Originally Posted by KAPital PHINUst
(Post 1882448)
Good question, being that this forum is one of two most posted-on GLO specific forums at GC, both of which are experiencing a significant decline in posts and threads.
I have noticed several reasons for this:
- Established posters retiring GC to pursue other interests or life areas (marriage, family/children, careers, etc.). This also ties in with the fact that most of the established posters are much older now then when they first joined GC (7-10 years).
- Low turnover rate of GC posters (newbies replacing established posters who retired from GC). I have also noticed that newbies are more likely to lurk rather than post, my theory is that this is at least partially because the more saavy one may not want to risk being labeled as a troll/perp because they are new and doesn't want to risk asking a questionor making a comment that may be flagged as inappropriate.
- Message boards as a whole are being seen as antiquated compared to such social media as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. With the new decade at hand, the younger would-be GCers are more likely going to think that message boards are "so Noughties" (read: "[20]00s").
- Frankly, the temperament of too many posters still here at GC has gotten to be so sensitive and "snarky", for most newbies to post something and have to weigh heir words very carefully to avoid being flamed, simply not worthwhile.
- For established posters, most of the meaningful topics that we all have had something to say about, already said.
(side note): Personally, I would like GC to have a feature that automatically locks or deletes threads that have been without a post after a certain period of time (6 months to a year would be reasonable). I have seen too many newbies get flamed for not doing a search on a previously discussed topic, then if they revive an old thread that has been discussed, get flamed for reviving an old topic. A feature that deletes old threads automatically will mitigate this double standard.
I don't know if this forum (or any other GLO specific forum) will get the same momentum it did in it's glory years (2001 - 2005), but I'm sure it will get its share of "random spurts" from GC alumni stopping by to visit, and those "GC Poster Returns threads" will make this forum's glory years all worthwhile.
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