Where all the people

[handyandy]

Don't know about quality, but loading this picture was simple. The hardest part was using the "upgraded" Photobucket site!  LOL

It seems to me that some people just have to make changes to good old reliable stuff just because there is some new and shiny thing that can do to it.

[traindaddy1]

Bigdogjeff:

I'm sure we're still here. Sometimes other things take priority like family, jobs and weather-related repairs. No, I don't think the hobby is "starting to go down hill"........got to remember that it still is a hobby not a everyone's primary time focus.  (my opinion)

Web related: Things always change....we'll see! Have to admit, though, for me, loading quality pictures has become more of a chore.

 

[ADCX Rob]

bigdogjeff

Where all the people

http://cs.trains.com/ctt/f/95/t/245015.aspx

[Penny Trains]

Your best indicator of site activity is the number of "views" a given thread has.  This one had been active for 9 hours and had 85 views before I ever saw it.  It may not be that traffic is down, but rather postings in general.  (I don't know, I don't have the site statistics.)  But you can't generalize too much either.  For example, when someone asks a question and the correct answer is given by the first replier, is it really neccessary for anyone else to chime in and repeat it?  I think a lot of us just move on and don't revisit a thread when that situation occurrs unless it keeps coming back up and curiosity bites us.  So, better answers faster naturally lead to fewer replies.

Also I'd say that at least 5 times a year someone asks how to post photos in a thread.  Of course the simplest way is to require the use of an outside server which is what CTT/Kalmbach requires.  If they made it so you could load all of your photos directly to their own server every time (site wide), it would be way way way too complicated and expensive.  It would require a very large, very fast server and a lot more legal department oversight which I doubt would be very popular since it would also require more advertising than one magazine company could profit from to pay for it all.  So that could concievably lead to third party ads to make up for added expense.  BLECH!  Personally I think using Photobucket to host my photos to keep costs down to keep car insurance commercials off this forum is just fine, but that's just me.  I've seen it happen and nothing kills site activity faster.  By the same token I understand that doing the extra steps of using an offsite storage site for photos can be a bit intimidating.  Especially in this era when identity theft is rampant and seems to be a lot easier than many of us ever suspected possible.

As a side note, taking decent pictures of toy train layouts is hard and time consuming.  95% of what I think will be great photos based on the image I see on the back of my camera turn out to be big, bland nothings when I load them into my pc.  I just finished my "summer layout" but I haven't got any good photos yet.  (That's partly due to the stupid flu but that's a different story.)

So I don't think there are less people around here it's just that maybe those who are have less to say.  Or, like me, they're working on something.

Becky

[KRM]

 Every style of forum has its down sides. Be it sponsored by a magazine or a self moderated personal forum.
At least here there are train people who help when you have questions.

 I must agree the new software they have now does not help.  I have not seen anything changed or fixed since the rollout of it. Just wait,, it will change again. Maybe it will be better when it does. Just to many devices to try to make it work with.

 

[teledoc]

The forum is not the same as it was, from the previous version.  Since they updated things, it seems to me, to be very user unfriendly, compared to the old format.  You used to be able to see who else was on-line, and there was a lot of activity.  Now it appears to have a lot less activity.  I think they "BROKE" a good thing.  I still subscribe to the magazine, and think it is a great magazine, but the forum just isn't the same.  Just my opinion.

[sir james I]

 

Changes were made in the software and new rules were put in place. Some regulars didn't like it.

[bigdogjeff]

hi all I used to come on this site a lot about 1 year ago and had to take layout down and stopped comming on , but Saturday photo used to go onto Monday so many people sent pics in. What happened doesn't seem like there are a lot of people here any more. Is this hobby starting to go down hill or is it people don't care to go on the web to talk about the greatest hobby in the world. I know there is a mother big forum I will not mention names and there are plenty of discussions there. But I find this magazine for more superior to the other , so I just don't get where everyone went.  As soon as I make more progress on my new layout I will be sending in pics for Saturday.