Is forum losing members?

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by AbercrombieOfRohan

Just out of curiousity, why do a lot of members have their last activity as being in the year 1969? ... Is it because of the great switch?

Yes. That is essentially Unix Zero time: UNIX time began Jan 1, 1970.

[Lhunardawen]

Originally Posted by Lindo

First off, we're in our traditional spring slump of attendance.

It's summer, in my (and Nilp's) case. There are a lot of things to do like going to youth camps...not to mention actually enjoying sleeping all day or being a couch potato. Yes, I'm sorry. I'll be reading TTT now and ketchup-ing (to steal Helen's idea) on CbC.

As for marriage...how about waiting for around ten years?

[Legolas]

Originally Posted by mark12_30

Yes. That is essentially Unix Zero time: UNIX time began Jan 1, 1970.

Correct. All users with '12-31-1969' as their join date are users who created their accounts prior to the forum software switch done February '04. Also, if you look at the member list, it lists the date each member visited last; those that haven't visited since the switch have that same date listed.

[Carlas]

I for one came here because of both the movies and the books, but stayed for the amazing book discussions (though I rarely took part) and RPGs. I have drifted away though, probably like many other people because I have just been so busy. Things like family, friends, highschool...boys , just seem to pile up and I found I spent less and less time on the Downs.

I don't think it's a bad thing that there are less members however, because at one point (about a three year long point) the Downs seemed to be way too crowded. Im sure it'll be nice to have a bit more space, and less "Do Balrogs have wings?" type boards.

[VanimaEdhel]

To be honest, one of the reasons I was driven off was because of the decidedly - erm - chatty nature this forum began to take. It also sometimes became painful to read other people's posts, in my case. I think I disappeared around the time the third movie came out, when that last wave of Legolasses popped up, ready for one more round in the ring with us fangirl fighters. I realize that was about a year and a half ago, but I just haven't had the motivation to come in and catch up.

I do visit the chat every now and again, and sometimes I see people I know. Mostly it's just mindless banter, though.

If I remember correctly, around the time that Return of the King was released in the theaters, there was a lot of hissy arguments being started on here between two or so posters. Fighting is the one thing that will undoubtedly drive me off of a board, no matter what. I just can't for the life of me discern the cause for board tiffs - even though they seem to be rampant in all forums. People that don't even know each other but who share a common love fighting over something as innocuous as a specific interpretation of a word just gets to me.

I do frequent another board now - non-Tolkien related. I am still a Tolkien fan and reread his works in my off-time. That's another thing: "free time" was practically non-existent for me this year. Between academics, college essays, various theatrical endeavors, and sleeping, I really did not come online at all. I was spending fifteen or sixteen hours a day at my school, and when I got home, all I wanted to do was sleep, eat breakfast, and head out the next day.

When I go to college next year, I hope to have more free time to return to the boards. Coming on here today - though granted nothing could upset me today - just feels so great, I want to make it more of a habit. When I'm not working this summer, I'll also try to come on.

[Arwen Imladris]

Yes, I'm afraid I'm also one of those members that has sort of ghosted away. I do still drop by occasionally, but I generally read much more than I post. I am in constant fear of being repremanded for saying something that has already been said! So I try and keep my mouth closed and let people think I'm an idiot instead of opening it and leaving everyone with no doubt of my lack of intelligence. I am still deeply interested in Tolkien, and am currently still working my way through some of the HoME books. I have a lot to learn, but I have learned a lot reading the posts here.

Personally, I like forums with few members. I think that this forum has staying power. Another forum that I used to be on had an administrator type who was easily swayed by the newest fads. The forum quickly switched from a purely LOTR forum, to one devoted to Harry Potter. That is one of the reasons that I left it. Now that I have left it, I hope to spend more time here, where people are truely devoted to Tolkien. This forum has been around since before the movies, and it will last long after the movies are considered out-of-date.

By the way, I'm single.

[VanimaEdhel]

Arwen! A name I recognize - you know, it's amazing how many new members that I've just never met before are around here now.

How, may I ask, did a purely Lord of the Rings forum become one devoted entirely to Harry Potter? But, I suppose that's a question for another thread...

I agree - it's gotten to the point that I have missed so much in conversation, I don't know what has already been said or what points have been made. Also, the new forum I go to has very few language restrictions (they just ask that you don't swear in the title of the thread...and don't use derogatory language towards one another - and they hardly even enforce those rules), so when I do come in here to post, I have to be very careful how I type. My typed dialogue is far more "colorful", shall we say, at the moment than my spoken. It is actually interesting - I have to proofread all of these posts far more than I ever had to when I was on here, simply because I'm afraid of slipping up and putting in some four-letter word when I did not even mean for it to be there.

Again, what I'm now hoping to do is wander over to the Role-Playing Forum - maybe even just to the Shire to get my feet wet again (I don't know, I'll see). Maybe I'll try to jump into one of the Inns and see how it goes before I do anything else. My fear of failure is what is preventing me from just diving right back in. At this time of day, my other Forum is pretty abandoned (people at work and the like), so I have time to poke my nose in here and see what's going on.

[Balin999]

Hm I guess I am one of the people who somewhat drifted away.
I was a very active member from may 2000 'till summer 2001, then I was inactive for a long time, then I occasionally dropped by, and I guess this here is my second post for at least a year.
I think the general reason for people stopping posting regularly is that after some time you have discussed all the topics that you found interesting, and therefore you have to wait until something else comes up. On the other hand, people also have a life to live, and therefore get other interests, which doesn't mean that they don't enjoy Tolkien or the Downs anymore.
I've always enjoyed this site, and I have had great fun discussing this or that, or participating in a quiz or whatever. And I guess that won't change for a long time.
Even if the number of members I know decreases from year to year, as is the case


Btw, is burrahobbit still around?