The Forum "Generations". What is with all the inactive accounts?

[Icelogist]

I have noticed that for the entire time I have been on the Melonland forum there has been always people coming for about a month or two and then leaving the forum, which kinda leaves these "generations" of inactive accounts that can be only seen with the replies on older posts with some of them possibly only contributing about 1 or 10 forum posts before they stopped.

If you where to look back at any post that is at least a month old, you can see a couple of these accounts that you might have not seen on any "modern" post. Ether because they forgot the forum, taking a break, are not very active, don't really like replying, or even just straight up vanished.

Considering that I have made 2 previous accounts that I now deleted as an attempt to try and leave the forum I can see why this is happening, there isn't that much to do, there are no algorithms or infinite scrolling loops to hook people into spending as much time as possible. The forum is in a neesh (I can't spell the word) that most people may not be interested in. The most popular topic is literally about replying a similar word to a previous reply. ETC.

[/home/user/]

I dunno, it has kind of always been like that. People register for one whim perhaps, and then never come around to check the forum again, or they do and just don't vibe with the posts until they forget about it.

Maybe people kinda also forgot how to use a forum; checking the unread posts and replying on your own terms instead of having an infinite front page.

I personally check Melonland every day because it's my primary social. Others might forget it in their bookmarks.

I don't see the issue much. In chatrooms, there's regulars and randoms, and in forums it's the same.

[t0lo]

I think that this could be a good thing. It is natural for users to be more or less interested in a site, and the lack of addiction/feedback loop features means that those who are on the site are on it entirely of their own free will, and because they are interested in the site or what someone has to say. What I wouldn't like is users who don't feel like participating feeling obligated to interact with or create content.

For me the primary draw isn't necessarily content, but talking to other like-minded users about culture and society, both online and offline.

[Gans]

Thankfully, the entry level to most message boards is very low. Just register, probably with an e-mail adress, and Go. The very anonymous message boards don't even ask for an e-mail, but they have some sort of security question, also to avoid spammers.

I think you would have less inactive users, if it would cost some money to register to a message board. Commitment argument: "I've paid for it, so I'll use it, no matter what!"

Although think about the term "Generations", especially interesting in older message boards that run for like 20 years already. Sad story, but people die, that's how it is. People on message boards could be gone with no trace. I've seen a couple of instances of someones children registering on a message board to tell the story of their father having passed away, who always loved that particular message board.

[TheFrugalGamer]

Yeah, I assume that these sorts of things match the "60-30-10" rule I made for myself after I'd been working in tech for a while. When it comes to repair tickets (or people registering for forums, in this case), 60% of them have only a passing interest and drop off after a while. 30% are a little more interested and will hang out for a few months before moving on, and that last 10% will be your core users.

With tickets and other things it's in terms of difficulty: 60% are easy fixes, close and move on. 30% are slightly more difficult and take some extra work. 10% are those difficult ones you tell stories about at work parties afterwards

...Sad story, but people die, that's how it is. People on message boards could be gone with no trace. I've seen a couple of instances of someones children registering on a message board to tell the story of their father having passed away, who always loved that particular message board.

So sad, but it is kind of sweet when family comes back and lets everyone know what happened and how much the boards meant to that person. Kind of like those Facebook pages that stay up and let people leave memorial messages after their loved ones have died.

[loren]

If you where to look back at any post that is at least a month old, you can see a couple of these accounts that you might have not seen on any "modern" post.

maybe it's just me, but i don't think a month is that old. what i appreciate most about forums forums is the ability to have discussions at a slower pace. i personally treat it like a public version of letter writing, where there's some expected time between responses. i like to sit and think about what i'm going to say before i say it.

i joined the forum exactly a month ago, made fewer than 10 posts, and haven't said anything for a few weeks, but i don't necessarily consider my account to be inactive. i read new posts pretty regularly, but i haven't made any myself because i have been a bit busier than usual _{and i am a little shy.} i don't think it's too much of an issue if people if people take long breaks from the forum; old threads are still accessible and people can come back later to reply if they want to.

I think that this could be a good thing. It is natural for users to be more or less interested in a site, and the lack of addiction/feedback loop features means that those who are on the site are on it entirely of their own free will, and because they are interested in the site or what someone has to say.

i strongly agree with this!

