Atheist Discussion
Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Printable Version

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Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - SYZ - 01-17-2025

As a longer term member of this forum, I'm not failing to notice a
declining number of members posting regularly—or even occasionally.

Many seldom post any more, including several of the original participants.  
I understand of course the ebb and flow of forums' active memberships,
and the simple fact that some members do decide not to post comments
any more as a matter of personal choice—or as their real-life situations
may vary over time.

In the last 24 hours for example, there have been less than 15 members
who've posted at least once, generally in response to existing threads. To
wit: Dānu, skyking, pattylt, Fireball,  jerry mcmasters, KingEric, Antonio,
Minimalist, Paleophyte, brewerb, Mathilda, Reltzik, Charladele, and Vorpal.
(Plus a couple I may've missed.)

During this same 24-hour period, only two new threads have been started:
"Please help" in Off-topic, and "Ba-Boom!" in World News, Politics & Current Events.

     All this from an active(?) membership base of 1,237 people.

The board statistics indicate most users online at one time was 2,768 on
Sunday, 5 January 2025 at 08:59 PM—which basically tells us nothing about
the real-time member activity on the forum.

So... to my implied questions after all this long-winded rhetorical comment.

Is the forum dying?  Are members leaving for a reason specific to this forum?
Is there not a decent spread of non-religious topics open for debate?  Because
the forum is US based, is there too much focus on American politics?  Does
Donald Trump draw too many comments over too many individual threads? Is
the site moderation sufficiently active and addressing breaches of the forum rules?

Etc, etc, etc.....

I note that our landing page still displays this outdated site introductory text:

Quote:This is the new home of the community that lived at The Thinking Atheist forum
before that site was shut down
. Our site is still under construction but we are
dedicated to rebuilding what was lost and to providing a place where atheists
can communicate and support each other and where theists can come to learn
about atheists and why we don't believe in any god claims.

This bolded wording can be off-putting to web passers-by, is actually incorrect, and needs a
simple rewrite.  And I really do think that most people are aware that atheists "don't believe
in any god claims" LOL.

Quote:Welcome to the ATHEIST DISCUSSION forum, a place where atheists, theists, and those
in between can get together to debate and learn about a multitude and of topics, from
the histories and future of religions, to what atheism is all about and its relevance in
today's world, and from politics and philosophy to pineapple on pizzas.  

[The above is only my humble, suggested rewrite, and is
not intended to be considered as better or more accurate,  
or more comprehensible than the current version.]


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Mathilda - 01-17-2025

I think people generally don't use discussion forums any more because social media is built to drive engagement.

But that might change as people are getting fed up of the enshitificatiion of social media, especially now it's getting increasingly shittier faster because of a lack of moderation or fact checking. Not that it necessarily means that people will start using discussion forums again, but the call for safe moderated spaces will grow.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Szuchow - 01-17-2025

It is in agony like forums in general. It's not like some tiny forum can compete with reddit for example. I doubt that anything can be done about it as one can't make time go backward.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - brewerb - 01-17-2025

(01-17-2025, 12:10 PM)Mathilda Wrote: I think people generally don't use discussion forums any more because social media is built to drive engagement.

But that might change as people are getting fed up of the enshitificatiion of social media, especially now it's getting increasingly shittier faster because of a lack of moderation or fact checking. Not that it necessarily means that people will start using discussion forums again, but the call for safe moderated spaces will grow.

Plus we get a higher class of enshitifiers here. I typically only have to wipe once a visit.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Thumpalumpacus - 01-17-2025

I read here every day. I only post if I feel I have something useful to add to the conversation.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - jerry mcmasters - 01-18-2025

When we get to the last post of Word Association, the forum will end and the universe will implode.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Vorpal - 01-18-2025

MSNBCs ratings are down too. I predict that will change soon.

Election loss is no fun to dwell on, but watching Trump fall on his face will fill some seats.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Vorpal - 01-18-2025

Maybe let posters who attain a certain level have two accounts. We can double our census. Don't tell the newbies until they reach a certain level, and when they do we let them in with the elites.  Maybe introduce them to a special line of underwear or something.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - 1Sam15 - 01-18-2025

(01-18-2025, 01:55 AM)Vorpal Wrote: MSNBCs ratings are down too.   I predict that will change soon.

Election loss is no fun to dwell on, but watching Trump fall on his face will fill some seats.

