I've been sorry to note a decline in activity on the Forum since I joined in 2003. There was a time when every visit would yield one or more thriving discussion threads that you could join in with; between Friday evening and this morning, no one posted at all. I'm pleased that Robin started this considerate topic, but the fact that some people prefer non-sequiturs and slagging off past members to engaging respectfully with the subject strikes me as, in every sense of the word, pathetic. Maybe the fading of community spirit is insurmountable - I just wish I understood why.
I feel I owe plenty to the Forum, and still visit it regularly. I welcome any discussions which look 'interesting' (if that's not too vague), even if that does involve retreading old ground. In my opinion, the Moderators should be more active in creating, promoting and enlivening discussion opportunities - between the three of them, they've only posted three times this month. Not that I wish to tell them how to do their jobs; but it would be reassuring to feel their collective guiding hand (in the metaphorical sense).
I started a new thread in the General section, in the hope that it would provide an extra outlet of creativity. But regarding the amount of posting I do... well, with the reduction in forum activity these last six months, my relative share would go up and up, and I don't think it would do for a moderator to appear to be dominating (a worst-case scenario). I've had no internet access at home for the last two months, also, and have had to rely on my local library to keep up to date. Whilst this gives me enough time to check all the threads, it doesn't leave me with any time to contribute. Hopefully this will change in the next few weeks, though.
