Didn't webmasterworld used to be much busier a couple of years ago?

Is it just me or is it quiet in here, and in the subscription area also?

[Mark_A]

What happenned?

[lgn1]

We answered all the questions :)

[Mark_A]

We answered all the questions :)

Yes, I suppose that could be possible :-)

[g1smd]

Oh, it must be only the

Apache

forum where people ask stuff that's already been posted hundreds of times before then? :)

[jmccormac]

Fragmentation and globalisation. The Domain forum here lost a lot of users to domain name specific websites. The Irish and UK forum lost users to local forum type websites. The Alternative Search Engines section used to be a lot busier but Google has nearly flattened the Alternative search engine market. I'm not sure about the subscription area as I am not a subscriber.

Regards...jmcc

[weeks]

The Alternative Search Engines section used to be a lot busier but Google has nearly flattened the Alternative search engine market.

Actually, I do think a lot of questions were answered.

There was once a lot more interest in if Yahoo's ads outperformed Google. The answer was no, people figured out fairly quick (unless you cut a deal with Y as a newspaper.)

There were also a lot of threads on maintaining or rising in rank in search engines. Answer: Don't have a lame website.

[Mark_A]

So you are saying it isn't the subscription area that has killed it?

When I was last here, I was in the subs area and I recall even then that the public area was denuded.

[tangor]

Some continue to post with keyboard diarrhea. Some old timers have just slowed down. And some have moved into the realm of do I reply to next since it has already been answered a zillion times before...and do I need to up my message count? Even to say "check the archives".

[jmccormac]

There has also been a bit of a change, I think, in how people value their contributions. Initially people were contributing as part of a community. Now that sense of a community is fading. Perhaps allowing sigs might restore that sense of community ownership. But in real terms, the rise of local web forums would have hit global web forum sites.

Regards...jmcc

[Terabytes]

since it has already been answered a zillion times before

I find myself saying "did you even try to search?" most of the time.

[tangor]

Perhaps allowing sigs might restore that sense of community

I say nay in that regard. And I also say the sense of community is strong. What we are seeing is weariness as the glut of noobies continues like a rising wave, and dang few of them are smart enough to read the road signs, or even the archives.

At some point even the most dedicated just turn a blind eye to the next query that makes no effort to research the wealth.

There's only so much free that can be given away to those who lack the desire to research first, begging for shortcuts...

So, yes, there has been a backing off... then again, there's dang good reason to do so. As a rule we don't solve newbie questions, we guide them to learning how to solve their problems. And... that's the way it should be.

And WW is not going away. There's nothing like it on the web.

Just my 2 cents (1966 valuation).

[jdMorgan]

I think the periodic Google updates that used to drive the lengthy "Google Dance" threads contributed a lot of traffic here. Even if those threads weren't particularly useful, they did bring in new members who then contributed to other threads or asked questions on other topics which were more interesting.

Now that the search index updates are constant and the incremental changes not so dramatic, that "channel" is gone.

Jim

[tangor]

JIm... quite right... one can reinvent the wheel only so many times. :)