2012 - a retrospective

["couldbecousin"]

LOL, missed a whole page, in this debate.

A forum is a thing that slowly may get outdated. Newer social media are a lot faster, quicker, and, more social. And, that may be why "the young" are not joining in big numbers on I2.

Im not sure that rebranding is the answer, but I do feel that the site is badly struggling right now. Im sure that different people will have different ideas on where its all gone wrong, and I'm also sure that there will be some who prefer the site as it is now.
Clearly the active membership has declined over the last year or so, and that does coincide with the time that a large amount of younger members stopped posting, or left altogether.
I can also say that as a young person myself, the relative absence of other young people on the site is the main reason why I think I dont find the site very interesting these days.

CBC's declining posting average is a bigger factor, tbh. As for "struggling", post something that you find interesting or something you think your age group might find interesting. Nothing is stopping you.

Someone needs to kick that Weeble in the ass.

      OW ! I'm posting, I'm posting!

['andersom']

This will sound truly pathetic to you, but the i2 of april 2010 is my ideal of how an internet forum should be. Its the only forum Ive ever used, and the only one Ive wanted to, not including Zomg or s2. The more the site gets less like it was then, the more frustrated I get with it.

Not that pathetic.

But, the site is alive, it changes, and will keep on changing.

Hope you can let the ideal image be a good memory, and be able to see what good there is now in this place. And, also what is lousy of course. It isn't what it was in 2010. You are not what you were in 2010. Even if a miracle could change this place back to what it was then, it would not be the same, because you have changed.

[Al Swearegen]

For something completely different, just checked my memory, thought mine was failing.....

People mentioning missing Randy, and the interaction they had with him. Some joined here joined after me. I could not remember ever having encountered Randy on this place, apart from posts he had left behind.

Indeed, last time he was active on this place was December 8 2007.

So, not senile yet.

Randy was online for a few weeks after I joined. Hes not the type Im likely to forget

Im sure I just saw a post from you saying that twitter and other more modern social media might be a contributing factor in why there are so few young people now, but I cant find it to quote it.
You could well be right. I cant say I know anything about social media, apart from that it icks me out I suppose people have more options for where to spend their time online, and it could be that forums are feeling it the most. It is also true that the "grumpies" are more likely to stay where they are, whilst younger people are more likely to try the new stuff. It could be that this problem is not exclusive to this forum.
I definitely dont think that its the reason why so many young people have stopped posting, but it could certainly be a large part of the reason why so few are coming along to replace them.

Yup, twitter, fb, and lots of other things.

When I2, AFF and WP started, there weren't that many other options. Not for people on the spectrum, and, the internet was still a vast wide place. Now there are so many places to go to and to join. And, the autistic population did not grow just as fast as the options. (despite that wretched epidemic).
It's just like in my village, in 5 years, the number of kids (mainly girls) being a member of the gymnastics club dropped to a third. Not because of the quality of the sports, but, because of the other options arising, within travelling distance, for girls. There's dancing, there's a girls football team. Belly button staring on what went wrong and why people left is not really helpful when done too long. Getting used to being a smaller group from now on, and keeping that as healthy and fun as possible is what there is left to do.

I know youre right, and Im certainly not blaming anyone for the lack of new young people. It just saddens me that the place I loved is no longer the same.
I dont mean that in an "aspie scared of change" way.

This will sound truly pathetic to you, but the i2 of april 2010 is my ideal of how an internet forum should be. Its the only forum Ive ever used, and the only one Ive wanted to, not including Zomg or s2. The more the site gets less like it was then, the more frustrated I get with it.

I thought back in April 2010, that a new member called Butterflies seemed pretty good value. Fiesty, fun, smart, active and interesting.  People change, opinions change and times move on.

[Beardy McFuckface]

You'll come back. Not even shleed escapes shleed's law.

I never said I was going anywhere

Oh.

I might make a forum or try and maintain contact with you lot outside i2, ie. Skype. The only reason I went on here again is the lack of interaction with people I actually like.

