Wondering where everyone has gone

[nbsmom]

There was a great deal of participation in this forum a few months ago. But now...the number of undecided has remained steady, while the percentage of supporters/traffic to this forum has dwindled considerably.

Why is this so?

Looking at engagement for the first page of results, I see that there are a relatively small number of posters making the majority of the posts.

While the tone in this forum is nowhere near as 🔥 as it was in 2016, I have noticed that there are a few voices who spend a lot of time here, make a lot of posts, and are kind of dominating all of the conversations here as a result.

I get that some posters are very enthusiastic about their candidates. As someone from a deep blue region of a very blue state, I am very familiar with what an echo chamber looks like. But as you may recall from 2008 and 2016, there is a lot of ball game left to play.

So—this is for you posters with posts in the 5 digits—before you rush to share the latest polling data that favors your candidate, maybe take a lap and let someone else—someone undecided—have a moment to post what they think. Let the newer participants ask a question, and chill while someone who might also be undecided answer with their own framing and opinions. Let’s try to make this forum an open and inviting place to share all opinions, so that maybe we can see that undecided number start to move down and numbers of different posters move up.

[Lochloosa]

1. It will heat up after the holidays.

I'm keeping my powder dry.

[brooklynite]

2. So you think that if I DON'T post something, someone else will?

Question 1. Why do you think so?

Quesiton 2. Why is that necessarily a good thing?

Some people post frequently. Some people don't. Let them do what they want.

[Cha]

3. omg.. so you tell members who post

polls "to take a nap"? That's going to go over well I don't but they most certainly have a right to.. without someone getting on and telling them "to take a nap".. At least they're not being rude.

Oh and now you're monitoring where members "spend their time"? Good Grief!

..I have noticed that there are a few voices who spend a lot of time here, make a lot of posts, and are kind of dominating all of the conversations here as a result.

lol@your "dominating all the conversations".. Yeah, this is just what this forum needs.. someone to tell us what we're doing wrong according to them

[Iggo]

4. I've lost my appetite for DU's version of "vetting." It's the worst thing we do here.

The only candidate I'd never vote for has zero chance of winning, so I don't feel the need to shit-talk that person day-in and day-out.

Whoever eventually DOES win, I'll fight for that person like my life depends on it.

But I'm undecided right now, and I don't see that changing before Super Tuesday, when I'll probably decide through a series of coin flips.

[left-of-center2012]

5. For some, it's a numbers game

For some, it's a numbers game. It's all about boosting their post count.
For others, they post to inform.

There are those whose names you see over and over again, every day.
And there are those you see on a regular basis, but not as often.
And there are those who rarely post.
Each person does as they choose.

I belong to a non-DU forum that limits you to 5 posts a day.
I think that causes posters to put more thought into what they really feel they want to post.
And you don't get 'spammers'.
I, and most, left a non-DU forum because one guy posted 30+ posts a day until he was the only one using the forum.
If anyone else posted, his posts drove yours way to the back.

Personally I have a list of news websites and, if I see something I feel worth sharing, I post it.
If not, I move on to my game websites.
Maybe even (gasp) read a book.

[mahina]

6. I've made my choice and am not interested in arguing

Don’t have time and life’s stresses are already being managed. I spend enough time staring at my phone already.

I’ll support whoever the nom is and work.

Suspect I’m not the only one.

[BlueMTexpat]

14. This.

[mahina]

16. Hey, nice to meet you.

Aloha 🤙🏼🤙🏼

[BlueMTexpat]

17. Nice to meet you too!

[DesertRat]

22. +1

[IcyPeas]

7. it may not be the busiest forum

but I really like having a place for all the candidates' news.

I've noticed too that the percentages don't change as they seem to on the other news polls.

I am still undecided so I have never changed my choice.... yet.

[dewsgirl]

8. I guarantee one reason is since September, the news cycle

has really been like a fire hose of bombshells, sometimes every hour on the hour. News no longer takes the weekends off. I have had time on my hands since early September, I spend more time researching and reading the news than ever and still can't keep up. Of course people are still interested in the candidates. there was more time to focus before. At least that's my view, I'm sure there many other reasons.

[Sloumeau]

9. I believe that you may be misinterpreting what may be happening.

I've been posting on computerized forums for a long, long time. For example, I've been making posts on the liberal blog dailykos.com for over 15 years. Before I was posting on the official internet, I was posting on AOL, Prodigy, and Compuserve. Before that, I was posting on local computer Bulletin Board Systems (BBS's). So, I've been posting to forums since the 1980s. People posting a lot does not tend to prevent others from posting to a forum. In fact, in general, the opposite is usually true. In general, the more that is posted, the more that people want to read the postings and respond to the postings. I've generally found the most postings on forums when people are discussing subjects that pretty much everyone has an opinion on. The least postings tend to come on subjects that hardly anyone is familiar with.

It is my opinion that a few people posting a lot do not in any way cause visitors, such as undecideds to stop showing up. Dead forums cause people to stop showing up. Busy times of the year cause people to stop showing up. Also, Posters being overly mean to others on the forum may cause people to stop showing up.

However, nothing kills a forum like people simply not posting at all. I've been to sites where basically one person posts once a week. You can practically see the tumbleweeds rolling through the forum. Eventually, I stop showing up at those forums because they are a complete waste of time because there is absolutely nothing new to read. THAT is the ultimate killer of forums. Since it is the holiday season, activity may slow way down around this time. This is common on computer forums. After New Year's Day, and as we get closer to the Iowa caucuses, do not be surprised if things pick back up.

Do not be afraid to post as long as you are nice to other people and avoid overly violent, disgusting, or sexual posts and avoid posting things that are patently untrue.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving everyone!

[LakeArenal]

10. I quit. Too much click bait.

I can make a list of who takes every chance to be negative on which candidates.

I am tired of someone you obviously disagree with repeatedly coming at me.
So I ignore certain threads and posts.

I wish folks would fight for who they like and not against ones they don’t.

[betsuni]

11. And threads where most of the comments are complaints about the source rather than the topic.

Sometimes it's justified, but it's become too much. Complete waste of time.

[question everything]

12. You have been here since 2001 with only 500+ posts?

Most of us joined to listen, to ask, to opine, to debate. We got our “five digits posts” from many forums and groups, not only from this one.

Yes, many prefer to just read posts. Many are happy at the Lounge, exclusively. And, of course many do not read all the posts. But why complain?

[Cha]

13. And, then

disappear.. so far.

[BlueMTexpat]

15. Never fear.

Whether people actually post or not, most do read. And there will be more posts when people aren't actually in a holiday lull.

But there may also be some "primary fatigue" at work. These blasted campaigns seem to go on forever.

One of the saddest things is that once someone has actually won an office, they immediately begin to think about their own re-election and not about what they should be doing for the country as a whole.

There is something seriously f**ked up with our whole election system. JMO

[RandiFan1290]

18. Too many trolls and bullies. nt

[wellst0nev0ter]

19. Now that the repukes are batshit insane

It seems that traditional republican ideas and talking points have found a new home in the Democratic party and in DU.


It gets tiring and discouraging having to wage the same battles both on the outside and here.

[Hortensis]

20. A lot of people stay away from the primary forum as it "heats up."

I assume that from all those I've read saying so in other forums in the past. No matter the actual numbers, a real distaste for endless, and endlessly repetitive, intraparty quarrels and propaganda pushing is common.

I have only a little handful on ignore, and those are all chronic posters to this forum.

[PhoenixDem]

21. I can see that sort of a thinking

coming from certain supporters of certain candidates. Especially those who live in an echo-chamber and think the whole world is ultra-left. The same goes for the other end of the spectrum.