Where is everyone?

[Cail]

I was away in Texas making fun of Texans.

I'm all good now.

[SoulBiter]

There were 6 of us in my group here at work. One of us is already gone and another one's last day is Friday. My work load is about to increase by 50% (4 people to do the work that 6 people were doing) and I highly doubt anyone will be hired in the near future. Still....job security for me....but less free time.

Welcome to my world. If I decide to leave where I work, they will replace me with at least two people. I am the Retail Systems manager but I'm also the Physical Inventory Manager and the Controls Manager for all facilities (4 separated through the US and Canada).

My last raise outside of yearly reviews was from the statement I made to my direct boss of "I know what I'm worth. If I moved on to a different job within the company, you couldn't hire from outside to replace me for what I make today."

Still I am certain the 'stress' of all that isn't worth any money they pay. I just want to get to retirement LOL.

[ussusimiel]

Bank Holiday weekend in Ireland. I was in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon at a poetry festival. The poetry was poor and nothing can fix Roscommon!

I'm back now and almost recovered

u.

[Zarathustra]

Damn, looking at the statistics for the entire site, this place is dying.

There is so much happening right now, I can't believe the Tank is not on fire. I realize it's summer, and things always slow down at this point, but never like this.

It's been fun while it lasted.

[rdhopeca]

Damn, looking at the statistics for the entire site, this place is dying.

We were talking about this over the weekend. I know that I for one have not spent much time here as I used to because of school and family and work, but I am going to try and be better about it.

You are right that the world is on the verge of getting very exciting, and not necessarily in a good way.

Rumor has it that SRD is back writing again, and if he publishes something new, maybe that will help re-energize the Watch.

[Ananda]

And, WHAT HAPPENED TO NIHILIO???? To get teased by him was half of the reason I did resurface.

[Avatar]

Way to be positive Z.

--A

[Cail]

Damn, looking at the statistics for the entire site, this place is dying.

There is so much happening right now, I can't believe the Tank is not on fire. I realize it's summer, and things always slow down at this point, but never like this.

It's been fun while it lasted.

Indeed.

With SRD out of the TC business (thankfully), I can't imagine much draw to his forum any longer.

And honestly it's just stopped being enjoyable here. Looking through posts after I got home, I was struck with the insane amount of detail people are forced to put into their posts in order to explain themselves to an abusive troll.

That ain't fun. It's a shame, because there's some really good debate here from time to time with some blindingly intelligent people. But it gets ruined with the, "ME, ME, ME, ME, RACIST, SLANDER, ME, ME, ME, DESPICABLE, REDICULOUS, ME, ME, ME" routine.

So that's why I don't post much anymore.

[SerScot]

Something that I have observed about this forum:

The extreme subdivision hurts. Poping around the differnet subforums breaks up the conversation too much, in my opinion. Having a subforum devoted only to politics means it's hard to have a "fun" thread that is just in reach of the "serious" threads.

I think there may be more traffic if the "fun" subforums and the "serious" subforums were merged into a single subforum.

That's my two cents.

[Zarathustra]

While I mentioned Tank activity, I was talking about the overall dropoff in new posts and new members. It has never been this low. Looking at the numbers, it's a trend going back months if not years, with no evidence of turning around. The Watch is dying.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Nothing lasts forever, as you well know.

The Tank had a really bad reputation when I first got here--not as mod, I mean when I signed onto the site as "Hashi Lebwohl", a name which surprised me was not already taken--and my appointment as mod is, in and of itself, insufficient to remove this reputation. Nevertheless, I will continue to link current news stories and give my insights and analyses even if I wind up being the only person here.

[SerScot]

I sincerely hope it doesn't croak. I've enjoyed posting here.

[Ananda]

There is a lack of critical mass of new people coming to the SRD book discussion site as the final TC book has been out for a while with nothing new ever to come, I am sure.

However, new people do register still. You say the tank has a bad reputation and I think that is pretty accurate. I know people who posts the most like to take a gloves off approach, even with new people, but it can be very off-putting for new people or people who just want to have a casual discussion. Perhaps some threads where there are no gloves off mixed with others that are would entice more people into posting? This forum certainly lacks regular female posters, too. It would be really nice if more women who do post to the site discussed the topics as well. I'd love to hear what Lorin, Frosty, Effy or the many wives you guys talk about have to say, for example. It can be interesting to see diverse ideas from the other side of the world.