["couldbecousin"]

You'll come back. Not even shleed escapes shleed's law.

I never said I was going anywhere

Oh.

I might make a forum or try and maintain contact with you lot outside i2, ie. Skype. The only reason I went on here again is the lack of interaction with people I actually like.

  Might Crip be rejoining here? 

['Butterflies']

This will sound truly pathetic to you, but the i2 of april 2010 is my ideal of how an internet forum should be. Its the only forum Ive ever used, and the only one Ive wanted to, not including Zomg or s2. The more the site gets less like it was then, the more frustrated I get with it.

Not that pathetic.

But, the site is alive, it changes, and will keep on changing.

Hope you can let the ideal image be a good memory, and be able to see what good there is now in this place. And, also what is lousy of course. It isn't what it was in 2010. You are not what you were in 2010. Even if a miracle could change this place back to what it was then, it would not be the same, because you have changed.

Ive thought about that dilemma a few times. I know that I should leave this site while its still a great memory. Remember it as the place that helped me through the hardest time of my adult life, and be glad that I was here through the "golden years"
Other times, I just want to come back and try and make the site be good again And if it isnt going to be good again, then it needs

I know what I should do, but I just know that every so often Im gonna do the stupid thing

["couldbecousin"]

I think that the site needs to make a serious effort to start to engage with the youth.

This implies a conscious, site-wide policy, which in turn implies moderation. How would you go about achieving this?

I'm not about to apologise for my age, nor will I start acting in any other way than what feels comfortable and right to me. If somebody thinks I'm not young at heart or whatever, quite frankly I could not care less. Also, I'm not about to start treating members differently based on their age, and I'm not about to change the site itself based on some probably misguided conception of what the so-called youth might expect to see here.

Interestingly, no-one's explained what that might be or, conversely, what an old person's topics might consist of.

  1.)  I engage with people of all ages, aided by my own immaturity. 


  2.)  Adam may be young in years, but he's a cranky old man at heart!  * 



  3.)  Old people love to talk about their fallen arches.  Lately mine are killing me!   

  * I mean that in the best way, Adam suffers no fools. 

[Al Swearegen]

This will sound truly pathetic to you, but the i2 of april 2010 is my ideal of how an internet forum should be. Its the only forum Ive ever used, and the only one Ive wanted to, not including Zomg or s2. The more the site gets less like it was then, the more frustrated I get with it.

Not that pathetic.

But, the site is alive, it changes, and will keep on changing.

Hope you can let the ideal image be a good memory, and be able to see what good there is now in this place. And, also what is lousy of course. It isn't what it was in 2010. You are not what you were in 2010. Even if a miracle could change this place back to what it was then, it would not be the same, because you have changed.

Ive thought about that dilemma a few times. I know that I should leave this site while its still a great memory. Remember it as the place that helped me through the hardest time of my adult life, and be glad that I was here through the "golden years"
Other times, I just want to come back and try and make the site be good again And if it isnt going to be good again, then it needs

I know what I should do, but I just know that every so often Im gonna do the stupid thing

I think that this place is what it is now. Back then it is what it was then. It does not need fixing any more than it needing fixing then. It was the sum of its experience and its membership direction, it is the same now.
It is simply different to what it was then.
I would have preferred the Bint, Eris, Scrap, Squiddy and Butterflies of then to the same now. People change though and that is OK.

["couldbecousin"]

This will sound truly pathetic to you, but the i2 of april 2010 is my ideal of how an internet forum should be. Its the only forum Ive ever used, and the only one Ive wanted to, not including Zomg or s2. The more the site gets less like it was then, the more frustrated I get with it.

Not that pathetic.

But, the site is alive, it changes, and will keep on changing.

Hope you can let the ideal image be a good memory, and be able to see what good there is now in this place. And, also what is lousy of course. It isn't what it was in 2010. You are not what you were in 2010. Even if a miracle could change this place back to what it was then, it would not be the same, because you have changed.

