Am I the only one who has noticed that this site is a lot more stagnant and static than it was a couple of months ago?

I know I've been here less....and it is less active. Perhaps its the summer ,maybe how the question section became so contentious and cliquish. Also two new sites with the AB-EP vibe opened up....

It's supposed to be the summer, but one would hardly think so judging by all this rain and below-average temperatures we've been experiencing these last few weeks. Lol:)

There is always a certain amount of contention and cliquishness on sites like this, mainly because there is nothing in the terms of use (as far as I know) that forbids people to act like arrogant, opinionated, egotistical jerks, and that may be the reason why this type of site attracts nutters like that. Lol:)

I didn't know two new sites with the AB-EP vibe opened up. What sites are those?

Nope. You aren't. There's been a change. However I was to,d not helping it by asking questions like this. Hmm. But again, I do agree with you Andy.

I haven't been told what sort of questions I should or should not ask, so I use my own judgement. I thought that if I posted this question, maybe a lot of other members would answer it, prove me wrong and hopefully render the site more active again. Good wheeze, eh?

What change has there been that has made a difference to how active the site is?

I agree with your approach. I don't think openness or discussing such matters makes people make it a bigger issue than it is.

Hmm. For once I can see it seems like we lost some very genuine people around our active members. I happen to know some of them and their reasons for leaving, or not being active around here any longer. I have had my own thoughts over time. Being open about is seems not being popular.

The culture around how we deal with each other seems also having changed, at least from when I joined back around April and now. A lot of the stuff has turned political. As soon as you don't agree you'll be told you're an "idiot" or even worse. That doesn't make the stay here any pleasant. I don't mind disagreeing, but see no reason telling the other being less as an opening statement back at them.

Well, these are just some of my reflections.

Why is being open about something not popular? I am used to it being the opposite, with people being more popular for being open. I don't like to name-call people just because they disagree with me, I don't think that is necessary.

I won't know why it's not popular. A fright of things getting out of control? Yea, me neither...name calling simply sounds plain stupid.

If they were afraid of things getting out of control then surely they wouldn't risk that by arguing. That would be almost as stupid as name-calling. That's the way I see it.

Mmhmmm.

Why would they risk something that they are afraid of? For a bet?

I doubt it's a bet.

That was just a thought. I can't think of any other reason off the top of my head why anyone would want to risk something they were afraid of.... wait a minute.... unless they were trying to overcome their fear by confronting it head on. I just thought of that as I was typing this. Lol:)

You got great imagination. I really don't know what their issue is. :-)

I was going along with your suggestion (in comment #4) "A fright of things getting out of control?" and trying to think of reasons why they would do it if your suggestion was true. :)

maybe some people just got busy with work or school

That is because you came back.

KIDDING  JUST KIDDING  KIDDING

You left yourself wide open for it.

I agree with you, Andy. I have been spending time on another site as well, it's more comfortable there. A lot of members have left recently, and more are about to leave, from what I've seen on posts and in messages. There is too much name calling here, even if it does get deleted, it is still seen. There are a lot of inappropriate postings going on. I know management can't get to all of it, but it really turns a lot of people away.  

Doesn't it sound all too familiar, Karen? I know you were on a certain other site as long as I was and it all sounds like history repeating itself. Why do people have to behave like that online? I still don't get it even now, eight years after I joined that other site. Why can't they all be civilised like you and me? Surely it can't do them any harm to behave like civilised people when they go online. :)

Maybe, but even when I was busy with work I still found the occasional time (like weekends) to interact with my friends on sites like this.