Hoping I'm not the only person who checks this forum anymore

Hi,

I'm not sure if anyone else is checking this forum anymore. Are there things we can do to get it moving again?

If you do check this forum, could you leave me a little note so I know it isn't just me and the people with bad intentions? <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" /><!-- s -->

Thanks, if you do...
-- C.

Oh it's not just you. I check here several times a day during the weekdays. I just don't have much to say in regards to your lengthy posts. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s -->

It's been slow like this for awhile though and while I've tried drumming up more activity by poking new people to join, it's just a dying forum. Sorry. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_cry.gif" alt=":cry:" title="Crying or Very Sad" /><!-- s -->

I check it at least once a day, but life is super hectic at the moment and I'll likely be sans internet for a bit after next week since I'm moving.

There must be some kind of mathematical model that maps out the activity of a given forum as a function of time...

I've basically stuck with this forum because there's a lot less drama here than I've been involved in on other areas of the 'Net. In other words, the moderation is working to the extent that I don't feel afraid to sign on here, in the way that I have felt about other sites in the past.

Are there other forum or site recommendations that people here can make, which are relatively low-drama? (That is, where there aren't people being sniped or attacked [or harassed, mobbed, bullied, etc.] on a regular basis?) I try not to frequent sites which give me an adrenaline rush when I consider checking them...

Sorry for making repeat replies <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" /><!-- s --> , I've just been wondering about some things. It's been really obvious to me that there is interest in this forum from outside, because of the Guests I usually see when I sign on. (I am just unsure of the nature of the interest, particularly when I see 12 Guests at once.) I'm thinking about trying to write a series for the Articles subforum and see what happens. The thing -- for one, though -- is that my writing and thought is very idiosyncratic, and so I have some concerns myself over being recognizable (despite being anonymous). The second thing is that I notice that I seem to be the only semi-regular poster these days, and I'm not entirely sure that I can or should carry out making new material for the front page by myself.

One thing that I've seen in other places (particularly I'm thinking about the Demonolatry forum I was a part of, a while back) is that there was community contribution with recent articles, though they used a blog format. Basically there were themes or questions for each week and each (individual) blogger would address the question of the week (on the group blog)...I don't think we quite have to do that here, exactly, but maybe if more of us put out new information that was publicly and regularly available, we'd have more help with trying to keep the forum alive, because more of those Guests would get interested and join.

I know that I often haven't been of much assistance with getting *back* to people on this forum, as I have a tendency to keep silent when I don't know what I'm talking about, and when people get too interested in me; and also, I sometimes just get shy. (I've had to make an agreement with myself that I don't have to immediately reply to every comment directed at me, just so that I can use the computer without getting an adrenaline rush.) I also have a tendency to talk to/with myself because I'm not used to carrying on interactions with other people. (This is probably from lack of socialization stemming from being outcast for years...) But I am good at writing, even though I go on for so long sometimes (often) that if people did have a desire to respond to what I've posted, I think they forget it by the time they get to the end of the post. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_sad.gif" alt=":(" title="Sad" /><!-- s -->

Does anyone else want to put forth an effort (with me, probably/hopefully/unless this semester kicks my butt) into a greater/more up-to-date public face? I'm sure it will take a week to a month for this message to get out to everyone, but what do you think?

I think people join the forum, see a lack of activity, and leave. It's a cycle that we can't seem to break because us 'old fogies' don't have anything to say...but we reply to stuff. If you want some recommendations for places to join to branch out to, I'm enough of a forum whore to provide them <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->

Seraphyna Wrote:If you want some recommendations for places to join to branch out to, I'm enough of a forum whore to provide them <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->

That would be great, Sera. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s -->

Otherkin Alliance (otherkinalliance.org) has been pretty quiet, but it's a pretty decent place. Feral Nature (feralnature.forumotion.com) is more therian centric I suppose, but there are plenty of non-therians about. Otherkin Community (otherkincommunity.net) is making me crazy, but I'm a mod there so if you want to join, go for it and I shall attempt to shield you from the crazy. OKC is either too fluffy or too critical...it never seems to strike the balance -.-

Thanks, Sera! I am most likely to try a smaller forum that is less dramatastic. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" /><!-- s --> You may see me around Otherkin Alliance, though probably under a different handle. I've been off-and-on studying and sleeping all day with occasional breaks for internet, water and food (the building blocks of life)...*sighs*...Thank you for the offer of attempting to shield me from the crazy on OKC, <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" /><!-- s --> but I think I'll steer clear of that place for now. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s -->

Basically, I wonder if it's useful at this point for me to look at other outlets to socialize online when I have more pressing priorities. Friday was my "do-nothing" day, and I wonder if that was a good move, at this point...it took me about three hours total to get through a chapter of one of my texts today, not including the breaks taken because of eye fatigue or information overload. (I really need to get new glasses, and at this point, even polycarbonate would work. I think I've been hesitant because my mental health diagnosis is visible to non-mental-health doctors, including my optometrist. I know he already knows, it's just that it doesn't give me a lot of confidence when he's, like, touching my eyeball.) This forum has been my outlet for more creative thought and identity-building writing. I've actually even started on an article (before I had the information that the forum seems to be nearing the end of its cycle of life) in outline form...this was after the brainstorming that brought up at least three different articles I could write.

I can see what you mean about not having a lot to write about on the forum, when it seems one's already said everything they had to say...I can see a *lot* of interrelatedness in the three articles I thought of -- there's cohesion and a similarity of thought that I suppose could be related to a cohesive identity. I've noticed, with that, that without intervention from outside, things tend to remain stable. So, I mean, without something introducing some dynamism, maybe there is either not a lot of change, or the changes that are occurring are in relation to offline things and are not posted about. I guess it's like being with the same group of friends all the time and not socializing outside of that, and everyone already knows everyone else...so there aren't a lot of arguments, but it's like what do you talk about, you know?

There are also only certain things I'd want to publicly connect with myself (moving forward from this point), considering the adage that no internet discourse is really fully anonymous. Not something I really understood well when I was 20, but something to consider when money is involved. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" /><!-- s --> (Oh, the babies have to grow up sometime...)

OK, now I'm just trailing off. I'll end this now. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s -->