WW reaches a new low

Google, Google and more Google

[graeme_p]

Every single thread in "hot threads this week" at the moment is about Google:

Google Updates and SERP Changes - September 2016
"ZOMBIE TRAFFIC" Separating fact from fiction & emotion
Google: Spammy Widget Links Violate its Webmaster Guidelines
September 2016 AdSense Earnings and Observations
Google Updates and SERP Changes - August 2016
Why the Penguin update won't help many webmasters
Google Tests "Shop the Look" For Mobile
Massive jumps in GSC legacy crawl errors - who sees this?
Google is Working on a Penguin Announcement
Strange case, any ideas?

I notice @tangor just posted he will be spending less time on WW. So am I, and I bet a lot of others are too.

Perhaps it is time to rename it Google World?

[johnhh]

What pays the bills is what people what to read about

Too true, see my post above.

[MrSavage]

I'm a bit confused. Is Bing traffic worth pursuing to the extent of people keen on posting and asking for advice? Doubt those make it to the top. Are most people, the average joe webmaster, just fading off into the sunset? If you look at the post counts of those most "popular" or "hot" threads, isn't exactly accurate. More popular than other threads, but to say the post count is anything like it was 2, 3, 4 years ago is delusional. Hot threads is only relative. If I have a restaurant and I have 5 customers a day, could I say that I'm killing it when 10 people came one day? I wouldn't be bragging about 10 customer especially when I was getting 1000. Google is about all there is to talk about because the last time I checked, that's where you are going to make it or break it. If you can navigate it, then you can cash in. I posted in affiliate section with a VERY troubling trend that should be of concern to every single person using affiliate links right now. The thread is left there to die. I shouldn't be surprised. A lot of people are finding better things to do and those obviously were the very people who were keen, excited and interested in learning how to succeed.

I grew up in a logging community. It flourished at one time. Lots of money, lots of productive happy citizens. Something happened since then and if you go there, it's the same, only it's 30 years older. There is nothing new built. There is no logging industry filling everyone's pockets. Most people left with the exception of a few stragglers able to squeeze out some money from the remaining trees available for falling. There is a skeleton of a town there now. Too bad that town didn't have more resources to keep it going when logging left town.

[lammert]

The problem is not in the lack of topics that attract members. The problem is the lack of members willing to write messages. Although these two seem to be interchangeable, there is a significant difference. And a huge reason is IMHO the decision to add fancy social features to the site.

In the old days, all members here on WebmasterWorld were equal. There was a tiny subscript under the username identifying your user level and senior members had a small star on their icon and that was about it. Members were judged by the content of their posts rather than by their badges.

Now if newbees post a really good reply in a topic where long time members also post, you automatically look at their lack of badges and don't take them serious. And for the same reason newbees get the feeling that they are not taken serious and stop posting after some tries. I have seen this problem not only at the WebmasterWorld community, but also on other communities which I closely watch or manage.

Adding badges was a failure as it gives the false impression that those who have been long time posters here are also the ones with the highest level of knowledge. The opposite may be true and those who are new to the scene without a backpack full of irrelevant history may actually be better equipped to be successful in this ever changing world of the internet. The environment of this board should foster newcomers, as they may have the knowledge we old timers lack. And this includes an eco system which judges members only by their post contents, not by their post counts or years of membership.

[pageoneresults]

Adding badges was a failure as it gives the false impression that those who have been long time posters here are also the ones with the highest level of knowledge.

Hey, I resemble that remark! :)

Look at all the badges in this topic. I feel honored and not alone!

BTW, you do know we all now qualify for the 55+ breakfast at Denny's.

[ken_b]

I forgot about badges!

I'm gonna turn them on and see who I should believe!

:)