I was wondering when the elephant in the room would be addressed...
I think the boiling point for some of the long time posters, who have since moved on can be traced back to the fact that when (As DF mentioned) a sensible hockey question is posed, some were slammed and put down for their views as opposed to hearing each other out and discussing things as grown ups. I think what has been lost along the way or neglected, is the mutual respect we have for each other. It's easy to sit behind a screen and rip someone apart for their views/beliefs on
any topic because you may be 3000 miles away from said person and may never see them face to face. To be fair, there has been a lot of unjust shit slinging in recent months that I know has driven at least one person away. Granted, I myself have never ventured into the political/religious debates, but given what has been seen in many hockey threads, it may be safe to assume that this has taken place in other areas of the board. I'm not saying we should all sit in a circle and sing campfire songs or some other kind of happy bullshit. There is something to be said of a good debate and sure, shit can get heated sometimes. But what needs to be kept in mind is you may not agree with what Bobby is saying and maybe Sue wants to frolic around this place completely naked. People may not agree on everything, but we should respect each other and where we are coming from.
Especially if someone wants to run around naked. It's worked in the past…
Aside from any, "Personal attacks" that may have taken place, another thing that could have an impact on lower numbers, could be every day life. For some, it may not be possible to join in on any discussions during what used to be peak posting times like the GDT's. I remember seeing 14 pages on any given night, but now we're hitting around 3-4 (If we're lucky). Work, not being at a computer, stuck in the bathroom because someone is threatening your life with a toilet plunger...all of these could have some kind of impact on our attendance.
Aside from our team sucking some pretty big, sweaty, crusty balls right now, these are just some ideas as to what has happened. And, maybe none of these have any impact as to why some people have left. Maybe, just maybe... I have no clue as to what I'm talking about. Shit, I may not even be wearing pants right now. But I know I'd love to see some of the peeps who will read this and who have taken a leave of absence, come back to the friendly (and sometimes dysfunctional
) confines of XC's house.
We all came together here for a reason, why not try to find what brought us here in the first place and go back to that?