Question for Admins

[Gracie]

Just wondering if you have noticed the drop off in members online. At first, I thought it was just the hour but I have noticed that even during the day, not a lot of members are around any more.

I found an old thread at another board I used to post at (bored, so went back there to just catch up with whatever is going on) and in that thread, I said I found a new place (here) that had HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of members online all the time. All hours, all days. This was just after I joined here. Then, since the new changeover format, things changed. Not for the better, either. Staff is not as prolific as they used to be. Some folks got pinked, which is fine. But a helluvalot left on their own.

Two years ago, this was never seen:
Total: 347 (members: 36, guests: 139, robots: 172)

Does this concern you at all? Just curious.

 

[TheOldSchool]

They fixed what wasn't broken. "Security concerns" could've been handled a million other ways. And Rep was the lifeblood of this place. You had to earn a good rep count. If you were a troll you'd get those red splats and nobody would take you seriously.

I used to post rational things because I wanted to have honest debates and my rep count allowed me that. Protecting your rep was important. But now the content of posts doesn't matter. You don't get any reinforcement for a good post, or punishment for a bad post. And that means conversations get worse and worse.

As for the people who abused rep? You should have banned them instead of uprooting the entire system.

cereal_killer AngelsNDemons Coyote @any other mods

 

[Geaux4it]

I've noticed a drop-off Gracie. And your right, many bailed after the move to the new format. Lets face it, the older we get, the less we like change. At least, that's the way its been for me.

I think part of the goal was to try an entice a younger demographic with a more 'snazzy' design.

-Geaux

 

[Gracie]

I like big busy boards.This one used to be that. I am not complaining...I am just wondering if the owners/admin has noticed the drop off like I have..and some of you guys have. One thing I learned in business during my years on this earth is...if it ain't broke, don't fix it and if you did fix it when it wasn't broke, change it back to where it was when whatever "it" was that changed it for the worst.
It's like hanging on to merchandise that doesn't sell.

Which brings me to a story of a store I used to work at. Dinky little thing. Tiny. I think I mentioned this story once before but I'll tell it again anyway because one learns from experiences. I learned from that one when I eventually got my own store.

It was a shoe store. The lady had Clarks, Danskos, etc. Small selection but regular customers. And these shoes sold for 65 bucks and up..which was a lot in those days. It wasn't JUST a shoe store either.She had a lot of amber jewelry in a case, and oodles of mini lighthouses for the tourists. Oh, and delft since she was dutch and loved the stuff. Same products, same shoes, same styles, same everything. Tourists that came into the store every weekend began to NOT come in. Why should they? Same stuff was there that has been there last week, the week before that, the month before that, the year before that. Only ones that came in were locals to get shoes or a trinket for a friend visiting. The tourists (life blood of this town), didn't bother. Sales were down. She was struggling. I told her what I just wrote for you guys and she didn't listen. She went broke.

So..I am just asking if USMB head honchos are concerned...or does it not bother them that this board that used to be very vibrant and very busy..is no longer.