Not if trump shuts them down for making fun of him and Elonia


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Free - 01-18-2025

(01-17-2025, 12:04 PM)SYZ Wrote: As a longer term member of this forum, I'm not failing to notice a
declining number of members posting regularly—or even occasionally.

Many seldom post any more, including several of the original participants.  
I understand of course the ebb and flow of forums' active memberships,
and the simple fact that some members do decide not to post comments
any more as a matter of personal choice—or as their real-life situations
may vary over time.

In the last 24 hours for example, there have been less than 15 members
who've posted at least once, generally in response to existing threads. To
wit: Dānu, skyking, pattylt, Fireball,  jerry mcmasters, KingEric, Antonio,
Minimalist, Paleophyte, brewerb, Mathilda, Reltzik, Charladele, and Vorpal.
(Plus a couple I may've missed.)

During this same 24-hour period, only two new threads have been started:
"Please help" in Off-topic, and "Ba-Boom!" in World News, Politics & Current Events.

     All this from an active(?) membership base of 1,237 people.

The board statistics indicate most users online at one time was 2,768 on
Sunday, 5 January 2025 at 08:59 PM—which basically tells us nothing about
the real-time member activity on the forum.

So... to my implied questions after all this long-winded rhetorical comment.

Is the forum dying?  Are members leaving for a reason specific to this forum?
Is there not a decent spread of non-religious topics open for debate?  Because
the forum is US based, is there too much focus on American politics?  Does
Donald Trump draw too many comments over too many individual threads? Is
the site moderation sufficiently active and addressing breaches of the forum rules?

Etc, etc, etc.....

I note that our landing page still displays this outdated site introductory text:

Quote:This is the new home of the community that lived at The Thinking Atheist forum
before that site was shut down
. Our site is still under construction but we are
dedicated to rebuilding what was lost and to providing a place where atheists
can communicate and support each other and where theists can come to learn
about atheists and why we don't believe in any god claims.

This bolded wording can be off-putting to web passers-by, is actually incorrect, and needs a
simple rewrite.  And I really do think that most people are aware that atheists "don't believe
in any god claims" LOL.

Quote:Welcome to the ATHEIST DISCUSSION forum, a place where atheists, theists, and those
in between can get together to debate and learn about a multitude and of topics, from
the histories and future of religions, to what atheism is all about and its relevance in
today's world, and from politics and philosophy to pineapple on pizzas.  

[The above is only my humble, suggested rewrite, and is
not intended to be considered as better or more accurate,  
or more comprehensible than the current version.]

Forum subscriptions everywhere have been spiraling downward the past 10 years in the same way chat did 15 years ago, and the reason for that is social media. There's just too many other choices vying for our attention these days and there's only so many hours in the day. 

But now social media is also hitting a breaking point as really... it's the same old, same old. People are ready for something new, but I'm afraid that "something new" may very well be something that forces people even farther apart politically and ideologically than they already are.

This is the "Age of Hate" folks, and we're going to see new ideas flourishing that prey on people's emotions to compel engagement to an extent that not even Twitter (now X) can compete with. On Twitter I was a paid influencer making a few hundred a month (if you've been wondering where I've been the past 3 years) as I was known as "The Fact Checker." It was all well and good until I pissed off Musk and he banned me personally without me actually breaking any rules. Just by fact checking posts, I had so much hate spewed on me there that I had threats against my life countless times. That drove my follower count over 20,000, but a lot of them were haters, following me just to hate on me.

The point here is that I learned from experience that hatred drives up engagement, and that translates directly to $$$. Therefore, we can expect to see new web technologies capitalizing on the hatred angle all for the sake of millions of dollars. Ordinary forums like this will just continue to decline in membership as hatred rears its ugly head on other web portals, squeezing the emotions of all involved for every drop they can get, and creating serious addictions to the new hate-filled technologies.

Something is coming and it's going to be very very bad.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Dānu - 01-18-2025

Not only hatred, but also volume. I've found that, regardless of the medium, those who post the most content are also likely to be the most popular. The inevitable result being that volume and quantity sacrifice quality, and the most obvious and promoted voices often have the least valuable stuff to contribute.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Free - 01-18-2025

(01-18-2025, 09:28 PM)Dānu Wrote: Not only hatred, but also volume.  I've found that, regardless of the medium, those who post the most content are also likely to be the most popular.  The inevitable result being that volume and quantity sacrifice quality, and the most obvious and promoted voices often have the least valuable stuff to contribute.

