Interesting how participation has declined over the years.

[Manu]

I believe he means the quote at the bottom of his posts, not the actual avatar profile picture.

[FossilHunter]

I believe he means the quote at the bottom of his posts, not the actual avatar profile picture.

Ah that would be the source of my confusion then.

[tundramanq]

Photobucket switching over to ransom mode for using links to my archived photos really tossed a wet towel on my enthusiasm for posting what I have done. The text relied heavily on the images to explain the how to's.

[AFS1970]

Since I usually click on new posts, the forums always look active to me. That being said I know that many online forums I participated in have gone away or are suffering.


I am not a social media person. However I favor topic specific forums over the more general social media platforms specifically because I can come here and discuss kilts or related matters and don't have to worry about the politics, religion, or other opinions of those I am discussing kilts with. I like the focus of this system. Apparently I am in the minority as other platforms seem to be taking over much of this activity.


As for members not being as active as before, I have taken a fairly long break from XMTS after a couple of over moderation issues. I have been to gatherings of the rabble and know quite a few that have left after being on the wrong end of the rules. No matter which side of the specific debates you find yourself, such issues have lead to a few members leaving or becoming less active.

I post less now mostly because I rarely see that I have something new to add to a discussion. This post borders on being quite useless in that regard. However after being active on another kilt forum, I can honestly say that XMTS is the place to come to have a question answered about kilts. The knowledge base here is quite extensive.

[hector]

You see what I mean! This is the reason why I do not actively post on the forum.

[FossilHunter]

You see what I mean! This is the reason why I do not actively post on the forum.

Maybe it’s a translation barrier but I still don’t see what you mean.

I get the issue of being over moderated over using a little French but otherwise I’m still not understanding what would keep you from posting if you wanted to.

[Tobus]

Maybe it’s a translation barrier but I still don’t see what you mean.

I don't see it either.

[Ivor]

I didn’t intend to be involved any further in this forum following a rather adversarial reply to an earlier post. I have spent a lot of time going through old threads and found many interesting discussions, some going to over a hundred replies, which seems the sign of a healthy forum. I just wondered why these people have given up or, more likely, have been excluded when I see the reasons for their non-participation. The statistics are there, at the top of the page, and pre-2014 there were many thousands of contributions and since then a fraction of previous posts.
This was not meant to be in any way a criticism, just an observation, but has elicited a response that such discussions are not welcomed here.

[FossilHunter]

I didn’t intend to be involved any further in this forum following a rather adversarial reply to an earlier post. I have spent a lot of time going through old threads and found many interesting discussions, some going to over a hundred replies, which seems the sign of a healthy forum. I just wondered why these people have given up or, more likely, have been excluded when I see the reasons for their non-participation. The statistics are there, at the top of the page, and pre-2014 there were many thousands of contributions and since then a fraction of previous posts.
This was not meant to be in any way a criticism, just an observation, but has elicited a response that such discussions are not welcomed here.

It'd be a shame if you left. I don't think Steve was telling you to keep quiet. I think he felt that you had something you wanted to say or were implying and he just wanted you to say it plainly.

I do have the feeling that the forum seems to have less going on then it did just a few years before I joined. There is still a lot of good information and discussion but it seems a little quieter than it used to be. I do not, however, think that the forum is dying.

[Ivor]

It'd be a shame if you left. I don't think Steve was telling you to keep quiet. I think he felt that you had something you wanted to say or were implying and he just wanted you to say it plainly.

I do have the feeling that the forum seems to have less going on then it did just a few years before I joined. There is still a lot of good information and discussion but it seems a little quieter than it used to be. I do not, however, think that the forum is dying.

I got the definite inference that I was being accused of having a hidden agenda when, in fact, I was simply trying to get people's views on why participation seems to be much less now than it was a few years back. Some, such as cessna, have put forward excellent suggestions and, I suppose, after many years there is little new under the sun to contribute. Others have hinted at a degree of "over-moderation" that has stifled their desire to continue for fear of retribution and the number of "membership revoked" posts I have seen seems to attest to this.
I don't wish to be a trouble maker and the reaction to my post gave me warning that such posts were not welcome here, hence my decision to stick to reading rather than actively participating. It is a regret as there are so many here who go out of their way to be helpful.