Are people spending less time on forums? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Tankeryanker · 05-20-2022, 11:01 PM

I have asked this on other forums because it seems that forums have seen their heydays. People still post, but not as they used to a few years back.

stevea · 05-21-2022, 03:35 PM

I'm thinking many have migrated to Facebook for good. I think people still post quite a bit here, but it's noticeably fewer people.

Facebook is not set up well for the sitcom fan. There are probably fan clubs for anything imaginable, but they're all little fiefdoms, and the couple I've seen have strict moderators and admins. You can't say anything negative about the sitcom. It kind of makes sense, but fans do pick apart episodes of "their" show.

There are always new members on FB, and they usually don't do a search to see if their subject has already been posted. So there's always a new subject posted on something that's been rehashed a zillion times, like Where is Mayfield, or that the back car window has been removed in the sixth season opener. Then if you mention the repetition the new poster gets irritated.

Boiling it down, this site is a much better setup for Sitcoms fans than Facebook.

GentlemanJim · 05-23-2022, 11:27 AM

I echo everything that Stevea said, plus submit that people have various reasons why they come to the internet in the first place....some out of a devoted interest, while for others, it's a "see and be seen" affair.

And for the latter, there are other platforms that serve that desire better (snap chat,etc etc etc) So you might have someone who comes here, but whose interests are more social than they are research oriented. So they gravitate towards their preferred opportunity.

And, I know some people who for them, texting between smartphones meets all their social requirements, whereas the "formality" of a forum with rules, community standards, TOS, etc seem (to them) to be stifling.

I think too there is an aspect of personalities...where some individuals insist upon defining the atmosphere, and others find that discomforting and move on.

For example; people who ask questions where they have already decided which answers are acceptable or appropriate,...that sort of thing. I think that tends to thin out the herd quicker than anything else.

It would be interesting to see what years were peak years for this forum, statistically.

While I prefer this format over the newer media, it seems to me that traditional discussion forum formats peaked about 2009, and has been in decline ever since.

Cx · 05-23-2022, 12:31 PM

FWIW. I'm relatively new here, so I can't speak for any supposed decline since a given time. As for me, I much prefer the use of a PC for browsing sites like these and others as it is much more "user friendly" to me than even a large smartphone.

"And, I know some people who for them, texting between smartphones meets all their social requirements, whereas the "formality" of a forum with rules, community standards, TOS, etc seem (to them) to be stifling."

Contrary wise, I find the more structured setup comforting.

GentlemanJim · 05-23-2022, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cx

Contrary wise,

Well, there is that too. For many it seems as though disagreeing with anything that is said, is their preferred way to assert knowledge.

One aspect not yet mentioned, but for some deep pocket commercial interests, it's actually undesirable to have "too much" organization in your web community.

A platform such as Facebook, where topics fade into the abyss quickly, has benefits for someone like Procter & Gamble, who have little desire to host lengthy and inspired debate on lightning rod issues.

Bonniegirl · 05-23-2022, 05:24 PM

Well lately this forum Sitcoms online has been running really slow ! Takes forever to load and takes a long time for your post to go through too!

People might be giving up ?

TJ · 05-23-2022, 06:04 PM

People don't leave Facebook or Twitter when they are slow or have a little downtime. It's sad that people would throw in the towel if it's occasionally a tad slower.

I don't even know if I would call it that slow. I guess people have very busy lives and every minute is important. They notice when it takes 10-15 seconds longer to load a page. We do the best we can with the resources available. It's definitely running better the last couple days.

The reality is that we have only 150-300 members logging in on a daily basis. 1419 have logged in the last 6 months.

For only having a few hundred members logging in every day, I would say it's still fairly active. I don't know how many forums are as active today as they were 5-10 years ago. There can't be very many of them. Our peak period was around 2003-2006.

From a post on February 28, 2020 - https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...80#post5689480

The stats only go back to 2005. I don't think we ever had 2000+ daily logged in members. The record is 1262 members logged in on April 1, 2007.

2005-2006 - 500-700
2007-2008 - 400-500
2009-2016 - 300-400
2017-2020 - 300 or less

2141 members have logged in the last 6 months, so we still have a decent amount of activity. Some people may only log in once a week or a few times a month.

--------------------------------------------

We lost quite a few active members logging in regularly in the last 2-3 years. I guess they just lose interest sometimes. People come and go for various reasons. We don't get many new registrations by members who bother to post.

Tankeryanker · 05-23-2022, 07:13 PM

[QUOTE=TJ;6052380]People don't leave Facebook or Twitter when they are slow or have a little downtime. It's sad that people would throw in the towel if it's occasionally a tad slower.

Beaver is the slowest site that I visit. I love Beaver though so I wait. For me, it's no big deal. Just noticeable.

Bonniegirl · 05-23-2022, 07:29 PM

[QUOTE=Tankeryanker;6052416]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJ

People don't leave Facebook or Twitter when they are slow or have a little downtime. It's sad that people would throw in the towel if it's occasionally a tad slower.

Beaver is the slowest site that I visit. I love Beaver though so I wait. For me, it's no big deal. Just noticeable.

Yeah me too , I'm OK with it being a bit slow, I'm still here !

I was just giving a suggestion as to why less people might be here posting lately .

TJ · 05-23-2022, 07:34 PM

[QUOTE=Tankeryanker;6052416]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJ

People don't leave Facebook or Twitter when they are slow or have a little downtime. It's sad that people would throw in the towel if it's occasionally a tad slower.

Beaver is the slowest site that I visit. I love Beaver though so I wait. For me, it's no big deal. Just noticeable.

What other sites do you visit?

Patience is a virtue. Good things come to those who wait.

Tankeryanker · 05-23-2022, 08:52 PM

[QUOTE=TJ;6052427]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tankeryanker

What other sites do you visit?