Nailed it.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Cavebear - 01-18-2025

(01-17-2025, 12:04 PM)SYZ Wrote: As a longer term member of this forum, I'm not failing to notice a
declining number of members posting regularly—or even occasionally.

Many seldom post any more, including several of the original participants.  
I understand of course the ebb and flow of forums' active memberships,
and the simple fact that some members do decide not to post comments
any more as a matter of personal choice—or as their real-life situations
may vary over time.

In the last 24 hours for example, there have been less than 15 members
who've posted at least once, generally in response to existing threads. To
wit: Dānu, skyking, pattylt, Fireball,  jerry mcmasters, KingEric, Antonio,
Minimalist, Paleophyte, brewerb, Mathilda, Reltzik, Charladele, and Vorpal.
(Plus a couple I may've missed.)

During this same 24-hour period, only two new threads have been started:
"Please help" in Off-topic, and "Ba-Boom!" in World News, Politics & Current Events.

     All this from an active(?) membership base of 1,237 people.

The board statistics indicate most users online at one time was 2,768 on
Sunday, 5 January 2025 at 08:59 PM—which basically tells us nothing about
the real-time member activity on the forum.

So... to my implied questions after all this long-winded rhetorical comment.

Is the forum dying?  Are members leaving for a reason specific to this forum?
Is there not a decent spread of non-religious topics open for debate?  Because
the forum is US based, is there too much focus on American politics?  Does
Donald Trump draw too many comments over too many individual threads? Is
the site moderation sufficiently active and addressing breaches of the forum rules?

Etc, etc, etc.....

I note that our landing page still displays this outdated site introductory text:

Quote:This is the new home of the community that lived at The Thinking Atheist forum
before that site was shut down
. Our site is still under construction but we are
dedicated to rebuilding what was lost and to providing a place where atheists
can communicate and support each other and where theists can come to learn
about atheists and why we don't believe in any god claims.

This bolded wording can be off-putting to web passers-by, is actually incorrect, and needs a
simple rewrite.  And I really do think that most people are aware that atheists "don't believe
in any god claims" LOL.

Quote:Welcome to the ATHEIST DISCUSSION forum, a place where atheists, theists, and those
in between can get together to debate and learn about a multitude and of topics, from
the histories and future of religions, to what atheism is all about and its relevance in
today's world, and from politics and philosophy to pineapple on pizzas.  

[The above is only my humble, suggested rewrite, and is
not intended to be considered as better or more accurate,  
or more comprehensible than the current version.]

Just a humorous and mild rebuke... What am I, chopped liver". I average 5.79 posts per day. I feel so slighted not being mentioned. Sobbing Winking

Seriously, I cherish this site. I can't a day without visiting at least twice. I'm been at other atheist sites where it was all debates about theistic claims. And I've been at science forums where religious discussion was basically forbidden. This place is the best blend I've ever found.

I visit here to be able to discuss practical matters like science, history, society, and politics without the annoyance of theistic views and superstitions. Even when I disagree with another atheist's post, it is with the pleasure of reading non-theistic arguments.

And I learn things. I live in the US (with all its trial and tribulations). So it is good for me to learn about different places, cultures, and ideas. I value that (the learning and the disagreements) more than some may realize.

I have been involved with good sites that slowly faded away. Administrators get tired, people find new sites,social media takes over. I hope that doesn't happen here.

I am not a social media person. Twitter/X, facebook, etc don't appeal to me. I don't need to rant on some site with a million participants.

I have 2 personal blogs. One is about my cats, the other is just personal random thoughts to the universe. I get a few dozen regular visitors a day. That's OK with me. And you don't have to visit either.

I just really like this place.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Cavebear - 01-19-2025

(01-18-2025, 09:07 PM)Free Wrote:
(01-17-2025, 12:04 PM)SYZ Wrote: As a longer term member of this forum, I'm not failing to notice a
declining number of members posting regularly—or even occasionally.

Many seldom post any more, including several of the original participants.  
I understand of course the ebb and flow of forums' active memberships,
and the simple fact that some members do decide not to post comments
any more as a matter of personal choice—or as their real-life situations
may vary over time.

In the last 24 hours for example, there have been less than 15 members
who've posted at least once, generally in response to existing threads. To
wit: Dānu, skyking, pattylt, Fireball,  jerry mcmasters, KingEric, Antonio,
Minimalist, Paleophyte, brewerb, Mathilda, Reltzik, Charladele, and Vorpal.
(Plus a couple I may've missed.)