Ive thought about that dilemma a few times. I know that I should leave this site while its still a great memory. Remember it as the place that helped me through the hardest time of my adult life, and be glad that I was here through the "golden years"
Other times, I just want to come back and try and make the site be good again And if it isnt going to be good again, then it needs

I know what I should do, but I just know that every so often Im gonna do the stupid thing

I think that this place is what it is now. Back then it is what it was then. It does not need fixing any more than it needing fixing then. It was the sum of its experience and its membership direction, it is the same now.
It is simply different to what it was then.
I would have preferred the Bint, Eris, Scrap, Squiddy and Butterflies of then to the same now. People change though and that is OK.

  You can never step in the same river twice, be at peace with it.   

['Butterflies']

You'll come back. Not even shleed escapes shleed's law.

I never said I was going anywhere

Oh.

I might make a forum or try and maintain contact with you lot outside i2, ie. Skype. The only reason I went on here again is the lack of interaction with people I actually like.

I would hugely love to keep in contact, but Skype would kill me. I cant even manage MSN. Forums seem to suit my social anxiety
Zomg still exists. If you just wanted a little forum to hang out with your mates on, it could be used.

[MissKitty]

I have a weak spot for Squiddy.

I don't think he left out of boredom though.





I never saw Scrappy as young.....


EBM comes and goes, he always did, he probably always will. Nice to see him when he pops up though.

And EBM will always come and go. Being gone more during his busy season at work and back when he's in the off season. He puts in a lot of hours at work.

As everything else, it always goes in cycles. It will pick up and it will drop off again.

["couldbecousin"]

I have a weak spot for Squiddy.

I don't think he left out of boredom though.





I never saw Scrappy as young.....


EBM comes and goes, he always did, he probably always will. Nice to see him when he pops up though.

And EBM will always come and go. Being gone more during his busy season at work and back when he's in the off season. He puts in a lot of hours at work.

As everything else, it always goes in cycles. It will pick up and it will drop off again.

  PPK is the same way.  I think he needs to straighten out his priorities. 

[Beardy McFuckface]

You'll come back. Not even shleed escapes shleed's law.

I never said I was going anywhere

Oh.

I might make a forum or try and maintain contact with you lot outside i2, ie. Skype. The only reason I went on here again is the lack of interaction with people I actually like.

I would hugely love to keep in contact, but Skype would kill me. I cant even manage MSN. Forums seem to suit my social anxiety
Zomg still exists. If you just wanted a little forum to hang out with your mates on, it could be used.

I shyed away from ZOMG since no one really posted. I tried to talk to people via email but that didn't work either.

I was thinking of maybe forming a facebook group for us lot, that way we can have a somewhat forum-like experience while keeping it a bit social too. Thoughts?

["couldbecousin"]

You'll come back. Not even shleed escapes shleed's law.

I never said I was going anywhere

Oh.

I might make a forum or try and maintain contact with you lot outside i2, ie. Skype. The only reason I went on here again is the lack of interaction with people I actually like.

I would hugely love to keep in contact, but Skype would kill me. I cant even manage MSN. Forums seem to suit my social anxiety
Zomg still exists. If you just wanted a little forum to hang out with your mates on, it could be used.

I shyed away from ZOMG since no one really posted. I tried to talk to people via email but that didn't work either.

I was thinking of maybe forming a facebook group for us lot, that way we can have a somewhat forum-like experience while keeping it a bit social too. Thoughts?

  I would join a Facebook Intensity group! 

[Adam]

And I didnt forget about Calavera.

You didn't mention him, so it was a fair assumption to make.

No, because (again) you're missing the point - Butterflies is not seperating the membership into under 30s and over 30s

You are missing my point, which is that Butterflies did in fact not mention Calavera. Bloody spazz.

Yeah, she didn;tr mention Calavera - BECAUSE she's not just mentioning all the under 30s.