ever got around to looking at this?

We made some progress but ran into a few technical issues and then life got in the way. Will restart

[Outrider]

Therein lies the major problem from my point of view, TV,

I come here to get away from the very interests that I have away from this Forum!

I have been advised, by both friends and family, that my interests are well established members of the lunatic fringe:

     - YuGiOh cards (Collecting)

     - Dolls - Manga, Monster High, Anime related (Collecting)

     - Stamps - QEII mint (Collecting)

     - WarHammer 40,000 - Sisters of Battle and Space Marine models (Building, Painting)

If you can see anything there that is likely to interest anyone but me, please let me know!

I am under no illusions that the most used expression to deacribe me. usually out of my hearing but reported to me nevertheless, is "boring old fart", hence my attachment to the more interesting posters upon this Forum!

Sorry, TV, to disappoint , but, hey ho, I ain't gonna lie to you - I always get found out PDQ when I lie!

Feel free to start a 40K thread, we'll see if we can root out any heretics - I'm a Dark Angels/Inquisition collector waiting on my 9th Ed codex supplement coming out shortly to see if it's time to actually finish some units and get back to playing.

O.

[Owlswing]

Feel free to start a 40K thread, we'll see if we can root out any heretics - I'm a Dark Angels/Inquisition collector waiting on my 9th Ed codex supplement coming out shortly to see if it's time to actually finish some units and get back to playing.

O.

I played Sisters of Battle (Battle Bitches/Nuns with guns) until my local shop shut. I am not sure where my painted army is, but I hope it is in storage with the bits I haven't moved into my flat yet.

I have about a hundred and fifty unpainted models sitting in the cupboard but can't afford the paints at the moment.

As to the Rulebook - I am not sure how much that now is, but it was on the edge of affordability when I stopped playing.

What was your colour scheme?

Owlswing (player nickname - bestowed by the Shop Manager - Sister Numbnuts!)

)O(

[Sriram]

Could we please have a serious campaign to recover some of the posters that have been lost, not too many, I hope, from the activities of the Grim Reaper, to this Forum or to attract new ones.

I say this with the greatest possible regret, having looked back over the year or so while I had no computer access, the number of 'active' threads has dwindled almost to extinction, but the only words to describe the vast majority of threads are "terminally boring" and, in many cases, nothing more than a playground for certain posters to demonstrate their questionable wit, their manipulation of insults to keep them from being modded, and even more questionable English.

The vast majority of the few remaining posters seem to be coralled into never-ending dicussions on the pro's and con's on the rights and wrongs of Christian doctrine in all its incarnations. This is blindingly obvious from te fact that the "Searching for God" thread seems to account for 90+% of posts in the entire history of the Forum!

The only emotion I feel reading the Forum is sadness at what has been lost from when I first joined it.

Sorry if this offends anyone, or, possibly, everyone, but I feel it needs to be said, if only to stop me tearing my hair out!

The posters here, especially some of the atheist members, should have a more open mind and be less vicious and rigid in their responses. It is possible that people will then participate more is discussions.

Some new members did post some months back...but the attitude of some old members probably put them off.

There are plenty of subjects connected to religion, spirituality, philosophy  and science that can be discussed at length.  Nature of the Self, unconscious mind,  life after death, nature of the mind, biofield, limitations of science, religions other than Christianity and many other subjects could make for lively discussions. But a closed and narrow view coupled with a scornful and dismissive attitude does not allow for a frank and free conversation.   

No wonder many people are hesitant to post their opinion.

[bluehillside Retd.]

Sriram,

The posters here, especially some of the atheist members, should have a more open mind and be less vicious and rigid in their responses. It is possible that people will then participate more is discussions.

Some new members did post some months back...but the attitude of some old members probably put them off.

There are plenty of subjects connected to religion, spirituality, philosophy  and science that can be discussed at length.  Nature of the Self, unconscious mind,  life after death, nature of the mind, biofield, limitations of science, religions other than Christianity and many other subjects could make for lively discussions. But a closed and narrow view coupled with a scornful and dismissive attitude does not allow for a frank and free conversation.   

No wonder many people are hesitant to post their opinion.

Identifying the fallacies in the arguments you try to justify your beliefs isn’t “a closed and narrow view”. You’ve had this explained many times, only for you to vanish each time you run out of road. If people here can argue rationally for their beliefs, that’s interesting to me; complaining that some of us won’t just take their word for it on the other hand is not.   

[Owlswing]

Sriram,

Identifying the fallacies in the arguments you try to justify your beliefs isn’t “a closed and narrow view”. You’ve had this explained many times, only for you to vanish each time you run out of road. If people here can argue rationally for their beliefs, that’s interesting to me; complaining that some of us won’t just take their word for it, on the other hand, is not.   

Well said.

The attitude of some Christians when they are shown just how little solid provable history of their beliefs pre AD100 or so exists, except for a book that contradicts itself page after page after page, and yet atheists and pagans are expected not only to accept their beliefs as fact regardless of the very rocky basis upon which those beliefs are based but to acknowledge the error of their own beliefs.

Arrogance or what!

Owswing

)O(

[Outrider]

I played Sisters of Battle (Battle Bitches/Nuns with guns) until my local shop shut. I am not sure where my painted army is, but I hope it is in storage with the bits I haven't moved into my flat yet.

I have about a hundred and fifty unpainted models sitting in the cupboard but can't afford the paints at the moment.

As to the Rulebook - I am not sure how much that now is, but it was on the edge of affordability when I stopped playing.

What was your colour scheme?

Owlswing (player nickname - bestowed by the Shop Manager - Sister Numbnuts!)

)O(

Well, I started back in 3rd edition when there was a colour scheme for Deathwatch but no rules, so I painted up the marines in black with a silver arm and played them as Deathwatch with Grey Knights, Inquisitorial Stormtroopers and Sisters (white with red and black) allies.  Now there's rules for the Deathwatch, Stormtroopers seem to be long gone and it's difficult to get any sort of allies system to work.

And, like you, I have a great, grey tide tucked away...  Which might be good, because I'm not sure I've got enough of any one force to make a full army out of.

O.