Have you noticed less traffic on forum sites?

[Iceblink]

I've noticed that forum sites seem to move much more slowly than they once did. There are fewer posts and topics seem to stay on the front pages of forum sites longer than they once did before dropping off. Has the fascination passed?

This is an interesting article on the topic.

Why I've Posted 27,000 Times to One Online Forum
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/theslice/co...reddit-era

[Borg69]

I'm going to assume Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, kik, grind'r ... type places have taken over. JUB was once a thriving forum that I feel is now mostly a troll haven in its death throes. Gay.com was once very active that also died, IMO.

[Radbot42]

Sometimes gamefaqs feels slower than usual.

[East]

Oh yeah...that article he wrote nailed it.....

I was a member of alot of sites over the years...some pretty big ones...and they all died.
I am noticing it on most of the gay boards...and the busy ones are busy because of trolls ...but they do their damage even though their initial actiivty makes alot of people respond...it has a very bad permanent negative effect....

I don't think Facebook is the main culprit though with gay baords...the "dating apps" are the culprit.

This is already starting to happend with Facebook as well. People are leaving or no longer interested. In my own circle of friends (I have alot of friends).....I would say maybe 3 in 50 are even on Facebook. I read an article recently that addressed how many younger users were abandoning FB.

The same fate is now happening to gay clubs...they are dying out...fast. The one I worked at the longest was a landmark...in business as a gay club for over 50 years....and it closed finally last year.

It happened to antique stores too...we had 14 in my town....now we have 4. I stayed in business because I knew that change isn't always as bad as we fear it will be. There will ALWAYS be new doors and windows open when the other ones close...you just have to look for them. I had to change as well...and it is faster than ever now...but I am up for the challenge LOL...and we are alive and doing well...

I prefer message boards...so I will always stick around I suspect...

I have gotten used to the new slower pace and now I search for quality over quantity...

[CellarDweller]

I have a FB page, no twitter, instagram or any of that.

I still like forums, and visit the ones I'm a member of as often as I can. I do think that FB and other social media have cut down forum participation.

[TwisttheLeaf]

I haven't been here long enough to see GS in its "hay day", but what -drew- me here was the sense of community. The welcoming people and open discussions.

I think, if the board was overpopulated, that this wouldn't be as much the case? It would feel more impersonal, yeah?

[MikeW]

I haven't been here long enough to see GS in its "hay day", but what -drew- me here was the sense of community. The welcoming people and open discussions.

I think, if the board was overpopulated, that this wouldn't be as much the case? It would feel more impersonal, yeah?

I think there is truth to this. It is possible to have a sense of community in a more populated forum as well *IF* it is moderated properly. That is nearly a full time job, however, and is seldom done right.

It could be that the whole forum thing is becoming passé. I don't know, nor care too much. I've been chatting with people (more or less like this) since I got online back in the AOL days -- so I'll probably continue.

As for FaceBook… I detest the place. I do have a FB page but I almost never visit it.

[LJay]

Without throwing stones at any specific people, it seems to me that younger participants on forums tend to come and go more casually than older ones. There also tend to be cycles of interest. I think the forum format will be around for a long time, but the personnel involved will always be changing.

Another factor affecting forums is that the topics can sometimes stagnate or simply get run into the ground. The air has to clear, along with the posters, before things liven up again.

Bad moderation can enable negative trends on list forums to take over. It sometimes takes a stiff-toed and hard-soled boot to clear the ground and many moderators are not apt to do so.

In general, GaySpeak is very lucky to have unobtrusive moderation, a fairly mellow group of posters and a broad enough assortment of ages and demographics to keep it a pleasant place. Let's keep it that way.

[Virge]

Yeah. I noticed it months back. Rather than blame it on others I just wrote it up as my crazy perception.

It's been real obvious for a long time here in GS and wish I knew what to do to help. It's already guilting me that I'm not coming here so much anymore.

[MikeW]

Yeah. I noticed it months back. Rather than blame it on others I just wrote it up as my crazy perception.

It's been real obvious for a long time here in GS and wish I knew what to do to help. It's already guilting me that I'm not coming here so much anymore.

DUDE, do not feel guilty! Lordy, lordy. We do like having you around but you have SO much going on in your life. (Envious of that!) You're doing great things… so GTFOOH already!!!