Is it just me? Have we lost a lot of members? Members posting differently?

[wolftracks]

x2

 

[Orchid]

I haven't been a very active poster for a while, from even before the site change. Some of it was because of personal reasons, the rest of it was that, to me, the feel of BYC has changed.

When I joined, newbies were encouraged to ask their own questions, now they are encouraged NOT to post, and instead slog through countless FAQ's to find their answers. While I agree the information is already on here, it's not the same as asking a specific question and getting a personalized answer. That personalized answer is why many people come to BYC instead of scouring the internet, and IMO, is a major draw (or should be) for the forum. That exchange of ideas between people should always be encouraged. Of course, answering the exact same question, time after time, can be taxing, but everyone with experience should be taking a turn, not leaving it to the two or three posters every time.

The other main problem I have with answering posts, is that when I read a post I don't agree with, I now skip it, rather than framing a reply. I have found too many people are quick to anger if you disagree in the slightest way. So I'm also limited to replying to threads where I agree with every answer or opinion submitted. I have been reprimanded before for stating my opinion when it differs from majority; I mostly keep it to myself.

These two things keep me from posting as much as I normally would. Encouraging newbies to ask ANY question, and allowing the free exchange of ideas are the premises I thought this site was built upon, but now seems sadly lacking. It might just be me, or, it might be a lot of people.

X2

 

[thaiturkey]

I'm back after a few months away.

I can't say yet whether the rate of posts per day is lower but I remember a suggestion last year that there's a quiet season - presumably the winter.

I've asked a question, made other posts and got replies so I can't complain about that. The obvious change is the new style. It takes time to get used to but learning keeps the brain active!

Random Ramblings seems to be missing those social threads where someone posts personal or family information and then gets angry if people disagree with what they write. You know, the lady who says her daughter complains about being beaten often and the man who says he shoots at children who make a noise in the street. They turn abusive when they get replies that don't support them. Perhaps there's been a clear out of those folk. I haven't noticed any active extreme religious stuff either.

Anyway it's good to be back and to see that BYC still has a excellent Alexa ranking and old friends are still around.

 

[rufus]

I really miss some of the old posters. Some of them were real characters. What happened to Pickles Pickles, Paganfish, Macinabaline, Writerofwords, Littlechickenracing team and the girl from North Carolina that raised goats and made soap?

Well, I guess time and people move on.

Rufus

 

[wolftracks]

Writerofwords has been on, but I don't know about the others.

I just feel like the oldtimers who helped so many have become fewer in numbers and the recent people who have been here from 2 years or less seem to be the ones who answer questions. But yeah, people do move on. I just hope BYC continues to thrive and we don't miss the informative answers and the variety of humor that has always been a part of this site.

I'm usually in here every day, but since breaking my wrist and then having to have a plate put in, I'm running one armed and to top it off my back and neck are killing me lately, so it's hard to just sit here. Oh and I'm old. Maybe those older than me have used their energy to just do real chicken stuff.

Then again, maybe they are all here and with the new platform we just don't notice that the same people just look different. I remember about 5 or 6 years ago when I first started just reading the site (I was here a long time before I ever joined) and just the change of an avatar and I lost track of someone. LOL

 

[BunnyMomma]

Ditto! You couldn't have said it better. No matter where you post, it seems there is someone just lurking, waiting to unleash a nasty putdown.
It is like Jr. High school.

 

[reereechickens]

I just REALLY hate this new website! I have tried but it takes forever for the screen to download!!! And if I look up something say on Amazon, the same advertisement for it appears in the advertisement block here! ***! I'm here for chicken stuff and I liked the "old web" when I wanted to go to the sponser or advertiser, I could easily find them and click on them myself and not have them on my right side and I can't move my cursor until all the idiots download!

My last rant is, I'm so sick of reading about Monsanto is the "devil" along with GMO! Shut up! I mean I'm on my sewing website of all places and someone is trying to figure out their fit issues and used a cotton muslin. Next thing you know they can't get their fit right because they MUST be using the GMO cotton by Monsanto! DUH! Your fabric is in the wrong place! I'm on the Silkie thread, same thing next thing you know Medicated feed is the devil and grape seed extract is the answer, shut up and go to your own websites about that crap, please! This is the Silkie thread! Overall I ignore these people but they seem to keep going on and on about it. Really the Silkie thread was about amprollium is a coccio-stat vs an antibiotic, whatever.

 

[3goodeggs]

I am on the in law's super speedy three thousand state of the art zippo computer, and it is like greased lightning. If my computer at home were like this puppy... well, I would have to restart my BYC addiction classes. I have to have two windows open at home. one to load byc and one for solitaire while I wait.
Maybe us old farmers just do not have the zip pow equipment needed for this new platform, and you know, we have hogs to feed and chickens to dress. (they love the frilly lace one )

oh, I DO MISS YA ALL!

 

[Tikkijane]

Huh. Interesting. When I first started reading a few years ago, I was amazed at how nice this community was, particularly compared to other bbs I was a part of. The one thing I have noticed in general is the nastiness of people overall. I wonder if this has anything to do with the US heading into an election.........

One thing I have noticed, honestly, is that the caliber of genuine questions seems to have tanked. Overall, it seems people don't want to search for the basics, but that's a reflection of society in general, imo- no one wants to research; everyone wants answers "right now," even, if on that same bb the same question has been asked numerous times. Seems to me people are tired of answering the same questions over and over, when two threads have exactly the same question by different posters. Not saying people shouldn't ask questions, of course, but it just seems prudent to search for the issue before posting.......

I think the bigger BYC gets, the more accurate a reflection of society at-large we're going to see.................. and ya, it's disappointing to see people tearing others down so quickly. one thread I saw left me scratching my head, because people jumped all over one poster for the response, but I didn't see anything wrong with what had been written; I wasn't on the other threads to see the responses being shared, so I didn't have enough "background," it seems, to know why they were ticked at the poster.

 

[Bunnylady]

I am on the in law's super speedy three thousand state of the art zippo computer, and it is like greased lightning. If my computer at home were like this puppy... well, I would have to restart my BYC addiction classes. I have to have two windows open at home. one to load byc and one for solitaire while I wait.
Maybe us old farmers just do not have the zip pow equipment needed for this new platform, and you know, we have hogs to feed and chickens to dress. (they love the frilly lace one )

oh, I DO MISS YA ALL!

Back at ya!

A good computer makes all the difference, doesn't it? My kids' computers are lightning fast, too. They don't "stop and think," it's just click and bam! you're there. No fuss, no delays. If I could just figure out how to get them to do the chores around here, I'd have sooo much more time to spend on BYC!