Is this Site Declining and losing Members?

westernrvparkowner wrote:
I think it is definitely declining.
Some of that decline is probably attributable to the fact that forums like this in general are losing participation. Facebook, Twitter and the like have taken over the discussion market.
However, in my opinion, much of the decline can be attributed to how the forums operate. It seems many people feel it should only be an informational site. Someone asks a question, gets the answer (or someone says "why are you too lazy to search" and then post links to similar questions) and that should be it. Personally, I find that to be boring and of little interest.
Other people want it to be a discussion forum. That interests me. However, some people feel it is important to not have open discussions. They will either try to post replies that get the thread shut down or just lobby to have it closed. While the rules make politics, religion and similar veins off limits, I really don't see the harm in allowing threads to nibble along the edges of those issues. For example, I think a thread about how potential changes in either Healthcare or taxes would be important to the RV community. Discussing the pros and cons of different positions and proposals is something I would enjoy and participate in. If I was the forum overlord, I would only shut it down when it degenerated into all Elephants or Donkeys are complete idiots and if you support either such animal, you are an idiot as well. Unfortunately, the rug is pulled out from under such discussions way too quickly for my taste.
So basically what happens is there are just too few threads here to maintain my interest. I still look at them, still comment on the ones I find interesting, but there is precious little left that meets that criteria.

Well said. I'm a computer geek from waaaaay back (anyone ever have an Epson 8088 computer?) and have watched the ebb and flow of ways to discuss special interest topics for 40+ years. The first message boards/forums were awful to try to navigate and the advent of more sophisticated software and templates for making these types of forums, makes participation easier. So technology is definitely a factor, and as more and more folks turn to "social media" (an oxymoron, by the way), special interest forums such as this will experience a decline.

There is also the snarky factor. It seems there are more of "those" type comments, that serve no purpose other than to satisfy to the poster that, yes, they have rapier wit and we sure should be impressed. Not.

And...as we tend to be an older population, many of the members who participate are either dying or becoming disabled to the point of not being able to participate...either as an RVer or a member on a forum such as this. Some folks post goodbyes, others don't. This is where the technology issue becomes a factor; younger researchers are finding us here, maybe reading some posts, and then going elsewhere, to Facebook, Twitter, ad nauseam.

I completely agree that healthy discussion of a topic should be encouraged, both pros and cons of a topic, rather than discouraged. I know from my own experiences with Gen Xers and millennials that they have a very different view of the world than I do, and we should be encouraging their points of view, rather than snarky, non-contributing comments.