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Post by tomodachi on Nov 19, 2013 3:50:10 GMT -5
I just found this forums tonight, and it seemed like it could be a great place to talk, get some things out of my head and into writing, and hear from some new people. But I started to look at the dates on the threads, and a lot of them haven't been updated for years. Is this forums dying out? That would be a shame. I thought this would be a good place to be.
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Post by Scotty on Nov 19, 2013 4:08:30 GMT -5
It's certainly gotten a lot quieter around here than it used to be in the early days, but there are still a few off us hanging around.
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Post by Astroruss on Nov 19, 2013 21:34:01 GMT -5
I just found this forums tonight, and it seemed like it could be a great place to talk, get some things out of my head and into writing, and hear from some new people. But I started to look at the dates on the threads, and a lot of them haven't been updated for years. Is this forums dying out? That would be a shame. I thought this would be a good place to be. Our site's been around for about ten years now, and there's been a somewhat drop in site visitation, I know. But hey, maybe we've just run out of things to say. We are shy people you know.
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Post by Mitzeigreuenshaeden on Dec 23, 2013 23:04:06 GMT -5
Ack!!!!
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Post by CharlotteGirl on Dec 24, 2013 8:09:40 GMT -5
I suspect it may be lacking activity partly because some people don't like proboards free hosting with ads, really popular forums seem to be usually on paid servers (with or without ads) and use the (expensive) vBulletin or (free, open source) phpBB software which unlike proboards are installed and fully controlled by the forum admin.
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Post by Scotty on Dec 24, 2013 13:05:47 GMT -5
No Ack! You can still post regularly and help us make this forum more active!
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Post by speechless on Dec 24, 2013 15:32:30 GMT -5
even though it is quiet I hope it never does die!
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Post by Sexy Spork #37 on Dec 24, 2013 16:22:04 GMT -5
Isn't it somewhat ironic that the thread with the most activity in the last 24 hours is the thread about why there's no activity anymore?
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Post by CharlotteGirl on Dec 25, 2013 3:16:59 GMT -5
Suppose it is ironic really. I've no idea whether my above theory is true, just read it somewhere. My own attempt to start a forum (as linked in my signature) is going very slowly indeed, but then the subject is very niche really. It likely means nothing to anyone here.
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Post by Rose on Dec 28, 2013 9:26:40 GMT -5
I wouldn't say dying, more like slow.
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Post by perceptron on Jan 14, 2014 23:43:42 GMT -5
This used to be one of the quintessential forums related to shyness. It peaked probably around 2007-8 when excessive moderation killed off the majority of unrestrained posting. It has been a ghost town ever since... It will be hard to bring about a revival now, but it would be nice if it happened.
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Post by Sexy Spork #37 on Jan 15, 2014 8:11:07 GMT -5
I don't think that's a problem at all. There's just about nothing you can or cannot get away with on here that you can or cannot get away with on any other forum of any type anywhere online. The only thing you can't do on here which is commonplace elsewhere, is excessively swear. But mild swearing is okay. I'd say the moderators on here are the best moderators I've come across. They've never interfered in my three years here. I've been on, at some point or another, all the major forum providers and they do nothing BUT interfere. VBulltin or whatever it's called is the worst. The rules on there are the strictest you'll find.
Just read any post on here by Strawberry. I'm struggling to think of any other forum where you could speak your mind quite like that.
I don't think moderation has anything to do with anything, nor do I think the quietness of SU is a bad thing. It's like being at school or college, you go in each morning and at break you have a chinwag with your friends and then go back to lessons. It's nice. It's friendly. It's warm. It better than when it was overcrowded.
I think the biggest issue is that this is the only shyness forum not dedicated to 'cures'. People here have accepted their shyness or don't see it as 'life-inhibiting' and just want someone to talk to. Every other shyness forum is dedicated to 'cures'. There isn't a cure. You live your life in a veil of quietness and loneliness, and SU is a break from that. A place where you can talk about anything and feel a part of something without 'shyness' coming up every five minutes. The 'shy' in our name is what connects us, not what defines us. Shy United. Where we can meet and be united.
The people who left wanted a 'cure'. And I bet you none of them have got one. This forum can survive on the size it is now. There are hundreds of forums just as small and infrequent. That's not a bad thing. It's lovely.
It's something to be embraced.
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Post by Scotty on Jan 15, 2014 14:51:27 GMT -5
That was beautiful Sexy Spork! Some of what you said is the reason I love this forum. It's less about curing and more about just being a community. Not that I'm against discussing problems or giving advice...it's just that certain people don't need the reminder of how shy they are all the time. This is a place where you can learn to grow as a person. Where you can discuss anything you want without the usual problems we have with being social... we all know that the rest of us are quiet people, so there's no need to point it out.
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Post by CharlotteGirl on Jan 15, 2014 16:51:06 GMT -5
No Spork, VBulletin is just proprietary/expensive forum software used by many large forums, it's not a provider like proboards so has nothing directly to do with moderation quality. Anyway yes this forum does have good points as you say, it's quiet and reflective. I was a large poster on SAUK for 6-7 years but it went right downhill/got just annoying IMO, for various reasons but partly the excessive moderation policy, occasionally mods would also keep on posting stuff in a dodgy thread before eventually deleting it. I like the rapid response on good larger sites, but suppose not everyone does.
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Post by Astroruss on Jan 15, 2014 22:16:00 GMT -5
I personally have known several people here who left because they spent waaay too much time here and wanted to pursue more time out in the real world. Some felt better knowing they'd done it. They still come around sometimes, but are very infrequent.
The internet has gotten much bigger in the years since this forum was created, and there are many, many other places to go now too.
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