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Post by Terra on May 19, 2012 19:08:29 GMT -5
I'm a relative newcomer to this forum. I joined in July 2010, slightly under two years ago. I do remember some periods of very active 'bloiding and Tacoing, but most of the time I've been a member has been after the highest peaks in the graph Fraze made. But I don't feel like this place is dead or dying. I've been able to make friends here pretty easily, and I talk to my NTWF friends pretty much daily. I can't say how it's been in the past, but I think the community here is still pretty strong, even if the post count isn't as high as it's been in the past. (And yes, that could be in large part because of Skype, which is pretty active.) I suppose what I'm saying is that, without being able to really compare it to how it's been in the past, I feel like this community is still vital and active. The problem with 'events' is that frankly, they're not gonna be everyone's cup of tea. Especially team-style events that only allow limited participation. Of course, no one option is gonna cater to anyone. I'm kinda on the idea of I'm not sure there's anything that would be 'saved'. XD I'm kinda on Ginz on this one... maybe we're all just getting old and laid back, ufufufu. But I like events...and without them it's kind of an empty, serious discussion and debate place. I think we should severely up the silly. No one has replied to my "Bunnies on the Railing" post. I don't want us to lose our sense of fun. I want this to be a place of wonder, not an old shell of a geode. (A geode is a rock that looks plain on the outside but has fabulous jewels within, if you don't know) EDIT: We need to be a LOT more welcoming to newbies. I don't think they think they fit in, really. Most people who come here are from Neopets, anyway. (starts an inviting RP) I don't see it that way at all. There are the 'bloids, the Taco, the forum games, the Clubhouses...plenty of fun to be had on a regular basis. And I can't see how a forum based on Neopets can be fully dark and dreary and srsface all the time. XD I don't think events are necessary to keep this place going. Also, they can only really provide activity in short bursts, not keep things going for very prolonged periods of time. Also, what I love about this place is that we can have the silly and the serious. This is a community of people who are both incredibly intelligent and able to have fun. I love both sides, and I don't think we're likely to lose either. |
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Post by Hannah Needle on May 19, 2012 20:26:25 GMT -5
Well, if people do think we aren't doing so well, why not do something REALLY special? Something like a halfway christmas since in June, it will be 6 months til Christmas. We can have another advent calender or secret santa to get some activity going if we need it. Honestly, I don't go to the bloids much but when I do, it's quiet.
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Post by Draco on May 19, 2012 20:59:31 GMT -5
This is just my view and opinion here from how I see things.
The times I see people disappear the most are oddly Summer (when they should have free time,but apparently don't), Start of school year (makes sense), Holidays (similar to summer), end of spring (end of school year), and whenever NaNo is (except some boards).
Take those times of the year away, and you just leave school year XD
I think most people are just taking their real life more serious then they did years ago. Before people would hang out here all the time, now most are actually trying hard in school or work, and just have less time to be here. They stay for whatever reasons they have, but really can't dedicate themselves like they did years ago. It's sad, but most people are just getting older and see real life as more important.
I on the other hand, am immature and still here all the time XD But I really DO need to start posting more often. I'm afraid I'm hooked to Skype a bit to much. I prefer the near instant responses over posting and waiting (sometimes leaving, coming back to find replies pages back, and sort of pointless to respond to now). *shrug* I really do need to work on posting here more often though.
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Post by Nimras on May 19, 2012 20:59:46 GMT -5
I think the fact that this has gained two pages of replies in less than one day says something about the activity level of the forum.  Really though, I think a lot of the lessening of the posts can be blamed on the unofficial NTWF Skype chat, where before all those comments would have been posts in the Splatterboard. |
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Post by PFA on May 19, 2012 23:28:07 GMT -5
I'm not sure what to say that isn't just echoing what everyone else has said, but I guess I can put in my two cents anyway. XD;
From my point of view, I've definitely been posting a lot less than I did previously, for multiple reasons. One is because of various RL obligations, school and activities and what have you. Another is because I've been busy working on my website and various things related to that. Then there's the occasional health problems, physical as well as the occasional emotional crises (depression runs in the family, le sigh).