During this same 24-hour period, only two new threads have been started:
"Please help" in Off-topic, and "Ba-Boom!" in World News, Politics & Current Events.

     All this from an active(?) membership base of 1,237 people.

The board statistics indicate most users online at one time was 2,768 on
Sunday, 5 January 2025 at 08:59 PM—which basically tells us nothing about
the real-time member activity on the forum.

So... to my implied questions after all this long-winded rhetorical comment.

Is the forum dying?  Are members leaving for a reason specific to this forum?
Is there not a decent spread of non-religious topics open for debate?  Because
the forum is US based, is there too much focus on American politics?  Does
Donald Trump draw too many comments over too many individual threads? Is
the site moderation sufficiently active and addressing breaches of the forum rules?

Etc, etc, etc.....

I note that our landing page still displays this outdated site introductory text:


This bolded wording can be off-putting to web passers-by, is actually incorrect, and needs a
simple rewrite.  And I really do think that most people are aware that atheists "don't believe
in any god claims" LOL.


[The above is only my humble, suggested rewrite, and is
not intended to be considered as better or more accurate,  
or more comprehensible than the current version.]

Forum subscriptions everywhere have been spiraling downward the past 10 years in the same way chat did 15 years ago, and the reason for that is social media. There's just too many other choices vying for our attention these days and there's only so many hours in the day. 

But now social media is also hitting a breaking point as really... it's the same old, same old. People are ready for something new, but I'm afraid that "something new" may very well be something that forces people even farther apart politically and ideologically than they already are.

This is the "Age of Hate" folks, and we're going to see new ideas flourishing that prey on people's emotions to compel engagement to an extent that not even Twitter (now X) can compete with. On Twitter I was a paid influencer making a few hundred a month (if you've been wondering where I've been the past 3 years) as I was known as "The Fact Checker." It was all well and good until I pissed off Musk and he banned me personally without me actually breaking any rules. Just by fact checking posts, I had so much hate spewed on me there that I had threats against my life countless times. That drove my follower count over 20,000, but a lot of them were haters, following me just to hate on me.

The point here is that I learned from experience that hatred drives up engagement, and that translates directly to $$$. Therefore, we can expect to see new web technologies capitalizing on the hatred angle all for the sake of millions of dollars. Ordinary forums like this will just continue to decline in membership as hatred rears its ugly head on other web portals, squeezing the emotions of all involved for every drop they can get, and creating serious addictions to the new hate-filled technologies.

Something is coming and it's going to be very very bad.

When I started on the internet, it was streaming chat over the phone, like 9600 BPS. Took forever sometimes, but at least I found some other people like me (or not). Things have improved in some ways (much faster and a whole paragraph or 2 of text) and not in some ways (idiots find each other and radicalize each other).

So, I've learned since (like you) that "that hatred drives up engagement". But I don't go there.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - KingEric - 01-19-2025

It seems very active here to me, always something to get involved with and on the whole pretty friendly.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - pattylt - 01-19-2025

This site is just my speed and style. I drop in about three times over the course of a day and use the “view today’s posts” to read them all. Guess I’m Goldilocks as it’s juuuust right.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Dānu - 01-19-2025

I've relaxed my posting over the past couple of years. I no longer need a forum equivalent of the Autobahn.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Dānu - 01-19-2025

One nice thing about forums is that they're somewhat insulated from the depressing chaos going on in Washington and incessantly being trumpeted in the media.


RE: Sustainabilty and/or Awareness of Forum? - Deesse23 - 01-19-2025

(01-19-2025, 04:31 AM)Dānu Wrote: One nice thing about forums is that they're somewhat insulated from the depressing chaos going on in Washington and incessantly being trumpeted in the media.

I have to admit that I am glad for not having to live in the US. the amount of BS and political drama you are drowned in seems to be of epic proportions. The US always tres to take entertainment to the next level. If you do that with politics however... You end with nasty results, namely fear and hate

But yeah, everyone knows that the US is all about making a big show..... Of everything. As I am watching the playoffs in the NFL I have to chuckle every time I hear yet another interpretation of the anthem trying to be yet MORE ....pathetic, and the display of military strength (jets) at the end seems pretty...well trying-to-make-a-big-show.