Speaking for myself, it was an adjustment and a culture shock to start posting here. My political discourse had almost exclusively taken place in the living room of my home over a drink or a meal or something with friends or family, not on the internet. And, add in the language issue for the non-americans and it gets harder. I think it takes a certain type of person to want to bring themselves to jump into the conversations given how they can sometimes become quite aggressive or require extensive research just to discuss how you feel. I'm not judging the way it is, but just pointing to what I see as barriers for new or existing people to want to engage.

Till now, it seems like the posters are mainly the same few people, most of whom agrees with each other and some who tell others they are evil or committing libel and stuff. It can get very dull that way too, I think.

[rdhopeca]

What I find generally difficult is, as you mentioned, the requirement of research and so on to enter the discussion...in particular in an age where there is so much information to be found, and yet so much of THAT is misinformation instead of truth. So not only do you have to research and battle selectively gathered arguments, you have to battle the idea that the information you may be discussing may also be false. I do not have the time to dig into news the way I would like, nor the time to defend myself when quoted with potentially biased or non-credible sources of information.

[Avatar]

Curious...anybody using Google+ for anything? I'm on it for work purposes (sorta) and I'm having a lot of great discussion with some very smart people.

The Watch...yeah I know...it's been in decline for a long time, although it thrived for a long time too. Too many active participants have faded away, and fewer new members mean even fewer who actually stick around for long.

--A

[Zarathustra]

What I find generally difficult is, as you mentioned, the requirement of research and so on to enter the discussion...in particular in an age where there is so much information to be found, and yet so much of THAT is misinformation instead of truth. So not only do you have to research and battle selectively gathered arguments, you have to battle the idea that the information you may be discussing may also be false. I do not have the time to dig into news the way I would like, nor the time to defend myself when quoted with potentially biased or non-credible sources of information.

Very good points. Perhaps it requires more of time committment than other forums (though, not more than reading thick novels!). In fact, this is one of the reasons I like the Tank so much. Because I'm competitive, and don't want to be proven wrong, I research before I make a point. And that has the effect of making me more informed than I would have been otherwise, without the Tank. Competition breeds excellence. The ability to call "bullshit" on each other makes us more aware of our own ignorance or fallacies.

And I get to see news that I wouldn't have been aware of on my own, because everyone surfs different sites, watches different channels. This is especially true for our international posters, who bring a perspective from around the globe, seen through their own eyes rather than through a media filter (though "their own eyes" can still be blinded by their own media).

It's a wonderful resource and opportunity to open your mind to some of the most important things happening on this planet.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Speaking for myself, it was an adjustment and a culture shock to start posting here. My political discourse had almost exclusively taken place in the living room of my home over a drink or a meal or something with friends or family, not on the internet. And, add in the language issue for the non-americans and it gets harder. I think it takes a certain type of person to want to bring themselves to jump into the conversations given how they can sometimes become quite aggressive or require extensive research just to discuss how you feel. I'm not judging the way it is, but just pointing to what I see as barriers for new or existing people to want to engage.

Extensive research isn't required to jump into a discussion but a modicum of research might be necessary every now and then--even I back up some of my claims with data from reputable sources from time to time (my usual ones are the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI). A fresh perspective from someone not stuck in a rut or already committed to a particular position can be better than more of the same from those of us who are more regular posters.

I will have to mention it to my wife again to sign up here to give not only a fresh perspective but a female one, as well. Besides, you may all enjoy it when she tells me how I am wrong about something.

edit to add: I just spoke to her about it and now we are laughing. If I ban her, she'll ban me.

[ussusimiel]

The Watch certainly didn't seem quiet on Saturday night in Albuquerque I got to meet great people from here and we had some fascinating conversations about the Watch in general.

I'll post more about it when I'm back home, but as was said upthread, SRD has a new fantasy novelette in the pipeline (first draft already done) and there's renewed interest in the 'Tank.

Maybe it's better to view the Watch as currently in transition rather than dying. That way instead of putting our energy into grieving its demise we can use it to renew and energise it.

u.