But beyond that, I guess it's just kind of... a shift in interest? Not to say I've lost all interest in the forum, anything but, but it seems like I've been finding alternative ways to entertain myself lately. Like I'll sit and watch TV with my family or I'll spend a few hours playing video games. I'm not really sure how to describe it other than me catching up on all those things I enjoy doing outside of the forum. XD; I feel bad for essentially isolating myself from my internet friends in that way, but I guess I just feel less motivated to sit down for hours at the 'Bloids/Taco/Skype/whatever as I used to. I guess the inactivity could be part of that, but I dunno.
At any rate, I'm not super worried about forum death. I mean, even when we're all busy with whatever else we're doing, we all still seem to be lurking and popping in to make comments whenever we have something to say. XD This thread proves that if nothing else. So I guess part of it might be less of people moving on as people posting less? I dunno if that makes sense.
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Post by Killix on May 20, 2012 0:01:58 GMT -5
NTWF has been going strong for almost 10 years now. We have our ups and downs of activity, but I don't really see any signs that we're on the brink of becoming the Neopian Times Wasteland Forum.
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Post by Zylaa on May 20, 2012 1:00:22 GMT -5
I could try and say something really profound to this, but for now I just want to say that the Neopian Times Wasteland Forum sounds like it could be an epic RPG. This should totally happen.
(My views in short: General optimism, continued regret that the Skype chat is the focus of interest and not the 'bloids, but acceptance that it's what people prefer now, overall no cause for worry. ^_^)
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Post by Draco on May 20, 2012 1:12:22 GMT -5
I could try and say something really profound to this, but for now I just want to say that the Neopian Times Wasteland Forum sounds like it could be an epic RPG. This should totally happen. (My views in short: General optimism, continued regret that the Skype chat is the focus of interest and not the 'bloids, but acceptance that it's what people prefer now, overall no cause for worry. ^_^) >.> I agree... Neopian Times Wasteland Forum sounds like a awesome title. And yeah, the Skype chat is evil, it drags us away @_@ But I do like the bloids, but usually when I decide I'm going to post there, everyone all ready went to bed XD |
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Post by Huntress on May 20, 2012 7:56:52 GMT -5
We've done Neopian Times Wasteland Forums. They were all titled Guild Wars xP EDIT: We need to be a LOT more welcoming to newbies. I don't think they think they fit in, really. Most people who come here are from Neopets, anyway. (starts an inviting RP) *latches onto that point* :3 This forum will die eventually, no doubt. All websites do. I'm not sure when ours would go down the drain, maybe when Neopets goes down the drain and influx stops completely and current-member-activity stagnates to a standstill, but there's no real way of telling when that'd happen. However, what I've noticed right now is that I have very little to post on any more >> Thread-wise, I'm a reacter, not a creator. I don't usually make a new thread unless something stirs me to do it, I just lurk around - daily - and post when something makes me post. My ever-so-long stint as the guild queen taught me that for a place to be active, it needs more creators than reacters, and the more the better. The guilds spiralled to a halt since nobody was doing any creating any more, and I'm not sure what'll happen to them. Maybe someone'll kick them back to life someday. But my entire point up there was, ye average forum newbie is also a reacter. They won't go around making fun new things for people to join in, they're likely to lurk and see what they can get into. And if they can't find something fun to get into, they'll probably just move on. The forum newbie intro platform used to be either the bloids (which are now largely Skype and good luck getting into them as a newb) or for the non-bloidally, the NT boards/reviews (which are nothing what they used to be, activity-wise, although at least they're still going steadily). |
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Post by Lord Hayati on May 20, 2012 23:57:18 GMT -5
I tried to be a creator for the guilds... yet I don't see anyone posting for them. .-.
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Post by Draco on May 22, 2012 18:15:47 GMT -5
I think Guilds is another thing we'll have to talk about later XD My opinions on why people aren't posting, also applies to Guilds. That and most people just move on and stuff from that. *shrugs* But I think that topic should be saved for another day...
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The problem with 'events' is that frankly, they're not gonna be everyone's cup of tea. Especially team-style events that only allow limited participation. Of course, no one option is gonna cater to anyone.
Really though, I think a lot of the lessening of the posts can be blamed on the unofficial NTWF Skype chat, where before all those comments would have been posts in the Splatterboard. 