Patience is a virtue. Good things come to those who wait.

On Sitcoms - FKB, M3S, Family Affair, Brady Bunch the most. Others once in a great while.

Other places - FB, Twitter, a few legal sites, various media sites, Sewing pattern review, etc...

vitoscotti · 05-24-2022, 04:56 PM

IMDb had a really active tv message board before they shut it down. It was really the wild west though. Had to be thick skinned. You couldn't turn to jelly...

ThisLittlePiggy · 05-24-2022, 05:13 PM

^ That made me laugh.

05-20-2022, 11:01 PM	#1
Tankeryanker Do you like my monkey picture? Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 22, 2014 Posts: 3,049	Are people spending less time on forums? I have asked this on other forums because it seems that forums have seen their heydays. People still post, but not as they used to a few years back.

05-23-2022, 11:27 AM	#3
GentlemanJim Concerns, Support, & Feedback Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 26, 2019 Location: The back country Posts: 5,443	I echo everything that Stevea said, plus submit that people have various reasons why they come to the internet in the first place....some out of a devoted interest, while for others, it's a "see and be seen" affair. And for the latter, there are other platforms that serve that desire better (snap chat,etc etc etc) So you might have someone who comes here, but whose interests are more social than they are research oriented. So they gravitate towards their preferred opportunity. And, I know some people who for them, texting between smartphones meets all their social requirements, whereas the "formality" of a forum with rules, community standards, TOS, etc seem (to them) to be stifling. I think too there is an aspect of personalities...where some individuals insist upon defining the atmosphere, and others find that discomforting and move on. For example; people who ask questions where they have already decided which answers are acceptable or appropriate,...that sort of thing. I think that tends to thin out the herd quicker than anything else. It would be interesting to see what years were peak years for this forum, statistically. While I prefer this format over the newer media, it seems to me that traditional discussion forum formats peaked about 2009, and has been in decline ever since.
	__________________ On my word as a gentleman!

05-23-2022, 06:04 PM	#7
TJ Site Owner Administrator Forum Star Join Date: Feb 03, 2000 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 10,681	People don't leave Facebook or Twitter when they are slow or have a little downtime. It's sad that people would throw in the towel if it's occasionally a tad slower. I don't even know if I would call it that slow. I guess people have very busy lives and every minute is important. They notice when it takes 10-15 seconds longer to load a page. We do the best we can with the resources available. It's definitely running better the last couple days. The reality is that we have only 150-300 members logging in on a daily basis. 1419 have logged in the last 6 months. For only having a few hundred members logging in every day, I would say it's still fairly active. I don't know how many forums are as active today as they were 5-10 years ago. There can't be very many of them. Our peak period was around 2003-2006. From a post on February 28, 2020 - https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards...80#post5689480 The stats only go back to 2005. I don't think we ever had 2000+ daily logged in members. The record is 1262 members logged in on April 1, 2007. 2005-2006 - 500-700 2007-2008 - 400-500 2009-2016 - 300-400 2017-2020 - 300 or less 2141 members have logged in the last 6 months, so we still have a decent amount of activity. Some people may only log in once a week or a few times a month. -------------------------------------------- We lost quite a few active members logging in regularly in the last 2-3 years. I guess they just lose interest sometimes. People come and go for various reasons. We don't get many new registrations by members who bother to post.
	Last edited by TJ; 05-23-2022 at 06:43 PM.

05-21-2022, 03:35 PM	#2
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,699	I'm thinking many have migrated to Facebook for good. I think people still post quite a bit here, but it's noticeably fewer people. Facebook is not set up well for the sitcom fan. There are probably fan clubs for anything imaginable, but they're all little fiefdoms, and the couple I've seen have strict moderators and admins. You can't say anything negative about the sitcom. It kind of makes sense, but fans do pick apart episodes of "their" show. There are always new members on FB, and they usually don't do a search to see if their subject has already been posted. So there's always a new subject posted on something that's been rehashed a zillion times, like Where is Mayfield, or that the back car window has been removed in the sixth season opener. Then if you mention the repetition the new poster gets irritated. Boiling it down, this site is a much better setup for Sitcoms fans than Facebook.

05-23-2022, 12:31 PM	#4
Cx Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 01, 2020 Posts: 209	FWIW. I'm relatively new here, so I can't speak for any supposed decline since a given time. As for me, I much prefer the use of a PC for browsing sites like these and others as it is much more "user friendly" to me than even a large smartphone. "And, I know some people who for them, texting between smartphones meets all their social requirements, whereas the "formality" of a forum with rules, community standards, TOS, etc seem (to them) to be stifling." Contrary wise, I find the more structured setup comforting.

05-23-2022, 05:24 PM	#6
Bonniegirl AKA Hazel Horvath Forum Addict Join Date: Jul 10, 2014 Posts: 65,775	Well lately this forum Sitcoms online has been running really slow ! Takes forever to load and takes a long time for your post to go through too! People might be giving up ?

05-23-2022, 07:13 PM	#8
Tankeryanker Do you like my monkey picture? Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 22, 2014 Posts: 3,049	[QUOTE=TJ;6052380]People don't leave Facebook or Twitter when they are slow or have a little downtime. It's sad that people would throw in the towel if it's occasionally a tad slower. Beaver is the slowest site that I visit. I love Beaver though so I wait. For me, it's no big deal. Just noticeable.

05-24-2022, 04:56 PM	#12
vitoscotti Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 14, 2017 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,083	IMDb had a really active tv message board before they shut it down. It was really the wild west though. Had to be thick skinned. You couldn't turn to jelly...

05-24-2022, 05:13 PM	#13
ThisLittlePiggy Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Nov 02, 2013 Posts: 84,595	^ That made me laugh.