[Melooon]

I think that this could be a good thing. It is natural for users to be more or less interested in a site, and the lack of addiction/feedback loop features means that those

Thats a great point, and totally what Id hope for!

Id also add that you'd be amazed how often I get password reset emails from people who have not logged in for months (even over a year) - I think sometimes people just forget how to login But thats fine, we all go through phases on interest and disinterest in a subject - its fine to drop out of something and come back to it years later (as long as people are not depending on you!)

[MamboGator]

I've noticed this too, and my assumption has been that the retro web is a neat little fad to some people, sort of like the viral trends on TikTok and Instagram.

It coincides with the 80s nostalgia revival and how young adults seem to be dressing like it's the 70s again. (Does this mean disco is finally coming back?) Retro is trendy now.

This isn't to knock against anyone who signed up here, posted a welcome message and then never came back. It's not for everyone, but anyone who is looking to add "retro revivalist" to their public persona isn't going to get the same validation loop by posting on a retro forum as they would by going back to social media.

[/home/user/]

I've noticed this too, and my assumption has been that the retro web is a neat little fad to some people, sort of like the viral trends on TikTok and Instagram.

It coincides with the 80s nostalgia revival and how young adults seem to be dressing like it's the 70s again. (Does this mean disco is finally coming back?) Retro is trendy now.

This isn't to knock against anyone who signed up here, posted a welcome message and then never came back. It's not for everyone, but anyone who is looking to add "retro revivalist" to their public persona isn't going to get the same validation loop by posting on a retro forum as they would by going back to social media.

Absolutely, and the phrase "add xyz to their public persona" hits very close to home.
I fully admit that originally, I came here on the same note, attempting to add to my identity of sorts, but in doing so I have realized that this identity chasing is also a product of this modern social media and way of life. In constructing a public identity, I have found that constructing an identity itself is an issue. I realized I am genuinely in fact much more comfortable here. It feels like home again, honestly, probably also because I grew up in forums.

I think that even despite being a trend, some people can discover their long-term identities through it. Some will jump off, sure, but some will also simply find a great time and a new facet of themselves. Like people who start getting into books because of "dark academia" aesthetics, and then genuinely find they like it beyond just the aesthetic. Or hell, even my career, linguistics, I only found because worldbuilding was an online trend and that got me into constructed languages and theoretical linguistics, which I realized was a true interest of mine.

Sometimes these trends can make people more authentic, not less. But people have to be aware of it and how it happens when it goes wrong. In the past, I have done this "add this to my identity for a while so I am more interesting" thing with plenty of identity parts, subcultures and even mental illnesses and neurodiversities, which is obviously problematic both for myself and when it comes to ethics.

[MamboGator]

I think that even despite being a trend, some people can discover their long-term identities through it. Some will jump off, sure, but some will also simply find a great time and a new facet of themselves. Like people who start getting into books because of "dark academia" aesthetics, and then genuinely find they like it beyond just the aesthetic. Or hell, even my career, linguistics, I only found because worldbuilding was an online trend and that got me into constructed languages and theoretical linguistics, which I realized was a true interest of mine.

Sometimes these trends can make people more authentic, not less. But people have to be aware of it and how it happens when it goes wrong. In the past, I have done this "add this to my identity for a while so I am more interesting" thing with plenty of identity parts, subcultures and even mental illnesses and neurodiversities, which is obviously problematic both for myself and when it comes to ethics.

Yes to all of this. There's nothing wrong with exploring fads and one's identity and it's definitely not dishonest to participate for a bit and then drop off. Some experiments will stick, others won't. That's what our younger years are all about (and adult as well, but especially when we're young), discovering who we are by testing out new things that appeal to us at the time.

There are a lot of fads I got into when I was younger that I felt passionate about for a few months and then never engaged with them again. I dressed semi-goth/punk/glam in high school and got really into abandonware and software preservation in college, and playing around with those things contributed to who I am now, but they're not actively a part of my present persona. And then there are things that stuck with me to today, like my love of media and general spookiness.

I find that a lot of conflict comes from people having their personal/public identities challenged and they dig their heels in to preserve that identity rather than adapt. It's good to have a sense of self, but also to be flexible so you can deal with new things.